derry

Anybody know any Uruguayans that have been a success in this country? Uruguayans internationally are more noted for a lack of discipline and sometimes cynical physical behaviour. Liverpool have been treading on eggshells with Suarez.

Nothing changes- Everything on Tick.

This is the blindingly obvious conclusion that sums up the successful use of players, whose interrelationship needs to be blended together in a way that suits them and brings out the best in the team. Picking a system and shoehorning in players, who for whatever reasons, do not seem to perform well, however talented and successful they have been playing in a way that suited them previously, is a recipe for failure. It is a pointless exercise neutering talented players by asking them to fit in to a more technical system. Adkins has been noted in the past for getting the team to perform better than the sum of the parts. Unfortunately the team isn't really performing better than the sum of the parts at the moment. Only Sharp seems to be able to score and doesn't look like first choice. Failure to score against both Ajax and Udinese where we didn't create anything much at all, looks more a failure of the system rather than the players.

The need is to have no slowish players, important is acceleration and sharpness, Pace in the right places is necessary. I don't care what system is used but it must suit the players.

Having seen Ajax, Wolves and Udinese and seen the way the team is set up and the way three vital players in particular, Lambert, Rodriguez and Lallana are struggling to make any impression, I think that it is right that questions are being asked. I'm delighted to be in the Premier but question whether the players that are good in the systems we played last year are now automatically able to translate that to a completely different system. The Ajax game was almost like watching a slow motion replay, Wolves was a bit better and the Udinese game a whole lot better but that game demonstrated the deficiencies of a team unable to break out from midfield and predictably rely on slow buildups. Apart from Clyne and to a lesser degree Puncheon nobody ran at the opposition.

Bert, don't make the mistake of thinking that the system is the most important thing, it isn't. It is no earthly use buying a striker for £7m then deciding to play him as a wide midfielder who is far from pacy in a 4-3-3/4-5-1 system because he has to play. The personnel needed to play the 4-3-3/4-5-1 successfully would not be the same to play the 4-4-2. What we have done is take players who are successful in 4-4-2 and assume that those same players can be moved around and provide an efficient 4-3-3/4-5-1. Three or four are like fish out of water. If we are going to play this way then we have to bring in 3/4 players that fit the system.

I don't think he is influential enough in the centre of midfield. He was much better on the left in the last ten minutes against Udinese. A big concern is the midfield's lack of pace.

I think we should forget about the numbers. It's about the best collective team and how the players complement each other. At the moment we have a pedestrian middle and nothing up front. At least two strong quick players are needed in midfield and play two up front.

Picking a system and shoehorning in players that have to adapt to play it, mostly ineffectively, is a recipe for failure. The only thing that works is to design a system that gets the collective best out of the player's abilities. It is better to be efficient because the system suits the players, than neutered by a system that doesn't suit, no matter how technically sound it is.

I know one thing: I prefer DeRidder's erratic delivery and pace to no delivery or pace.

Clyne and Puncheon were useful and caused Udinese problems. Davis no chance with three goals all from a distance. The back four were ok with Fonte having his best game so far. Lambert looks a bit fitter but isolated. Where we do have real problems is the middle of the team. First of all the centre, Lallana, Schneiderlin and JWP in the first half. Schneiderlin unusually gave the ball away at times, Lallana was peripheral and the game tended to pass him by, JWP had a decent game and is nippier than the other two. We failed to close down the scorers and they had all the time in the world to line up their shots. We lacked the ability to break at pace. Rodriguez was tidy but didn't really do anything. Puncheon had one of his best games to date. We brought on Gazzaniga, Shaw, Davis and Sharp. Gazzaniga settling in nicely. Shaw looks useful but we were weaker with him at left back. Davis is a decent passer but lacks pace and wasn't an improvement on JWP. Sharp put himself about but lacked support. We were very pedestrian and whilst retaining the ball reasonably well didn't threaten. I can't remember the Udinese goalkeeper having to make a save. Lallana went to the left for the last ten minutes and looked much more at home. Guly was ok but by that time Udinese's second string were on the field. We have to find some pace from at least two midfielders or we will struggle to score. We had as much of the game as Udinese but they were like lightning on the break where all four goals came from.

This season the due PPs are August and February, two payments of £4m if complete. That means only £1.58m due in August. But how much of that is already earmarked.

I've had my ticket since the first few days of issue and that shows 1900 kickoff.

Two things you can certainly see is what the team are trying to do and the competency of the individuals. It doesn't take a lot to see that Clyne is dynamic and a player that pushes on. On the other hand Lallana and Lambert have still some way to go. Rodriguez doesn't look comfortable or threatening in this formation. Three of the back four have been competent but Fonte looks fallible with some crass errors and a failure to win headers mostly fouling in the process. Last season was the first in ages that we achieved results early on but we were pretty settled in our team play. A new system trying to shoehorn in the players we have that may prefer to be playing in a different way may not work out. Time will tell but Saturday is the final try out. It may be the way to play away but we are slow on the break.

The two friendlies against Ajax and Wolves were pretty pedestrian performances. Plusses, Clyne, Hoiveldt, Fox, Schneiderlin, Ward-Prowse, Sharp. Gazzaniga showed well. Minuses, Rodriguez not really showed much, certainly not pacy. Lallana isn't the same presence inside. Lambert looks well off the pace. Fonte's performances littered with mistakes. Richardson just generally poor. Guly was decent playing with Clyne but poor with Richardson. We lack pace out of midfield and Davis doesn't look to have much either in the short time he was on. The 4-5-1 gives plenty of possession but most of it going nowhere and apart from Clyne no rapid breakout. I suspect we may suffer a bit because this doesn't look like a team that has the important players in their favoured positions. It doesn't look like we are getting much out of Lambert, Lallana and Rodriguez and struggle to create much up front. In the much sharper environment of the Premier I can't see goals anywhere playing like this. Centre back, and a bit more pace will be vital if we aren't going to struggle.

Richardson had I believe 12 assists many were hoisted to the far post. He gave the ball away ten times that number and put the ball into touch on the far side or out of play behind the goal regularly. He was lucky to be in the side and is nowhere near good enough now. Against Ajax he was dire and just as bad against Wolves. Putting in a decent ball for SDR was something he never did although he had opportunities to do so. If SDR plays the slower full back shouldn't be trying to engineer an overlap he should be putting him through. Clyne is much quicker than Richardson, is a good footballer and may well if he is used support SDR in a way that gets more out of him.

He got to the byeline several times in the first fifteen minutes he was on and both goals came after his crosses from the byeline. Players like him need the quality passes into space behind the defence not facing his own goal while our dickhead right back plays him short or tries to overlap. It hasn't taken Adkins long to replace him.

Not a single word about the absolutely dire absence of through ball service since he has joined the club. Playing in front of Richardson must be a nightmare for him. He could be a different player with Clyne and Davis. Anybody remember the fantastic tackle versus Crystal Palace when Scannell was clean through down the left. SDR was the only player with the pace to catch him and ran thirty yards to do it. Thought not.

Unless BH has some kids in his past Clare has no kids, they only got married recently and have been an item since he was at the academy. PFC would be attractive for him, live at home in Bartley, train locally and I wouldn't think money is a great issue any longer for him as he has had some cracking contracts for the last six years.

I thought the PPs were made August and February of each season.

FFS these ****s from Portsmouth never let the facts get in the way of their stupidity. 1) Southampton FC were never in administration so all debts were paid in full. 2) The £7m paid to Aviva was the ****ing asking price given to Mark Fry by Aviva in the first week of the SLH administration. He quoted it to me in the first week along with the remark 'there will be change out of £15m for everything'.

Allis and Thomson designed it. I could be wrong but I think it was owned at one time by a famous little Japanese lady golf fanatic that was noted for having everything she wore or used, pink.

The lido was built 1854, reconstructed 1930, closed 1977. Indoor central baths built 1892 demolished 1960s after quays built, which was then demolished and replaced by the present pool.

The terracing on the south side of the old Valley was awesome. Only a little stand opposite but the massive terracing gave a ground capacity circa 80,000.

If I'd have been offered a 4-1 defeat in the cup against PFC for them to be in Div 1 and us get double promotions to be in the Premier two years later, I would have grabbed it with both hands.