derry

This is a very relevant point. I have always held the view that unless the attackers can bring definite defensive qualities, such as Lambert in the air, to these situations, just having them there allows the opponents into the box. Keeping three useless defenders up would not weaken our defence but would force the opponents to take people out of our box to cover them and the space in between. In the end five would probably be the maximum opponents to mark. Schneiderlin nearly always loses his man and rarely wins a defensive header. Defending crosses is easier if the dominant headers attack the ball rather than try and run interference on the opponents, that should be left to the less effective defenders. Fonte, Hoiveldt and Lambert close marking is stopping them effectively attacking the ball. The fewer in the box the easier it is for the dominant defenders to win the ball.

If UKIP didn't stand, their vote would probably go Conservative. For example if UKIP had pulled out of Southampton Itchen, John Denham wouldn't have been elected MP.

He doesn't need to hand in a transfer request because he has a £3m release clause which comes into effect on the 1st Jan 2012. There is no way he would put in a transfer request as it would cancel any loyalty bonuses he has coming.

He was a tremendous player for Ecuador but by the time you saw that video his knee was gone.

I was one of Adam's biggest critics, ask THEVMAN. Guly bottled the challenge and ducked out of the physical contact.

Lallana was the front man in case the corner comes in low. We had ten marking seven FFS, Guly was marking nobody, but as he then dropped back to the post which possibly Davis was covering, but Harding should have been, with somebody else on the right post, he took himself out of the very area the second ball dropped in. In any event presented with the second ball he had to make a determined effort to get his head to it or force the attacker to bottle it, but he pulled out, turned his back and ducked his head. It was not liking the possibility of hurting himself that caused him to pull out.

Harding ball watches he never knows what is happening behind him, he didn't need to knock the ball out for a corner but because he didn't know how much room he had he gave the corner away needlessly. He had at least two other options including belting it into touch.

They were better but we never overloaded the defence except Guly's chance, we were snatching under pressure. Schneiderlin doesn't do goals.

What made us a good side before BC was the contrast, two from three solid in the middle movement and dynamism outside with Lambert and Guly feeding off it. Put Hammond, Cork and Schneiderlin in the same midfield slows us down and allows defences to consolidate, whereas before, we were ripping through them.

Two things have contributed to our poor results. Chaplow getting injured, then persisting playing three pedestrian central midfielders who don't gel or offer any goal threat.

He was on the right post.

Sadly despite the credit he gets on here Harding is thick in a football sense and worse still ball watches. He had to take resposibility to defend that left post but went missing.

He didn't have a particularly good game today but he played his part. Two things annoyed me about today's game both connected to the equaliser. Firstly Harding didn't need to concede the corner so easily he could have taken it towards the corner or put it into touch as it was on his left foot going away from goal, secondly Guly bottled the challenge and pulled out into Davis's way allowing Ward a free header. Harding was brought on presumably because Adkins thought he was a tighter defender, one up, ten minutes to go why wasn't he on the post defending? Leaving Guly to defend was stupid.

After 1/1/2012 the five threshold jumps to ten until about the third Thursday in April so if Fonte, Schneiderlin and De Ridder avoid five before then they go to ten before a suspension.

This month has made the situation obvious that we are a bit short on the numbers, quality reinforcement for striker, centre back, goalkeeper, right side midfield, pace.

Cardiff/Swansea I believe.

I've been to every Saints game at Fratton Park including the fifties except the two Premier matches. I'm not going to this one. Even the 1984 FA Cup game I just drove down and went to the match then drove home with no bother. Now because some stupid prats have no idea how to behave we have the cattle truck convoy under escort, The tribal nonsense only really started in the eighties look where it has got us. I can't be bothered with that nonsense.

If Cameron doesn't become more euro-sceptic he could in due course face a leadership challenge or a no confidence vote. If he does, the coalition may well fall apart anyway. Either way the people of this country are now predominantly anti Europe and that in itself dooms the coalition's pro Europe position and the Conservatives know it.

I'm no Tory but the others are unelectable. Milliband and Clegg are a joke.

How was the Dutch seawall golfers today.

If he had the guts to call an election and guarantee an in/out referendum within three months if conservatives win outright, he could dispense with the liberal elite as it would be a landslide.

You couldn't make it up. No wonder the whole EU thing is so corrupt. If it wasn't politicians, bureaucrats and and governments they would all be doing a stretch.

SISA, what all four?

Isn't it that some of the inclusive countries, Sweden, Ireland for instance are now having second thoughts. The French opposition favourites to take power in April are against it. I think this arrangement will collapse like all the others. It looks like the EU don't want to stump up the rescue finance and are looking to load it onto the IMF complete with it's French boss. We should keep well out of it apart from the commitment we have already signed up to.

Or all the firms that import cars etc to the UK Vauxhall, Ford, Skoda, Seat, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Fiat, BMW, Renault, Citroen for example, the two way street would be left open. The Germans would see to that.