derry

I think Tuesday could define our season. If we win and Exeter beat Bournemouth it would put us 3 points adrift with two home games in hand. The result on Saturday would not be then so vital. Win and we are ahead, draw and we are 3 points behind and 2 games in hand, lose and we are where we are now. For that reason I think the results on Tuesday could either set us up for Saturday or turn Saturday into the most vital game of the season.

More of a concern is the lack of goals from general play. Yesterday both goals came after set pieces and another two against Swindon for example. At the moment discounting penalties and direct free kicks Lambert has only managed 8 goals in 37 appearances, Lallana-10, Guly-9, Chamberlain-8 in about two thirds of the appearances have outscored Lambert although he has recently picked up 6 goals in the last seven games. I just don't see Lambert making the runs into the box any more, Ok he is in there for free kicks and corners but not by making runs when we are attacking. He seems to be out wide and passing the ball but as our main striker he is not getting in on goal and scoring from play. He just doesn't seem to be as aggressive and dynamic as last year. He was never quick but last year he was always dangerous this year drifting out wide he isn't.

Even if it doesn't affect us I think the top places should be promoted. It doesn't happen in the Premier, the first four go in the Uefa Champions League.

This was a big win as it pushed Colchester back, it is another away game out of the way and means we are two home games in hand on Bournemouth.

We did well today as Colchester is a difficult place to go. We don't seem to be able to really take advantage of depleted sides and take them apart, but I'll settle for this result. Bournemouth is a massive game for both clubs next week, a win for either team will put the loser in some difficulty. I think Orient are capable of winning against the top teams especially at home. How is Vancouver? Harry and Adsy are cruising the Caribbean until 10th.

Is that Les Reed?

This is a major problem. He has created goals but he doesn't bust a gut to get into the goal area. We as a team also never seem to go on runs that one, are designed to move defenders out of the way and secondly into the goal area time after time on the chance of picking something up. The same at throwins and free kicks a lot of players just stand around with the taker pleading for movement. If everybody moved it would open things up but we don't do it.

I thought we should have given him more time despite signing Martin.

I do know that a current Saints player is very critical about the absence of vocal encouragement and leadership from the captain after the Hartlepool game. He felt that he was the only one trying to gee things up. Even the old heads are very quiet. Martin and Richardson (shame about the passing) have it but we are a very quiet team. It seems to me that Brighton and Bournemouth have a collective team spirit based on a siege mentality caused by the knowledge that everybody is waiting for them to blow up. We don't have that but we do seem to have a fragility and only now and again seem to be able to overcome adversity and scrabble out an ugly win.

Thanks, doesn't take a lot of perception to work that out, that is if the brain works quicker than the mouth.

One of the problems is that the players know Hammond isn't a leader. Certainly a leader or leaders are needed on the pitch. There is a great emphasis these days on the influence of the manager/coaches from an early age to the detriment of free thinking which develops with leadership qualities. Ball, Case etc were independent thinkers sad to say a breed that now seems to be nearly extinct. For that reason we should be ready to pay whatever it takes to find a couple of real on the pitch leaders.

Nice to see them getting reamed out they are far too quick to dish it out. Remember how we used to say "Pressure doesn't win matches" after a difficult game we had turned somebody over. I think it was a clear case of that last night. After the match on Saturday I said to Ron that the result was better than the game. Lambert is a clever footballer and scores regularly but lacks the pace to be incisive, what we need is a rapier rather than a broadsword and a lot more leadership in the middle of the field.

Also played in the same Saints team as Mick Channon and way out of your league.

Jaidi could hardly be faulted for the goal it just skewed the wrong way as he tried to clear. In the video it looked like Fonte was caught blindsided by Macken and Butterfield was caught square and unable to cover. I don't blame him as he was exposed but I did think Davis was a bit too far out and might have been better not coming quite so far, allowing Fonte just a little more time to challenge Macken and less easy to easily lift the ball over him.

I think it is a waste of time discussing this with you.

If that's what you want to think, fine.

Fonte, is mobile, a good tackler, reads the game well, used as a midfielder good in the air, breaks forward aggressively and has scored four goals this season. Schneiderlin on the other hand, can't tackle and apart from being a possession passer does little else except collect more bookings than anyone else with mistimed tackles. With Fonte, Lallana, as now the best footballer in the team, would have the freedom to play expansively and reinforce the front two with pace out wide. As I said hypothetical because Fonte will be first choice at the back and unlike Adkins I have the luxury of thinking outside the box. As for Schneiderlin, unlike Lallana he is no better now than the day he arrived and is totally one dimensional. He passes the ball and that is it, unfortunately most of the passes are just unloaded sideways or backwards eventually to Davis. Unless he adds more to his game he will continue to be a third rater which is where we are.

Yes, as the defensive midfielder with free role for Lallana.

Connolly, Seaborne, Dickson and Forte ruled out yesterday with injury.

Hypothetical but I would like to see- Davis, Butterfield, Jaidi, Martin, Harding, Chamberlain, Lallana, Fonte, N'Guessan, Lambert, Barnard. 4-4-2 (Guly had a hamstring problem yesterday)

The one thing we do know, no information comes out of the club, ever. A sale of the club wouldn't happen within the club so no information would be available. It is highly unlikely there is information available to people that would talk to a reporter. It might be happening, but the first thing that becomes public will be the announcement that the club has been sold. If the Leibherr family have allowed Cortese to arrange the ownership change, fair enough. I can't see the Leibherr family selling out over his head. Either way it would happen in Switzerland under conditions of the utmost secrecy. A hack with a third rate small town paper wouldn't get a smell.

I was in the west stand also all the other matches. I left SMC in 1960, 2 yrs in 1st XI football. Fell out with Bro Joseph as I wanted to play Sat afternoons for Cowes and pick up some pocket money.

Probably the best goal I've ever seen scored was Don Roper hitting a volley from just inside his own half. It was hit so hard it flashed under the diving goalkeeper, hit the metal stanchion holding up the net and rebounded back out under the still airborne goalkeeper.

Or a welsh leisure centre, Baaa.

I must say that I read the forum most days and can only remember one occasion thinking that the club may have complained about threads on here. That was when leftback was posting information and opinions. He must have either worked/recently worked for the club with current information available to him. After the Huddersfield match when the system to be used and the team picked was posted on here we were outmanoeuvered, especially as the Huddersfield scout sat next to us and what he was writing was observed by the person looking over his shoulder. I thought at the time that we could catch a cold and we did. Leftback was then banned. It didn't surprise me in the least certainly as the club monitored this site on a daily basis which was confirmed to me by David Luker. If I had been them I would have been upset at this information being leaked, therefore it would surprise me if there wasn't some reaction from the club.