derry

Bialkowski hasn't let the side down in the last two seasons when he has been called on plus an outstanding loan period at Barnsley. Davis has been at fault with four goals in the last three matches how many more before we make a change. Seaborne has been slaughtered today on here but his inability to catch a very quick and combative striker is insignificant compared with the incompetence displayed by Davis recently.

It's not rocket science to defend against a quicker player, the marker needs the nearest defender to drop in behind and cut off the ball, but Harding sitting square and ball watching just left Seaborne exposed. As soon as the ball was in the air Harding should have been ignoring it as it was going towards Seaborne and concentrated on getting into a covering position where he would probably have prevented the goal by nicking the ball or at the worst driving CMS wide. Because he was the last defender Seaborne would have been sent off if he had impeded CMS but not if Harding had got round on the cover.

Harding was booked for moaning at the referee which was stupidity which meant we wasted a substitution. Harding's positioning was at fault for the first and second goals. For the first he was square of Seabourne and stayed there. He was marking nobody and being aware of CMS's pace he should have tried to get across in front of CSM but didn't, that might have driven him wider but it would have allowed Seabourne to pull back CSM without being sent off. He made no attempt to head the cross for the second goal and allowed the Peterborough player to get across in front of him and head in. Davis blocked a few shots but really didn't do enough for the first goal.

I just hope he isn't affected by it. After Surman and Lallana played for the under 21s they both came back and played poorly for quite a while.

If Nardiello had been in playing distance of the ball he would have knocked it in rather than bother with Fonte. He saw Fonte late and realised he might clear the ball so blocked him. It was a definite foul.

Bill, my problem with Davis is that he consistently gives goals away by bad decisions or even no decision at all. Goalkeepers will always fail to stop goals going in but he is regularly gifting goals at critical times such as his last two games where all three goals conceded can be attributed to his decisions. I have seen many goalkeepers at SMS in the last four years that except for shotstopping are much better keepers than Davis. Shotstopping is something that most keepers do well, but most do all the other things that goalkeepers should be doing. When appropriate catching crosses, communicating unequivocably, short distribution, by positioning not allowing ball after ball to be delivered into the six yd box often under the crossbar because they take charge and catch or punch not leaving the defence to try and clear facing their own goal. As club captain I know he has great influence in the dressing room, but we need a proper goalkeeper on the pitch, the odd blinding save isn't enough if vital goals are being gifted to the opposition.

yes, and just gifted another one.

Not in the same class as the lad you signed from Wycombe, Matt Phillips?

I suspect that putting inflated transfer fees on youngsters but actually not paying much up front and a lot of the real money dependent on achievements long into the future was trumped by a demand for cash on the nail, put up or shut up. If all transfer fees were required up front it would drastically reduce prices.

He has signed three players and sent one out on loan. How on earth can it be his squad when the majority of the players were signed before he came. However I believe the players like him as a manager.

The first goal was preventable, as Harding was working his socks off to block off Obertan Chamberlain stood five yards away and didn't bother to get goalside of Harding which would have blocked off Obertan.

After his display last week Kelvin Davis should have been dropped, which would have happened to any outfield player displaying the same level of incompetence. As far as I am concerned if he never played for Saints again it would be too soon for me.The three wise monkeys Kelvin Davis fan club is on here in force. The man is a walking disaster of a goalkeeper as demonstrated last week. The defence looked much more comfortable with Bialkowski and apart from a dodgy short pass in the second half was solid. As for Davis saving the second goal, not on the evidence of last week he wouldn't. If he comes back he could yet cost us promotion with his idiosyncratic interpretation of goalkeeping.

Quite! He was an awful passer and gave the ball to the opposition continuously. A good servant, courageous, but a legend ? If the club had signed a decent premier quality leftl back he wouldn't have got a game.

I suspect the goalposts could be moved as they would be if a higher bid now came in.

Probably our biggest asset is the ability to pay fees up front.

If it was made the rule, the silly prices currently paid wouldn't happen.

John will tell you how it works. Mind you I can't see phsychologist Nigel Adkins going down that route although Clough , Ferguson etc would.

If McQuoid is worth £550k to Millwall and I think hasn't managed to score yet so is Puncheon. I wouldn't give him away because if he is playing up I'd enjoy kicking his ass until he realises it's easier to toe the line and the pain stops.

Nicola Cortese isn't going to let him go on the cheap. I suspect the Premier giants eyes are currently watering, as their usual hire purchase route isn't working, because we want cash on the nail.

He did bite the bullet Colin and played at Staplewood. I would have thought that if there was real financial interest that we would accept, he wouldn't have been risked. I think most teams interested have him sussed and would only be prepared to gamble if the price is right. The loan concept sounds right after the loan window opens.

No Bill.

Barcelona are also just about the best in your face closing down team around, enables them to win the ball back if not in possession.

I think you are confusing drifting inside for playing as a striker. He plays as one of the wide midfielders in the Arsenal style which reduces his ability to use his pace which could destroy teams as he did against Croatia and Barcelona when Arsenal were being hammered.

If Walcott had gone to Utd he would have joined a club tailormade for his pace as a wide man initially. Arsenal have made little use of his pace as they mostly push on the full back or the midfielders, strikers run wide into the space he would use whilst he drifts inside to take part in the passing movement. This is why he is struggling to get into the international starting team who want him to use his pace down the touchline. At Utd he would have been allowed to use his pace on the break without being blocked off by his own players. I also think he went to the wrong club. I think at Utd he would have become a better player and a shoe in for England.

As far as I am concerned If Arsenal or anyone else including his advisers want to force a sale that's fine, but from there on, we play hardball and who cares about his future, that is down to others, certainly not Saints. Put him up for auction, best price up front plus sell on fee, If he doesn't like it, tough. Forget any loan just replace him, he is a long way from the finished product and provided we buy a good replacement he won't be missed. If he wants to stay and play, that's great, but if he wants to go, bye.