derry

If Lallana plays well I'll give him the credit. If he doesn't, I have no problem criticising him. If he reverts to his previous form I think there will be a lot criticising him. The Echo site posters today were making the point, maybe he viewed a good performance against Premier opposition as a chance to put himself in the shop window. I must admit that thought struck me on Tuesday, but I thought it unfair because I felt the management had instructed him to play wider which helped him and the team. My attitude to the team management, system employed and individual players is objective.

There is no point in trying to hold a sensible discussion with you. If you can't find suitable words to be insulting why bother. I have no dislike for Lallana, just the way he has been under-performing unnecessarily, together with his poor positioning causing us problems with a lack of width. He was much better on Tuesday and I was delighted.

I'd be surprised if they hadn't as Pardew emphasised the lack of width on Saturday, besides he was 10-15 yds wider and wasn't loitering around the centre circle. It gave him more room to play and he did well, however one swallow doesn't make a summer, he has to build on that now. I am not alone in my criticism of his poor displays, let's hope he is going to move on from here and make himself indispensable. There have been loads of players with potential that was never realised, Lallana could easily be one of those. After last night he may have turned the corner, playing for the team rather than himself.

This tallies with the rumour of suspect knee. Which I suspect is the real hold up not the work permit.

They are now saying it doesn't look as bad as first thought and the ligament isn't torn. Apparently they are now using today to let it settle down and decide tomorrow on the treatment required. This is better than I thought, as it looked really bad therefore long term.

It looked like somebody has spelt it out to Lallana. He was pretty good last night when it came to providing width. By drifting out to the touchline he gave himself more room to play and was more effective defensively. It was by far his best all round display for Saints, it has been a long time in coming and up to now he hasn't deserved a place in the team. Because of his discipline in maintaining our width down the left, and the consequent cutting edge I give him man of the match. He now has to bring this to every match. Mellis was not bad but was a bit narrow, Pardew was gesturing to him to get wide but he wasn't taking notice, I suspect if he plays there again he will be wider. With the extra width we looked a much better side.

It wasn't you particularly but it amazes me the number of teams on the build up threads that include players that have had long term injuries such as McLaggon included last week who probably won't play until November and Mills who is still not match fit. It just appears that not a lot of thought is going into those favoured teams especially when the information is available here, on the OS and on the media sites.

Ignore them and do your own thing.

By next June we will know which party is wanted and which is rejected and in a lot of areas it won't have anything to do with politics. I've had enough of Labour for the last 12 years and like a lot of others will vote for the only way of kicking them out.

Looking on the official site might be more productive, besides posting a preferred team is not looking for information. Posting a proposed team with two ineligible players shows they haven't been using the threads to gather information.

There is a thread for that. 7000 I understand up to now.

Having done due diligence maybe they don't want to give reasons why not. Alternatively if there is a medical problem, publicise it and prejudice the players chance of a club. If there is a problem maybe the player is getting medical treatment.

I read posts like this week in week out. Players are named in teams that have been injured, are long term injured or like Trotman not available as cup tied at Preston. Why are so called fans so unaware who is really available before posting teams, it is such a waste of time.

And this is where I came in earlier in the season when I slated Henderson and the Academy for the end product. Walcott/Bale were naturals, the rest are sadly lacking in knowhow and awareness.

It is just possible we don't want to sign him.

Absolutely right Colin. I want to see him doing well and contributing something useful but he isn't. I don't think Pardew is helping him, letting him play as he is, then criticising the team for not having width. I think it is get off the pot time for both of them. I don't understand why Pardew is not using Gillett, because I'd play him wide right and as soon as he is fit Holmes wide left. Gillett might not be the quickest but he would reinforce our right wing and worry the hell out of the opposition with his energy. I bet if he had been wide right on Saturday the full back wouldn't have got forward so easily for their goal.

The work permit issue may be irrelevant as the club haven't applied for one, which makes me think there may well be carried over injury problems from last season.

I'm not sure they have been told, as I'm sure Pardew would have been signalling for them to play wide if they have. It's not helping having the goalkeeper as captain. I think Lallana hasn't worked out yet that he isn't the blinding natural talent he and a few others have been promoting. Instead of everybody fitting in around him, he needs to decide where he might get a place in the team and develop that in the reserves. He just isn't providing anything useful and his lack of positional sense is damaging the team shape.

That's why they have to go back to the reserves and be re-educated. Then introduced one at a time into a team that contains few of them.

Schneiderlin will pass for fun if they give him a couple of line hugging, pacy players. That is now the most important thing, until we provide width we might as well play no strikers at all as they are easily marked.

I understand all of that and agree however I wouldn't play either of them as wide men but if that role is required of them then it has to be spelt out to them that's how they have to play for the benefit of the team. If they can't understand that or don't do it as required then they shouldn't be in the team. Playing narrow is just stupid, just like paying £1m for a big striker then playing no wide men to provide crosses.

Absolutely spot on. I don't dislike Lallana but for us to play like a proper football team he has to go. James and the others need to go back to the reserves and re-learn the game. 18 reserve games is rediculous we need a proper mens reserve league with about 40 games. I would have thought a sprint coach would be good, especially looking at the physiques of most football players. Compared with athletes their upper body strength is poor. Looking at the upper body physique of sprinters no wonder footballers in the main are pretty slow in comparison.

I'll tell you what Lallana does. His undisciplined self indulgent positioning stops us playing like a proper football team and for me the sooner he is out of the team the sooner we can get on and be competitive with width.

Just won the Ashes:)

It's a nice big wide pitch that under Burley, the Dutch and up to now Pardew has cried out for a team playing with width. We seem to be the only team I've seen at SMS in the last three years that hasn't played with proper width which means both touchlines at the same time. We have been turned over time and time again by teams attacking down our empty flanks and then hit from the empty blind side, while we struggle through a narrow midfield to score not many goals against a narrow packed defence. It's got nothing to do with the stadium it's the dire tactics and fancy dan players that don't put in the foot or the mileage.