derry

Interestingly for me, one of Kelvin Davis's greatest weaknesses and our achilles heel, was an inability to come off the line and catch or punch crosses coming into our six yd box. Webster goes, all of a sudden Kelvin is catching or punching most of the crosses in his goal area and making a good job of it. This is a major policy change and looks like somebody has made a decision that crosses have to be caught. Davis looks a much better goalkeeper because of it. It may be that staying on the line was a coaching decision. It was the one thing along with the distribution that was lacking for the last two seasons. Webster goes, the ball is being passed and not just hit long and the keeper is coming for the crosses, sounds like he was overruled by someone.

It's 3 years under 21 at the club in question, only the academy players would qualify. Last night, Surman, Lallana, James, Paterson, McGoldrick.

AC Milan at Pompey Thurs?

I like him too, but he needs to play for the team. It begs the question, why didn't JVP tell him. The same thing with McGoldrick a few weeks back.

Adam Lallana needs a kick up the backside for his undisciplined performance. He was picked wide right and spent 93 minutes playing everywhere but. If we want to penetrate defences the two wide men have to be out on the line to immediately attack down either side. BWP did it, Lallana didn't. Consequently two things happened, the defence was allowed to compact which closed us down easily, secondly as Lallana wasn't wide he was never in the classic wide man attacking position just off the far post. BWP hit in some deep crosses and Skacel put in two peaches in the first half both dropping past the far post, because Lallana wasn't wide, coming in, we had nobody there. I don't care who is picked wide, but whoever is picked there, has to discipline themselves for the team. Wandering all over the place, ruins the shape of the team and advantages the defenders, allowing time for in depth defence.

SCW with the biggest backroom staff ever, including spin doctors, managed a pretty poor, unsuccessful, Lions tour.

The count is about 3 boycotts on here. Whilst everyone is entitled to an opinion and do whatever they like, it appears to me, there are fewer than 20, who come on here and support a boycott. I happen to think, the dire football last year, together with near relegation, has made up a lot of people's minds not to go, that and the cost. And before anybody starts on, I detest the arrogant, interfering, know it all.

Boy that really worked last year on 81% of the turnover.

Fill the bloody stadium. £6m extra a season and we get to keep our players. So who's ruining the club now? I despise the arrogant prat just to clarify things. I've supported this club for 54 years and wouldn't dream of not going, especially as it needs all the supporters it can get. If you are a supporter you need to support, stop the false illusion of giving money to Lowe, we are trying to keep our club afloat, buy time and get rid of these prats without too much damage.

If we go into administration whoever is prepared to pick up the biggest share of the debt to the bank and keep up the payments on the mortgage, will get the club.

Maybe it would be common courtesy to let him, his family and agent know. At the moment they know nothing of this. Lallana feels he needs at least this season and 40 odd games as a regular as a minimum.

Who won?

There seems to be a major misconception about the system we are SUPPOSED to play. 4 at the back with supporting full backs, 2 wide men working the lines and the far post, two central midfielders attacking and defending. A centre forward closely supported by the secondary striker. The players have hardly ever played this system properly. The wide men narrow and not tracking back. The secondary striker all over the place too far from the centre forward and not getting past the CF on runs. The CMs together with the wide men not tracking back and leaving the back 4 isolated with big gaps that the opposition usually capitalise on our far post as we run out of defenders. Marking loosely with the cover too far away has exposed us especially James. It seems that a lot of this was put right on Saturday. The formation has shape but is flexible and depending on the phase of play can look like anything you want to call it. The most important things are depth in defence, width and pace in attack to give penetration. This requires discipline and the mentality to bust a gut to either get forward in support or determination to get goalside in defence. We have not really been doing that, with the off the ball players strolling or trotting back and not making the effort to stay with opponents on their runs forward.

That's the bloody problem, the fact we are a PLC. It is not appropriate for a football club. Additionally the FA's rules designed to protect how the club is run are circumvented by a PLC. No paid directors for example.

Unless lies are being told by those quoted by Weston Saint, which I doubt as I know who he talked to. This is what the two players have been saying since September, They or their agents know of no move, a prerequisite of any deal being done. They both want to stay and Lallana especially, feels he needs at least this season playing regularly and both players want to stay. If the club want them to go, the players would have to look at it, but it hasn't happened yet..

-------------------Davis ----------------- Svennson ---------Cork Lancashire Perry Skacel Lallana--------Schneiderlin Surman ----------BWP --------------------McGoldrick We are going to be playing on the break anyway.

I thought that's what the answer would be, Ron. I was waiting until you posted, for the actual situation. (E has contacted me, he is going to Notts Forest)

I think you are partly right, I think the more experienced players see the dangers or the opportunities earlier and the potential mistakes of others and react to them. We are being killed at the moment on three fronts. In attack the players not immediately involved on the ball are not making the effort to get into the box on the off chance. Secondly as well as being guilty of too much ball watching, our players again not immediately involved in defending the ball are not making the effort to get goalside of the opponents runners trying to get into the box. Thirdly the markers are not getting tight enough and lay off, making this even worse is the cover being too loose, probably caused by the midfielders not getting goalside. Too many of our players are standing watching or just ambling back.

I have seen Lofthouse, Lawton not Ted Drake but since the fifties Ron Davies was the best attacking header of a football in the last 60 years. At one stage he was rated the BEST striker in the WORLD. He was unplayable in the box most of the time with Paine especially and Sydenham standing up crosses to the far post. I have never seen a player jump so high before or since. Nothing special on the ground but played good football and held the ball up well.

They played under Ted Bates from 1954, - Nos 2, 5, 3 at the back with a defensive 6, - 4 and 10 in midfield, 7 and 11 wide with an attacking inside right 8 supporting the centre forward 9. My God! isn't that what they are playing this season? 4 4 1/1 and isn't that 4 4 2? (or if the bloke in the hole got his finger out and got up in support of the front man, as he is supposed to, it would be).

Ahead of his time, lovely left foot, great sliding tackle would do for me. He won't win it as he won't be known to the latecomers after the sixties. Mick Mills would take some beating, even though he played both sides and probably one of the most influential players ever.

In drag?

If you had looked at the video on both the championship and the big league, you would have seen it was a one footed tackle that didn't make contact with Stearman. Euells other leg was underneath him. His leg went over the top of Stearmans leg. It was the momentum of both coming together, either Euells other knee or elbow caught him in the goolies. That is why he was poleaxed and it looked bad. It was however a rash tackle by both players, with Euell slightly later than Stearman.

If 7000 stay aways were real, it would cause a revolution led by the bank. We need to be able to quantify the number.

It almost looks as if the defender got between Euell and the ball, and they ran into each other. Why don't you email this and other associated frames to the club.