CanadaSaint

It's no coincidence that we haven't really been the same team since 7 minutes into the Bristol City game at the end of November. The loss of Chappers was always worrying but our failure to adapt tactically is perhaps rather more troubling. Even today there was no real balance to pull them apart.

Sorry, Ron, we'll have to differ a bit on this one although I agree about Ward's marker, whoever that was. Guly would not have conceded a penalty with an honest challenge for a 50/50 header, and even just a "spoiling" effort would have helped. He did the absolute worst thing - he started to come and then stopped because IMO he didn't fancy it. As you said, even if he'd just stayed-put he'd probably have cleared it. But I'd still like to know what the hell Guly was doing on the near post in the first place. That's where you often need a brave person to defend against the near-post corner, and Guly is certainly not the person for that. Still, notwithstanding Guly's performance, we should have killed them off long before that and our over-elaboration around the box really needs to stop at some point.

My operative words were "at the time". This isn't about your opinion on who should be selected in the first place (others, including Nigel, seem to have a different view) but about whether we needed to make that change at that time. I thought we looked reasonably organized and comfortable so I wasn't sure why we made the change, and it looked like Fox was disappointed too.

I'm not sure it's just Adkins. Does anyone remember a moment late in the Blackpool game when De Ridder hit a cross at Lambert but it was (only slightly) long? Rickie waved his arm and shook his head in disgust at SDR and I wondered at the time what was behind his clear contempt. Perhaps he's one of those players that fans tend to rate while the coaches and his fellow pros are much more sceptical.

It's not a valid point. He started to go for it as the ball arced upwards, and then he stopped because it didn't look very appealing to him. The very least he had to do was spoil and he even chickened out of that. The fact that he also looked lazy and disinterested for much of what (to everyone else) was a very big match is a separate point. As is the fact that he shouldn't have been assigned the post role if that's how he sees it. I'll give him his praise when it's due - and there certainly is some - but you're trying to defend the indefensible here.

That's what I don't get. If it's a full back's role when Fox is on, why the hell change it when Harding comes on? And Guly didn't even have to win the header, just spoil. He did worse than nothing. I couldn't understand the Harding for Fox change at the time, and I'm not sure that Fox could, either.

What's the scoop on Brighton's suspensions? Who, if anyone, will they be missing for our game?

I know that. My comment related to why Guly, not Harding, was on the post.

One of my first thoughts was "Adkins, what the frick is Guly doing on that post?" Doesn't Fox normally take that post at corners? That could account for Guly being there, although I'm not sure why.

I like a lot of what he brings but I've never been fond of players who play when they feel like it and drop their heads easily. He does both. Add a lack of bottle to that and there's a big problem. I'm still p*ssed at the way he was strolling back from an offside position (by some ten yards) when Rickie headed the equalizer against Blackpool. If the officials had been looking for an excuse, that could have been just as costly as today's gutless 'contribution' on the post. I think Nigel needs to give him some tough love and see how he responds.

I still have a feeling that we'll find out how important Chappers is to us when he comes back. With a bit of luck our bad spell is almost behind us - and we're still sitting top.

lol

A) Did I suggest that the crowd should start abusing him? B) The Boro game was back in October. Pretty rich, coming from you, Alps.

I'm starting to get concerned that we've become a "style over substance" team in the past month - especially without the direct aggression of Chaplow. Just when we create an incisive opening, we stop, turn back and try to do it again, as Lallana did with his clear second half chance (one of many examples). And there's a special hell reserved for players who turn in a disinterested - never mind gutless - performance in a derby game. Guly may never be forgiven for that.

Oh, well, spoke too soon, dammit. Still, it'll only be three posts per day of his desperate anxiety to come on here and say "I told you so" rather than "We're going back to the Premier League".

I don't think the team is "choking" but some of the "fans" appear to be. On the good side, Hypo seems more positive these days and Lard has thankfully disappeared (touch wood). However, Alps, Dalek (mindless robot), Charlie Wayman (sacrilege for him to use that name), 'Professor' (certainly not of football) and a few others still seem to revel in negativity and an overpowering desire to be proven right. Imagine looking across the dressing room at that lot and knowing what they'll do when the going gets tough. The Donny result was poor but we were without two "must play" players and a third is fighting his way back to fitness. Every team has bad spells. We certainly have issues to address but we're still top and we have money to spend. Overall there's much more reason to be positive, and if people can't enjoy these times maybe they should find another interest. If they think the ship is sinking perhaps they should go for a swim.

Yes, Dave, it's not just the loss of Chaplow's significant attributes but also the mis-shapen and imbalanced midfield it seems to force upon us. But that's only a "seems to force upon us". How would you configure things while Chaplow's out? I'm frustrated, too, but it's very likely that all of our rivals will lose key people for prolonged spells and will (regardless of squad depth, because it's a balance issue) struggle as a result.

I wouldn't assume they're skates on a windup - based on what we see from some of the nuts we have on here.

Nonsense. "Win at home and draw away" is pretty much promotion form - and we're 2 points ahead of a "draw away" average. We've lost our way lately for a variety of reasons but this kind of overstatement is stupid.

Merrington is saying that Donny won by man-marking our midfield in the second half. From what I've seen we do have a very man-markable midfield - unless Chaplow's in it. Chappers is a huge loss to us and I fear that we'll struggle until he returns.

All three (well, 2.9) games without him have shown that very clearly.

Sh*t result, great-looking league table. We were without 2 of my 4 "must play" players - and a third is playing poorly. Our rivals will suffer the same fate soon enough. Still, carry on wrist-slitters.

De Ridder's heading for yet another yellow card - and a suspension.

Possession is 69/31 on SaintsPlayer