SoccerMom

Not like me to argue, but... how many of those are experienced players, so that we can have the mix of youth and experience that everyone keeps talking about? Not so many. GK 2/3 (ish - don't really think of Bart as experienced) DF 3/9 (1 of which is long-term out, 1 of which can only play 1 game in 4) MF 7/10 (3 of which are injured, 1 of which is not playing for whatever reason) ST 3/7 And if you are talking about senior leadership, even fewer. GK 1 DF 3 (1 of which is long-term out, 1 of which can only play 1 game in 4) MF 3 (1 of which is injured, 1 of which is not playing for whatever reason) ST 1 I make that 8 out of 29. Less than a third of the squad, and only half of those are fit to play. Doesn't look good, does it.

That would be OK if there were a big enough, fit enough, squad. But it looks like the squad has been put together so that each person, give or take a few specialist players like Svennson and John, is there to cover at least two positions. So does it seem that the optimum is to have three or more for each place (given that we have been operating without three dedicated CBs for the last three games) - expensive; or to have players that can cover different positions - risky? As there is no money and little experience, it's Hobson's choice, if you ask me.

And we also have to remember that this was the fourth of seven games in three weeks. He simply couldn't field the same side for every one of those games - there was always going to be a bit of change. I'm not saying I'm happy - I couldn't even bear to switch on the radio or the computer last night because something told me we were going to get tonked, and I'm glad I didn't. And just acknowledging that JP's got an very hard job doesn't make it better. As was said by someone else on another thread, one of the biggest jobs he has now is to not lose the dressing room. I just hope that the players themselves can accept some responsibility for what's happening without losing too much confidence. They have all shown themselves to be good enough footballers, even the novices who had got to the top level of the reserves and had shown themselves deserving of a chance. Now they just have to go out and work harder on converting their obvious skills into match success. And, of course, if they're prepared to work, then that's where intelligent (and tough) coaching comes in.

if you had weariness/apathy in there, you might get plenty of responses. We still go because we want to.

What Me Worry?

Ta. We were wondering.

Poorly? Resting? Subject to a Benitez-like rotation?

In which case he just made it look easy. You don't get players like Campbell-Ryce playing down at Fleming Park.

The defense did have a better shape, and it was nice to see Perry marshalling Fish into getting Barnsley offside a few times. Fish's successful debut was a real positive from the game. I have seen worse games, even in the last year. Crystal Palace at home, anyone? Watford at home? Which was the one when Wright was made captain and he threw the armband down in disgust when taking a corner up the Chapel end? That, for me, was Saints nadir, and the only way was up from that point on. Christ, it really wasn't that bad, all things considered. When I heard the team at the beginning, I really did think we were going to get slaughtered.

Or maybe cricket? Sorry.

Were we playing for the draw, then? It did occur to me, since so much of the play was going down our right, that reason might be to shield Mills as much as possible, or at least to keep the ball away from Campbell-Ryce. Mills did himself credit, though (was that his first start?) - I didn't see too many mistakes, and he make one or two effective clearances. Would have far preferred to see him linking up with Surman, though, and Dyer should have come on for McGoldrick. I think we missed Schniederlin and Wotton in the middle. And I kept thinking that we were playing to make up for weaknesses (like having 11 men defending the corners, or not playing the left side of the pitch) rather than playing to our strengths. And if you play like that, you're bound not to have the confidence to score. Hope they snap out of it soon...

Didn't Safri also fast during Ramadan?

And your point is? That without Svensson we weren't fielding our strongest team, either? we had seven of the same starters, they had six, and Phillips played the whole of the second half. League Cup: Soton - Bialkowski, James, Thomas, Cork, Surman, Gillett (Mills 60), Lallana, Wotton, Schneiderlin (John 56), Holmes, McGoldrick. Brum - Doyle, Parnaby, Ridgewell, Kelly, Murphy, Agustien, Carsley, O'Connor (Phillips 46), Owusu-Abeyie, Bent, McSheffrey (Mutch 46). CCC Soton - Davis, James, Svensson, Perry, Surman, Gillett, Schneiderlin, Lallana, McGoldrick, Holmes, John (Thomson 69). Brum - Maik Taylor, Parnaby, Ridgewell, Martin Taylor, Murphy, Larsson, Nafti (Jerome 37), Carsley, O'Connor (Bent 66), Owusu-Abeyie (Phillips 76), McFadden

I'd prefer to be just a little bit further up the table just because I don't want all those in their first seasons to feel that the best they can do is just scrape through - they are better than that. But not too much further up, as I don't want to see the squad decimated (or, worst, "quintimated" or "quartimated") by the vultures looking for bargains like John Bostock. But I agree with the sentiment - this year is about consolidating. If we finish mid-table we will have lost a few. So what? So long as they keep learning, don't burn out and keep having the confidence that they can achieve.

Hang on - Svensson didn't play against Brum in the League Cup. Got to agree with Hypochondriac. Don't expect instant results or miracles, but we will come good in the end.

I think that the pressures on the squad are such that we'll be seeing most if not all of the senior squad starting in at least one match over the next few weeks.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/articles/article.php?page_id=10591 Let's hope it's a good omen for today! COYR.

Wholeheartedly agree. The guy clearly loves football, and would play regardless of what he was paid. And like Killer, he's had to work hard to get back to fitness. I'm really pleased he got called up.

You may be right (I don't recall) but I did say *if*. Hopefully two weeks off will put Killer right.

Why do you think that? The only time I've ever thought that a Saints player was clever for timewasting was Safri last January, when he got himself booked for a fifth time so he could see out his ban while he was away on international duty. At any other time, I think it's a shame - professional, maybe, but very poor sportsmanship.

James is performing better and better, in my view. I think yesterday he was under the cosh more because he was having to do a lot of running for White and then Dyer (who hardly ever tracks back), because the defensive midfield weren't defensive enough and because Killer was repeatedly beaten for pace. I don't think anything is served by keeping him out of the game because he is learning all the time. If we had a game next week I would, however, put Cork in for Killer.

Well, yes, but they don't tell the whole story, do they? Whereas I have no doubt that the replays show our players were rightly booked, there was something of a double standard operating. All that being said, I'm proud (and glad) that our boys didn't resort to the Italia Conti method of winning free kicks.

Sorry, sir, can't agree - I think there was a fair bit of physicality out there that the ref just didn't - or wouldn't - pick up on. Including the shove on McG. And what was the gentlemen's disagreement between the two Blackpool players near the beginning? Was that just a ploy?

I'd agree with almost all of this, but I would hope that as the season goes on we'll get less and less of this kind of performance - because I hope that this lot are still able to learn from their mistakes, unlike a team of players in their advancing years. Someone either here or on another thread hopes that White gets over giving away the penalty and then being substituted; there has been some criticism of the substitutions, too. FWIW, I don't think it was a bad thing subbing White - he may have been in too poor a mental state to carry on playing, and he wasn't contributing that much, anyway. And although I have criticized the referee today, I don't think that we lost because of poor refereeing. I think that the players' reactions to poor refereeing might have been a significant contributing factor, though. They have to get used to it, end of. Their heads didn't necessarily go down - but they certainly stopped thinking straight.

I think you're right - he was outpaced time and again in the first twenty minutes or so, and I think that rattled everybody.