shurlock

No, not really. Am quite happy we play 4-3-3. But the formation's a red herring IMO. It had little to do with our change in fortunes. We created more pressure because we stretched them more with real pace and got more balls into the box. And we were very, very direct. And Jrod still looks uncomfortable whenever he has to take a wide position.

Nagatomo's arguably better than Bale atm.

Did we switch to 4-3-3 - felt like 4-4-2 with just a change in personnel. Lallana still seemed to be coming off the left and JR/RL still appeared to hold a central position. Agree though that Mayuka made a huge difference - even better if he could play centrally, pulling defenders to the left and right.

4-4-2: same formation as against Fulham. Somw on here have really swallowed the horsesh*t that we only play one way. It wasn't true last week - its not true today. Dont be so gullible.

We've missed Cork but Schneiderlin's a better and more important player. From being a sub at the start of the season, Morgan displaced both Hammond and Cork to become top dog so that by the end of the season Cork and Hammond were rotating to partner Schneiderlin. Cork started brilliantly but seemed to fade and had a habit of missing when the chips were down. Remember last season at Burnley where Cork/Hammond were woeful, it was Morgan who turned the game around and took control of midfield after coming on as a sub. Never looked back after that game. Still theyre different players- Morgan gives you composure and a bit more defensively while Cork gives you greater movement.

Probably shouldn't. He was lively when he came on against Wham, albeit it was brief. Forced the keeper into his first save of the day and sprung the offside trap a couple of times. Actually got behind the opposition which we've failed to do all season. Think the issue is defensive - dont think NA quite trusts him to track back yet.

Stretching it a bit. Granted they're not exactly the same but both are pacey forwarded minded players and we don't play with out and out wingers who hug the touchline.

TBF, don't reckon we would have signed Mayuka if we had got Phillips.

Did I say the top of the NPC?

Exactly and we would have probably coughed it up. Bullet dodged IMO.

Still not good enough - unless we're planning for the championship.

Which you can make a half-decent case for. Obviously if Rickie has an excellent home game, you wouldn't drop him for the following away game. Likewise if Jrod plays poorly, you wouldn't rigidly stick with him but on paper he fits a counter attacking system better than Lambert.

Of the current crop, Butterfield seems would be a candidate.

Unless NA is playing mind games, was pretty adamant on the OS that he's out. So are Cork and Richardson. Fox, Shaw and Lee all training -Lee being closest to match fitness.

They've hardly been on the pitch for a start. IMO Jos is a bit of a bottler - tends to go missing and noticed he's the first one to start looking around when we f**k up. And he's now considered the old guard.

True- could Cortese work with any British manager. On the other hand, the WGS and NC share the same ambition -RC's lack of ambition was ultimately the straw that broke the camel's back- and it appears that WGS is on the good side of the club. Surely, by now, the two will know if they can work together? http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?15675-Strachan-at-St-Mary-s-sat-next-to-cortese

Is this something you've heard or something you would like to happen?

Talking about forgetfulness, people forget Wham were in the premier league the season before last - and managed to hold onto some of their players whereas we were in league 1. In other words, the challenge of rebuilding has not been as great in their case.

Did he suffer colour blindness along with the dead leg?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGkxvL65Tt4

What are you on about - so NC now calls the shots whether to play RL?

Its not that he's not scoring - its just that Pullis has a thing for Crouch/Walters and not playing him to the frustration of quite a few of stoke fans. FWIW, reckon Jones could do a decent job provided he stays focused. A on-his-day type player but can't sneeze at the combination of pace and power.

Quite

Stick to your Bond-related merchandise - 'the man with the silver spoon', there's another one for you.

He doesn't though- he changed it against Man City and Wigan in the second half. He started with 4-4-2 against Fulham. And that's just the obvious stuff to an untrained eye. Most managers have a default/preferred formation and tinker with it during the game. It's rarer to find a manager who has a different formation for each game. What will change is the personnel: thus a more 4-3-3 with JWP in the side, a more cautious set-up (e.g. Man U) is fundamentally different from a more expansive 4-3-3 with Ramirez in the side (e.g. Villa). Adkins has been on record as saying that it's players that make systems not the other way around. The irony is that most people want us to tighten up defensively yet simultaneously want us to move to a formation that would make us more open and vulnerable. We can't have our cake and eat it.