Saint Fan CaM

We need to keep Chaplow - very useful and won't get much better than him in L1.

This.

If you do that, won't the real people on the 'other side' die or something??? (;

Is it Nick Holmes? Oh.

I agree - it is particularly distastful. Whatever next - a skate's genitalia? In fact I think I'm going to vomit...

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head here. Of course you cannot excuse the corner that does not even beat the first man, but IMO the effectiveness of corners is the positioning and movement in the box to attack the ball once it's launched into the area. The attackers in and around the box do not seem to have an effective strategy to hit the target and as you point out, there are key areas we do not seem to fill - one at the back post and the other is mid-field 6 yards out of the box (if the ball comes out, it will invariably fall to an oppo player who can clear).

Will not be an easy game - a defo banana skin for this squad.

I hate to say this, but Oldham are doing OK at the moment - they'll park the bus and hope for a sloppy defensive moment to hit us on the break, which we have a habit of gifting teams. Having said that, if they play with just one striker we'll be more able to play our game and get a good result. Suppose it comes down to how well their manager has done his homework, how he sets the team out and how well they can deliver a game plan. Difficult to predict - 1-1 I'm thinking, but Saints hopefully will motor now and get a 3-1 win.

There is not really a good enough reason to boo a member of our team while on the pitch. If the player concerned is not putting in a shift in terms of effort then give him some stick perhaps, but not for not having enough skill - they can't help that on matchday.

Would be a good addition on a PAYP deal, but I think he'll go somewhere else as he doesn't fit in with the model NC runs here.

Because they have had more than 6 weeks with their managers, because they both have teams assembled to get out of this league rather than play attractive football, because their collective strength as a team is greater than the sum of the individual players, because their managers have been able to convince them they are better than they are so they play for their managers and pride. I don't know - it may be one of those things, all of those things or indeed none of them. I suspect a combination of those things, but one things is f'sure - it ain't because of the huge sums of money spent.

Absolutely spot b0ll0ck on - it was criminal and so obvious they were targetted to be crocked! And that's the one reason I would NEVER want that twot Davies to ever manage at Saints.

And yet I remember some on here slating him in some matches! lol

Well it's true that no Saints player seemed to appeal which I did find remarkable. Perhaps it was the manner in which the offence took place - the player stuck his hand out (full arm stretch) and then followed through with his head to make it look like legal challenge. I wish I could take a snapshot of the video frame and post it on here - I did try but it didn't work. ):

No, was not at the game and I must have missed the reference in the post match notes, although to be fair that might have been a reference to another incident. So you were pretty certain it was a handball?

I did consider this, but if you pause at the 1:20 you can clearly see the guys arm reaching out and then after the contact, watch the direction the ball heads in...i.e. Rickie didn't get a touch. I am convinced it was a blatant handball.

Has anyone else seen the Huddersfield game 'highlights' on Saintsplayer? I would not bother usually running over a game we've lost, but I'm glad I did on this occasion. Watch the video and pause it at 1:20. What do you see? I'll elaborate - a significant infringement that the officials must have been blind not to spot... Just as Lambert (7) is about to head the ball, the ball is deliberately blocked by the hand of their no.16 - this is inside the penalty area and a nailed on penalty!!! Plus a booking or indeed sending off as the handball stopped a scoring chance. OK - too late now to worry about, but it does go to show how some of these so-called decent teams in this league are able to cheat their way to success and what a poor standard the officials are not to spot something like this IMO. Not only that, but this incident was before their 2nd goal and the course of the match might have been quite different if we'd been awarded a pen. Mind you, didn't excuse ANOTHER rubbish shot from Puncheon sailing over the bar into row ZZ!

Mmm, if it wasn't for Lamberts head injury I would suspect that the above news would have seen the end of his loan with us. As it is, I can see an extension to Xmas.

Mid to late 70's was my first proper era supporting Saints. Missed large sections of the 80's and 90's for a variety of reasons. ):

Genius! lol

Whatever the players names are, something is different and not working thus season in terms of goals scored. You can't get away from the facts - we need more creativity and pace in the team.

Thanks for that. It will be very interesting to see how NA reacts to the performances in terms of changing the team around now he has good options. 1st names on the team-sheet sound as if they will Davis, Butterfield, Fonte, Harding, Schneiderlin, Chaplow, Lallana. Who will take up the remaining 4 places? I think we might see Martin back in defence, Puncheon will still start. So that leaves the two strikers - if Lambert is injured (head wound) then it's going to be Barnard with one of Guly or Bignoll - tough choice for Adkins.

It's not just about Adkins - you would think that the experience that Davis and Fonte have gained would tell them that when passing out from the back every-time is not working, it is time to change the tactic....take responsibility and change. If Adkins has told them "do not change under any circumstances" then he is wrong to do this IMO - players need to be able to make decisions to react to the opposing teams tactics. There is one real problem we have suffered this season since AP left and it's name is Rickie Lambert. For whatever reason he is not the same player as last season and the Manager's insistence in starting Lambert every match is turning him into a slight liability rather the goal machine that he was last season. This is a hurdle that needs to be overcome urgently and perhaps his head injury today might force NA's hand next week by playing Barnard and Guly or Bignoll upfront. Adkins also needs to understand which midfield combination works to achieve a win under different conditions. When all these things are sorted we might just stand a chance of some success this season.

What a clever chap you are.

Looks like Adkins agrees with many of us on here - he messed up his game plan by not altering the manner in which the team played against Tranmere. http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2186578,00.html Mind you, I think he's being a little economical with the truth when he says KD only had to make one save! According to Solent KD had made 3 blinding saves in the 1st half alone!