Saint Fan CaM

I see very little change other than passing it out from the back more. That works for teams that are playing 4-5-1 or those with immobile forwards, but for teams like Huddersfield where they close down our players very quickly, this tactic alone is just not good enough. Adkins needs to find an alternative method that perhaps does not involve a hoof. Certainly passing it around ad infinitum between defence and midfield is only going to result in most chances going begging and a clean sheet for the opposition.

What was that all about then???

Absolutely correct. That also brings with it the additional advantage that scoring brings pressure from opposition supporters and acts to demoralise the opposition team. Goals are the catalyst to other elements of a successful outcome. On the other hand, no goals makes even a good team look very mediocre indeed. Losing is not a good thing, but a 5-3 loss is better than a 2-0 loss because at least you know that next week that goal scoring ability will probably go unanswered.

I had a phone call this morning from a nice friendly lady who spent a long time explaining how they have sorted out all the problems and would I like to re-register as they had seen that I had not bothered doing so. I explained in a very friendly way that their records were clearly not very good as I had already re-registered for the service. She was very happy that I had done so, as they had done so much to improve the service and she was certain that everything would be fine in the future. Mmm.

Completely agree with this. I feel that we are almost handicapped by our 'big club' status which frankly is just not deserved. If we were still at The Dell, we would be no better than some of the other mediocre teams in this division. This division requires tough, hard working individuals that can score goals - fancy football alone may dazzle the home crowds, but will not win you the league.

The loss today has to be put down to Adkins for not changing the game plan and starting with appropriate players to counter the threat Huddersfield posed. Would have been better to stifle the game into a 0-0 draw. The players can do the business, but if they're told to play in a certain way and then it doesn't work it's the Manager that needs to hold his hands up and say - "my fault". Perhaps Adkins is experienced enough to know how to react, however I am starting to get a little concerned that there is not enough spirit/bottle/drive in the team to battle out of this division. We shall see next week and find out if this was a blip - if not then Adkins position could be looking a bit tenuous around Xmas and then we'll be back to square one and the managerial merrygoround will continue.

As predicted, Saint lose by 2 goals. Poor planning by Adkins I think on this - he assumed his team would be able take on a much better Huddersfield side with the same tactics that hit two against a rubbish Tranmere.

Terrible design, terrible waste of money - how did this guy manage to get so rich with such poor judgement?!

Tough one to call this one. I think there's a good chance we'll show them up a bit. 1-2 loss it is then and back down to earth.

I think I tend towards this point of view. If I had to choose over the two of them, then Guly would get the shout with Barnie off the bench.

When Harding went through a bit of a problem time at the start of the season, Dickson stepped up to the plate and did quite well. This clearly gave Harding the drive to train harder and up his game. Mind you, this is no real revelation - it's just good management practice putting pressure on the team to perform. I expect Dickson will feature again if Harding gets injured or suspended.

The key is a quite simple one - keep possession. If the opposing team do not touch the ball, they cannot score and if they cannot score they cannot win. The worst case scenario is a 0-0 bore draw and a point on the board. That's why 95% of KD's distribution now goes to one or other of the defenders to pass it out and this is working wonders. The ball itself is doing all the hard work for us and the opposition is getting more tired and demoralised chasing shadows, not to mention not being able to get settled into a flow. This is NA's big 'secret' to his success as a Manager. You heard it here first. (:

I would hope that we hold out for more than £3m TBH. We must be able to stay firm on something like £5m - he has to be worth that much to the club given what happens when he's not playing.

Completely agree with those saying we should kick towards the Northam in the 2nd half. It always seems to give away teams added impetus kicking towards their own fans and this should not be encouraged in the 2nd half IMO. Only problem I have is I sit at the end of a row next to the gangway and at the end of games the JLE's (Johnny Leave Early) head off SLOWLY down the gangway blocking my fookin' view of the Northam end goal mouth for the last 5-10 minutes which is extremely fookin' annoying!!!

I would hope that we are able to secure a new contract for the lad - he really is the best players we have now and a catalyst for the nPC. It is a little concerning that there has been no news yet which perhaps suggests a waiting game is being played by Adam. If we don't go up I would fully expect him to leave.

HA! I've found a kindred spirit (in fashion-ware terms that is). I too wore an Afghan coat in the mid-70's when frequenting Taunton's College. Eventually the stitching on the sleeves started to go, so I took off the sleeves, turned it inside out and wore it over the top of my denim jacket as a kind of long hairy waistcoat. Let's just say I liked to make a statement back then and strangely, the girls used to love it! Surprisingly the awful smell of the garment did not over-power the liberal dousings of my Denim or Blue Stratos aftershave.

Trouble is, if you can't beat the 6 best teams above you, you're not going to have much of a chance going up automatically. So we need a win this Saturday to start to stamp some authority on the league and get us within reach of the playoffs at least. A loss will see us sucked back down into the lower part of the table as the points are so tight at the moment and that in itself could adversely affect morale. There are pivotal moments throughout the season and I think the game this week is at least a minor one.

7-1 now - Cortese out FFS! (;

Can't believe the river is clean enough around there to have a beach - water side cafes/bars/eateries perhaps. Trouble with this idea is the road infrastructure - anything more than 30k on a match day would be a complete nightmare to get away from the stadium - particularly going east towards Bitterne etc. They would need to get rid of all the traffic lights from SMS all the way through to the M27 and put in a dual carraigeway - that's not going to happen. For the above reason alone, I can honestly see a relocation on the cards - probably out to Stoneham as previously planned - right onto the M27, onto mainline trains and onto flights to wherever. It makes complete sense to locate a new stadium out of the city. M27 J5 would be in need of a major overhaul I would imagine though.

I think they're playing Nike under-16 girls team.

Err 7-0

Pulis. Closely followed by Lallana.

It would appear that yes, this is NA's style. If it continues in this vein I think the league will be ours and we'll truly be set for the nPC. It will be interesting to see how NA develops the squad from January onwards. If there's money to be spent as reported, who will he be bringing in and letting go I wonder? The only players I can think of that might exit could be...Pulis (obviously), Connolly (just not fit enough and hence no consistent goal threat). Will Dickson want to stay - he's not even making the bench now?

Is there REALLY any need to be abusive to SOG? He's entitled to his opinion as you are and to call him an invalid and suggest he's ruined the thread is completely wrong. This is why this forum has gone downhill - hope you're proud of yourself. I agree with the OP - NA is starting to show us what he's about and I like it a lot. Was initially skeptical, but I am won over now and once again enjoying my football.