Saint Fan CaM

I think there is more chance of this being a poor decision that works in our favour, than one that sees them suddenly pick-up form. It seems there's no immediate plan to appoint someone - I suspect the players are wondering WTF?! They'll be floundering for a little while I suspect, but will still probably make the play-offs.

Yes - he did look to be their best player, but would he do a better job than anyone we have already? In other words, do we really need more cover at CM?

I've just watched the above video on Saintsplayer and I have to say it is really very well done. Summed up the last two games really well in an artistic way (i.e. against atmos music) that's not too pretentious. It's a pity that not all Saints fans will get the chance to see it, although I suppose it might be aired at the Stadium on Saturday?

I don't believe we're in for him or that he'd come here - he's too much of a big "I AM" to drop a division even if temporarily. Regardless, I feel we'll be offering Guly a good contract and Lallana his big fat 3-year deal and that will be it.

The OP suggests that Adkins is swapping them around to suit the game. In fact he's doing this for most of the back-line which makes emminent sense. So I'm afraid to say there seems little point in joining in the arguement about "who is best" - both offer something slightly different in relation to the rest of the team make-up and if either one fulfills the job set him on matchday then great...the plan has worked.

Absolutely spot b0ll0ck on. I thought he had a good game, but watching the highlights showed me he had an exceptional game as a playmaker and ran the entire pitch all afternoon.

Why would he want to go to a club where the Manager that appointed him is about to be sacked??? Makes no sense. He's better off carving a career with Southampton that will see him in the Prem within 3 years anyway. Consistency, continuity, comradery - not to be sniffed at in today's mercenary football world.

You've got it in a nutshell there.

Seasons greetings to Ron - one of my boyhood heroes. Have a healthy and peaceful 2011. Hope to see you at SMS one day to celebrate our re-birth Ron.

Agree with those saying we need to put together a convincing run and beat a few teams to cement a top 3 place now. There is no option - to get the opportunity of promotion we need to win some games of football. Dammit - New Years resolution - must stop talking like that! We will lose this game 1-2 then - a few nutters on here will be shouting for Adkins head and normal Saints business will be resumed. (;

Shame - he would have been a good addition to give a break to Lallana and particularly Chambo. Wonder how much they paid? Probably worth £4-500k.

Charlie Austin would be a great signing, but I cannot believe it's true.

The takeover thread and the development plans. Absolutely hilarious. The characters and personas that materialised were incredible. But the best bits were all the 'released' SMS site improvement plans - priceless!

Great signing - he compliments Hammond or Morgan, whereas together they're too similar. He arrives quickly into the box on an attack and is a real menace in the last third. As others have said, he knows where his teammates are (I reckon he will link well with Lee B) and he gets stuck in. I just hope he continues to shine and stamp his authority on games. I feel sure he will be first choice ahead of Hammond or Morgan if available, so it will be interesting to see who out of those two gets the nod to play beside him. Good to hear in his interview that he's looking forward to getting his family settled here too. Welcome Chappers and family to the Saints.

All round terrific performance, blighted only by the defensive howler early doors. I took my 2 sons and future son-in-law on our annual Saints match/pub visit and came away very happy in more ways than one! We had a nailed on pen claim in the 1st half too which would have seen us 3-1 up, but the ref and lino (who both had excellent views) both bottled it completely. How Lallana didn't score but hit the bar I'll never know! Anyway, Guly and Lambo were just too much for them with Guly running his nuts off for the team right to the end. Special mention for Chambo who was fantastic, but also for Jaidi who had one of his best games for many months and was outstanding IMO - MOTM. Chaplow is a player that we REALLY need to sign permanent and I hope that is sorted. 5th in the table and hopefully wins against Exeter and D&R will see us close to the top 2. The backlog of away games is going to be a telling point in our progress.

Would love to see him here permanently. Hammond and Spiderman are not really suited to each others game IMO - Chaplow does a better job alongside one of them, regardless of who.

Why would that be? It's not up to the Ref to get the pitch ready - if the club says it will have things ready by a certain time (and let's face it he gave it extra time to thaw) then the Ref will try to give the club and the pitch the chance to get it right. If then at the last moment, it's still not good enough, then the Ref has to call the thing off. The issue for me is in the fact that the decision is SOLELY that of the Ref's. If there was a majority vote with the other officials and the team managers, then the pressure would be taken off the Ref to make a decision. Collective responsibility would see more borderline games actually played.

Surely the point is that if he's looking to gain match fitness, a prem team would not risk him - there's too much to play for. A mid-lower CCC team might take a risk on him, but then we've got fantastic training and recovery facilities few other teams outside the Prem have got. There's a lot of positives for a player from a higher league coming here on loan, but the key issue I think is that Adkins is not the type of man that will bring in somebody like Woodgate because (a) he would expect to get 1st team football and (b) that could very easily unsettle the squad.

One assumes we still have that system which means there's every good chance the Huddersfield game will be on.

I think the question is somewhat premature given the significance of the Jan window. However based on PERFORMANCES since Adkins took over, it is true to say that if I were a betting man I would definately not waste my money on a top 2 place and I would think strongly about a bet on a playoff place. We are back to a place where I am not confident of a decent performance and/or a win, so consequently my faith in us getting promoted has dipped considerably since AP departed. I keep in reading on here about how much 'the squad' cost. Well in this league it's not all about the skills (and therefore cost) of the individual - success comes from a great Manager bringing together a cohesive TEAM of players that REALLY believe in his vision and understand how to deliver it. I still don't think that applies to us unfortunately, regardless of the noises made about great team spirit, "opportunities" and all the other spin.

Antonio to return?

I think we'll see Chaplow sign permanent. I also have a feeling that Antonio might be on his way back if his exposure on the 2010 review is anything to go by.

Oh dear...good luck with that one then. ):

Depends on who you mean by "us". If you mean the 1st team, then it will depend on those coming back from injury (e.g. Barnie) and signings in January. If you mean the fans, then I would say "no", because it messes around with the fixtures at Xmas which I rely on happening as my lads are too far away to come to a re-arranged match.