david in sweden

oh ! ..you mean Steve Gerrard?

agreed Norm, some people have a very short term perspective - don't they? compared to our 50+ years as Saints' fans, this last couple of months is only a drop in the bucket, isn't it ?

.........even if they are top by default (our bad run of results) I don't think they've got the consistancy to win over all these .

Is it really necessary to start a thread like this one ..? After winning promotion last season, and heading the table for almost half of this ...are you REALLY so upset about our "blip" that you seriously want to to replace Nigel Adkins?. Where were you when we were breaking all those records in 2011?....nothing is forever. When we lost the Brighton game ...we had 13 players unavailable for various reasons (according to NA's post match interview that day)....now that most of them are nearing match fitness, I look forward to..... a revival of the Saints . ...Oh ye of little faith .

Why not...? we've seen Fox and Harding all season, maybe an opportunity for Dickson to prove himself ..or a last chance ..?

crikey ..are we going to sign a Yankee player now ?

oops ! it was shortly after this that our "bubble " burst ! I bet that hurt a few feelings in ...P'mouth, having a ship berthed there with our name on it .

Actually Turkish - we play Hull on a March evening (at least according to the fixture list) but the players know how to play and we will emerge from this "blip " quite soon. I'm very hopeful that after two and a half seasons with everyone watching Lambert banging in goals, NA will create a new strategy to benefit the arrival of Sharp and Lee...which other clubs (and our fans) ..haven't seen before. Puncheon has (re-started) very well.. considering he isn't 100% match fit and hasn't played regularly for almost a year... It may take Chaplow a game or two to get back to form, but he puts himself about and (hopefully) he'll revive the midfield. Ben Reeves sounds like a good prospect and has made some good performances (though mostly as sub.) in some pretty dire games, and he must feel sick / angry / more determined ...after having a perfectly good goal disallowed last night. He should have Barnards place on the bench ...and once LB has got his future sorted he should go out on loan to a lower league club where he can assured of scoring some goals, and regain confidence. I still think we'll go up, and if necessary... I'd settle for second spot.

summing up some of the statements from different people (players /managers)..it's fairly obvious that a lot of teams haven't been ignoring our earlier success and have analysed our game plan(s)--Richardson said he and Harding were marked out by their wide men and had no room to create space and make centres. NA is good at changing the " diamond " formation but again it's clear most teams know how we are going to play and it's becoming predictable, and several sides have had more success... just taking long distance pot-shots (as last night's effort from Feeney). We get a lot of this possession /close-passing system, but much of it leads nowhere - we seem to be creating less and less chances... The first goal from Lallana in 3 months and Guly doesn't get picked every game now, and I fail to understand why we are using Barnard off the bench when we are struggling so much. We are still too dependent on Lambert who doesn't play as a conventional striker anyway..and we have failed to score in 4 of last 6 league games (!). I'm not going to comment on Lee or Sharp who haven't come into the team proper yet..the next 4 games will see if they will establish themselves in the start line-up. If we play both of them up front then we can " sacrifice " Rickie's " roving role" and play him more as a regular midfielder, I'm sure he'd get just as many chances.

.Although I expect Lambert and Lee to be up front, we have had cup games earier in the season with Lallana on the bench to start so why not start with both Chaplow and Puncheon? It might be the chance to give Luke Shaw his debut game (as Fox is suspended) and we have already seen Reeves and Ward Prowse in action. Can't do much else with the back line - unless Jaidi gets a game instead of Fonte / Martin .. NA has said the Cup is not a priority but everyone has to gets game sometime, and at least it doesn't endanger three points...so let's see what the "B Team " can do !

I watch a lot of games on cable / or streamed to PC. Whilst you have a point, I do think that it depends a great deal on the commentator / camera crew. Often a good commentator will talk about other happenings on the pitch, potential off-sides, overlapping full backs etc, and good camera angle + replays do give a much better review of a game than if one might be sat behind one goal, or in a corner of the ground, where you can't see the other side of the ground. A good cameraman can show you the players expression as he takes a corner on the far side of the ground..and you can see if it was a penalty, or offside straight away. Of course it lacks crowd atmosphere, but it can be a big plus NOT to have to listen to some drunken idiots singing at the top of their voices three rows away drowning out everything /one else ...and you don't freeze to death in the winter, or sweat your socks off in warmer weather. I do think that on occasions, I've had a better view of the game than some fans who were at the match and then return to write ridiculous comments about players totally contradicting each other ! I've done my share of home and away games in the last 50 years, but still wonder which game some of these people went to, because it wasn't the one I watched ! I agree that Kelvin Davis was probably MOM on this occasion, if only because of the two great saves he made...and kept a clean sheet. (and I didn't vote this time BTW).

Some players, the likes of Guly, Schneiderlin and Connolly possess the sort of skill that shines on a dry, sunny day, but (sorry) not in these conditions. Of course the game never should have been played in terms of football, and as Adkins noted ...If it had been snowing before kick-off as it was at 65 mins, they wouldn't have started. The players could have sat in a warm dressing room and the ref. could have given them one point each before it started. Tough on all those brave travelling fans. What there was of (football) goes to prove that trying to play a passing game in winter conditions -'aint on ! The big boot upfield, and a run at the keeperr is still the best tactic. Neither keeper had that much to do, but our clean sheet was totally thanks to two excellent saves from Kelvin Davis, though I thought Aaron Martin wasn't afraid to get stuck in at the back. If Fox was booked for any real football reasons, then Brum's big African CB can count himself lucky he didn't pick up a booking or two. One player stood out in the midfield - Jason Puncheon. Good common sense decisions allround to get him back in a Saints shirt again. He seemed to thrive in the conditions and was (as creative as was possible ) given the b'''' awful weather. I wonder if NA will be courageous enough to play Puncheon AND Chaplow (when fit)..later in the season. I still can't make up my mind about Cork, Schneiderlin, Hammond and Lallana -there doesn't seem to be the attacking prowess there - even though their passing game is nice to watch..it doesn't seem to produce goals. Fox and Richardson seem to create more goal chances.

well I suppose it depends how you classify physicality ..a lovely word which incidentally can be translated as : the quality of being physical rather than emotional or spiritual.. should he have prayed before he came on as sub ?. According to Wiki... Lee is 6 foot tall and (someone else volunteered) weighs 74 kg. Perhaps it was a mistake to sign someone so " puny ". Maybe we should consider ridding the team of the any other " atheistic weaklings ". Sharp was surely a mistake, he's only 5'9"... and weighs even less than Lee. Connolly is another 5'9" half-pint who will be OOC by the summer, and why do we persevere with that 5'7" midget ..Adam Lallana? Some of our previous " goal kings" - were even even shorter and lighter than Lee. Charlie Wayman was 5'8" and only weighed 9½ stone. (107 goals in three seasons)... Derek Reeves was also only 5'8" and only managed 173 goals ! Anyone recall... 1960's hot shot, George O'Brien managed 180 goals in 5 seasons.....he was only 5'6" ! and Terry Paine was only 5'7" .(what a waste of time he must have been)...must have had a lot of luck to get his... 187 goals... Think we might want to wait a bit before condemning the newcomers - don't you?. Remember ..it's not about size, but what you can do with what you have been given...

regaining form after a long lay-off is very difficult. When players have had a good " pre-season " and start off (as we did)... like a rocket - it's great. It may take time before we see the "agressive attacking Chaplow" back in form, but surely for £50K, he's repaid whatever we've invested in him already. Wish the same could be said for some of the others we have on the books .

I really think it depends on which team we're playing. If it's hard away fixture then I'd go for Hammond as he is a bit tougher in the tackle, however, Schneiderlin is a better ball player and more creative... but can't seem to tackle anyone fairly. Most of the Y/R cards are dished out to midfielders who are in more of the action. Hammond picked up two yellows in the Reading game, but Schneiderlin doesn't seem to have the same guile without alerting the ref. to his sometimes crude tackling. He been suspended once already for 5 yellows and missed the Brighton game, but he has now picked up 3 yellows in his last 6 appearances ! . Whilst Hammond is older- he is better defensively (IMO), I do hope Schneiderlin can improve his defensive game and learn how to tackle 50/50... without getting booked every time.

Sssh! ...... maybe he's missed this thread.....

+1 I'll go with that .

....and all the fishing boats you want, too.

but I think we will Hypo....it's just not good psychology to announce such things (to players) ... a few hours before a key promotion game. IF we win tonight - it'll be.... " providing extra cover for our already excellent squad as we continue on course for promotion..." anything less than 3 points, and it will be.." a necessary buy to help us strenghten our injury-depleted squad " ...etc, etc, (I'm just anticipating Nigel Adkins response to the media after the game ...you understand)

well thats good news - if it happens !

I think most people agree with the "best side " on paper but compare it with those available just now; Chaplow, Fonte and Hooiveld on the injured list, and to be fair, Lallana has been injured and was a little below par in recent games. I think I might go along with the majority of selections already, but it's likely to be some weeks before we see those players, match fit and in form to play. In the meantime, I'm glad we've got finally the two strikers, but we still need things sorted put at the back. Hope NA comes up with someone tomorrow.

Everyone is printing the " ideal side " but it 'aint like that folks. Although we (had been) top for several months, we've hardly evercome near our "best paper 11". Even without Jaidi at the back..we started with Fonte and Martin, and Seabornes season lasted only 6 games. Thank Goodness we bought Jos..but now he's out. We're lucky that Martin has shown up well, but I'm concerned about Fonte's absence - as he's been out for 6 games already and no mention of a return yet. The midfield has always been " perm any 4 from 6" and thats OK, but we never really clicked well until we had Chaplow on form, but then his injury *ucked it up again, and as has been seen, everything goes pear-shaped with Lallana in the middle. It's now a case of Puncheon, (who showed up well but admitted he was short of match practice)....and the long-awaited return of Chaplow to bolster the midfield. At the top it's been Lambert + whoever's fit or whoever's on form or whoever's on the bench this week. That problem should solve itself with Lee and Sharp available, but we really have to look at "what is the team for the next game....and not fantisize about " the perfect line-up ".....it ain't gonna happen.

but of course, Lee and Sharp will be the first choices together with Lambert until the end of the season. Assuming a positive outcome to his court case, Barnard may (possibly) go on loan for the rest of the season to get some sharpness (no pun intended) back into his game....and of course Connolly's one year contract goes out in June anyway. If Vardy signs for us ...and continues his scoring exploits long enough to get Fleetwood into L2, then starts with us in August, he'll be good competition for a place. Bearing in mind Ricky has 2 years left on his contract and will be 30 quite soon, we need to build a good strike force 4 even 5 good players to give us cover in case of longer term injuries, suspensions etc. If TRUE..makes good sense to me, anyway.