david in sweden

nervous breakdown - bull sh*t ! the whole of this thread seems to revolve around some people's opinion that we don't need an extra striker - I think we do (and should have had one - even in the summer) . Of our three established strikers ..two are injured, perhaps longer term. One has a date with the judge, and the other has 6 months left on a contract unlikely to be renewed. Thank goodness Lambert is on form - and still fit ! ....and you still think we don't need cover ?

....AND had a couple of miserable draws into the bargain, and had it not been for Lamberts injury time strike v. Blackpool it might have been 3 defeats. I watched the Pompey game, and a more boring excuse for a derby game I've seldom seen. Lots of possession and "pretty passing" (especially from Lallana).. .but we seem to lose it in the final third.

we are in line for promotion (and thanks only to West Hams decline) we are still top by one point. You're right that there may not have been a "suitable" player available, but I'm sure there must have been.and there was so much PR about LJ from Coventry - can't believe it hadn't been discussed at SMS. As for the right price?....what price for those lost 10 points at the end of the season..?.

you're right, of course. but you have to say that AOC was no ordinary 17 year old. But Arsenal were buying a developing 17 year old and (if I say so ) ..Cortese did a great deal on that (FOR US) and Arsenal got a bargain, anyway. There is a lot of difference between (the thought of) AOC playing for England ..at age 17, and Rhodes playing for Scotland. I saw that Machail-Smith had been capped too, but with little glory for the Scots.. Rhodes has had a remarkable career - so far, a goal average of over 0.5% ..which is really good (Wiki. states 52goals in 99 games .2011) however, it's all been in L1. Exciting to see a young striker getting in the goals, but he may easily burn-out in a year. Remember all the fuss over Beckford ? Of course Rhodes may score goals in Prem. but I doubt if such a high fee would be paid out by a Prem side..most CC clubs couldn't find that sort of money.

Maybe not, but my point was really - if they have so many injuries... they might be forced to keep him longer, and we wouldn't have got a deal in the period of the January "window".

......or perhaps from some 8 stone weakling!

well IMO, we lost the plot after Chaplow got injured..you may have been amongst those who thought the sub. should have been SDR instead of Schneiderlin (a vg.passer of the ball ...who has managed two goals ? ..or is it one? ..in almost 4 years.) SDR has made a speciality of being super sub. and scored three times when coming on. We are glaringly vunerable up front where Connolly hasn't played in the last 6, and Barnard hasn't started a game since April. We may not have got all 15 points.... but 5 from 15 is worse than some of the teams facing relegation at present. Guly looked good when playing up front in the sunshine at SMS, but has managed only one goal in the last six games. Surely we needed some patching up there, and the all-time goof of not loaning in "someone " - at least until January FFS..who could give us cover up front - was blatantly obvious at Doncaster - without Lambert. Thankfully, he's scored 6 of our last 8 goals (the lowest aggregate in any 6 match period this season btw). Yes we have "cover " for many positions in the team - except strikers !...How on earth can people say we don't need anyone as cover. At least someone who knows how to score goals, (we all accept that we aren't going to get another RL overnight) - but there must have been SOMEONE capable of scoring a goal or two against Brizzle and Donnie...everyone else in the League has done so with little problem - that's why they are bottom 5. We should be glad that West Ham have had such a poor run, otherwise they'd have been points ahead of us instead.

yes, pity though. Had Fox still been on then he'd have had the left post to guard- instead of Guly. (when that cross came in, and they scored)

if true...? he had a couple of good seasons at Leeds,partly in L1 but hasn't done anything outstanding since.. for a player at £x million he maybe hard to sell on.

I don't know what the record fee is for an L1 player, but that sounds a bit high to me ..even if they go up, he might end up staying anyway

??? didn't he break ...a leg or something shortly after moving clubs ???

well you certainly have a way with words, know much about football - do you ?

I don't have Nigel Adkins' ear on that one, but I can't believe he hadn't considered it ... But with all the air-play about Lukas J. from Coventry..I can't believe that it would have been a bad idea. Six weeks to see how he might fit in. We could certainly have used a change of personnel in the Bristol game when our only attacking midfielder (Chaplow) was injured in the first 10 minutes, and how we could have used another striker at Doncaster when Lambert was nursing an injury. I don't necessarily think he is the complete answer, or that we should sign him but a couple of sub. apps or starts would have cleared up a lot of questions - wouldn't it ?

Well- that might have been better than the reality, in that our own attempt at "patching things up " cost us 10 points in the League. Before the Bristol game we were 5 points clear of West Ham, and 9 points clear of the third side ... Being " top at Christmas" is only a symbolic time point. I only hope we still have a good lead come December 31st. (Half way point in the season.)

OK - we must agree to differ. I really hope you're right if he's going to be a permanent fixture, but he doesn't look like a reserve Prem. goalie to me.

...was really good timing. Celtic report that Swedish international defender Daniel Majstorovic has a damaged cheekbone - and will be out for at least 6 weeks. You can bet that if JH's deal was still on loan terms - they'd had recalled him ASAP and the deal might never have happened. Nice one Nicola Cortese ! ...more luck like that and we might win the title.

I wish it was that easy, but sorry to say he has never impressed me much in any of his games, except the one where he saved a couple of pens. in the JPT. In over 5 years at the club, I would have been expecting him to have been pressing KD for the number one spot, he's rarely come near it and has only been used in Cup competitions, often against quite inferior opposition, and still not impressed. Every player has bad games, but whereas you can change out a defender when you have alternatives...Richardson / Butterfield....Fox / Harding. You can't play that game with a goalie when points are at stake. The only thing important to goalies is ..keeping a clean sheet, and Bart's record when he has played is not that impressive either.

someone said.. A GOALIE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE DEFENDERS IN FRONT OF HIM.... not quite true every time maybe, but I recall that Peter Shilton had a torrid time when (as England and Saints keeper in the early 1980's) Saints leaked in ..18 goals in the first 7 games after his arrival !.... TBF we don't know what sort of defence.. this guy ..or any other, has to contend with regardless of which league they are in.

Absolutely right ..not to mention major injuries...Jaidi hasn't played at all and likely will not again) this season. ....and it must be several months ? ..since Seaborne's " incident " and he looks no nearer to coming back yet either. What would happen if we were a struggling side in the Prem?. Who is the next available central defender ...Harlee Dean -is it ?

careful um pahars..I get shouted down when I try to make that point, too

good point well made, but they also might like to put the past behind them and start over anew...people are different.

I make no apologies for " droning on " as you put it. I've been a Saints fan for over 50 years and might underline the point of others on here of my generation..that being totally dependent on one striker has also been our downfall over the decades...(Wayman, R.Davies, Channon and MLT are prime examples.) I didn't use the phrase "worldbeaters" either, in fact I think the number of players in our present squad who can make a career in the Prem. is embarrasingly few, but we have to get there first. Relying on Lambert alone to get us there (as we so obviously do) is a major concern. "drone " over !

Thanks for that Derry. I was beginning to think I was alone with that analysis.