Clifford Nelson

It wasn't a surprise that Lallana scored, he is the only one in todays team which has got the edge. With him and Lambert in the side it probably takes the pressure of the likes of Barnard, but tonight he again didn't look like scoring, and he didn't. Dickson was amazingly poor, misread every intention, gave away passes and defended poorly. With Harding on at half-time things improved and it told us something else as well. He and Lallana knows how to find each other, and it is difficult to see how Dickson can improved on that understanding. Seabourne must be told that long cross balls is lower league stuff for CBs who can't think of what else to do, and if he wants to improve he must cut it out and start to use the ball better. He is much more agile than Jaidi, though, but that probably goes for most CBs at the moment. The first 15 minutes were great, so why did we give up on it? Did the players think that they had to come up with something else, just because we hadn't score? After that it was really anybody's game, and we were the lucky ones. Twice we have now shown that we have plenty of skill, but 15-30 minutes per game isn't enough. AP in the aftermatch interview very clearly said that A O-C would get competition on the right wing soon, so somebody is on their way in. I wish we could get that alternative CM as well.

Since newspaper photographers since the year immemorial have taken pictures of games over the years it appears to me that "image rights" may be rather difficult to defend in law. With the size of cameras available anyone can take pictures. Is the club really going to pursue every printed picture in the courts for payment? If so, then the press is going to have a jolly time with us whilst NC is rushing from court to court with a posse of lawyers.......Maybe this is just one of those decisions which will wordlessly slither into the long grass.

I'm not going to slag off anybody, because I think they all tried very hard, and for the first 45 it was really entertaining. The only one I have a questionmark over is Jaidi who looks very immobile, which he also did against Reading, and to be honest most of last season. A feeling that age and injuries have caught up with him, It wasn't surprising that the key mistake which unsettled us was his. Otherwise it even looked that there were a new kind of inventiveness about the place, quite often from Dickson and Butterfield, together with some quick thinking from Connolly. But after the game I'm thinking back and realise that apart from all the entertainment it didn't actually look like we were going to score. The edge was missing, and didn't arrive until Lallana arrived on the pitch. Without him and Lambert we don't look like we can produce real goal chances. The bench also looked average, apart from Lallana. There wasn't anybody there who looked a likely candidate for changing a game. The hole left after Waigo and Antonio is very large. What wouldn't it have been worth to put Waigo on and add some sharpness.

As far as I can see there is no evidence that he was offered anything here. That AP was to talk to him is evidence of exactly that, nothing else, and that "he" decided that his future lies elsewhere is probably his version, or that of his agent. It sounds much better than having received another "no thanks". Anyway, I can't see what the excitement about him is all about. He appears to be an average CM, with no reputation to talk about and not good enough for PNE, It leaves me cold, and I guess the same went for AP.

I noticed, Dave, it felt refreshing as I dipped in at lunchtime. However, I wonder if there is hope to clean up the forum or if we're all doomed. I think that my patience is thinner than the yaboo boys.

I have very nearly stopped posting, because there seemed to be no point to it unless I threw myself into the hurly burly of insults. A reasoned point of view didn't seem to attract any interest anymore. So it is encouraging to see a string of posts harbouring similar sentiments. There must be hope then. I am especially irritated with what appears to be a large number of posters who can't abide any critical comments towards anything. To me it seems little point to post that I have had a reasonably pleasent day and that everything is adequate or a little bit better than that. Debate follows suggestions that things could be done better, not that everything is great, so why try to stifle debate? Maybe it's strange that I'm not quite as irritated by the rather over the top comments by others who tend to get a bit over excited. Poor old Alps, for instance, his view are often quite interesting, but they are difficult to debate with him because you can't get through the wall of vitriol from those who want to shut him up.

Replacing the men with boys changed everything, and after that it was nolonger a contest. It is quite amazing how milky the youngsters look, and for most of them the game when on around them. Up to then it felt that we had the edge, which was a good sign. I was impressed by Barnard who seemed to have gained a lot of strength, and also by Mills, who created a good few things before stepping off injured. He also seems to have grown both in height and weight over the summer. Butterfield and Dickson are clearly good signings. On the negative side we can't start Wotton in the middle of midfield and expect to win the midfield battle and Jaidhi looked very questionable at the back. He has never had the most mobility or athleticism, but yesterday he struggled with most things apart from a few headers. We must look for a different starting CB for most of the season, and we only have Martin and Seabourne, or have we, since he wasn't in the squad and wasn't declared injured? If Lallana will be off for a long time, and some sources suggest that the injury is much worse than feared, there is a real need for another decisive wide player. The suggestion that Papa Waigon is on his way back is music to my ears, but I am certain that that is not primarily an AP decision, since he clearly didn't rate him, or alternatively didn't know what to do with him. Therefore the decision must be NC's, which to me fuels my suspicion that it's sh*t or bust for AP. Whilst he was recruited in a wild panic, I'm sure that his replacement, whenever it comes, will have been sourced carefully for the role to be filled in the longer perspective. Then, of course, the Papa Waigo rumour is just that, a rumour without foundation, and then the rest has got no foundation either.

I think that is what we think of, but how to achieve it in organisation on the pitch? I'd like to think that it will take some of the inspiration from what we've recently seen from the world cup. Spain and Germany comes to mind. In all cases it sacrifices the second striker to an advanced midfielder who can make things happen across the whole width of the attack. We haven't got that player, but we have one big striker and two "second" strikers. So I can see us persevering with the current formation which encourages us to heave it to Ricky and hope for the best. If it will take 3-5 years to establish we have already wasted a year, and we are about two waste another, which leaves us 3 years starting from cold. Alternatively the Southampton Style means starting in one formation and finishing in another and having the two wingers swap sides and occasionally play up front. That's how we finished last season. I wish I will see something else this afternoon, but I don't think so. AP's beliefs and experience is 4-4-2, and that's it, folks!

I will always wonder what on earth possessed Cotterill to take this job. The writing was on the wall all the time. Is he deluded or did he miss it.

The first team has now managed to wangle a draw against a Conference South side and the U21 development squad beefed up with several first team players manage to get one past Farnborough. I am sure they are tired and out of sorts, but so is the teams we've played against. Maybe it technically doesn't matter, but it doesn't contribute towards the habit of winning. With another loss against Reading next Saturday we don't look that well prepared for Plymouth.Through all the spin and excuses I see a pre-season which hasn't gone exactly according to plan.

I don't think you understand the argument, Andy, it is about how you build confidence to create the winning habit/feeling/attitude or whatever you want to call it. I'm not terribly worried at all, but just find it curious how you design pre-season friendlies seemingly without taking the very thing AP concerned himself with last season into consideration. I think all these things matter one way or the other, and you don't seem to think they do. Maybe you are the lucky one.

You're making two mistakes: Firstly, by quoting one game as an argument against all scientific knowledge that losing games is bad for confidence. Secondly, by not understanding that the AP comments are "spin". Does anybody really think that we set up two pre-season friendlies so that we could lose them!!!??? It might not be the end of the world, but it hasn't made things easier. If we lose to Reading (a clear possibility) and slip up against Sutton because we underestimate them (this has happened many times in the past both for us and for others) then we will start the season with seriously underwhelming confidence levels.

An amazing amount of comments suggesting that pre-season doesn't matter. AP arrived to Saints discovering instantly that this was a club used to losing, and with an attitude full of excuses. He spelled out repeatedly thoughout the season that he was building that "winning attitude". This isn't just something you do for 'fun', but because it builds confidence in every player both individually and collectively. To lose football games hasn't got any positive aspects to it, and I don't think that these two games were arranged with a plan that we were to lose them, regardless how the spin is applied afterwards. The truth is more that we aren't as good as we thought we were, and that teams like that will beat us. We will be better in September, but so will they! And if we now go and tumble against Sutton United or Reading (which is far from unlikely), that won't improve the confidence either. Whether we also will start the season poorly is impossible to say, but what is clear is that a rake of losses won't help us to do well. About that we should all be able to agree.

For all those who think that losing friendlies doesn't matter, can I remind you that this is the attitude of excuses that we were served up by previous regimes. The result matters for a very specific reason, that it contributes to the winning feeling. Winning games is the best habit you can have, because it does wonders to your expectations and the team morale. Losing games does the opposite. I thought that the teams we have signed friendlies against are too good for the exercise, which should be to hone our own game and gather match fitness, and not struggling to contain superior opposition. That teaches you very little apart from how to lose your confidence. For the same reason it is worrying to me that the U-21 elite squad isn't up to beating Havant & Waterlooville or Basingstoke. So far the club has managed 4 losses and to beat Winchester. I'm sure they are feeling on top of the world, and that none of the results matter....

My judgement comes from what AP himself said just before the end of the season, which went something like: We are going to assemble a team for next season which will not only get promoted, but will be competitive in the CCC! There was the talk of a player to back up Lambert, and he has also, quite rightly, stated that he got players in far too late last season, who hadn't gone through pre-season with the team. I also judge from the fact that from the regularly playing squad we have lost two valuable wide players. Our centre midfield hasn't got the back-up we need (and we are all agreed on that). Now it appears that we haven't got a reliable second keeper either. This leaves us very much with a squad that is weaker than last year, and we didn't walk it, however we excuse it. The deafening silence from SMS is worrying me, as is, that with AP and the squad in Switzerland, NC has taken himself over there as well to spend some time with the squad in the mountains? Is bonding with the players the best use of his time? I think that Alps may be a little loud about his worries, but unless your blind, deaf, or believe in father Christmas, elves and fairies, there is certainly some solid reason not to be ridiculously confident.

There was a note in the Echo (OK, I know that it's not the favoured house journal!) in June that the club wasn't expected to sign many players. I wonder where that info came from, because all the expectations from fans was for a large number - (An RB or two; another CB; one or two wide players; another CM and the backup for RL which AP was talking about. That makes some 5-7, but we have had two, and amongst those an LB which we weren't expecting.) - AP also made me believe that he was looking for lifting the squad up to CCC level. With AP in Switzerland and NC on holiday a lot of things will still be going on at the club, but we will not be signing players unless the contracts are already negotiated, only awaiting international clearance or some other condition. Judging from the evidence I think I will prepare myself for very few signings this summer. And the paranoid part of me says: If AP isn't top two by christmas he will be replaced, and any further signings will be identified by the next manager...

I think your analysis quite accurate. When you're discussing midfield I'm thinking a 4-5-1 formation. Having watched a bit of World Cup I'm quite clear that 4-4-2 is yesterday's tactics, and I'm clear in my mind what is my preference. However, none of the strikers we've got are cut out for playing in any kind of midfield role, nor in the "hole". Subsequently I don't think that another CM is very high on AP's agenda, at least not until next year when Wotton's contract runs out.

There is a desperate mistake to think that there is an enormous difference between CCC and L1. Between the top of CCC and the bottom of L1 there is, admittedly, but for the rest there isn't much in it. Saints wouldn't have needed much in the 2008-09 season to remain in the CCC, but that team stood no chance in L1. Effectively we kept Kelvin, Lallana and Schneiderlin and let the rest go. Only with better players did we become competitive. I think Wednesday will find it much more of a challenge than they think.

Yes Dave, I also thought that there was some kind of master plan. There was also AP saying that the squad was to be much stronger next season, and NC talking about us aiming to play a special style to be known as the Southampton Style. If I take all that information as read, there are some cracking signings still to come, but then the Echo reported that there will not be many new signings at all, wherever they got that information from. It's not easy to read the runes. I don't know whether there are reasons to worry, but I don't like the lack of news management, since it causes worries. At the moment it seems like AP and NC have both left and handed the rudder to somebody called Jason, Andy Gray and Mo Gimpel. We ought to do better. Pre-season is also upon us, which means that new players should be here, ready to train and to go to Switzerland with the team. Hmmm. As for the Forum I have suddenly been relegated to Registered User in spite of having paid my sub, and I fail to see the advantage of the new format. Bring back the days of the pidgeon post, I say, when men were men and strikers generally were bald. In spite the niggles the season ticket is payed for and I have even bought the new shirt. It looked too good to be left in the shop.

Nobody was prepared to pay up the existing shareholders because they wouldn't have had only that to deal with, but also all the debt. That made the whole thing far too expensive, because Saints are never going to create the kind of revenue which repays that kind of investment. Due to Administration ML could by the club with stadium and all for £12M. THAT makes it a good deal. It also makes it clear that it doesn't matter much what Leon did or didn't do, because there was no good way out. I believe that he is a fan, but a fan with much deeper pockets than most, if not all, of us, and those deep pockets make people believe that they also should have a say, and that they can make the RIGHT decisions. With Saints at the time I don't think that at the time there were much good decisions to be made. The slide was unstoppable.

Nice to see you about again, derry. You're very clearly right and I find it surprising that there has been no news at all apart from the signing of Ryan Dickson. Deciding to buy ourselves a third left back made me think that there was to be a rather heavy influx, including two RBs, one or two CMs, a couple of wide men and another striker. And then......... This isn't news management, but a news blackout, which doesn't serve very well to keep supporters at least reasonably content. It's difficult to believe that nothing is going on. It is something, alright, but I'm not convinced that it is the signings of a number of players. Whether good news or nor, we have to wait and see. I think it could all have been handled rather better.

With such a deafening silence from the club (apart from signing a third left back and tinkering with catering facilities) it is tempting to think that something is going on. I certainly would be very disappointed to hear that nothing whatsoever has been going on behind the scenes apart from the bosses being on holiday.

I haven't followed Denmark, so I don't know whether he actually played. He was part of the pre-world cup squad, though. I don't think that he would turn down talking to Saints. Like most Scandinavian players he would love to have a bash at english football, and I can't see why we wouldn't be as competitive as Toulouse and Duisburg, where he also spent a short while. AP made noises about somebody else in the Lambert mould, and there are similarities. He has had a few injuries, though.