Clifford Nelson

You got it right, Dave. Davies doesn't offer any alternatives to slow pass to CB or hoof it long. How many quick throws have we seen.... By the way, I thougt that NA had understood that Hammond and Schneiderlin in CM doesn't work. It is totally predicatable. They are too much the same. Either of them need to have a Cork or a Chaplow to play with. Me thinks that NA is suffering from wanting to let all the boys get a game.

You nailed it, Dave, there is really nothing to add.

After Leicester: Pessimists 1 Optimists 0. No sign on the pitch that the Optimists were right, but there is still time.

To send out the youth players to win the title is a pretty desperate idea. I think we did it just to survive three seasons ago and as we know it was cheap, but it got us relegated.

One of the things which has happened of late is that our opposition has cottoned on to how we like to play out from the back. Now we have added long balls as an alternative, with little or no effect. Last night felt as if we lost not only every second, but also first ball, which compared poorly with Leicester. Their every header ended up with a blue shirt. It is really a challenge how we can assert our way of playing if this is how we can be stopped so effectively. We were outfought, outplayed and outpassed and a large number of our players looked out of their depths. Guly, however much I like the guy, had a shocker. A target man he isn't, but yesterday he had no control and couldn't pass either. He has become too complicated and likes to take a number of touches which plays him into trouble. He didn't use to play like that. Yago, given all the excuses one can think of, was even worse. I would have thought that with all the talent he is supposed to have he ought to have shown some sign of it, but no. Connelly also poor together with Cork and Harding, who was easily made ineffective by players who realised that he was left footed. At half-time I wanted Holmes and De Ridder on to spread the game and give us an outlet. De Ridder did more good than anybody else when he came on, but Holmes was shut down entirely. I am not an enthusiastic 4-4-2 man, but maybe I rather see something like a stable formation instead of just tinkering with midfield from wide to narrow and back again. If we played a basic 4-3-3 formation it can be adjusted to 4-5-1 or 4-2-1-3 or even 4-3-1-2 etc etc. without fundamentally changing the system. As it now is every change seems to cause more confusion. It isn't time for wrist slitting, but thinking, in order to put things right.

Our memories differ and the views of "regular" posters don't count any different from the rest. What I don't really like is evangelical outporings about players virtually nobody has seen play, or the pulling out of hair and rending of garments because of a stray pass. But then we all like different things, don't we, and wouldn't this forum be a sad place to be if that wasn't the case.

I hope you're right, but weighed against his technical ability you have the "headless chicken" from the Spurs camp. We will see.

That's a bizarre comment. The whole Forum wondered about Hooiveld, which wasn't strange considering his chequered past. He has proved himself to be a very good player. I hope the very same for Iago, but have got precious little evidence to build that on apart from a couple of opinions.

Sorry about the Villareal, I looked it up in Wikipedia, where it said VillarealB. Can't imagine it was the B-team, was it? I'm still questioning why such a brilliant player isn't playing for the teams that own his registration. I suppose we soon get to see how good he is. I'm happy to be convinced in spite of the obvious question marks.

Elsewhere I expressed that I would be very surprised if he turned up here, and that is what I am. He is nearlly 22 and has played one season with Villareal in Serie B. In the UK he has played a few games on loan. If he was that immensely talented, why isn't he at Spurs? Unless there is something there in the end for us, he also doesn't fit into what appears to be our recruitment policy. We also have Holmes still in the squad, so this seems to be a suggestion that Falque is a far better option. I hope NA is right and that we haven't got another Forte or whatever the other chap's name was who arrived on loan a year ago. It's an odd signing in my book, although I hope he will do well.

If the better informed rumour mongers are anything to go by the one about to sign sounds like a bigger fish than Hooper...Maybe we are actually prepared to pay considerable money right now for a push for the PL. My gut feeling is that Rickie is fine with us, and I can't see anybody in the PL offering the kind of money we surely would like for somebody with half a season in the CC behind him.

Whether Hooper is happy at Celtic or not plays little or no role in this spectacle. Footballers are commodities who are bought and sold for the prices clubs agree. Players will have to agree personal terms, but that is seldom an obstacle. Probably because they play for money and not for any romantic sentiments. Don't confuse our own love for the club with the reason the players play here. Summary: If Saints and Celtic agree a price Hooper will change hoops for stripes.

The smoke screen thing is of course total nonsense. It was Celtic who told the world about our bids, not NA or NC. Why would we want the world to know how highly we rate Hooper if we are to turn our eyes elsewhere. The need for two more strikers makes good sense from the point of view that Barnard won't play this season, and if we're going up he is very unproven, and in my mind not good enough, if we go up. Connelly is struggling with one injury after another, so another contract doesn't look likely. That leaves us with Lambert and Guly and precious little else.

Of course we are wheeling and dealing to get the best price we can (and risk not getting him sold) as well as the buyers offering as little as they can (and risk not being able to buy him). But in the end of the day the price that somebody is prepared to pay for him is his price. I suppose that at this time we must reasonably be very keen to sell, so the buyers know they can drag it out in the hope we'll reduce the price. Etc. etc. etc.

I think NA is a bit more involved in the buying of players at Saints, but neither he nor the scouts could possibly have seen this guy play, since he hardly has. I think the story comes from Spurs putting the guy into the press to generate interest because they want to get rid of him. I won't eat my old hat, but I'll be flabbergasted if he comes here. That would smack of panic.

A players value is what anybody would be prepared to pay for him. (Just like buying and selling houses.) Puncheon is overpriced if nobody wants to sell him and underpriced if a lot of clubs want to buy him. The idea that there somehow is the "right" or "correct" price for a player, or for that matter a house or any other commodity, belongs to fantasy land. Estate agents valuations, for instance, are based on recent sale prices for similar houses. So if we could think of somebody very similar to Puncheon (poor and unwilling passer of the ball who repeatedly runs into trouble, as I remember him) and find out what they sold for, then we might be in the right area. Think of the clamour on here to sell Pulis. How can you sell somebody which nobody wants to buy. Hence we have still got Forecast. If I was a manager in the two top divisions I wouldn't even sign him on a free. Not that I am, and thank G for that, but maybe it might put things in perspective.

A few peculiar comments on here. One that we take a loan signing to cover in case somebody gets injured......A few that we ought to take him because he comes from Juve and Spurs. The reason for going out on loan is to get games. Iago isn't getting it at Spurs so they think we might be interested. So there is clearly no point to this transaction for Iago and for Juve unless he gets to play. He also has never managed to get any games in at the age of 22 either at Juve, Valencia or Spurs. So why do we think that he would do a job for us? NA isn't known to through in players with little or no experience of english football (think Guly and SDR), and it is unlikely he would do it with this chap. The only people delighted with this loan move would be Redknapp and Spurs who would get him off their hands.

There seems to be quite a few who fancies a change, so what about alternatives. MLT comes to mind, but then Solent would fall out with the club because NC fell out with MLT. I struggle a bit to think of a suitable ex-player or manager. Dennis Rofe has done OK when he has stood in for DM, but he isn't a great analyst, and after a number of games on the trot I imagine we'd be having the same discussion as now. Jonathan Wilson could certainly analyse the game and bring our football discussions up to date, but then he hasn't got any connection with Saints as far as I know. If the conditions are that it needs to be somebody without a belief in the "correct" formation or tactic; an analytical mind; and unafraid of offering his opinions, who would you think of?

Having lots of experience can be a cover for being stuck in the past. Anybody who thinks that 4-4-2 is the "right" way to play naturally finds it difficult to appreciate any other tactics or formations because by definition they are "wrong". The obvious problem with 4-4-2 is that every team in the whole of the pyramid knows exactly how to play against it. I'm afraid that I hear very little analysis from DM, but lots of repeated opinion. Luckily I attend all the home games so my suffering is limited. I am on the other hand certain that DM is a very nice man, like most of the guys around me in the Kingsland.

This is the situation we were bound to find ourself in at some time or another, NA acknowledged that as well a couple of months ago. I also remember Dave Jones mentioning injuries as the killer in a long season. The measure of NA and the team is how they are getting us out of it. My small observation, which doesn't take in today's game, which I didn't see, is that players like Lallana and Guly has started to take a third and even a fourth touch, at which time they usually lose the ball. Extra touches usually mean a loss of confidence, but I can't see where that loss off confidence has come from. You're not going to get a quick passing game with more than two touches. Some of NA's teamsheets suggests that he is trying to keep a number of players happy, which led to the ditherings on the RW. Since Morgan is all but incapable of scoring goals and playing killer passes, what is he doing in the hole and on the right wing? Chaplow was a lucky choice since he came into topform and created chaos with his runs, but with him injured the only reasonable choice ought to be SDR, who is our only offensive RM as far as I can see. This current situation is a big test for both NA and NC.

Even with a change of attitude he wouldn't be what we are looking for. Am I the only one remembering watching him running with the ball straight into trouble time and time again and never producing a decent cross or dangerous pass?

If you saw an "asian" man it certainly wasn't Havenaar who is dutch. Asian men are seldom 6'4'' and named Mike.

For a trully awful player without a first touch and who never goes for a header he didn't do to badly and scored two headers... I remember somebody else who didn't go up for headers. His initials were MLT. I also noted that he has slowed down his game (Guly that is), and as a result he loses the ball. Whilst a great admirer of his I don't really think he has been on top form lately. But 9 goals scored tells a story for those who want to listen.

The problem with playing SDR isn't primarily him, but Richardson, who, not incorrectly fancies himself as the crosser of the ball. He can't be the primary crosser with SDR in front of him. I have the same thought about the other flank. When Harding and Lallana played regularly together AL stood out as a star. I haven't seen that when he plays with Fox, who like FR fancies himself as the primary crosser. I agree with the thoughts about Lambert. He isn't a natural no 9 which is a bit of a problem playing with either Guly (an absolutely natural no 10 to distribute and feed the ammunition from the "hole" and arrive late into the box) or Connolly (who is far too small to lead the line). I'm not really considering Barnard who isn't a natural leader of the line either, apart from not being the same class as the other three. Schneiderlin on the right is a lost cause, as is any offensive position for him. It just isn't his natural game. So, why not play SDR with Butterfield? That looks a likely combination, as does Harding and Lallana. As for the striking positions we all know that we are looking for another striker. But out of the ones who have been mentioned, who will do the job with Lambert?

He will be OK for us this season, but he suffers from two errors. Firstly his angry "in your face", which wins him nothing and secondly forever trying to win free kicks. I don't mind a trick or two, but he must be well known by the referees for it, because he seldom gets anything. The combination trick of first playing at being pushed in the back, followed by angry protestations with the ref is nearly a guarantee for not getting any decisions for the rest of the game. However, I've got no criticism for lack of hard work.