Lallana's Left Peg

There are a lot of clubs he is being linked with. It definitely feels like someone is doing this on purpose - just need to work out who now and why.

I don't see the positives in losing any game to be fair. I don't think anyone at the club would think like that either. Games like yesterday are however reminders of how perhaps we have done the easy part in being better than all the dross, but now we have to break into the part of the league where the best teams reside and how much extra it may take to do that over the course of a 38 game season. The good news is that we have a young team and a good Manager. The bad news is that patience is not a trait recognised in Premier League football. Lets hope everyone involved right now has some - and that includes the players!

Not sure about that. A draw would have been as much as both teams deserved. But regardless of that, when you consider Pochettino's body of work after 14 months in the job, is there any way that you could think he hasn't been a great Manager for us thus far?

What about the first half? Or is that going to be conveniently ignored to support a negative narrative?

The only reason we managed to get him was after the error laden season he had in Lyon last year. The summer before that he was linked with Barcelona. He is still class and feel lucky to have him at Saints, but the book on him does say he is prone to lapses in concentration.

Who are 'you guys'?

There are plenty of players not linked with bigger / better clubs though, and they make up around half our team. And then some of the players that are wanted by other clubs is down to their potential rather than how good they are now.

He's got to stay. I don't think we could be doing much better with our current squad. He's got us playing aggressively and the players have a lot of belief. He's integrated young players as well. Would be a set-back if he left in my opinion.

Well the five year project was back in the Premier League. The new one was Europe with half the team from the Academy. If that has been superseded I've no idea what it is.

Europe and half the team from our Academy is what I assume it is. Doesn't feel like we're too far away if (and it is a big if) the kids continue to get better and we keep hold of them. Second bit far harder than the first!

I completely agree with this but we're told games are decided by fine margins a lot of the time so the balance between experience and being allowed to make mistakes and winning games is hard to achieve. I don't believe JWP cost us today in terms of a tangible mistake that led to a goal or anything like that. To be honest there wasn't an alternative (unless Davis played deeper) however when we had to dig in second half he struggled to break up the play in the way we're accustomed to with Morgan, Wanyama, and Cork - that is no criticism of him as a player as he is at a different stage in his career and experience but when we look at the things that the team struggled with that is an area that was an issue for us in the second half. I think he is of sound mind to shrug off this game and learn from the experience but I started a thread on JWP last Autumn in terms of his long term future and the position he will settle on and I am still none the wiser. He looked good in the 'Davis' role in the first quarter of the season and whenever he has played deeper its never worked. He plays deeper for England U21's and looks great so for his age group he is good but in the rough and tumble of the Premier League you've got to be very strong in the middle of that park or you get eaten up.

Tactically we never change but that is the way Pochettino likes to play - we live by the sword and we die by the sword on that front. It's not a spirit thing it is a momentum thing and the team being able to ride out tough periods and work their way back into the game. We're getting a bit better at it but we're not good enough to do it away from home against 6th position. As long as we learn from it I'm ok but I do hate the way that one player gets the shakes and then others do too. Doesn't seem very professional.

He's a decent player who has a lot to offer but with the standard set in the Premier League of what you've got to be in the middle of the park to contribute as a player for a top half team it's tough for him. I'm glad we give him the experience and opportunity but it is more than fair to point out today that the game passed him by plenty of times and when we had to dig in he physically was up against it.

That is the way he plays though. He takes the gamble to open up the game. It probably works 3/10. I've never known us concede from Gaston losing the ball that high up the pitch but I've seen us score plenty after it. We can't just turn him into another Davis or JWP clone. For the last goal the clearing header was weak, the midfield was nowhere for the second ball, and then it was a fair strike - I'm not putting any of that on Ramirez personally.

It's perfectly valid to be delighted with a Manager and still find things to criticise them for which impact individual games. For example, I'm delighted with Pochettino but unless Jay-Rod was injured that sub today was absolutely awful and compounded an issue we already had on the pitch. I won't hold it against him and it won't impact his fantastic work this season but when we look at the game we just bottled I feel quite happy to point out the issues which caused it. When we can't point out the issues and get beat, that's when we've really got problems.

I don't think it is mental weakness, I think it is the genetic makeup of the team from the last 5 years. We're a momentum team and struggling to make the transition to one which doesn't rely on momentum to win games. Sometimes we do it but there are relapses like today which cost us. When the opponents have their tail up we are really vulnerable and lack composure. We bring it on ourselves and in this league the opposition have the quality to punish you. We need to find a way to stay in a game when we have our funny five mins and everyone seems to want to boot it 50 yards. I don't like the way that when one player has the shakes a few others pick it up too. The only player that doesn't in our current team is Lallana. He stands head and shoulders above the others in playing the same way no matter what the phase of the game. I wish others would pick up on his approach to the game.

Of all the performances in that game you want to say Ramirez cost us the game!?!

No he didn't. He was bullied too often in important parts of the pitch. Nothing to do with his quality but his frame allowed Spurs to go through the middle too often and win loads of second balls. It's all a part of his experience and he is good enough to learn but this is the Premier League and the one part of the pitch you don't allow teams to dominate is the middle as the moment that happens you've little chance of winning the game. We lost the middle of the park in the second half and lost it 2-0 and it felt lucky to only lose it by that much.

Awful second half. Will reserve judgement on the subs until I know if Jay Rod is injured or not - if he isn't then it was a terrible sub to make. Pochettino leaves the team to sort itself out when they lose their composure as they should have enough about them to get back into the game but the hoofing started early in the second half and never stopped. Fonte and Lovren both had the shakes and Cork and JWP weren't strong enough to provide an effective shield for them on second balls. Lambert went to **** in the second half as well. Too many poor performances in that second period and we are not a team designed to withhold large periods of pressure when we sit back (both in structure and ability). Chalk it down as an unfortunate injury list in one part of the pitch and a learning experience for the team as to what they need to do to dig in and stay in a game and also to sort themselves out when the other team has momentum.

I'm not really willing to put someone in that bracket who broke their leg (and played on) and then suffered a setback in their comeback game

Bit worried Cork is being rushed back while still hurt and not fit. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

Remember when Sunderland took the cups seriously and the media said how good it was and how their league form could improve because of their momentum? Well that has worked out well for them hasn't it?

Robinson has had a lot of injuries and the club have stuck by him during that time. He's looked ok at Youth Level but at his age now if he isn't going to make it here it is best he moves on. I believe he was told before Christmas he won't be getting a new deal but I'm not 100% convinced of the source.

Probably not a wise thing to do. When I was 14 I was taken to West Ham vs. Saints by my Dad who was being entertained by a client of his. Wore my Saints shirt under my Saints drill top (all the rage back then ). Got into the ground and then when at the bar the police approached us and asked me to take my top off. I did to reveal my Saints shirt and we got escorted straight into the away stand Was the game Benali got sent off for launching Futre into Row F.

We've had plenty of players recover from knocks before. Pochettino makes a clear difference between saying a player is doubtful and whether a player has a knock and needs to be assessed. More often than not players who have had knocks have been fine to play - there has been the odd exception but by and large I'm expecting Schneiderlin to be fit.