Lallana's Left Peg

Just back from the game. A few things to note: 1. Mayuka is not a lone striker. Doesn't seem to anticipate things too well, doesn't get involved enough, just doesn't carry himself like someone who can play that role. He was shifted out to the right at HT with Rodriguez playing up top and we were miles better. The midfielders and defence had a target they trusted and someone who had better movement. Mayuka also seemed more interested when he could receive the ball in more space. 2. It wasn't clicking in the final third in the first half. Very neat at the back and in midfield, but not enough happening in the final third. Ramirez was very disappointing. On one hand he wasn't being given the ball in spaces he demanded it, but on the other his general demeanour and play when he had the ball was not good enough. Hustled off the ball too easily, dwelling on it too much, and some really bad decision making. I sincerely hope he finds something in Osvaldo has his compatibility with the rest of the group isn't there at the moment, regardless of the talent. His goal was classy though, to be fair. And he was clearly relieved to score. 3. The defence were good but O'Grady won far more than his fair share of flicks. Fox was very good as well. 4. Davis and Cork were neat, but Davis was more efficient moving forward with the ball - our man of the match for me. 5. Isgrove was a little disappointing, I think he was keen to impress but he looked a little nervous and at times you could see some players reminding him of positions to be on based on stuff they have worked on in training. More to come from him. 6. All the goals were well taken, and it was brilliant to see Rowe, Reed, and Sinclair come on. The game had opened up by then (Barnsley kept throwing strikers on) so there was more space to work but Rowe was very lively and could (perhaps even should) have scored twice. Reed was great - slipped into the midfield like he had played there for 10 years and also made runs forward and passed the ball forward very well - it is easy to be a crab playing in front of the back four but he was keen to move us up the pitch while retaining the ball. Sinclair did not have much time on the pitch but his movement was efficient. It was a very efficient performance in which we were always in control. Barnsley didn't have much to offer and it was nice to get five goals. It didn't click in the final third until they were chasing the game in the second half but I would concede that may well be due to a combination that have not played together before. Above all hopefully the game will be known for another three promising debuts for players who will go on to significantly contribute to the first team in the years to come.

The squad is big and deep enough for the first 11 to be senior professionals and the kids to be on the bench. I would guess something like this: Davis Clyne Yoshida Hooiveld Fox Cork Davis Isgrove Ramirez Guly Mayuka Maybe Osvaldo for Mayuka but I am 50/50 whether he will actually travel or not.

A gesture designed to raise the profile of the club on one of the platforms it is using to engage with its own fans It literally affects none of us however I will agree with the sentiments around better phone reception around the stadium and information around the things that really do impact us like away allocations etc.

Looks like Sinclair will be joining WBA on loan before this weekend. Personally I am pleased with that - ever since he was linked at the back end of last season I had my concerns. Lets see what the club have lined up - there were suggestions there may be an attacking midfielder coming in before Puncheon went on loan. Now I think it is a certainty.

Whilst I agree we need to progress, in my opinion Puncheon had a better body of work last season than Lallana, JWP, Davis, Guly, and Ramirez. Whilst I can understand why Lallana, JWP, and Ramirez may still be at the club why have we let Jason Puncheon go ahead of the likes of Guly and Davis? In my opinion we have allowed weaker players to remain at the club while Puncheon has left. There is no transfer fee, just the benefit of having his wages paid, I presume. On that basis I can only assume there are non-footballing reasons that have contributed to this move as otherwise it makes little sense on the face of it.

I can exclusively reveal that after David Gold provided great insight into our finances on Sky Sports News the club are now in a state of panic and are looking to offer all first team squad members out on loan in order to receive a more positive update the next time that little ***** talks about something he knows nothing about #ITK2K13

It was said we were going to give up on Chamberlain, I think that is who you are getting confused with. Rowe has not been talked about much publicly by the club.

Said he has been house hunting for 3 months!

Pochettino at the stadium but won't be at the press conference due to 'other commitments'...

We started 4-2-3-1. The first six you can assume but it was Lambert up top on his own, with Rodriguez on the left, Lallana behind Lambert, and JWP on the right. Lallana floated all over and JWP and Rodriguez both came inside when appropriate to allow the full-backs to bomb on. I didn't notice any changes in particular during the game with that same personnel on the field but Rodriquez and JWP were both very diligent in defending as well. When Ramirez came on he did so in a straight swap for Lallana, and the shape didn't change. Same for Davis when he came on for Rodriguez. Even Cork replace JWP like for like however it didn't really mean much given the stage of the game he came on. The formation was what we were all used to. However, something that is worthy of comment for me is our shape in defending (both in terms of sitting back at times and also pressing at times) which worked brilliantly and completely stifled West Brom in my opinion. It wasn't a blind press - we pressed at times when we couldn't get caught out with the long ball and it worked well. Then the rest of the time West Brom were challenged to break us down if they could but they just weren't good enough. That was very encouraging for me.

Great effort from everyone today against a very good team who I was told train every week (and also had about 6 subs). A 2-1 loss for Saints which (as losses go) was great reward for the sheer amount of effort and over the 90mins. My legs are in bits from the pressing, I have no idea how Schneiderlin does it as a professional every week against Premier League opposition. Good to see everyone as well.

I posted this in the pre-match thread: 1. I wasn't surprised to see Lallana start behind Lambert but JWP as the choice on the right ahead of Puncheon and Guly (who Poch confirmed were not injured) was a massive surprise. 2. There were lots of surprised faces in the crowd when Fonte was selected as Lovren's partner. Fonte defended well to be fair to him. He looks good as the 'secondary' centre-half. I still think his distribution going forward is awful but he was neat and tidy otherwise. 3. It still didn't click in the final third for me, and most of our best openings were results of nice build up play rather than came from pressing and quick passes. 4. We definitely only pressed based on circumstance. It wasn't a blind press at all. My last concern about defending as a team was very wrong. The most impressive part of todays performance was our shape and discipline - a result of the personnel on the field and big confidence from the players in what they were asked to do. We were very very solid. If a team was to break us down it would have to be through some very good play, certainly more than West Brom looked like they would have to offer and if they were still playing now I doubt they would have summoned any more than the single shot on target they managed in 95mins. It was very impressive. Very proud to see four Academy products on the pitch, even moreso that three of them were 18 years old. Chambers acquitted himself brilliantly - another old head on very young shoulders. He also competed well in the air as well. JWP was dilligent and tidy, whilst Shaw played with a confidence and belief that he could make something happen. It was all very very encouraging. Wanyama was good, but I don't think he was brilliant. He will turn out to be brilliant though, I am sure of it. Schneiderlin was the best player on the park. Lovern was great - a few last ditch challenges but his presence drives a great confidence to those around him. Jay Rod wasn't at the races but sometimes that happens - there was no lack of effort. Overall I would have been happy to settle for a point and I thought the subs from Pochettino reflected that. However Shaw decided to take matters into his own hands and Lambert made no mistake. It was great to see how much the win meant to the players and how integrated Lovren and Wanyama were. Our squad is starting to look very strong. Cork, Davis, and Ramirez on the bench today, whilst Guly, Puncheon, and Yoshida didn't even make the 18. Plus from the sounds of it there may even be more to come. A great start and lets hope we can capitalise on the momentum.

Well that list facting went well There are no facts. There are only reports which none of us can validate, hence why this thread is 30+ pages as we're all trying to work out what is going on.

Being played at St Marys. 7.35pm kick off. If you aren't going to the game then try to find a stream of Chelsea TV as it is being shown on that. Streams appear easy to come by for Chelsea TV. Another really tough game for the u21's, but after beating Liverpool they will have confidence.

He was never a bad Captain. People picked up on his indifferent form in the second half of the season (after a 9 week injury) and for some reason said he shouldn't be Captain. There may be arguments that Lambert could be a more suitable Captain at this stage, but I genuinely don't think we get any more or less out of our players whether or not they have the Captains armband. Therefore as a symbol I think giving Lallana the captaincy is a fair move from the club - he represents a lot of what the club wants to be about.

Darren Bent is having a medical at Fulham apparently, hopefully that means the end of their interest.

For those of you who recorded the ITV programme, because you had an inkling something like this may happen, you'll be wanting to skip straight to about 118mins. Absolutely delighted for him. Whatever happens in his career now, he has fulfilled most of his dreams I would imagine, and all whilst playing in League 1 or below until he was 29. Crazy.

What happens to Lambert if Osvaldo signs? Benched? Plays a Number 10 role?

More questions than answers for me this pre-season. Not that it is a bad or good thing, but some things just aren't very clear to me. I guess we'll find out a bit more this Saturday. These are the questions: 1. Who will emerge as the preferred option to play behind Lambert? Davis, Lallana, and Ramirez all offer very different options. What will suit the team best? Or will it be a circumstantial pick based on the opposition? 2. Who will partner Lovren? It looks like it may well be Hooiveld, but if the Hooiveld and Fox partnership is reignited on the left side of the defence it is really very very dangerous. 3. Will the style of play in the final third finally be established? Pochettino's style called for quick football in the final third, one or two touch stuff to take advantage of the positions we win the ball back in. But other than glimpses in fits and starts, we've moved the ball too slowly whether building up from the back or winning it high up the pitch. Will we be more incisive or will we continue to slow the game down? Does Pochettino trust his defence enough to be happy to lose the ball up the pitch playing more exciting football? Or are our personnel just not compatible with that part of his game right now? 4. Will we press all game or will it be used in select moments? Can the defence cope with the long diagonals that exposed it badly at times last season? As long as we give West Brom a decent game I'll be happy, but the defending worries me still (as a team, not individuals).

As backup left-backs go, I rate Fox better than the following: Potts (West Ham) Robinson / Flanagan (Liverpool) Duffy (Everton) Lappin (Cardiff) Bennett (Aston Villa) Plus Sunderland, Crystal Palace, and Hull who don't appear to have one from what I can tell. That doesn't mean I think Fox is good enough for a team with our aspirations, but as back-ups go the Premier League is hardly rich with talent in the left-back area. I doubt any of the above teams would like to call on their back-up left back either.

That was fun to watch but I don't think Martin Hunter will be too happy overall. However, in a league where only the top four qualify for the post-season knockout tournament it is a very important three points against one of the best teams in it, no matter how weakened they were with absentees. Plus points: 1. We compete well despite not being the biggest of teams 2. The players are getting used to adopting elements of how the first team play 3. We have great pace and movement in the front three 4. Will Britt was brilliant Things to work on: 1. Being more careful with the ball when we have men committed forward (we looked very exposed on the break) 2. Seeing the game out - we could have been a lot more professional in the last 10mins (I think these are the sorts of things Martin Hunter alludes to when he talks about the consistency and professionalism that the players need to show to go to the next level) although Matt Young's timewasting at throw-ins is a very polished routine and reminded me of Lee Dixon at his prime. 3. Being more incisive up front (sometimes it looks like we overplay) Some very good prospects in the team though and it looks to be a promising season. Will be interesting to see how the team adopt to the pressure and expectation of being one of the best in the league.

Stephens and Turnball spend 3 weeks with the senior central defenders, and then come back and play like this. Coincidence?

Our Development Squad kick off their season today with a tough game away at Liverpool. It is live on Liverpool TV which is free to air and on Sky channel 429. Last season we were dominated up there and fortunate to only lose by the odd goal. Liverpool always have good youth teams and I expect this years effort to be no different. However, we have fully loaded our u21 team this year and everyone at u18 who impressed has been promoted to the development squad regardless of age (the likes of Harrison, Seager, Rowe, Gape, etc.) All this means our u18 team this year is very young (mostly first year scholars) and they are expected to struggle a bit. Back to this match - Gape is injured and Targett is on international duty so we are missing a couple of players but I am sure it is the same as Liverpool. Should be a good match.

For those familiar with the player, what is it about him that makes the club so eager to get him? As far as I can tell he is 27 (and won't have a great resale value), will command very big wages, and has had moments of controversy in his career. I've no doubt he is considerably better than anything we've got, and the Pochettino link is significant, but considering all of the other possible targets what sets Osvaldo out from the rest of them?