Lallana's Left Peg

According to The Sun, Stephen Corns has resigned from his position with Saints a few weeks after they also reported he was suspended. The suspension story: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4777226/Dan-Kings-Sport-Uncovered-Dont-pin-your-hopes-Pompey.html The resigning story: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/article4788336.ece

You are probably right, but Reading looked dead and buried and picked up 10pts from 5 games so its not impossible to go on an unexpected run. And of the teams on 29 or 30pts, they aren't in the best of form, so it wouldn't surprise me to see one of them dragged right into it.

Looks like anyone in the bottom half is going to get involved in a relegation fight. If you are within 6pts of relegation I think you are very involved. A few teams may pull away in March but I was convinced it was 3 from 5 (Us, Villa, Wigan, Reading, and QPR) at the start of January and now I think several more teams are involved (Norwich, Fulham, Sunderland, West Ham). I can guarantee all their fans are looking over their shoulders and at their fixtures.

Game 4 update. Principles still very much the same as we expected, but I saw a more intelligent approach to the pressing. Players seemed to want to press all the time but only if they could do it as a group and with success - saw lots of players looking over their shoulder before they went after the ball which suggested to me they are being asked to apply some decision making before they go after the ball. Almost as though pressing is great but not if they are just going to pass it around you. Love the way Puncheon nipped the ball off Barry for our first goal - you could clearly see Puncheon go the moment he saw another player go to pressure Barry. Barry never got his head up and Puncheon was there on the blind side before Barry could even control the ball properly. Also very impressed by his 'don't give a sh*t what team we've got out we'll play the same way' approach - would have been easy to perhaps want to offer Fox and Hooiveld more protection on their side of the defence but none was really offered which shows a great faith in his system and the fact it worked so well also suggests that as long as players do their job the team will be successful. New players seemed to come on relating to energy levels rather than any change in shape or role for the players. No Ramirez but both Puncheon and Clyne were very good so early signs are that there may not be any losers in the new system thus far - but still very early days. Seems promising though.

I was worried about our pressing game vs. Man Utd but the damage was done in a 30min period when we sat back against them. If we can get our mentality right and be the aggressive team in this game I think we can have a morale maintaining performance regardless of the result. I've been to two of the last three games and it has been a pleasure to see us play in terms of our effort and aggression. I can easily excuses moments of lacking quality when we show this level of performance. I hope we carry forward our application to this game and give the champions a proper test. Then, as has been said before, we kick off a sequence of three more far more important games but lets not write this game off yet. I want another performance.

I would be surprised if we voted against it. I'd have thought the rules would seem to favour the direction we'd like to head as a club. I would have thought Saints would be in favour of wages coming down in the league considering the following: - we don't like paying agents fees (and this helps with that) - I think our wage bill is reasonable for the league (Ramirez aside) - less incentive for our players to leave elsewhere - especially promising youngsters - opportunity for more investment in other areas of the club

The width under Pochettino seems absolutely perfect to me. The inside forwards move into the middle of the pitch to press the ball which distorts it a bit, but when we have the ball plenty of width is offered. The issue is we just need to get better with the ball when we win it high up the pitch and can break.

It could well be. Don't know what is stopping Le Tissier just dishing all the dirt now, he can't keep on leaving clues.

The Benali thing is what irks me in all this. Benali is the one suing the club yet he is remaining quiet and getting on with it. I know Matt Le Tiss is sticking up for his friend but would he be so vocal if the Benali stuff wasn't going on? I don't blame Cortese at all for doing this.

At this rate they'll end up starting life in League 2 with a 10pt penalty. Not sure if this impacts the business plan or financial projections as I've yet to come across any Trust Member who is familiar enough with it to give an answer to question about the finances, which says it all.

There has been very little change in their responsibilities - the team as a whole has shifted a further 15-20 yards up the pitch so the work they do is just done in a different area of the park. One consequence of this (and their very competent ability at winning the ball back) is that their cuteness in the final third must improve. Both are lacking outside the safe pass and given they will be winning the ball back in far more dangerous areas under Pochettino I would like to see them make better decisions in the final third. I don't want them to force anything but we cannot afford to win the ball back and slow the passage of play down and give the opponents a chance to regroup - we lose the momentum and point of the tactic and high pressing then. That isn't a scathing criticism at all, but it is something for them to develop. I am very pleased with their partnership and I also like Davis in front of them as the second line of pressing as I do rate his ability with the ball in the final third - it is a bit more probing.

I do understand why FCUM was formed - having been to Old Trafford a week ago it is quite clear a vast majority of their home crowd are completely desensitised to the process of going to football and enjoying it. Couple that with extortionate prices and you can see why people turned away. However FCUM have found themselves in scenarios where they've often contradicted their own reasons for forming the club - opting to change a kick off for TV (FA Cup vs. Rochdale) is one example, and their ongoing stadium locations issues are another. I live in Manchester and when you speak to people who support the club they seem sincere enough but have a word with supporters of clubs in the same division as them and they absolutely loathe them. FCUM had a few seasons where they just purchased the best players from the league they were in because of the size of the support and revenue they had. Unfortunately football has changed these days and there is no escaping it. If you want to operate at any half decent level then money rules so you just have to deal with that and get on with it. There are still some things that remain the same and it is up to the supporters to keep it that way but the game is commercial and that is the end of it. There was no good reason why the Man Ud fans fed up with their club couldn't go and support another team - to form another team in some sort of self-righteous act seemed a little egotistical to me when there were far more other clubs who needed their support. As for me, I support Saints no matter what, I could never envisage a scenario where I would turn my back on them and if we disappeared I'd just become a fan of the sport and not a team.

Very early days but two games in you can see the predicted system very much being impressed on the team. The pressing is very good, as a consequence we're attacking a lot. The one and two touch passing seen more in the middle third than final third so room for improvement there, and the massive bonus for me is we've not really been caught out too much with the high line yet. In contrast to Adkins reign, early winners of the new system are Davis and Jay-Rod, whilst those who are struggling a bit are Clyne, Ramirez, and Puncheon. But far too soon to draw definitive conclusions.

Absolutely terrified of what Aguero can do on the break against us with all that space behind the defence, but to be honest it will be fun to see us give it a good go and get at them. I am sure we'll have our moments. Lets just hope we minimise the amount they have. I think we saw today when Liverpool pressed high up the pitch that Man City struggled to cope with it and it even resulted in a formation change from Mancini. So lets give it a good go and see what happens.

Appeared to be a load of nonsense to me. Not sure what caused it to kick off but neither side wanted to get particularly 'nawty' whilst at the same time standing their ground. There was a lot of jostling about and to my eye it appeared innocent bystanders got caught up in it. Then when some distance was created between the two groups most interested in messing about people got more vocal and threatening - funny. But lets not pretend this was all Saints - there was plenty Wigan fans there interested in getting involved. I am not sure what caused the friction in the first place but it takes two to tango in football. Interestingly when I did make it over the other side of the canal the Police were then about and I overheard copper mention to some fans that things like this can happen because Wigan do not pay for proper policing at their games. So if that is true perhaps the Wigan fans may well be advised to contact their club to ask them why that is given what happened on Saturday (not that it excuses any violence, but if you are going to have a clear bottleneck hotspot for trouble like that pathetic bridge over the canal then you would think it may be wise to ensure it is a safe place on game days).

Seldom used by Adkins, his signing appeared to me as a backup option as our efforts for a fast winger came to nothing in the summer. Didn't really seem to 'fit in' under Adkins and the slow build up play we favoured no matter what our formation or shape. It's a different world now under Pochettino, we're pressing high up the pitch and breaking very quickly when we have the ball. On the face of it we may well get more out of Mayuka and his pace / movement. Even if he has a long way to go with his all round game, can he make a contribution in the new system or do we think he will still be one for the future?

Quality is there but he isn't the quickest. Need to see him and Lallana on the pitch at the same time. Clearly not delivering anywhere near enough to justify his price tag. Still think he has an important part to play - but also delighted we've progressed to the point that the system we play now means others can play and he isn't missed so much.

As gutted as anyone with the result but the performance was by and large superb. Only negatives are conceding from set pieces (having defended well against them otherwise) and not scoring enough when we are well on top. Since the turn of the year we've played Arsenal (6th), Villa (19th), Chelsea (3rd), Everton (5th), Man Utd (1st), and Wigan (18th) and taken 7pts. Not a bad haul and we're still disappointed. Performance levels are very good and considering how long Espanyol took to take to Pochettino's tactics a few years ago I think the players have reacted brilliantly and started to adapt very well. Davis and Lallana for Ramirez and Puncheon next game please - deserve their chance to start now.

Think Pochettino has a bit of a selection headache on his hands here. Quite clearly the best footballing option would be Ramirez, Lallana, and Puncheon behind Lambert. But a massive part of the second half performance on Wednesday was the pressing from the front and Davis was sensational at doing that - and obviously far better than Ramirez doing that work. So we've got a challenge of finding the right balance between the guys will will hunt down the ball and get it (to the degree we spent the second half camped in the Man Utd half on Wednesday) vs. the guys that pose most goal threat when we have the ball. I really liked the balance of Jay Rod, Davis, and Lallana in terms of shape and getting the ball back but it didn't quite work right once we got in and around the opponents box. If we had Puncheon and Ramirez on the pitch there would have been better chances created but there is a fair argument to say that we may not even have the ball enough to create those chances if they were the ones pressing. Could be one of those games were we have a gameplan that will change according to how much of the ball we expect to have and our tactics to get it back. Wigan will only play one up top so it may be more of a fight in midfield which may impact how effective pressing high up the pitch we go. That said, it is quite clear to me that Pochettino doesn't appear to give a **** about how the opposition play (in a good way, I think) and believes his pressing and set-up will nullify any team. And given what we did to Man Utd in the second half (including them going through three tactical substitutions and formation changes to no effect) it would be hard to argue against him at this stage. I suspect we will start with Lallana, Puncheon, and Ramirez and all of them will be on a short leash if the pressing isn't effective enough from them. It's harsh on Davis and Jay Rod but in that part of the pitch right now we have options and it is clear to me it is those 3 (plus the two behind) that are getting through an enormous amount of work without the ball for our new system to work, so all five will feature at some stage regardless of who starts. And you know what, if those front four (with Lambert) do their jobs pressing it won't even bother me who plays in central defence - at worst they have to read the quick breaks and act accordingly and mop up like sweepers (that is assuming all goes to plan of course). Looking forward to seeing how this new system gets on against a team in the relegation zone as opposed two teams in the top five.

Quite pleased with the business we've done today. Trimmed the squad a bit with an opportunity to do so more once the loan window opens. We were all told by reporters that it was likely to be a quiet window so while the mongs are out in force on Twitter we've still signed Forren who potentially seems someone who can contribute a lot. Happy the club hasn't made any stupid panic signings, and we can all focus on getting the most out of what we've got under the new Manager. And if the second half last night is anything to go by, it is going to be quite exciting no matter what.

Puts himself out there to try and find out Saints news and gets a load of grief for it. Surprised he manages to bite his tongue so much with how people address him on twitter and such. He is a PA journalist which gives him a damn sight more integrity than most. He'll get things wrong from time to time but none of it is from being lazy. Considering how much the club likes to keep things in house I think he does a good job even getting the bits and bobs he can pass on.

Live 30mins walk away from Old Trafford. Hate losing but we gave it a good go. Really was a game of two halves. First half I wasn't too happy. We played a high line but didn't press them much when they had the ball, it didn't feel like we were giving ourselves much chance. We looked aprehenscious on the ball and as a confidence team it didn't bode well. Got a gift of a goal but all it did was give Man Utd another kick up the arse. Hated seeing Jay-Rod on the wing - he just isn't comfortable there for me. Man Utd were worth the lead at the break, their movement up front was very good and they weren't shy of bombing forward when they had the chance. Got to HT only down by 1 which was good. Second half was something else. I couldn't tell you what formation we played. It looked like it could be Davis behind Lambert with Lallana on the left and Jay-Rod on the right but to be honest the whole thing was so fluid I don't have any idea what was going on. Lambert would press the furthest defender, Lallana and Jay-Rod would sit on the full-backs and Davis would operate like a forward-defender giving grief to whomever had the ball and if the Man Utd defence dare try to get the ball past those four (in their own half) then the rest of the team chased after the ball like a pack of dogs. It was very brave and quite remarkable to see. And it worked bigtime. Man Utd had no answer. They made all sorts of changes to combat it and nothing worked. In basketball terms it was akin to a full court press. You hassle the other team in their own half and challenge them to get near your half. It sounds dangerous but we did it so well. A little more quality and composure in the final third and we would have scored three in the second half but I am not going to moan about that. We need to take advantage when we play well and have good spells and we didn't. But it is potentially a good sign for the future. Finally a good mention for Boruc - his gives the whole defence confidence and played very very well tonight. Saints fans in good voice, but Man Utd fans are so spoilt over the last few decades I think they've lost the whole point of going to a game which is a nit of a shame.

Lets wait and see what the Pochettino tactic gets out of the players before we worry too much about a lack of faces. It appears clear to me that Pochettino couldn't give two ****s about how the opposition play and is entirely focussed on what he wants Saints to do so lets see if the likes of Chaplow, De Ridder, and Lee can contribute before we worry about a lack of new faces. On the face of it the intensity of the work and type of football Pochettino likes to play certainly lends itself towards using a lot of the squad. Perhaps the new management is going to give the squad a boost (starting from a clean slate etc.) which will mitigate any risk of going stale and the need for new players.

It all depends if the club want to be protagonists in the market or not. If they have a need they can proactively go out and try to sign targets. On the other hand we've spent lots and lots and time and effort on developing a network of contacts throughout Europe and the rest of the world so an opportunity may arise to do something as the club are informed of something or even approached by an agent. I suspect we're always open to sign players but at this moment in time not proactively looking to address a gap in the team.

He'd be wise to instil confidence in his squad and at the same time not to show his hand publicly though I would not be surprised if we didn't sign anyone. That said, given Vegard Forren confirmed he didn't once meet with Nigel Adkins to discuss his transfer to Saints perhaps asking the Manager about transfers isn't wise anyway...