Lallana's Left Peg

If true, it's an incredible / ridiculous amount of money to invest for a club with our income etc. If Les Reed wants to talk about boom or bust then this is an example of it if £15m is the figure. Something like 100% of income on the facilities? Crazy. Although I would find it hard to believe it will cost £15m, more like £5m.

If that is true

Jeans with a suit jacket is unacceptable.

Interesting article on it here: http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/new_addition_at_southampton_highlights_premier_league_ambitions/?utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=Latest+News&utm_medium=rss Specifically:

I would expect a 10m+ loss, but the accounts to include notes about the expected increase in revenue for 2011/12 season and also the AOC sale.

Puncheon got through an incredible amount of work. I know we may consider it as standard and whilst he made a few mistakes on the ball he worked his socks off and was very much part of the defensive unit that Hull found hard to barge their way through. He put in a shift and ensured (like all our other players) that if it was not to be his day quality wise he was not going to let the team down when we did not have the ball.

Our improved away form has been a consequence of taking a different approach to our tactics. We still want to have more possession than our opponents, but if the pitch doesn't suit or the opposition press us, we're happy to be more direct and ensure we defend properly as a unit. It's been great to see and shows how we are learning all the time.

Tonight wasn't vintage by any means but there was much to admire about aspects of the game I'd questioned about us earlier in the season. The pitch did neither team any favours, which made this a game about percentages and not making mistakes. Hull were bright, they had an extra man in midfield and very deliberately looked to exploit how narrow we play at times. But they have no cutting edge. We changed shape at least FOUR times in the first half (4-4-2, to 4-1-2-1-2, to 4-4-1, to 4-4-2) and that tells you how well Hull were set-up. They had a few moments but so did we. Second half started a bit like the game so Adkins changed it quickly. I thought Puncheon was ok playing off Lambert, but was not his day unfortunately. The introduction of De Ridder and Hammond did help - Hammond in particular shored up the midfield and that leads me onto my next point. After we scored the second we were fantastically professional. Not great football or anything like that, but a bank of 9 men who were determined to suffocate any space in dangerous areas and asked questions of Hull's quality that they couldn't answer. It wasn't pretty but it was amazing to see. And I never felt like Hull would find a way back. We saw the game out well and the players were ecstatic. There was a large screen behind our fans and when the results from the other games came up while Adkins and Crosby were on the pitch you could see the delight in their faces. 3 more points to where we need to be, and where we need to be just got a little closer thanks to Posh and Boro. Fantastic performance for many aspects beyond passing the ball and what is what is really pleasing. There is a belief there and the players are learning to win in different ways. The evolution of our away form is very interesting and of great credit to the management team and the squad.

I can't see Hammond being dropped. Adkins was glowing about his recent performances (particularly the ground he covered on the pitch and his pass completion rate).

Lee was great at stretching the field and making space for others, but this is what we have a big squad for. Opportunity knocks for Sharp now, or even Guly up front and Chaplow, De Ridder, or Puncheon coming into the team / squad. Lee was doing brilliantly but now Sharp can offer us something else and I am sure we'll do well.

The Poyet award was voted for by fans online I believe. Not something to get all upset about. Doesn't take much by fans of a club to heavily influence it with a bit of organisation. Didn't we do the same with Lambert in our first season in League 1?

Getting an award out of pity :lol: :lol:

Confirmed on website that Fox is in contention to play.

Fox was doing some light training with the team on Monday. I'm not saying he is fit but if he was out for four weeks I am not convinced he'd already be training at this stage. We'll have to see.

I think it happens at every club, but how fans over react straight after the game is ridiculous. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but what I've noticed massively over the past two seasons is that peoples anxiousness manifests itself very negatively rather than being positive. People can't accept the bigger picture and always think of something that should be better and will whinge, moan, and ***** no matter what. If any players saw how fans react on this place they'd think we're all absolutely pathetic and if they took the same thoughts into games as some fans we'd get stuffed every week. I'm not saying people shouldn't criticise, but some of the things people moan about are stupid. The players aren't robots, they can't always be perfect and over the course of the season we'll have ups and downs. But **** me, top of the league with 12 games to go, squad has good depth and we have every chance of going up. Enjoy it and get behind the lads.

Disappointing to draw a game at home from a winning position. But overall still happy with where we're going. If one of the first half chances had gone in, I imagine it may have been a comfortable victory but not to worry. We stole 3pts at the weekend and we've got a 1pt from a home game a few days later. We must beat Barnsley now, but I don't think there is anything to panic about. We can't get too anxious about the situation, just continue to maintain our current form and push on.

Cork has been around forever so its easy to forget he is only 22. He will have the odd off game, but he is a very steady performer who is adaptable enough to contribute in any sort of game no matter how it is going for us. He's really good in tight spaces and an unselfish player as well. Occasionally he does need a rest but if he was fully fit he'd be playing every game for me.

Ipswich are in a good run of form but their defence is still horrible. If we get control of the ball we'll create a lot of chances whether we play direct or short. We can't let them break as they are having some success playing 4-5-1 with Martin just off Chopra. I believe our quality will see us through this one as long as our energy levels are good and we play a good tempo. Sonko is back from injury but I suspect Jewell will stick with the same backline from the Bristol City game. Edwards -- Smith -- Delaney -- Cresswell. So fragile they have to play two holding midfielders in front of them, and even then they leak goals.

Hard to tell exactly as the stand was quite dark and the noise we made was good because of the low roof and everyone being crammed into one section. Maybe 1000, perhaps 1250?

We were terrible. We did not play well. Leeds were superb. High energy, well organised, first to every second ball. If we were going to win it would take an immense amount of effort, some luck, and to make our quality tell when we had a moment. And that is exactly what happened. Stole a goal, defended like absolute beasts, Davis OUTSTANDING, and a little bit of luck (but not much - Leeds either lacked quality at the right time or our players made last ditch blocks or world class saves - that isn't luck - that is pure desire). When you don't play well the most important thing is not to give up. And our players never gave up. It was a bad day at the office quality wise, and when you are a team with our talent it is easy to buckle. But we never buckled, we worked incredibly hard and did not allow Leeds to score a goal through sheer will and force. In fact, it went the other way. The defending was ridiculous - I've no idea how we kept them at bay but it is sheer bloody mindedness like that which tells you a lot about the positivity in our group. And Leeds are good at what they do - look at all the goals they score in the last 10mins. At one point I think they had Becchio, McCormack, Webber, Sam, and Snodgrass on the same pitch, and it was wave after wave of attack. The fans never stopped singing and it was great to be a part of that. It was clear we were being battered so the singing didn't stop for all the second half in a bid to get behind the team. I couldn't begrudge Leeds a victory by 3 clear goals really, but sometimes football works out like this, and it is wins like that which tell you the players want it as much as the fans and that means a lot. Look at the reaction at the end. The fans were ecstatic, and my voice as gone. Amazing win.

Happy with his impact. If you remember back in January a lot of people were worried about whether Lee could contribute straight away, but I think he has done very well considering the massive change he has gone through both on and off the pitch. He definitely offers us something different, and his movement is great. Only minor criticism is that he appears very anxious to impress and that he is snatching at chances instead of playing his natural game. But that will come in time, and I suspect if we are to go up he will be more than playing just a small role (as with Sharp). I can see 20 players contributing considerably - whether selected through tactics, formation, injury, or suspension.

Sounds like we changed our tactics quite dramatically and to great effect - a Watford fan has his own blog and wrote this about us: http://bhappy.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/watford-0-southampton-3-25022012/? Blimey Didn't think I'd see us compared to a team like Bolton under Allardyce!

A horrible pitch against a team in good form at home was always tough, but it sounds like we adapted well and pulled together to do enough today to win comfortably. Got a real sense of momentum and resilience in the squad and whilst I'm sure there will be ups and downs to come, I am quite optimistic about our chances. Great stuff.

Yep - I booked for Barnsley and could also book for Coventry. No need for Ipswich tickets.

If Danny Fox was a full-back who could completely shut-down his winger he'd be playing for a team far better than us. For what he brings us in terms of his passing, composure, delivery, and a little bit of nastiness it by far outweighs his negatives when played in our system. We aren't set-up to defend for long periods so in that respect we attempt to eliminate his weaknesses, as he isn't what great defender in that sense. But since we defend by retaining the ball he is great for us and his contribution is significant.