Lallana's Left Peg

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.

Was optimistic before the game and the players delivered. Great to have such a large squad with a lot of quality. Guly and Richardson injured? Harding and Chaplow come in - despite NEITHER being a part of the squad against West Ham. Hooiveld got a knock? On comes Martin. Sharp not working tactically? On comes Lee. Still got Puncheon, Hammond, and Connolly on the bench as well. We have the strength in depth and are now back in our groove for the most important part of the season. There will still be ups and downs and it will be tight, but the club are going to give it the best shot possible and I can't wait.

It's quite clear to me that Butterfield has many intangible qualities off the field that the club value highly and want to keep him around because of it. I personally thought we'd see Butterfield leave in the summer and Stephens become the backup to Richardson but no harm in keeping Butterfield around and I can't recall him ever letting us down on the pitch. Explicitly trust the club on this one.

Adkins on 5 Live: - disappointed with a point from a game we've dominated - created more than enough chances to win - denied a clear penalty for handball (when asked if he thought West Ham had two penalty shouts turned down) - didn't think the West Ham penalty was a foul - would have taken 4pts from two games against West Ham at the start of the season - unbeaten in four, four good performances as well

Fantastic point, great second half performance, plenty of momentum and belief. A good evening.

When was the last time we had a player who divided opinion as much as Guly? From my perspective I think he is a good player who is inconsistent. But his inconsistency doesn't make him a bad player by any means. It is clear he is talented, and perhaps that is why people expect more from him all the time. His inconsistency isn't through lack of effort, it is just how he is as a player. Most clubs have players like Guly. He'll have bad games, and he'll have great games, and we won't have a clue what sort of mood he is in until the game itself. For me I like him on the right as he has forged an unlikely but very effective partnership with Richardson. Positionally he is quite adaptable but in terms of how he can receive the ball he's quite particular. It's a limitation and when he doesn't get it in that way he struggles. But it isn't a lack of effort, it is just how he is as a player. I like having unpredictable players. Sometimes it frustrates but you can't be one dimensional as a team. The element of unpredictability can be important, and Guly has helped us far more in his 18+ months with us than he has hindered. For a signing of around £1m, he has scored important goals and significantly contributed.

Anyone British and under the age of 23 in preparation for the Olympics in the summer.

Good win, sounded like a decent performance which builds confidence and no injuries either. Time to gather some momentum. Glad to see Guly on the right where I think he is more effective and has an unlikely but very good partnership with Richardson. Squad is strong, so I expect some changes for Tuesday and also Cardiff losing helps a lot too. Lots of twists and turns to come but we are starting off this frantic 3 months on the right foot.

He sounded proper down and ****ed in his interview tonight. He focuses on positivity but I don't think some players are too far away from being dropped completely for a few games and challenged to prove themselves in training to be worthy of a place in the squad on a matchday.

A disappointing way to a lose a game but I'm not overly fussed about that. The performance matter far more. Tonight was about players forcing themselves into the thoughts of Adkins for Saturday. It sounded like very few grasped that opportunity and that is what concerns me. The squad is now big enough to absorb injuries and loss of form, but only if the players on standby appear up for it and determined. Tonight that was not the case. The team for Saturday pretty much picks itself now, and Adkins should be having far more of a problem when picking his team with our squad size. I still have every faith in Adkins and the squad but right now they need to pull together and show a bit more determination and application because we have a great opportunity to go up this season and it will slip away unless they all up it a little. If a team presses you high up the pitch then show the quality individually with your skill and movement to make them think twice. If a team sits deep then show the quality you have to probe and break them down. We have the players I've no doubt about that, but they need to start performing as individuals and the system Adkins sends them out in.

For a large squad to work we need to give the fringe players every opportunity to impress in order to keep them motivated and prepared to step-in. Therefore I'd go with this: Bart Butterfield - Martin - Fonte - Harding De Ridder - Hammond - Ward-Prowse - Chaplow Guly - Lee With Barnard and Reeves to get gametime (at least half an hour each).

Where have people been getting carried away? Vast majority of the reaction is people looking forward to him bringing the attributes you've mentioned above yourself. However, I do agree that his return alone doesn't make everything ok again, but it is a big help when no-one else in the squad can replicate what he does.

Don't think anyone would say he is anything more than neat and tidy on the ball to be fair. It is his energy in closing down opponents, and making runs into space that we miss. He creates so much space for others by doing this it makes everyone better.