Minty

Finding scapegoats isn't helpful, but I do believe it's fair to question Fonte's form recently. We win as a team and lose as a team. We conceded 3 poor goals tonight.

Yep. 2-1 to Brighton is my prediction, and 4 red cards...

Glad someone does, beginning to think it was only me. This isn't a 'blame the fans' post before someone jumps on me, but we know we can make a difference and it just seemed we barely tried tonight.

alps, if giving him an 8 is not realistic, neither is saying he was ineffectual. He was tidy and clever at times but didn't have enough end product IMO.

Sharp does not deserve too much criticism. Yes he went down easily but it was a good assist for the goal and he didn't have a lot to work with. A lot of the time, because of the laboured approach play at times, he was left trying to feed off scraps. Now is not the time to find scapegoats. If anything I would highlight defensive frailties over attacking ones on an individual basis, but this is a team game, and the most *effective* team won the game tonight.

Interesting to read some of the views above, I thought that although we controlled the possession for long periods, we didn't have enough penetration, especially second half, even though De Ridder was playing quite well. Too laboured at times and not incisive enough. Poor defending for all their goals IMO, they only 3 efforts on target and scored them all. Possession is all well and good, and we didn't play badly, we just didn't use it enough. Plus, hate to say this, and happy to be corrected if the tv did not reflect it correctly, but thought the crowd were poor when the team really needed them. Cameras kept cutting to the crowd sat there quietly contemplating defeat. Where was the passion to lift the team?

Well we just don't know, neither of us can speak for any future players, but given the Southampton Way is supposedly about developing good people as well as good players, I'm quietly confident that our academy lads will learn a lot off the pitch and that a greater percentage of them will not be so motivated purely by money. Lallana has done several interviews now and it comes across that he realises what he's a part of, and that counts for a lot. I completely agree with the last bit, obviously there will need to be investment in the first XI initially to introduce some more quality and make sure that we stay in the top flight. It goes without saying that to keep any home grown talent (and I'm talking 3/4/5+ years down the line here) we need to be competing in the Prem at a decent (comfortably mid-table/top half) level. Obviously it is not straightforward to produce lots of home grown talent, but that's exactly why we're doing what we're doing, to maximise our chances. And for them to want to stay, we need to be showing that we're progressing as a club on the pitch in the meantime.

One of the best and most underrated bands for a long time, IMO. But I guess we should stay on topic...

I thought you could tell that he hadn't commentated for awhile at the Pompey game... I dunno if he 'outranks' Temple or the other guy, but it smelt of 'pulling rank' to me...

OK, apologies, but you're not stupid, you must've realised the simple point I was making: Money is not the be-all and end-all for all players. Nowhere have I said I definitely think we will field a complete academy side to compete in the top half of the table, just that by developing these facilities it is all part of a process to help retain as much talent as possible . You are absolutely right, it is highly unlikely, but the better equipped we are at developing and keeping talent, the better for the club.

You know what I meant. I thought this was one of those few threads where you might actually have been making a serious contribution but we're getting nowhere now so... I'm out.

I'm not saying they will, just that the more attractive a club we are, the better our chances of retaining more quality players. Plus, it wouldn't be 'all of a sudden'... there have been and will be players who recognise they earn very good wages and aren't in it just for the money. Chances are we wouldn't want players who are only after a bigger pay cheque anyway. This is all hypothetical until we do it and get promoted, but chances are Cortese and co wouldn't be doing all of this if they didn't believe in it and it'll just be interesting to see what happens.

Fair points, I just don't think anyone has tried doing it to quite the same level we're trying to do and put so much planning and thought into what is required to develop young players. I don't think football in general has been a particularly long-term thinker in the past, especially in this country, and while you're right about the wages, and there will always be those who follow the green stuff, I think (maybe wrongly) there will be an increasing number of players who look at the club and facilities and opportunities available to them and judge accordingly.

That's a matter of opinion, I accept there has been no precedent other than Barca and perhaps Man U but as phil says above, with FFP rules coming in and quite possibly further restriction of overseas/non-home-grown players, then I think the role of academies will become more important. Even if we don't produce as many as we would hope, it has still been shown to be a wise investment and one which pays for itself one way or another. I'm certainly not saying it will happen, that would be silly, but we're giving ourselves the best possible chance.

The theory is simple enough: If the best club team in the world can be so with the majority of players from their academy then any team should be able to. But it's a long term thing... you don't suddenly have one intake of youth players who will all make it at the very highest level. You gradually improve the quality of the intake and get 1/2/3 players from each year gradually make their way into the first team until several years down the line you may have your 7 or 8 players that Wilson alludes to. It is a bold aim, and personally I too am doubtful that in this country, where there are so many big teams vying for position and flashing money around, that we could retain that many quality players, but who knows? With our reputation increasing and this kind of public acknowledgement of what we're doing and where we're going, I can see more players wanting to come here, especially once (if!) we're back in the Prem.

Good old Jezza Wilson.

Just like Mowgli posted at 0954 this morning... ;-)

The site could do without any abusive/sarky responses, full stop. A bit of tolerance and humility would do wonders. Anyway, back to the OP, and thanks to Mowgli it seems that Oxford were the last team to win 'Division 1' as it should be known in 84/85, after being promoted the season before. Glad that's sorted.

You may want to pause the sarcasm and re-read the exact question being asked.

He wouldn't. He's an employee of SFC, and he will want both teams to go up. I doubt he'd celebrate anything, he'll simply be hoping that whatever happens, West Ham stay 3rd.

But then lots of fans from other teams probably say the same about Adkins. As long as WE don't ever have someone like Poyet or Warnock then yes, fill the league with them. More power to us.

I'm not sure I've ever felt such complete opposite extremes about a person as I do about Poyet from being a player to manager. I loved him as a player. Skilful, talented, and seemed such a nice guy always playing with a smile on his face. As a manager... less said the better.

It's always going to happen. The more people you take, the more the 'hardcore' away support might be diluted, and whilst having large numbers clearly helps and when singing together it looks and sounds awesome, it's inevitable that there will be times when it is fragmented. Pretty much impossible to get a really REALLY good away atmosphere once you start getting above 1.5k I reckon, maybe less. That said, we are all different. I've not been away for a couple of seasons now but when I do, I f*cking enjoy it and join in with everything I can... although that usually has something to do with competing with Mornington Crescent's absurdly loud voice.

Yeah, sorry, probably should! I was doing freelance stuff for the Echo at the time, covering the U-16 and U-18 teams. I had built up a decent relationship with Stewart Henderson and every week I'd go to Staplewood to interview one of the Academy Scholars for a short piece in the Pink on the Saturday, and then I'd also go to the Youth games and do a report on them on Sat morning. This one particular week, Jacinto had just given a brief interview to someone else at the Echo at the time saying how he wanted an opportunity to show what he could do, and having a little moan about the lack of such an opportunity. As a result of this, and unbeknownst to me, WGS had subsequently banned any players under 21 from doing interviews with the media without his permission. If the Echo knew, they hadn't told me! I turned up at Staplewood on a Thursday morning, and after training, as I normally did, asked Stewart Henderson if I could speak with one of the players... don't remember who it was that week, possibly Matt Crowell or Brett Poate. Stew said 'No problem' and went and got him. The player came out and I started to interview them by the corner of the main training pitch at Staplewood, next to where Neil Moss, Paul Jones and Michael Stensgaard (I think) were doing some drills with GK coach David Coles. Before I knew it, across the pitch came WGS heading straight for me! While he was still 15 metres away he started shouting 'Oi! You! What are you doing? Stop talking to him!' ... the player sheepishly backed away and went back into the clubhouse, and all the GK's stopped training and watched as WGS started having a right go at me, and I couldn't get a word in for a good minute or so! At the end of it, he just walked away from me, all the GK's laughing at what just happened! I found Stewart Henderson again and told him what happened, and he, quite nonchalently just said 'Oh yeah, forgot about that, sorry' before disappearing off to do whatever he had to do next! I laugh about it now obviously, but at the time it was quite scary having the wrath of WGS directed at you!

Without it descending into sillyness, this is a fair question alpine. The forum has a full spectrum of opinions on it, as it rightly should, most of which I can understand somewhat even if I don't agree with them, but yours I just see zero logic in. You claimed that it was because we were out of form and had increasing injury problems, but that 'loss of form' was 1 admittedly very poor game (Blackpool) and a classic local derby in which 'form' rarely applies or leaves a legacy. Nervousness and anxiety I completely understand, over the years we've been put through the wringer and it is to be expected, but after everything that he has achieved with us, I find your negativity an insult to Nigel Adkins... a 'what have the Romans ever done for us' type moment. If the last two seasons haven't changed your outlook even one iota then frankly, I think you need to drop football and find something else that might give you some hope.