We Still lack Quality

[Smalls]

Sorry but we really missed a trick in the transfer window. In my opinion we brought 1 quality player Fonte the others average. We really should have brought Danns I've only seen him a few times but the boy looks real class and again in my opinion there is still not enough of that especially in our midfield.

[Thorpe-le-Saint]

Brilliant, another thread that allows Glasgow Saint an outlet for his inane bull****.

[trousers]

Can't disagree

[trousers]

Brilliant...another thread where the moaners can moan about the moaners... ;-)

Edited 8 February, 2010 by trousers

[Window Cleaner]

Sorry but we really missed a trick in the transfer window. In my opinion we brought 1 quality player Fonte the others average. We really should have brought Danns I've only seen him a few times but the boy looks real class and again in my opinion there is still not enough of that especially in our midfield.

 

No,we have more than enough quality players, perhaps even too many for League 1. We can't keep a clean sheet away from home or score more than 1 goal either. I really question the continual playing of Lambert every game.We needed to give him a break either against Brentford,Stockport or Exeter and see what the others could do instead.Waigo and Barnard perhaps.Rickie has played something like 38 games for us this season ans scored about 12/15 goals from open play,we need to see if there is an alternative to give him a rest.

[NickG]

great return tho

[Glasgow_Saint]

We always need just one more player.....

 

If a squad like we have cant get to the playoffs then something serious must be wrong.

[once_bitterne]

We made some bad moves in the window...

 

We needed Danns very badly.

 

Also, Ward would have been better than Seaborne

 

and Barnard is far too similar to Lambert (ie. no real pace) We needed a quick striker to play alongside Rickie (maybe Jackson?)

[NickG]

We always need just one more player.....

 

If a squad like we have now cant get to the playoffs then something serious must be wrong.

 

there is a few things wrong;

 

1) we started 10 points behind every other team

 

2) we didn't have this squad at the start of the season

 

3) we started very poorly (whether it was understandable due to circumstances at the club is another debate and one that has been done to death)

 

4) we have not moved on from the good form in October and November.

 

 

The main reasons we are not in the play offs are clearly the -10 and the poor start.

 

If we had started the season on 0 points, or if we had been gaining 2 points per game from the start, like we have since October - we would be very close to play offs. With both we would easily be within the play offs.

Edited 8 February, 2010 by NickG

[JustMike]

Puncheon is quality

[landford.saint]

Barnard is far too similar to Lambert (ie. no real pace) We needed a quick striker to play alongside Rickie (maybe Jackson?)

 

IMHO .... EVENTUALLY, I believe Antonio will be a quality striker.

He is still very young, and more importantly, has received very little quality coaching as only a year ago he was in non-league football. He however has great pace, and undoubtedly a lot of skill...... BUT it will take time and good coaching.... Not fit for up front yet of course but in the future I can see him making a positive impression on the game in the higher leagues..

Edited 8 February, 2010 by landford.saint
dodgy spelling

[Window Cleaner]

We needed a quick striker to play alongside Rickie (maybe Jackson?)

 

We needed a younger,fitter Connolly stereotype, problem is they probably cost around 10million nowadays and want 80K a week.See Leon Best even went for 2 million.

[slickmick]

No,we have more than enough quality players, perhaps even too many for League 1. We can't keep a clean sheet away from home or score more than 1 goal either. I really question the continual playing of Lambert every game.We needed to give him a break either against Brentford,Stockport or Exeter and see what the others could do instead.Waigo and Barnard perhaps.Rickie has played something like 38 games for us this season ans scored about 12/15 goals from open play,we need to see if there is an alternative to give him a rest.

 

 

My view also.

But its also the formation changing that is worrying me. Find your best formation and stick to it. Only change it if things are going wrong during a game.

[SFC Forever]

Brilliant, another thread that allows Glasgow Saint an outlet for his inane bull****.

 

So why is his opinion bullsh#t and yours isn't?

 

The team picked and brought here mostly by pardew is not performing.

[Window Cleaner]

IMHO .... EVENTUALLY, I believe Antonio will be a quality striker.

He is still very young, and more importantly, has received very little quality coaching as only a year ago he was in non-league football. He however has great pace, and undoubtedly a lot of skill...... BUT it will take time and good coaching.... Not fit for up front yet of course but in the future I can see him making a positive impression on the game in the higher leagues..

 

 

Not so sure, think he might lack the savvy to be a really good player.

Too erratic

[S-Clarke]

what can you do if the player doesn't want to drop down? As was the case with danns.

 

personally, based on our position, we did as well as we could have done.

 

No one disagrees with fonte - class signing (suprised he came), same with puncheon.

 

barnard - seaborne are good players at this level, but are at the right age to be able to step up another level.

[alpine_saint]

Said it before, say it again. A midfield containing Lallana AND Schneiderlin is NOT going to control a game.

[NickG]

agree, think both are important player for us but not to control the middle as a pair.

 

I think one of the biggest problems for us has been the loss of form, then injury of Hammond.

[JustMike]

Said it before, say it again. A midfield containing Lallana AND Schneiderlin is NOT going to control a game.

 

surely that depends on who the other 2 midfielders are

[Window Cleaner]

My view also.

But its also the formation changing that is worrying me. Find your best formation and stick to it. Only change it if things are going wrong during a game.

 

We need to get Hammond and Morgan back together in midfield and play them with Lallana and ¨Puncheon and stop tinkering with Antonio in the starting 11.

2 from 4 of Barnard?Connolly,Lambert and Papa in attack.

[slickmick]

Morgan Schederlin needs to be given a more free attacking role.

When he does turn and run with the ball he looks a different player.

But he spends to much time playing the simple stuff with his back to goal without worrying the opposition enough.

He should having more long range efforts at goal as he has the ability but seems to afraid to try it.

[NickG]

surely that depends on who the other 2 midfielders are

 

I read it as him meaning central midfield?

[NickG]

We need to get Hammond and Morgan back together in midfield and play them with Lallana and ¨Puncheon and stop tinkering with Antonio in the starting 11.

2 from 4 of Barnard?Connolly,Lambert and Papa in attack.

 

totally agree

[Window Cleaner]

I read it as him meaning central midfield?

 

Lallana isn't a midfielder player really. He's an inefficient striker and certainly doesn' have the qualities to play "in the hole" he just isn't either smart enough or "badarse" enough. That role needs real attributes and he doesn't have them.I'm sure I'm alone in thinking this but the day he moves on will be the day Saints really start to click,

[slickmick]

We need to get Hammond and Morgan back together in midfield and play them with Lallana and ¨Puncheon and stop tinkering with Antonio in the starting 11.

2 from 4 of Barnard?Connolly,Lambert and Papa in attack.

 

 

Not seen Puncheon play so can't comment on him, but Antonio looked the only one likely to do anything in the Stockport game until Papa came on.

 

Lallana ? just cant make my mind up about him. Frustrates the hell out of me.

[SFC Forever]

there is a few things wrong;

 

1) we started 10 points behind every other team

 

2) we didn't have this squad at the start of the season

 

3) we started very poorly (whether it was understandable due to circumstances at the club is another debate and one that has been done to death)

 

4) we have not moved on from the good form in October and November.

 

 

The main reasons we are not in the play offs are clearly the -10 and the poor start.

 

If we had started the season on 0 points, or if we had been gaining 2 points per game from the start, like we have since October - we would be very close to play offs. With both we would easily be within the play offs.

 

Up to a point I have to agree. However at the end of November we had clawed our way out of the drop zone and climbed to within 9 points from the playoff places. We picked up Jaidi on a free which helped improve our defence and we were starting to look like a team that might be able to do a late charge. In December the wheels started coming off.

Since then though we keep winning at home we have forgotten how to win away. Indeed some of our home wins can be down to the opposition forwards missing some really simple looking chances. Even a couple of blatant penalty appeals going our way as well.

The whole point which most of us who disagree with you are doing so on performance. The team is not playing like it should be with the money that is being spent to improve it. The team has gone backwards.

Tomorrow night we will go back mostly to our old team and you will almost certainly see a team with a lot more fire in it's belly. A team with desire flowing through it's veins. We will surely see a strong performance from players fighting to win a game.

 

That is what this team is missing and for that there will only ever be one person held to task.

AP the manager.

He has brought in too many average players which has started hurting ther team. He could have spent a similar amount on less players but players with more quality.

[alpine_saint]

Lallana isn't a midfielder player really. He's an inefficient striker and certainly doesn' have the qualities to play "in the hole" he just isn't either smart enough or "badarse" enough. That role needs real attributes and he doesn't have them.I'm sure I'm alone in thinking this but the day he moves on will be the day Saints really start to click,

 

Beginning to think the same. Lallana's inability to perform in a conventional role distorts the team coherence.

 

Maybe we are better off without him.

[NickG]

My views on Lallana at the start of the season

 

skillful but;

 

not a complete player to play CM, lacking in tackling etc

not fast enough or good enough crosser to be winger

doesn't score enough to be CF/in the hole etc

 

However, at the start of the season his attacking ability seemed to show more end product with decent scoring return,

 

Still not sure if he is better coming in from the wing or behind a forward.

 

Too good to leave out, but not good enough to build a team around to accomodate.

 

Tricky one!

[slickmick]

Up to a point I have to agree. However at the end of November we had clawed our way out of the drop zone and climbed to within 9 points from the playoff places. We picked up Jaidi on a free which helped improve our defence and we were starting to look like a team that might be able to do a late charge. In December the wheels started coming off.

Since then though we keep winning at home we have forgotten how to win away. Indeed some of our home wins can be down to the opposition forwards missing some really simple looking chances. Even a couple of blatant penalty appeals going our way as well.

The whole point which most of us who disagree with you are doing so on performance. The team is not playing like it should be with the money that is being spent to improve it. The team has gone backwards.

Tomorrow night we will go back mostly to our old team and you will almost certainly see a team with a lot more fire in it's belly. A team with desire flowing through it's veins. We will surely see a strong performance from players fighting to win a game.

 

That is what this team is missing and for that there will only ever be one person held to task.

AP the manager.

He has brought in too many average players which has started hurting ther team. He could have spent a similar amount on less players but players with more quality.

 

 

I still blame it on the cup runs. Even Leeds have suffered since being involved in two long cup runs.

I would rather have an extra 6 points in the bag than win against MK Dons on Tues.

[SFC Forever]

with Lallana we have to decide whether he is worth persevering with. I believe he could become a Saints legend with the right leadership. He still needs to toughen up more but he has grown in stature since last season. He still misses some good oportunities because he hasn't enough power in his shot but he is getting there. He does now tackle though not always effectively. I would love to see him in a midfield 5 playing inside a LM player. He has a lot of skill and next season is surely make or break for him.

[West End Saint]

Cant agree with the OP Fonte is quality Seaborne looks a good buy to me Barnard proven record at this level I accept that he is yet to do it for us Puncheon looks good I am not sure about the right back from Norwich as yet but I think the players AP has brought in are very good.

 

I agree we should have got a centre midfielder in but with Hammond fit I think he and Morgan can do the job.

 

I think AP needs to find his best 11 and get them playing to many changes for me at the moment I know a lot of that is because players are cup tied ect but if we get back to a settled side we will do well.

 

For a start we need Harding & Hammond back in & could really do with getting Connolly fit.

[SFC Forever]

I still blame it on the cup runs. Even Leeds have suffered since being involved in two long cup runs.

I would rather have an extra 6 points in the bag than win against MK Dons on Tues.

 

I think most of us would havwe accepted that especially after getting as close as we did.

However when the cup runs started they helped us get into a winning run.

The team started looking worse in my book when we started playing one team in the cup and another in the league. Yes I know we have had some injuries and they have not helped but chopping and changing hasn't either.

Plus our cup playing side has shown much more fight. This is something all top teams have in their side.

[The Kraken]

Beginning to think the same. Lallana's inability to perform in a conventional role distorts the team coherence.

 

Maybe we are better off without him.

 

Lallana has scored 13 goals from midfield this season. And despite your continual criticism of him, I'm yet to hear a suggestion of how we should better line up without him. I don't think I'll ever understand your problem with Lallana and Schneiderlin, I have no idea why you single those two out for so much criticism. Still, its your opinion, not mine.

[Nineteen Canteen]

Puncheon is quality

 

Agree but a bit like buying a greyhound when you really needed a doberman. Same as with Seaborne, I don't think we are yet a club who can simply afford to buy up young talent to prevent our competitors having the chance but should be buying the players to cover our specific weaknesses. Do we need Fonte, Seaborn, Jaidi, Thomas and Perry as cover for CB? Seaborn was an unnecessary purchase.

 

Take CM and with Hammond out, Gillet rumoured to go out on loan again we have Schnederlin + Wotton or James. The latter I can't find the justification for him to be anything other than a squad player and less of an option than Gillet. Puncheon is not a CM despite views to the contrary and has been bought in as a pacy winger IMO who is now being asked to fill in at a role he 'can do as well' but not as well as a CM specialist.

 

Great signing Puncheon and/or Seaborn may turn out to be but were they what we really needed for the rest of this season? Depends what your aspirations are this season - play offs or developing foundations for next season. If it's the former apart from Fonte the signings are difficult to comprehend if you believe in the development of a foundation all the signings have been excellent.

Edited 8 February, 2010 by Nineteen Canteen

[SNSUN]

Puncheon is quality

 

Exactly, give the poor bastard a chance, he's only played in one game! It's a shame he's going to be sat in the dug out for the next two matches because I'd love to see him play. I'll have to get to a League game asap.

[The Kraken]

Agree but a bit like buying a greyhound when you really needed a doberman. Same as with Seaborne, I don't think we are yet a club who can simply afford to buy up young talent to prevent our competitors having the chance but should be buying the players to cover our specific weaknesses. Do we need Fonte, Seaborn, Jaidi, Thomas and Perry as cover for CB? Seaborn was an unnecessary purchase.

 

Take CM and with Hammond out, Gillet rumoured to go out on loan again we have Schnederlin + Wotton or James. The latter I can't find the justification for him to be anything other than a squad player and less of an option than Gillet. Puncheon is not a CM despite views to the contrary and has been bought in as a pacy left winger IMO who is now being asked to fill in at a role he 'can do as well' but not as well as a CM specialist.

 

Great signing Puncheon and/or Seaborn may turn out to be but were they what we really needed for the rest of this season? Depends what your aspirations are this season - play offs or developing foundations for next season. If it's the former apart from Fonte the signings are difficult to comprehend if you believe in the development of a foundation all the signings have been excellent.

 

Actually agree with pretty much all of that. Spending money to have the likes of Thomas, Jaidi, Perry on the bench doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. And while I think Morgan and Hammond are a very good partnership, I've never really rated James and certainly not Wotton in that position. I've really not seen enough of Puncheon to suggest where his best position is, but if it is indeed left wing it seems strange that he's come in to challenge Lallana who has been one of the season's best performers and who AP clearly rates very highly.

 

I think Hammond has been a big miss lately and hopefully when he returns we'll look a bit more solid. But I agree, perhaps we could have signed 1 less CB to instead buy a quality CM box to boxer.

[Andy Durman]

Hammond = Play off's - simple as that.

 

Had we have bought Danns or similar we would also get to the play off's

 

Midfield is not good enough at the moment to provide the service to the forwards whilst protecting the defence.

 

Sad but true.

[Saint Without a Halo]

there is a few things wrong;

 

1) we started 10 points behind every other team

 

2) we didn't have this squad at the start of the season

 

3) we started very poorly (whether it was understandable due to circumstances at the club is another debate and one that has been done to death)

 

4) we have not moved on from the good form in October and November.

 

 

The main reasons we are not in the play offs are clearly the -10 and the poor start.

 

If we had started the season on 0 points, or if we had been gaining 2 points per game from the start, like we have since October - we would be very close to play offs. With both we would easily be within the play offs.

 

 

Agreed however I am sure that Pardew and cortese discussed the likelhood of us being in the playoffs before making most the investments we have! so if that was the case we are possibly failing against the targets agreed to between them!

[ottery st mary]

We made some bad moves in the window...

 

We needed Danns very badly.

 

Also, Ward would have been better than Seaborne

 

and Barnard is far too similar to Lambert (ie. no real pace) We needed a quick striker to play alongside Rickie (maybe Jackson?)

 

Ward is STILLnot playing and has had but a couple of games in a very long time....I still suspect there are very heavy clauses in his contract and he only wanted 18 month contract with heavy clauses again..Injuries cleared up??? Something wrong here as Coventry could really do with him.

 

Pucheon as Mike says is real Class and the real deal and lots of pace...Exciting player with a great deal to offer anywhere across midfield or up front.....Ten leagues above Holmesey...

[corsacar saint]

Nothing wrong with any of the signings,[ maybe with the exception of Otsemibor] however it may have been difficult to get another right back in. Although perhaps Volz would have been worth a shout.

[Wycombe Saint]

Does anyone know of good CM's that would be available on a 6month loan basis. I have noticed that everyone has given up on getting another CM in now the window is closed, but surely this is an option that Pardew can look at.

[Window Cleaner]

Does anyone know of good CM's that would be available on a 6month loan basis. I have noticed that everyone has given up on getting another CM in now the window is closed, but surely this is an option that Pardew can look at.

 

 

What for?? all we have to do is get Hammond fit again, failing that we try the Gillett/Schneiderlin pairing which didn't look at all bad at the beginning of last season when we actually played the ball on the ground to wide men.I just cannot understand the Gillett situation,sure he isn't going to make the England side any time soon but to rate him as worse than James or Wotton must be a real insult to him. Especially as he seems to do quite well at Donny playing instead of folk hero (around these parts) Stock.

[Window Cleaner]

Nothing wrong with any of the signings,[ maybe with the exception of Otsemibor] however it may have been difficult to get another right back in. Although perhaps Volz would have been worth a shout.

 

Volz probably turned us down about 50 times, he wanted higher league football and has got it at Schalke (or so I think)

[Alanh]

Can't agree with the original post. AP has brought in quality in the summer and January. Obviously what is quality in L1 isn't necessarily quality in higher leagues but for the task in hand - compete strongly through to the end of the season and get as close to the play-offs as possible - we have got strength throughout the squad now.

 

Since Xmas we have suffered from the disruptions of injuries, players being cup-tied, new players coming into the squad and a disjointed league programme interspersed with cup matches. Those have been the big factors in the relative dip in results away from home in the league. At home things are still good with seven wins on the bounce.

 

Even taking this into account we have picked up 19 points away from home this season. The play off placed teams have picked up 25 points (Charlton), 18 points (Colchester), 20 points (Swindon) and 15 points (Millwall). We are where we are this season because of the -10 and the draws at home earlier in the season.

[Genk]

Lallana isn't a midfielder player really. He's an inefficient striker and certainly doesn' have the qualities to play "in the hole" he just isn't either smart enough or "badarse" enough. That role needs real attributes and he doesn't have them.I'm sure I'm alone in thinking this but the day he moves on will be the day Saints really start to click,

 

I think he is good playing wide left. He isn't an out and out wide man but does wel drifiting in and can cross a ball fairly well. He needs to stay in team as he is the one who creates chances with his movement.

[rooney]

I thought Puncheon had some nice touches on Saturday and looks a quality player. It was a pity that dreadful pitch did not allow him to display his skills to the full. Cannot wait to see him at St. Mary's though.