Adkins or Pochetinno; if we could choose today

[Miltonroader07]

who would we choose; The Sherrif for me.. he can take us forward

[Wes Tender]

I'll wait until the end of the season before making a judgement.

[Stepgar]

Onwards and upwards for me. MP. But wish NA all the success from Saturday 3pm onwards. Dont want to see any complacency on Saturday. Lets go out there with spirit and guile and enough determination to bring back the 3 pts.

[Andre]

Jesus Christ, hasn't this been done to death enough already!?

[Miltonroader07]

Onwards and upwards for me. MP. But wish NA all the success from Saturday 3pm onwards. Dont want to see any complacency on Saturday. Lets go out there with spirit and guile and enough determination to bring back the 3 pts.

 

Top Post, i agree

[SNSUN]

I thank and appreciate everything Nigel did for us, and while his dismissal was shocking, it seems Pochettino has what it takes to move us forward. We can beat the big boys now, we've proved that - now we need to find a style which beats the "lesser" teams. Was the sacking of Adkins timing wrong? Well put it this way, the timing was a damn sight better than what Reading or Sunderland have done recently.

 

I see Reading as a yo-yo club, bouncing between divisions and surviving off the parachute payments. Anton has a bit of money behind him but not Liebherr type sums - but if Adkins does get them promoted again next season, I do think they'll make a better stab of the Premier League than they did this season. I do think Adkins will be happy there, and I wish him all the best - but Pochettino is the future for us now. I also think he'll be a bigger draw in terms of transfers than Adkins was - as he's a bigger name in world football. The transfer window in the summer will be very exciting - that's my prediction. (pending of course that we do survive, which I think we will!)

[Miltonaggro]

I thank and appreciate everything Nigel did for us, and while his dismissal was shocking, it seems Pochettino has what it takes to move us forward. We can beat the big boys now, we've proved that - now we need to find a style which beats the "lesser" teams. Was the sacking of Adkins timing wrong? Well put it this way, the timing was a damn sight better than what Reading or Sunderland have done recently.

 

I see Reading as a yo-yo club, bouncing between divisions and surviving off the parachute payments. Anton has a bit of money behind him but not Liebherr type sums - but if Adkins does get them promoted again next season, I do think they'll make a better stab of the Premier League than they did this season. I do think Adkins will be happy there, and I wish him all the best - but Pochettino is the future for us now. I also think he'll be a bigger draw in terms of transfers than Adkins was - as he's a bigger name in world football. The transfer window in the summer will be very exciting - that's my prediction. (pending of course that we do survive, which I think we will!)

 

Totally agree, spot on...

[Bucks Saint]

Jesus Christ, hasn't this been done to death enough already!?

 

Been done to death i agree

[david in sweden]

no comment. This is like talking about hindsight, and calling it foresight, and definitely one for the crystal-ball gazers.

 

it would still be difficult to say..even if Reading go down and we finish 10th...or somewhere mid-table.

 

There are too many factors to start making comparison - especially just now.

Edited 5 April, 2013 by david in sweden

[hutch]

I see Reading as a yo-yo club, bouncing between divisions and surviving off the parachute payments.

Since the massive hike in parachute money in (I think) 2010, that is the most profitable model (Blackpool anybody?), as long as you get the relegation clauses right in the player contracts. I just hope Cortese doesn't see it the same way I do.

[lordswoodsaints]

Well done to Adkins but we have moved on for the better,I feel more confident with poch in the driving seat.

[musesaint]

MP - simples

[pele]

My son mentioned the other day that we had all been caught up in the Adkins bubble......interesting comment as he seems to be using exactly the same lessons of war,positive thinking etc at Reading. Was he a one trick pony found out by NC? Whatever he was still mightily grateful for all he did for us, it has been great supporting Saints the last few years well at least compared to the previous few......Burley,Dutch clowns,Lowe,Wilde,etc etc

[KelvinsRightGlove]

Wigley

[sandwichsaint]

I thank and appreciate everything Nigel did for us, and while his dismissal was shocking, it seems Pochettino has what it takes to move us forward. We can beat the big boys now, we've proved that - now we need to find a style which beats the "lesser" teams. Was the sacking of Adkins timing wrong? Well put it this way, the timing was a damn sight better than what Reading or Sunderland have done recently.

 

I see Reading as a yo-yo club, bouncing between divisions and surviving off the parachute payments. Anton has a bit of money behind him but not Liebherr type sums - but if Adkins does get them promoted again next season, I do think they'll make a better stab of the Premier League than they did this season. I do think Adkins will be happy there, and I wish him all the best - but Pochettino is the future for us now. I also think he'll be a bigger draw in terms of transfers than Adkins was - as he's a bigger name in world football. The transfer window in the summer will be very exciting - that's my prediction. (pending of course that we do survive, which I think we will!)

 

Not at all sure NA will be 'happy' at Reading, Noddy club and he deserves better. A part of him will always be thinking what might have been and he will never get Reading to the level that we are now. Would have loved to have sen him go to a proper club; Leeds, wolves, Forest all have more potential and challenge than Reading.

[pingwing]

My son mentioned the other day that we had all been caught up in the Adkins bubble......interesting comment as he seems to be using exactly the same lessons of war,positive thinking etc at Reading. Was he a one trick pony found out by NC? Whatever he was still mightily grateful for all he did for us, it has been great supporting Saints the last few years well at least compared to the previous few......Burley,Dutch clowns,Lowe,Wilde,etc etc

 

Your son is very insightful, on reflection of the last few years I agree we have been in the Adkins bubble though I don't think it's quite a one trick pony as it is a very good method of mentally coaching everyone at the club.

 

But yeah we were all sold on Adkins and its almost a good thing he was taken out of it before it either fell apart or became too much of the character of the club and we couldn't question it/push further on.

 

So Pochetinno will be my answer for now as I am sold completely on the playing style, a noticeable improvement on the good work done by Adkins.

[hypochondriac]

What does One trick pony even mean? If it means he had a style of working that was very successful that he is trying to replicate elsewhere then I agree.

[ToreSF]

This is a no brainer for me. I think it's obvious that we are better under Pochettino. Creating more shots on goal than our opposition in every match we played, playing more attractive football, and we have moved up on the table with him in charge.

[Olallana]

This is a no brainer for me. I think it's obvious that we are better under Pochettino. Creating more shots on goal than our opposition in every match we played, playing more attractive football, and we have moved up on the table with him in charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(If you haven´t seen me in some threads about that you wont understand that I´m joking....)

[Jimmy_D]

Didn't (and still don't) agree that Adkins deserved to be sacked, but it more that we wanted to bring in Tino than get rid of Adkins, and there's no question that we've been better under Tino so far.

[Window Cleaner]

Didn't (and still don't) agree that Adkins deserved to be sacked, but it more that we wanted to bring in Tino than get rid of Adkins, and there's no question that we've been better under Tino so far.

 

you can't really say he didn't deserve to be sacked unless you know exactly why he was sacked. I'd have sacked him after the Sunderland home game and I think he was on borrowed time since then anyway.

[Jimmy_D]

you can't really say he didn't deserve to be sacked unless you know exactly why he was sacked. I'd have sacked him after the Sunderland home game and I think he was on borrowed time since then anyway.

 

Ok, let me put it this way, if he was sacked for results reasons, my opinion is that expectations were too high for a team and manager that still had League 1 players, and had achieved back to back promotions to arrive in the Prem two years ahead of schedule.

[Saint Charlie]

IMO if we had stuck with Pearson we would probably be a top half established side by now.

[Window Cleaner]

IMO if we had stuck with Pearson we would probably be a top half established side by now.

 

because Leicester are doing really well aren't they. Isn't he about to be sacked ?

[paris]

I'll mix them up ....

[OldNick]

IMO if we had stuck with Pearson we would probably be a top half established side by now.

of which division? it would not be the PL

[Saint Charlie]

of which division? it would not be the PL

 

PL. He had (has) all the ingredients to be a top Manager.

[OldNick]

PL. He had (has) all the ingredients to be a top Manager.

sadly the ingredients were lacking. It is all opinion, but there is no way NP would have got us where we are now, and as much as i do not rate NA as a PL manager I rate him higher than Pearson. Decent man etc but he has not done the business with a large financial backer.

[Sour Mash]

you can't really say he didn't deserve to be sacked unless you know exactly why he was sacked. I'd have sacked him after the Sunderland home game and I think he was on borrowed time since then anyway.

Should MP have been sacked after the QPR game?

[OldNick]

Should MP have been sacked after the QPR game?

i would have got rid of him before, the way the morale would have been knocked after the ridiculous subs during the Man U game could have been terminal. When we needed the points to be so reckless taking off the top 3 on the day with 25minutes woulod have made the squad doubt him

[Sour Mash]

i would have got rid of him before, the way the morale would have been knocked after the ridiculous subs during the Man U game could have been terminal. When we needed the points to be so reckless taking off the top 3 on the day with 25minutes woulod have made the squad doubt him

You'd have sacked Adkins after the Man utd home game? Ok.........................

[CaneNero]

No way we can answer this now. Also, it's a ridiculous question, after all Adkins has done for us and the circumstances we find ourselves in now. Without Adkins there wouldn't have been Pochettino to manage after him.

[Dig Dig]

IMO if we had stuck with Pearson we would probably be a top half established side by now.

 

Lol, lay off the crazy juice lad.

[Minty]

These kinds of question are always a bit silly... it can make for interesting discussion if you're that way inclined, but there are too many variables and unknowns IMO to give it any substance.

 

But while we're on the subject, here's another question: Would Pochettino have got us promoted from League 1 to the Premier League in two seasons, the same way Adkins did?

 

All I know and think is that, overall, Adkins did a great job to get us in to the Premier League, and so far, Pochettino is showing good potential in taking us forward from there.

[offix]

Adkins for me.

[pele]

A one trick pony is what Hypochondriac,Alpine are etc!!

[Wade Garrett]

Maurice all day long.

[Leicestersaint]

Pochettino is doing OK - except the QPR game - but Adkins was treated in a very shabby way by Cortese after what he ahd achieved. This is still Adkins team.

[saintstr1]

All of this is what makes tomorrow very interesting , I think without a doubt we have better players than Reading but who has the most motivational Manager ? I would settle for a point but I think Pochettino needs to come home with the three.

[CFSFC]

Poch 100%

[egg]

MP all day long. Tactically on a different planet to NA.

 

Speak to the players, they're absolutely buzzing on the training ground and will tell you that MP and his coaches are the real deal.

[TopGun]

It has to be MoPo. But NA will always be held high for what he did for Saints.

[JoeShmoe]

MP all day long. Tactically on a different planet to NA.

 

Speak to the players, they're absolutely buzzing on the training ground and will tell you that MP and his coaches are the real deal.

 

This. 100%

[saint lard]

Pochettino.....whatever the outcome today,MP is a longterm replacement for what was the short term NA.

[georgeweahscousin]

I would be perfectly happy with either, and that is the truth. But. I am rapidly being sold on MoPo and his style. I think he can take us places with a little investment in the summer.

[david in sweden]

Cortese is still the only person talking about Euro football, he needs a manager capable of living up to that.

NC has a vision that few of us can seem to fathom, so the question has to be ....Is Pochettino's " new style " a better bet than NIgel Adkins' older style of English (lower league) management?

 

whilst we quickly admit the squad was Adkins'....(some of them were actually Pardew's before him..) Fonte, Puncheon, and Lambert... because KD, Lallana and Schneiderlin were with Saints even before he arrived.

 

For me ; I saw good in both AP and NA's tenure with the club.. but if today's question is.... " Adkins' SQUAD ....or " Pochettino's TEAM " .. I know which I prefer.

Edited 6 April, 2013 by david in sweden

[pap]

I thank and appreciate everything Nigel did for us, and while his dismissal was shocking, it seems Pochettino has what it takes to move us forward. We can beat the big boys now, we've proved that - now we need to find a style which beats the "lesser" teams. Was the sacking of Adkins timing wrong? Well put it this way, the timing was a damn sight better than what Reading or Sunderland have done recently.

 

I see Reading as a yo-yo club, bouncing between divisions and surviving off the parachute payments. Anton has a bit of money behind him but not Liebherr type sums - but if Adkins does get them promoted again next season, I do think they'll make a better stab of the Premier League than they did this season. I do think Adkins will be happy there, and I wish him all the best - but Pochettino is the future for us now. I also think he'll be a bigger draw in terms of transfers than Adkins was - as he's a bigger name in world football. The transfer window in the summer will be very exciting - that's my prediction. (pending of course that we do survive, which I think we will!)

 

Your avatar is puerile nonsense with a hint of genius. I rather like it.

[Glasgow_Saint]

This proves how fickle saints fan are!!!

 

After the QPR defeat only 22% wanted Tino over Nigel

 

2 wins and suddenly Nigel is forgotten and 80% would take Mario.

[Olallana]

This proves how fickle saints fan are!!!

 

After the QPR defeat only 22% wanted Tino over Nigel

 

2 wins and suddenly Nigel is forgotten and 80% would take Mario.

 

It shows how little footballing knowledge is out there....

[sydney_saint]

There is still very little to suggest that Adkins could not have matched MP points total. The general argument seems to be that MP gets results against the big clubs, but that IMO is not strictly true. Under Adkins, we led Man City away and were just minutes away from defeating the other Manchester, as well as taking points off Arsenal and Chelsea. The first two of these were with a team still very much adjusting to the premier league, who, no matter what people say here about preparation in pre-season, always would have needed an adaption period-that is the nature of football or most fields when you step up to a new level. So I don't find it quite a shock that MP managed to take it to the next level with a team that had adjusted, there is nothing ground-breaking about it and nothing to suggest that Adkins could not have got a few points against those 3. Alternatively Adkins had a great record against teams around us, which MP is yet to show he can do. So I don't think there is a huge amount in it results wise-but of course this is all crystal-ball stuff

 

Secondly, there is this argument that Adkins is is tactically inferior to MP. Again I have a couple of points to dispute this. There is no doubt that MP has added another dimension to the team by the pressing element, although there are still some doubts about its validity in the PL. But for now I'm going to assume that it will work, especially when he has more time to work with the players. So that is undoubtedly a new level of tactical dimension that has been added to our play. However there are 2 elements which I dispute on overall tactics

 

1) Setpieces- Both offensively and defensively we seem to lack imagination/solidity. Especially defending, we seem to be caught alot more flatfooted and defending a little more deeper (without any stats to prove it), perhaps this has got more to do with Jos playing more often. Offensively off freekicks, we seem to be taking more direct shots at goal which, whilst I enjoyed Lamberts winner as much as the next person, is an inefficient set piece, at least according to this article I found which is something I agree with.

http://lastminutewinner.net/free-kick-creativity-a-problem-hiding-in-plain-sight-of-goal/

 

Under Adkins, we often used the direct shot at goal as a surprise move, developing instead a more diverse range of set pieces including the Fonte slip to the back post. It is in this part of the game that I feel NA is superior to MP, although MP has time.

 

Secondly, whilst I agree there is a strength to this, we seem to be less tactically flexible. The strength been that teams have to adjust to us. I always felt that Adkins has a Plan B, which, whilst it may not have always worked, would often be adjusted to in terms of our shape and our flicking from 4-2-3-1 4-4-2 and 4-4-3. Perhaps I have not been paying as much attention in the last few weeks so I'm happy to say i am wrong on this point, but when thing go wrong like Newcastle and QPR MP seems less idea of what plan to move to. So whilst his Plan A may be more effective, I feel Adkins had the ability to think something new, or to have prepared a Plan B. Of course people will throw in the line that Adkins unnecessarily changed plan A (like home to United) but that happened very few times in his tenure.

 

Anyway just my musings on this topic, I'm hating the fact that people are bashing Adkins or looking for arguments to justify his sacking, that people just want a change to **** over Cortese. Yes life moves on but it doesn't mean you should forget what happened and how he was treated in the end.