Wise words. I've got too used to our constant improvement and need to return to reality myself Being a Saints fan when things are going well is EASY Its how good a fan you are when things aren't going so well that is the real test Come on you Reds
What we need is a Match thread poster with a good record of results, my best was six in a row, but since then I have only been biting the bullet and taking the flak!
Re. MP1, I agree that he made an impact but in many ways it was easier for him because his way of playing was the same as Adkins' just more so.
"Is it just the creativity we are missing? I think it is more the way we play in twos and threes and the pace we get into positions. I think we've set our style too rigidly." We are very rigid in our attacking style. I have been suggesting for weeks that our "wide players" (Redmond and Tadic) shouldn't be playing so wide, saying they should be more like the old fashioned inside forward position. This gives the full backs the main responsibility of the width, but also allows Tadic and Redmond more scope to move across the frontline, turning up in areas the defence won't want them to be. At the moment you can close your eyes, for a few seconds (minutes? ) and before you open them again, you already know where our attacking players are likely to be, which makes the defenders job so easy. Going back a few weeks, I was also very taken by the way Watford attacked us. We could learn so much from how they went with just one defensive midfielder, when in possession. Can't be a bad way of playing because Man Utd did the same, just leaving Matic back to protect the CBs from breakaways. Do we really need Romeu and Lemina holding hands with the two CBs, when one of them could be pushing into an advanced midfield role, supporting the striker? One comment on Gabbiadini. I know he missed that opportunity, towards the end, but his getting into that space, completely unmarked, is just one reason why he should always be our "one" striker. Give him better crosses to attack and he will score a few.
I agree with pretty much all this. Gabbi needs to be on the pitch! At our best under MP1 and Koeman we were rock solid with Wanyama and Schniederlin, but when in possession Morgan was given freedom to get further forward and as a result was getting on the scoresheet more often/creating another body for defenders to worry about. I'd like to see Lemina pushing up further when we're turning defence into attack. Which should in theory give our attacking players even more freedom and space.
I`m for getting our best players on the pitch. That means trying 3 at the back with Bertrand and Cedric playing higher up the park. Gabbiadini has to start. Romeu can sit a bit deeper, and let Lamina player higher up the pitch. Good footballers should be able to figure things out for themselves, right ?
Sorry - cannot agree with that statement at all. Think you must have your rose tinted glasses on to make a statement like that.
Agree with this. Given some want 2 up front and others want 3 at the back and we are never going to play 442 we should play 352 Advantages ... a) Somethings got to change to improve our attacking play b) We have the players to fit a 352 inc 4 decent c) Ryan and Cedric running up those wings more d) Dusan, Sophie etc not stuck on the wings e) Shane getting down the channels f) Gabbi in the box g) 442 has been junked because of its lack of flexibility but we're managing to play 4231 with no flexibility (But some of this is as you say is down to players interpreting the Mgrs instructions)
