Article: West Ham v Saints match thread Football Southampton

Because Nolan didn't deserve a red in the game last season? Our season started the same time yours did. Enjoy this result and your lofty position in the table, but you will come against far tougher tests then a defence that likes to give, give, give.

 

A poor game really, I can't say either team looked like scoring but 5 go in somehow. It's a shame for us after such a solid first half. First three WH goals you can put down to being our fault (although the second was good play after Yoshida's mistake), and the fourth was just a touch of class really.

 

For me nige will have his p45 waiting for him on his return, shame but we have to face reality, his decisions have amazed me once again. No plan B really. We can't change the squad but something about how we start a game and the formation has to change!

 

I don't think you understand people at all. It is not that I think you are wrong (on some topics), but it is the manner in which you appear to take great delight from things going wrong for our club. It would be really nice just one day to read something positive from you, or even something on a different topic.

 

Shocking performance - I have alot of time for Adkins but Adkins should be looking over his shoulder - wrong tactics and wrong substitutions. Based on the eight games thus far - it is difficult to see how we will get to 40 points - we need a point a game. There seems to be zero confidence in the team at present and that usually means one thing - but I wish Adkins could sort this out soon because I would be sad to see him go.

 

Don't get that. It was 0-0 at half time and he must have hoped that the team would have been concentrating for the start of the second half. It went wrong from then on.

 

I know it's wrong, but I couldn't help but chuckle when reading them on BBC's match report:

"Boruc, making his debut in goal, was shaky but wasn't helped by the ineptitude of centre-backs Maya Yoshida and Jos Hooiveld in front of him."

Blunt, and to the point.

 

Yes we have an absolute ****e defence . the worst in the League and we are going to have lots of these , whoever thought that our defence was sufficient should not be at the club that is for sure , we needed probably 6/7 defenders over the summer to assure us of survival , we have the clappers prayers now

 

Many people have been questioning our defenders and saying that we should have "broken the bank" to get some top quality ones in - this makes the massive assumption that they would actually want to come to us! Example: Buttner - seemed to want to come to us, then mysteriously fell through to then be bought by Utd. Therefore, we were obviously going for highly rated defenders, but the risk with this strategy is that if they fall through then we end up with no new defender, which has been the case.

I know this performance and the goals we have been conceding have be very poor, but sometimes a bit of perspective is needed.

 

Indeed, I've just had a proper study of our next few games.

Spurs H
WBA A
Swansea H
QPR A

Anything less than 3 points from those 4 games, and I would be very surprised if we go to St Mary's on 25 November to watch Newcastle, with Adkins still in charge (slightly ironic I guess, with that being Pardew's first game back). Rightly, or wrongly.

 

Honestly even if NC wanted to take action can't see it before Christmas.

 

Disappointed (understatement of the year) that we lost by such a margin, though presumably we were chasing the game. Have decided that I will take each game as it comes and not get too upset, otherwise this will be a horrible season. I'll be there next Sunday willing the lads on.

 

I won't be there next sunday - other commitments rather than sulking. If we beat Spurs then I'll take it I'm a bad luck charm and ban myself from the stadium.

 

Adkins interview:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/1016927

He sounds very down, frustrated and disappointed. Interesting interview I thought.

 

How do we know NA wasn't seriously pushing NC to buy a defence, and NC is the one who ****ed it up? If that's the case, I think NC probably owes NA some more time. All depends on things we don't know about behind the scenes.

 

Sounds like a man under pressure

 

That last answer is not one I like - "Did you consider putting a man with Lambert up front at the end?" ".......We're gonna play 4-3-3".

 

Well we're stuck with what we have now. IMO we need to recruit a coach for the defense, look how Arsenals defense has improved under Steve Bould so why not go for his partner in crime Tony Adams.

 

I got slated on this board earlier in the season when I suggested that Saints will finish a the bottom of the table this season and will probably rival the records of Swindon and Derby for least points.

It's amazing to see the difference between the Prem and Championship. Since our last season in the top flight, I think the gulf has widened. Quite what happened in the close season where we failed to strnegthen a defence which was suspect for parts of last season amazes me. Fonte was struggling at Championship level and now Hooieveld would appear to be struggling at this level. I've been impressed by Clyne but the defence needed to be re-built from scratch in the summer.

My for, the most shocking thing is that Nigel's tactical nous has completely deserted him. The team selection seem bizarre and decisions to leave Rickie Lambert out of the squad whilst picking Guly show no logic whatsoever. I did think that Adkins would find this season difficult but would evolve as a manager and make a better fist of things in a second season in the Premiership. He is now starting to look completely out of his depth whilst making the kind of decisions which I don't feel he would have made in the past. it's almost as if we have a stranger at the helm. The other odd thing is that other than Lallana, I think thatJason Puncheon, discarded last season, seems to be the only real player in the squad of Premiership quality.

I'm not convinced by Cortese's alleged interference but I am not similarly not convinced that we had afford to keep Adkins at the club if he continues to run the squad in such an erratic manner. Sorry, but I think we have two choices. Do we bin Adkins and gamble on bringing a new manager to try to save a team with one of the weakest squads in the Premiership or stick with Adkins whilst accepting relegation and hoping for a successful campaiagn next season? For me, I feel we have manage to cast ourselves as the Premierhsip's whipping boys. Everyone in the club has to take a good look at themselves and stand up to the plate. Some tough decisions will have to be made and maybe , if we are to be serious about maintainin our current status, we need to be moving on some of the faces who are clearly not capable of function in the highest flight of English football. All in all, I knew we would find this season to be hard but it is shocking just how easily the ream fold , especially away from home.

After reading some of the comments on this board that followed the statement by the Ranger's director about Saints being a small club, you would have honestly say that the bigger clubs must be wondering at why they are wasting their endeavours playing against teams that fold so easily. Saints fans all recognise that the stadium and tranining facilities demonstrate that Southampton have the capability of being a solid, Premiership team. Yet, the way this season has started, you can appreciate why someone from Scotland could perceive Saints' presence in the Premiership as a waste of time for other clubs. I want Saint to be able to hold their heads up high and show that they can compete with the best in the land - at the moment I cannot ever recall at Saints team in either the Premiership or League One who have been turned over so regularly and convincingly. This season is rapidly turning in to a huge embarrassment.

 

The brutal start did us in... not so much the losses to the big boys, but the loss of the winning mentality and confidence.