I have no real concerns other than the fact that this is an away game in the PL. We don't win enough of those to warrant any expectation of an away win do we? I think we should accept that a draw would be a super result and all be a bit more grounded in our expectations. My prediction 1-5 Saints
At the risk of instigating crap Scottish defence jibes, he scored with a good, albeit free header last week for Wales.
Oh yeah, that wasn't a bad effort. I would like to think that even the diminutive Clyne is capable of providing more of a challenge in the air than nobody though
In the words of Nigel Adkins 'To quote Sun Tzu in the Art of War, Never under estimate the opposition'. On paper this is a game we should be able to win fairly comfortably as long as we approach it in the same way we did against Chelsea and Liverpool. I just have a feeling this may go a along similar lines to the match at Wigan. I think we will dominate the game but find ourselves coming away with only a draw. Which wouldn't be the end of the world as I see this mainly as a game we cannot afford to lose. We should be able to dominate in midfield and it will be interesting to see if we start with Gaston or Steven Davis. The running of Rodriguez is an important part of our game away from home so could be the ability to keep hold of the ball, which may lead to a recall for Lallana on the wing and the more solid Davis in midfield. Hooiveld could have an important role to play in compete in the air with Pogrebnyak while the same could be said for Yoshida with LaFondre.
Interesting article by Daily Mail's Money Editor Jim Coney (a Saints fan) on this weekend's game: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...outhampton-fans-say-goodbye-Nigel-Adkins.html Well put, although a bit out in places it seems.
Just like every other game we 'cannot afford to lose' we can, in fact, afford to lose this game. We'd likely still be 4 points clear of the relegation zone. It's decent but a bit heavy on melodrama. How would a defeat for Reading be a 'final blow' for Adkins exactly?
This game is a must win for Reading, a draw would be enough in my opinion for them to resign themselves to relegation, if they beat us it gives them slight hope of staying up. Also if we lose this game it would kill the momentum gained from the previous two matches going into a very important stage of the season.
I remember people saying Adkins wouldn't sign Clyne because he mentioned he had targeted him when we played against Crystal Palace; this isn't an Adkins specific tactic and this isn't a Clyne specific weakness, it's very common for the tallest man in the attack to try to stand on the smallest man in the defence. I'm sure he's aware that Robson Kanu is not as good in the air as Lambert, and Clyne is surprisingly good in the air for his height, so I don't see this being a tactic for them.
A clip from Reading - NA is really having to drum the basics in of using the space and passing the ball well! [video=youtube;r4IHMB7QMJM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4IHMB7QMJM&feature=player_embedded[/video]
Fair comment - Clyne seemed to go through a spell in the first few games of the season where he seemed to slip when defending back-post crosses - hopefully he`s got that out of his system.
Mauricio in today's press conference: "Both teams want the points so it will be an aggressive encounter." "Their position suggests it will be a dangerous game for us. It's important to get three points not just to move away from relegation zone but to look to the future." "I have full respect for Nigel Adkins but there are also many people behind the scenes responsible for last couple of years." "It's important to prepare for this game in the same way we did for Liverpool and Chelsea so we must be mentally focused." "The doctors think he (Artur Boruc) picked up a virus whilst away but he has trained well since Monday." Pochettino also confirmed that Adam Lallana returned to training on Tuesday, after missing out last week.
http://www.clubcall.com/reading/saints-boss-plays-down-adkins-rift-talk-1570934.html This article rates 'high' on the rubbish meter.
Jonny Fordham of The Reading Post: "Adkins said today that he didn't leave the note that was posted on Twitter etc when he was sacked by #saintsfc" It was written by Andy Crosby.
