Just throwing this out there but does any-one else think Rickie may not be fully fit? Last couple of games he's looked sluggish and not at his best. We need him back firing on all, cylinders!
Not sure whether its fully fit or hacked off! I think something has gone on behind the scenes between him and NA hence the dropping him to the bench in a couple of games and his general manor when actually on the pitch
These are rumours, people guessing which are not true. I'd be hacked off if I was a forward and was getting no support...
May just be not match fit or he's been dropped because Adkins thinks his attitude/fitness is wrong, or......who knows. He was left on yesterday so Nigel must have seen no reason to sub him. He should play Tuesday to try and get his touch back (won't of course).
The guy behind me yesterday said that Nicola personally vetoed all defensive signings in the Summer! I have no idea where the hell he got that from.
Could be true but could be rumour...we know how they go. Person 1: Wonder if Nicola vetoed defensive signings. Person 2: Someone says Nicola may have vetoed defensive signings. Person 3: Nicola definitely vetoed defensive signings. Then it ends up on various forums and gains ground. We must always remember that not everyone has Nicola's best interests at heart.
This. He just didn't look bothered at times, a lot of the headers he would normally win against defenders he was losing and was getting pushed off the ball more often than usual. If you took someone to the game who had never watched Saints before, and told them that one of our forwards was a talisman for the team, and leading goalscorer for the last 3 years, they would probably have thought you were talking about J-Rod. If something has happened behind the scenes they need to sort it out quick, we can't afford for Rickie to not be at his best for us.
Doubt it's a major falling out. Adkins has made decisions about who plays which he is perfectly entitled to do...as he says, it all comes back to him. Lambert has to knuckle down so he can't be left out. Yesterday, Nigel obviously thought it was a Rickie type of game. Rickie may be a player who responds well to being loved and feels left out after last season. As a fellow human being, I understand that.
Anyone considered that Rickie is just playing against better quality defenders and hence he doesn't always have the effect on a game we are used to? We all know he lacks pace and the reaction time of defenders in this league is very good. Tke the opportunity in the first half when the ball dropped to him on the edge of the area.. he took a couple of seconds to line it up and was tackled; last season that would have been a goal or a strike on target. In this league the defenders are just that much sharper/better.
Well, he was still running after 90 minutes yesterday, seems not be allowed to play the role as main striker, JRod has that honour. His best work was coming from right midfield, but when those good crosses from others came over it wasn't him that was on the end of them, one in particular from Lala on the left would normally have been a ded cert goal, but it was Mayuka in the position and he is too short!
I seem to remember that we have had this type of thread about Rickie at times in both of the last 2 seasons, just when Rickie's goals seemed to have dried up a bit. Both times previously he has come back to form and started banging them in again, usually when the thread in question has got to the point that he needs to be sold/pensioned off/put on a diet/taken off a diet. Having said that, maybe there is something going on in terms of succession planning. J Rod is obviously Rickie's long term replacement, maybe Rickie has got the hump a bit about having to play alongside the guy who one day will be keeping him out of the team. If that is the case, the best thing he could do is make sure he stays ahead of J Rod in the goalscoring lists, so Nigel can't drop him again.
He's fully fit. I think he's lost confidence from being left on the bench against West Ham along with our poor start to the season. He's also getting almost no chances to score
Lambert had his off days last season. Remember Brighton away? Think he must be a bit upset about not starting against West Ham but he must always start (if fit)
I thought he actually worked pretty hard in the last game. He didn't get as many scoring chances, as was forced/asked to play deeper. But he hit some decent balls into the box and generally looked to create. Maybe not his best game ever but he certainly didn't seem to be pouting.
Didn't think he was sulking but maybe carrying a niggle. Seem to remember he carried one for a few games last season before it got sorted out!
