I was a bit surprised Guly was preferred in the second half on Saturday. Has Sharp got a fitness problem or is Nigel just bedding him into the squad slowly? That said I was very impressed with Chung in the first half, lots of tenacity and some good touches.
Great knock-back from Lee for goal Guly preferred due to his physical presence and better familiarity with team-mates. Needed to get a foot in, Punch was looking a bit lightweight on Saturday
Sharp has found it difficult to settle down in Southampton. I think there have been a few issues back in Doncaster that he's had to deal with. I'm sure over the coming months he'll be a useful player in the squad.
The issues in Doncaster coupled with the fact Billy isn't fully fit are playing there part. A few more weeks molding into to the saints regime and he will be firing i'm sure.
We played 5 in the midfield second half with Guly playing infront of Morg and Hammond, before reverting to a flat 5 with 15 mins to go. Why would you play a forward in that role? you wouldn't.
I think he came on as Guly is taller and can win some headers which was definetly a good idea as when we were defending sharp wouldnt have been much use
Guly clearly the better option against Leeds, they're different players and perform different roles. Sharp will get his chances, but he's got no right to be an automatic pick and has to work for a place like everyone else. I for one am perfectly happy with that.
Good grief does nobody listen to post-match interviews..? Guly was brought on, instead of Sharp because Adkins needed a player to play a defensive role, and Adkins knew that Guly would suit that better than Sharp. Listen to this post-match interview on this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17162945
Have i missed something? Sharp has had problems settling down here? and has had problems back in Doncaster? How do people know this?
I guess we don't! What is for sure is that Sharp has gone through so much in the last few months and has now moved away from the people and club which supported and sustained him. He's lucky to be at Saints and working under Nigel who will get him right physically and mentally. Then look out!
Sharp didn't come on mainly because he's small and can't defend. Guly is big and relatively strong for his Brazilian physique, so he was the more obvious option, especially as he could help on the break and ensure we still had options to attack with.
If Sharp was on bench he must be fit enough. He has to displace Lee who is first choice. He'll get a game if he's patient and he must be ready to grab it.
Lee has maybe come as a surprise to everyone. There was talk of his needing to settle in. Obviously cultural differences between Nagasaki and Southampton are trivial compared to those between Doncaster and Soton. Of course, as we all know, Sharp has had other issues, but his delight at the end of the game on Saturday was clear and he's one of the crew no doubt. Those with memories (unlike me) may recall a similar situation with Fox when he first arrived. The message seems to be it doesn't matter what you cost you have to earn your place, so think twice Lionel Messi!
Sharp will play a massive part in the run in by all accounts he is a good guy and will understand more than anyone Adkins belief in squad value and togetherness and it was great to see him rush on the pitch to support Kelvin the other night after his great display
