Agreed but the big question is who?? There weren't many top defenders available here in the summer probably even less in January. Just hope they have some good contacts abroad!
Unless you are very lucky, January purchases are often compromises. May not be the young player with a great future and malleable enough to learn that we seek, but a good player to provide back up or options. Clyne and Richardson injuries show that we need more depth, unless a youngster can step up.
That will be the quandary. If we are to meet our 50% of our side being our own youngters then they have to be given games. Not at the expense of relegation though. Glad I'm not the manager!
Don't think there is a timescale on that 50% target. You want to blood youngsters in a successful team ideally, rather than putting a huge burden on young shoulders. Sometimes, needs must however.
Guly was much better than Lambert in this particular game. He didn't play ok, he played very well. Guly looked a threat, kept the ball well and defended better. Contributed more in all areas. Lambert is my favourite Saints player but I am not going to talk bull**** to back him up here. You are completely wrong about the opposing team being able to push higher without Lambert.. They are less vulnerable to getting hit on the counter if we have Lambert ON as he is slow so they can technically push higher. I don't think their defensive line would have changed as a result of him staying on or being taken off. They were playing a very high line the whole second half anyway. Why wouldn't they have been worried? He was a threat, held and passed the ball well + we were all over them after they got to 2-1. Even before then he looked very composed on the ball and in good form. So many of you are clouded completely by a previous view of a player. I have been highly critical of Fox this season but he had an excellent game against Fulham and I was one of the first on here praising him. Judge players on their actual performance and not what you think of their personality or previous performance as it's getting ridiculous now this forum.
While I agree with your post you shouldn't make the mistake of assuming it's a problem with this forum - it's a problem on all mediums with football fans and people in general.
I have a sneaking feeling that as well as a defender, the club are sniffing for an old head. If we had someone of the Duff era playing who could settle the kids down, it would take the pressure off the defence?
It's a problem in general I know but it's something that's taking the piss a bit now here. At the end of the day the players all play for our team and we should get behind all of them whenever they wear a Saints shirt. I am sick to death of fans wanting certain players to do badly or not admitting when a player they don't like plays well.
I agree with the above Rickie, but in your rant (previous thread) replying to Saint Kitch, I think you got your wires or posts crossed. Saint Kitch didn't say about Fulham being able to play higher without Lambert, I said that they would NOT be able to play a higher line without Lambert. I think you read my thread saying it was right to take off Lambert and mixed it with Saint Kitch's ... never mind though, we got the gist of what you wanted to say.
Adkins was good at substitutions last year...he hasn't suddenly become crap..this year the level of opposition has increased. He is still learning and has earnt some slack. I think some fans are on a learning curve as well.
If you know you defence is ****e then why try to defend a lead , surely its wiser to use the attacking is the best form of defence scenario ? Us trying to defend a lead is like putting Chubby Brown in a room with Germaine Greer , you dont know when but it will happen.............
I think it's pretty easy to say 'Lambert had a bad game' and 'Lambert means we aren't dangerous on the counter' I think both are often quite untrue. Lambert and Lallana have such a great understanding of each other that if one has a bad game th other does and vice versa. Also because they work well in combination with each other it means that they can very quickly between them make a couple of quick passes that enables the counter with others then able to join at speed. Think back to the Man City game where Lallana and Rickie's intuitive play was part of the move that Mark Lawrenson said we were like the red arrows. Add into that mix Gaston and Clyne who were both out on Saturday and maybe both next week (and I am thinking Clyne on the right) then all of a sudden there were 4 players working that left half of the field that seemed to be on the same wavelength and each was then lauded for great performances. We have to remember that there is more to a player not having a spectacular game than their individual performance. I am also Guly's greatest fan however yes he did havea better game than Rickie but I wouldn't say he personally 'performed' better. We didn't play particularly well against Fulham and all Rickie had in the main were balls lumped to him in the air against a physical defence. The chances he had weren't overly easy. The left drive maybe should've gone across the goalkeeper however the side foot he would've hit the defender so he tried t glance it wide of the defender. The second half volley would've been a worldy had it gone in. The style we were playing just suited Guly more. Different type of player and when the rest of the team were carelessly giving the ball away a bit and trying to get the ball moving too fast he could slow things down and maintain possession. Against WESt Ham I expect the opposite. They aren't a ball playing side which is what Fulham try to do. Lambert is better with the ball on the ground and I expect him and Lallana + hopefully Clyne at LB to make good inroads on that side. JWP, Davis and Morgan will have a lot of time and space when we are in possession because of WHs 6-0-4 formation and therefore should slow the game down, pull West Ham's players into unfamiliar territory.......namely midfield and then pass through those who remain on their 18 yard line. I think we should win however am very nervous and can see this one possibly finishing as a heavy physical battering meaning a physical encounter where they beat us soundly!!!!
Impsaint, you said Guly "had a better game" than Lambert and then followed it up by saying he wasn't "personally" better. You seemed to have complicated it or trying to find a justification. Rickie didn't play particularly well and Guly played quite well when he came on.
What I meant to say was that Lambert did his best with what he was given which wasn't really great for his strengths. Guly did his best with what he was given but it suited his strengths. So guly appears to have performed better but at is like saying someone played better than another whilst knowingly giving them more favourable conditions. Rickie didn't have a poor game, just that he wsn't given much chance to give a positive input. It's not like he had 10 chances blazed them all over, kept giving the ball away, kept fouling people. You see what I mean? HE would have been poor had he made mistakes, not making mistakes but not being able to give much input to the game doesn't mean you are poor. Similar to keepers. If Man U's keeper of old has to face 1 shot all game and is beaten has he had a poorer game than the keeper the other end who face 25 shots and let in 4? No but the other keeper may well have looked better because he had the opportunity to showcase his talents. If we want Lambert to perform we have to keep the ball on the deck and Lallana needs to stop his newly found very enthusiastic backtracking to the Schneiderlin area. Lallana in the left forward quarter alongside Lambert is lethal. Lambert isolated with Lallana inbetween 18 yard box and half way line is going to struggle.
One minute we see complaints about Adam not tracking back enough. The next we seem to advocate him staying up front to be closer to Rickie. Isn't football a remarkable game where opinions differ so dramatically.
For me the first half saw us pressing more which gave Fulham a lot less time and space to operate in.
I take alot of your points on board and agree Guly played ok i wouldn't say he was amazing he was good at what he did but it was nothing that made me think wow guly's played a blinder. I never said anything about the oppsing team pushing higher with or without lambert on the pitch i just said that a saints team without lambert is a less attacking force which both saints players know and the oppisition know. As for your last comment i have in no way had a dig at any single player ever and was merely commenting on what i thought adkins might do with lambert in future games.
Quoting this statement in isolation may seem a bit picky, but I want to highlight that Ricky did have a below-par game, by his finishing standards, and they are very high. We know that he'll usually get 3 to 4 chances in a game, and put away at least one of them, probably more, so there's no doubting his finishing ability. But Ricky had at least 3 good chances, shooting straight at the goalkeeper; shooting wide, and lastly, over the bar. He wasn't quite as sharp as he normally is, nevertheless, he made a good contribution in other areas of the game, although that's not he's remembered for quite so readily.
