He won manager of the season last year which was understandable given our season, but the season was made by the individual player performances and our scouting team. Pardew took the credit, but this year is highlighting his one dimensional tactics. I even read we have played the most long balls in the league. And when you have players like HBA, Cabaye, Tiote, Anita, Ba and Cisse, that stat really is a travesty.
This, and it's not been easy to shift. It's very hard to imagine where we'd be or how we'd play if we hadn't signed Lambert. I can only imagine we'd have switched to some sort of 433 considerably sooner than we have done. When I've seen highlights of Newcastle, their key move seem to be quite rushed. Looks good on the telly, but MOTD edits out the boring bits where the ball gets cut out before it goes into the danger area. Works well with a very solid defence or like us in L1 when we rarely got threatened, but it's not the best way to play against the more potent teams. I can see us having most of the game, but I can't see us keeping a clean sheet with the firepower Newcastle have.
Nigel for me. For all the reasons stated before. I don't even think it's a close decision. The only way in which Pardew edges it is the transfer market, apart from that, our Nige is the man. Even with that being said, we don't know what sort of transfers didn't materialize for us through no fault of adkins, so the targets he identified could be just as good. I'm thinking Buttner, Lens, a couple of Centre Backs which obviously never finally happened. We are now in a higher league, where it is harder to find, attract and purchase players as the bigger clubs sniff around as well. Pards in League One had a clear run, as we were the only team able to afford Lambert et al.
Yeah... because Nigel's had all of 11 games! Crazy statement. Let's judge at this level after the's had three or four seasons. For me, I never really liked or trusted Pardew. People I know at the club, said he was aloof, never spoke to people at the bottom of the chain, whereas Nigel knows everyones names and speaks to all of them. I enjoy Nigel's football better and tactically I find him better than Pardew is with us.
I always thought AP would use us as a stepping stone, I think (hope) NA is here to see his ambition through. Both NA and AP will have many more successes but I'm very happy with NA.
Just listening to NA at the moment on the Saints Player, and he talks about hoping to have at least the next 10-15 years of his career at Saints. At first I felt great, but split seconds later I thought... aww, only 15 years..!?!
I think Adkins is a better manager in pretty much every way possible other than transfers which Pardew is far better at
If (and its a massive if) NA gives SFC European football within 10 years then he can do what he likes, If he gets the sack at the end of the season ( highly unlikely) because we go down he would still be a SFC legend in my books, just for his positivity.
Adkins is a better manager. Two consecutive promotions! He has tactical nous, excellent man management skills and his enthusiasm is infectious. Yes, he's made some mistakes, but so have Wenger and Ferguson. Pardew is probably better in the transfer market, but if we can get ahold of some good scouts we can neutralise that, and with our own superstar factory, we shouldn't need to be so reliant on transfers in the long term anyway. I'd certainly like us to stay loyal to Adkins, chopping and changing managers rarely produces results. Given the fans singing his name when the Media was on his back, I'm not alone. Together as one. It really is the Saints philosophy these days.
I'm going to be controversial here and say that I like them both. AP came in at the worst of times for the club, brought to us a club legend (RL) and took me to probably the best day of football I have ever had (Wemberleeey !!!), so for that I will be always grateful. For NA, I don't need to say anything.... Who is better - we'll never really know because of the different situations. Could pards have got us up... maybe. but NA did, so we thank him for that. I just hope we do give Pards a great big cheer before the game on Sunday (I think he deserves it), and then go and stuff him 3-0...
On BBC site, Pardew said he felt harshly treated and it felt bad being sacked by a League 1 club. The same piece says that Cortese said he always got on with Pardew...I suppose he meant as a person not as manager of Saints. I'm sure AP would have moved on by now anyway. We will never know what happened...which is why we all try to fill in the gaps. Whatever the reason, it worked out for both Pardew and us.
Alan Pardew signed Ricky Lambert, possibly the best £1m ever spent in the history of Association Football. he also took us to Wembley (44,000 of us!) and won us the first trophy since I left school. Nigel Adkins won us back to back promotions, and is on his way to becoming a Saints legend. Between the pair of them, they've given me possibly the three most enjoyable seasons of my Saints supporting life. Love em both, but if pushed to make a choice, I'd stay with what we've got.
Gotta love the Sun newspaper ''Key men like Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana were Pardew signings'' Seems like Pardew was around alot earlier than i had realised. But at least they are using our name these days!
Adkins embodies everything that is great about Southampton, progressive, talented, ambitious, and almost always positive. At times i feel he has been too fundamentalist with his tactics just as the "southampton way" is perhaps too optimistic, although that is a small criticism. I would definitely rather have Adkins and his principles than Redknapp. I didn't like pardew that much, can't really remember why probably just his interview style and I agree that it is great to see us look so inventive and threatening from set pieces. We are currently going through a good spell with almost our players fit and with many winnable games ahead we will see just how good Adkins is. I am predicting 4 wins from our next 5.
I bet the truth is that Pardew's comments about being treated harshly are a regurgitation of what he said immediately after he got sacked. I remember him being on a BBC panel and saying something very similar. I would be very surprised if he still felt resentful after all this time, especially given his success at Newcastle. As for Nigel, he should be getting used to the media twisting his words out of context by now, I don't suppose he's bothered. I'm not anyway.
I think Nigel was not happy but was trying to be careful about what he said. I'm sure he felt that after two successful years at Saints, the questions were a bit disrespectful as if he all his achievements were down to AP.
Pardew wont be the slightest bit bothered now. Hew has an 8 year contract which presumably would make him very rich should he ever be sacked. We are a distant memory.
No one forgets a slight totally. He will want to win for the 3 points, but showing off to Nicola would just add a bit of spice.
