We have played 4 games. There are another 34 to go -that's another 102 points available of which we need 40 at the most. Some people need to get a grip I think.
Are you suggesting I need to get a grip Jenny? I am firmly in the same camp as you. I have posted regularly that there are 34 games still to go and my expectation to date was 1 point. Ps. I don't think we'll need 40 points.
Alan Hansen said on MOTD if we don't pick up points against Villa and Everton we are doomed....bit early to say that what if Saints beat Villa,Liverpool lose against Man U,Liverpool could then be bottom,will he say they are doomed? No is the the answer.
If we did get relegated (which we won't and is a long way off anyway), i don't think we would keep the squad together, not the best ones anyway. Once they have had a taste and done well they wouldn't want to drop down.
It is nice to see the debate for what it is, a debate. Great stuff...... As for Nigel......In truth we should have had a couple of points on the board out of those games. Mistakes cost us those points.......that as they say unfortunately is the learning curve. There is no doubt that we have played the top three in the country......and one in the very best of form. All the punters out there have said before the season started that it would be difficult to see where we were going to get many points from the first half a dozen games. so it has proved to be. I said on another post that I felt Nigel knows the score. Our chairman will make what ever decisions he feels he has to make to try and make sure we stay in the premier. He has already said as much in previous interviews......just as he has said we will not be relegated while he was in charge A very bold statement indeed. At this moment our Nigel's job is not on the line in my view. However once we have played 25% of our games, his job will be under review it will have to be. Which way that meeting will sway does depend (in my view) on what happens in the next 5 games. It is my view that we will have to scrape at least 7-9 points out of them. Anything less than that number will have our Nigel in real trouble and under severe pressure. The team themselves will have to take some of the blame for this if this happens. No doubt a few of the borderline players will have to up their game if they are not to be replaced in the short term. It is also my view that our Nigel will see this through and come out the other side. Some of us oldies have been there with Saints in the past, we have the tea shirts of frustration. The difference with those days though is we have a manager that is capable of doing the business. So let us get behind him and let him and the team know it for certain!
The difference between imagining something and reality are very different. We all knew we could be bottom with 0 points after 4 games and we were sure we would recover, but when Saints are actually bottom with 0 points it's harder to take (especially after yesterday...result was predictable but not the score line). Cortese is as disappointed as all of us and Nigel will probably get a carpeting. However, talk of sacking is far too early with the starting fixtures that we had. Journalists have decided that Cortese is an axeman based on sacking of one manager. I'm sure that Cortese will give Nigel more time after the last two years...he is a young manager getting his first experience of the PL. P.s. just forced myself to watch goals on Sky...like getting inoculated against pain
Beddy you have clearly been spending far to much time with all these young lads on this board that they have had a negative impact on your use of English grammar! As to the topic I think we should all remember that just as Nigel and the players are on a steep learning curve with very little time to get it right so too is Nicola. He will know that the defence is our problem and I am sure he tried to get it resolved but made some mistakes in the negotiations. Having seen Buttner on MoD last night I should think he is kicking himself that he let him slip through his fingers. I also hope that Nicola recognises that Nigel has had virtually no time with his three recent signings and that he probably learned a lot yesterday. The tragedy for us all is that Nigel needs a little time but to be honest he has very little. The PL is a cruel place at the best of times but with our opening fixtures it has been yet even more spiteful and cruel. However, last night I was out with friends and we were chatting about the Saints and the negative comments from some of our fans when one charming young lady asked me "Is it true then that Saints fans only sing when they're winning?".
When we lose as badly as yesterday I switch off the radio and the TV, I don't read the sports pages and I pretend the whole sad episode didn't happen. That way I don't get too down nor lose my sense of perspective.
If we were on no points after 12 games, I'd be worried for Adkins. After 4, 3 of which will most likely finish in a Champions League qualifying position, it's just a tough start to the season. Realistically, the only game which we might have expected points from was Wigan. OTOH I do expect Arsenal, Man U and Man city to give all our relegation rivals the same opposition as they put up against us and will be disappointed if Arsenal lost against, say, Reading.
Just a little point. I don't think any other manager could walk into this club and take over what Nigel has got here. The things he has done for this club are incredible and I have no doubt it will not even have occurred to Nicola to pull the trigger. It's not just about what happens on the pitch but the staff, the training ground, the youth, the whole culture of the club. No, Nigel is going nowhere, not now not later, it's unquestionable.
Oh, and by the way .... ... 8 Premier League teams haven't won a game yet this season, including Sunderland who haven't won in over 10 premier league games. Sack Martin O'Neil, he's rubbish!
I would expect NC to become twitchy if we fail to win 2 of our next 4 games. As fantastic a job NA has done for Saints, you can't let sentiment cloud your judgement. NC will not hesitate to sack Adkins if we fail to get off the bottom of the table in the near future. I think we will get off the bottom in the next few games, but staying up is vital for this club to progress and if it means that Adkins has to go, then I will accept it, albeit with a heavy heart.
I still fully support NA, he is learning the hard way but will sort things out. He's a bright guy and will get the best out of the team, the big question is, has got the quality of players he needs to work with at this level?
Fulham fan here in peace. The Premier League is a highly competitive league and the fixture list was not kind to you guys. There is absolutely no need to panic. The Villa game is important because they are a team on your level, but the flip side of the difficult start you've had is that you'll have easier runs later in the year. There is quality in the Southampton squad, good enough to compete with alot of the PL teams. To talk of firing Adkins is foolish - a panic firing just gives you the Wolves team of last year.
I did laugh at that when he said. Mainly because how on earth can a club be doomed after 6 games - especially when those games included away trips to City, Arsenal and Everton and home to Utd - but also because right now we are only two points away from safety. So in two games that gap surely wont be any more than about seven points, maybe even just three or four, should we lose these two games. That's hardly a gap which can't be recovered. As for Adkins, I think he's fine for now. But should we still be without a win, or more likely two or three, after 10 or 11 games, then he's probably gone. Rightly or wrongly.
We are obviously disappointed at the moment. For me, most of this disappointment was due to the manner in which we played the first half yesterday. Cast your minds back to the Manc games, yes we lost, but it was the manner in which we played that had us thinking positive. Our defensive frailty has been well documented within the forum and as such, three of the four losses were always on the cards. The Wigan game obviously should be the low point, but there is this nagging doubt caused by the many individual mistakes made against The Arse. Having said that, blooding two new players, both of whom did very well, should be a source of optimism. Now back to the question of NA. We all know the Don is ruthless, but at this stage of the season and being only 8 points off the top four surely it is far too early to be discussing. Haven't most managers always said "we will see where we are after the first ten games"?
I think what has to be remembered is that at Southampton FC there is very little Premier League experience at any part of the club: players, coaching staff, chairman are practically all completely new to this level. Because of this, there has to be a period of several games when gaining experience is more important than gaining points. Saints' position at the start of the season could be compared to a bunch of raw recruits having to fend off a crack Panzer regiment, the difference being that Man City etc.'s weapons didn't kill them. In a few games time we will see whether Adkins and the players are becoming streetwise at this level. I think we have seen plenty of positive signs that this is beginning to happening, despite having no points on the board. Nicola Cortese must know that he has to give Adkins enough time and a fair chance. However, if we are still bottom at Christmas, that would be a good time to make a change, with the January window available to give the new guy some options. Personally, I still think a change won't be necessary, but that would be the time.
The thing that makes me confident for NA is the presence of the five year plan. That suggests a degree of reality and patience on NC's behalf. Who can honestly say that when the fixture list came out they didn't mutter something along the lines of "zero points out of those first four, then". NC's no different from you in that score, so I suspect there's no pressure even beginning to build. Someone in football with the vision to be looking five years into the future must have been able to look four games into the future and see our most likely position. Of course there will come a time when enough bad results would lead to a "cheerio, Nigel" but I'd be astounded if NC is anywhere near that point.
