Think Adkins probably got a little too much credit when things were good and is taking too much abuse now. Back-to-back promotions sounds good, but let's be honest-- with the finances and squad Adkins had available in League One, he should have been fired if we didn't place in the top three. Championship is a different story. I did not expect Saints to do that well, and by over-achieving a bit that has come back to haunt him as the improvements needed were greater and had to come much sooner than if Saints had merely enjoyed a decent top 10 finish. And I would expect Adkins to struggle some beyond that in the Premier League as he has never coached at the level before and I'm sure it's an adjustment. From a pure performance standpoint, I do not think Adkins should be seen as a great coach who cannot possibly fail on account of what he's done the last two years. He HAS made mistakes though, and he will need to improve because I don't feel like what he has done so far this year cuts it, even with the tough challenge he's been given. At the same time, I believe in the long-term plan and that even if relegation should occur it doesn't have to be a disaster and Adkins can learn from it. No one gets it right the first time, much less the first month. So long-term I think it's way too early to fire Adkins so long as the squad plays hard for him (though I admit being a concerned about the 2 of the last 3 games). It's not what he's done or where he is now, it's where he and Saints will be in two or three years.
