OK, got your attention? Rickie Lambert is Nigel Adkin's gift to Southampton FC and the football world. Hyperbole is permitted on a bleak Sunday, so bear with me. Adkins saw a player who could score goals in the 3rd Division and has improved him to the point where even Mark "did-he-play-for-Liverpool?" Lawrenson is recognising his talent. And this is where my hackles rise and my real beef starts! Did you listen to the patronising guff spoken by this so-called pundit? Needless say he compared him to a certain Canary (a player for whom I have the greatest admiration, incidentally) and then talked of his "great little football brain". I would like to say that Lawro is a man of very little brain, except I was fortunate enough to see both Hansen and he play together and they were formidable. Pundits who make comments about our chairman based, we assume, on the fact that he sacked a good manager in the shape of Alan Pardew and who then go on to patronise a very fine player are, quite simply, lazy. His opinions of Cortese and Lambert are picked up from gossip columns. So, Mr Lawrenson, let's keep things simple, shall we. Those of us who have supported Southampton FC for a while know three things for certain 1. This is a great time to be a Saint, after all the years of dross following the Lawrie golden era 2. We are very fortunate to have possibly the only chairman who not only applies business logic, but backs his decisions with money (Ramirez? not bad is he?) 3. Rickie Lambert will show he is one of the best players in the Premiership this year with his amazing all round contribution Finally, when you played for Liverpool, Mr L, I cannot imagine any football fan of my generation not admiring you. I think we'd struggle to admire you in your current incarnation. Rant over!
Couldn't agree more, most pundits only know about the top 6 teams. The rest just make sweeping generalisations. Case in point the Adkins sack stories. I'm fed up of the grant holt comparisons, it is lazy journalism, Lambert has far more in his locker and plays for the team. I love how the journos forgot that we played so well against city and united. Silly sods. We'll benefit from people being blind to our talents! Remember when Lawro said we would get Gaston Ramirez? Shows how much he knows about modern football.
This kind of lazy punditry gets to me when it is repeated by some armchair fans whose comments about football are based solely from watching it on the telly. I also get frustrated by the comments from people who watch a football match in the same manner as watching it on the TV, that is they follow the ball, and in so doing miss all the important things that footballers do and end up making highly critical comments about players without recognising their total contribution to a game.
I think Lawrenson has always been quite positive about Saints. I disagree with him likening Lambert with Holt, because I believe Lambert is much more gifted techniquely and can play outside the box participating in the building up whereas Holt is more of a traditional strong powerful back post player.
Amen to that! Could not agree more. Another classic quote from Mark Lawrenson: "...Ramirez will never sign for Southampton...".
Made the same point on another thread, although as full as you. Couldn't agree more, except for the Adkins gift to SFC. Lambert was Pardew's gift. And a very nice one indeed. In football transfer terms, the best value one million any football club ever spent.
A post from the bottom of all of our hearts. Made me grit my teeth hearing the dribble coming from his mouth last night, the fool.
You could tell there was no real analysis of the game. The main reason I like Alan Hansen is that you can tell he usually really gives games a good going over and makes some in-depth analysis, I knew as soon as I saw the pundits were Lawro and Arry that there would be none. They basically just took the game on face value; First half, Aston Villa 1-0 = They bossed it. Which they didn't. Second half, Rickie scored 2 and got an assist (kind of) so he changed the game around. Which he didn't. (Rickie had a fantastic game and his first goal did change the game, but the main driving force behind our second half was Ramirez, no doubt about it.) They just lazily made analysis which they could have just done by looking at the scoreline, which is probably all they did do. Unfortunately we will have to live with this while we build up our team and make this league our bitch!
Agree Pardew bought him (hard not to as it is a fact) but can't help feeling Adkins regime has taken him from good to great. But shan't argue about it!
