Deary me. Is it all the youngsters moaning? Are any of the oldies moaning? If so are they Saints fans?
A game of football is rarely a cricket score, more often than not won by a small margin. If a player is on for 90 minutes yet only does 3 thingswell with the rest rubbish and if 2 of those 3 things mean a goal then he has earnt his place for next game as far as I am concerned.
This is the old problem of workrate that has meant England teams are full of workhorses and creative players are left behind. We are quick to bemoan this fact about England yet Southampton are somehow different?
From reading the above made me remember a player we used to have.
Terrible work rate, never tracked back, would have spells just walking around doing nothing. Sometimes was un-noticeable in the game apart from a few minutes. Was played in an attcking role but scored about 1 headed goal in 20 years, can't remember ever seeing him make a tackle. He would however score a few goals and create quite a few to boot. At the same time just his presence on the pitch would inspire his own and make oppositions very wary.
I think his name was Matt Le Tissier or something like that. Shouldn't have been in the team though because he didn't work hard enough. Never mind the goals or assists, workrate is the only thing that matters.
And before people say Le Tissier is a class above Guly, yes he is however it is the same thing. Goals and Assist win games, not running around for 90 minutes.
Sound like you guys would rather Nigel had replaced Do Prado for Mackail Smith in the summer!!!
A little look
Goals: Do Prado - 7, CMS - 6. So 20% workrate has outscored one of the highest workrate strikers in the whole league
Assists: Do Prado 7, CMS - 6. So 20% workrate has out-assisted one of the highest workrate strikers in the whole league
Some interesting ones for you:
He has had less shots than CMS yet scored more goals and more have been on target.
He has less yellows and no reds so does not get suspended always giving the manager the option to select him.
So he who wrote the below, needs to watch more carefully, maybe wonder if he/she actually knows much about football before writing such drivel.
Great he scores occassionally with the odd assist. Always after blowing golden chances beforehand
Take a look for yourselves guys:
http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/DivisionalAssists/0,,10794~20117,00.html
So to add to the 'Get a Grip' theme we have been seeing lately. Adkins has all the info, Adkins has the choices and the managerial nouse, In Adkins we trust (or do we.)
Should we bemoan England spending the past 40 years favouring workrate over talent yet be the opposite for Saints?
Or is a cumulative 5 minutes total from 90 worthy of the place if in those cumulative minutes goals and assists are produced or should we favour a 90 minute workrate player who doesn't match the assists/goals stat? I know which I would prefer because one says you worked hard, the other says you won (or had a better chance of winning)
The simple fact of the matter is mathematical 7+7 = 14. Guly is worth nearly a goal a game to the team.games. Take into account he plays for circa 60 minutes of each of those games compared to CMS and others. That 'nearly a goal a game' means Guly's name is one of the first on the team sheet every week. Same as Lallana and Lambert. Add those 3 together then you are looking at 2 goals per game.
Myself. I am easily the best in the team 
yet have lost 2 out of 5 this season and therefore have sat out 2 games of 7. The worst 2 players in the team (by my Captain's eye) are both 7 out of 7. Some lucky games, somethey should have lost but they didn't. It's that point that counts and not playing well. Playnig well doesn't get you the point unless you win the game 
