Today most decent sized clubs try and use a squad system. Judging by some comments it would seem some argue that by constantly rotating players that this can upset the balance of the team. A classic example of that is our back four. Very rare do you get the same four, two games on the trot. Yet the like of Fonte play every game. Same with Lallana (when he is fit) Lambert and latterly Chamberlain. Players that come in as an alternative like Barny, Guly, Hammond and latterly N'Guessin. All play a part but is it unbalancing the team? After all they are different types of players. So what is your view, would you rotate or not?
Beddytare Good Question: Rotation has to be in moderation (no pun intended ), too much and it can cost you results. Too Little and you don't know your overall team's strengths in certain positions Yes at the moment - Defensively we need rotation , not many will agree with me but both Jaidi or Seabourne are pulling there weight the last few appearances so why not give Aaron Martin a chance??? N'Guessan - difficult to evaluate , we need to give him time to gel. Partnership between Barny & Lambert I think is the way forward and showed against Utd it works!
I guess it is horses for courses, NA has to select the best XI to match the next opponents, however it must be difficult to tell a player who has done well in a previous match, that he will be on the bench for the next one! Who would want to be a manager?
Very true.....He seems to change players to suite formations....do you think it works? When he plays a diamond he has had Guly in left midfield he is useless there. Although to be fair they play the system well, and look attractive. Heck though does that mean when they return to 442 they will play like they did on Saturday at other times?
I think its a case of whos available. Chappers, hammond and morgan have all had niggling injurys. Jadhi is old and struggles to play too many games in quick succession so its a pick and chose which games for him to play. As for the new wingers Adkins has said it is very much about the whole squad and "impact players" surely its adam and oxo every day of the week for starting places providing they're fit!
Beddytare - Apologies for going off the subject... BUT YET ANOTHER NEW MEMBER TODAY! Woodie welcome to the Southampton Forum!! - Looking forward to many more of your posts/ threads!
Hello Woodie13 may I also welcom you to the Southampton Forum. We look forward to your contribution to all debates...... Don't forget to tell your mates!!!
One thing I would say is that Adkins has a geat understanding of the medical side of football (injuries fitness etc), therefore I have faith in his decisions to chop and change the squad as he thinks best. Also, I would much rather be in our position where we have strong cover for each position, compared to a club that has a thinner squad with less ability to cope with injuries etc. Obviously we as fans want to see our strongest 11 starting every game, but we all know that isnt always possible.
Welcome to the Southampton board balldeep..........You are right of course the fans want to see our strongest team out each and every week. With the rotation system though, the players are having to cope with players that have different idiosyncrasies. Do you not think that by constant chopping and changing it is making it harder for the players? The back four is a classic case. Never the same two games on the trot.
balldeep-sfc - Welcome to the Southampton Forum!! Bloomin' heck ...All of a sudden today we have more members joining - Good work everyone!! Welcome to all our new members!!!
To be honest, I've never played football for a team so i find it hard to understand the exact mind set of professional footballers, and more to the point you made Beddy, what are the precise implications to individual/team performance when the back 4 is rotated so regularly? The players still train, compete, and socialise with eachother everyday so you would expect them to have excellent communication and understanding with eachother. I agree that it is best to have the same back 4 starting most games, but my question is, do the positives of this outweigh those of squad rotation, and if so, how much?
It is a close balance, However all players while they do train together have certain traits which is inbred in them it is their personal way of doing things. An example might be a player is only one footed so you might have to remember in certain situations to pass to his right or left side. Just remember you have a split second sometimes to make decisions. Often you have to do things by instinct rather than knowing for sure that this is what a player is likely to do. It is not easy to describe that way of thinking. (Same as a striker always seemingly knowing where the goal is with out actually looking) In defence particularly it is more difficult as you try as often as you can to pass to your own players when clearing your lines. Also when you have the opposing team bearing down on you instinctively know what you have to do and what player to pick up and track. If you play with the same players week in week out you get the chance to know their instincts and idiosyncrasies as well. When you continually change it is more difficult to settle down as you have to remember your colleagues weaknesses as well as his strengths. In the heat of battle this not very easy. (I did say it was not easy to explain)
welcome aboard newbies, 30+ posts and you become a member. I think you need to keep your squad refreshed. You cannot just rely on the same 11 barring injuries, as people become stale, and can take their place for granted, plus if you are not in the "golden 11" you could get disheartened as its almost impossible to break into the team. Also the manager will want to adapt the team for the opposition - if they pack the midfield you might want to do the same, if they have pace on the flanks, then you will want to ensure your left and right backs also have pace - horses for courses. However, I dont beleive in roatation just for the sake of it!
Squad rotation, what's that!? Completely off topic, isn't it nice to hear Ray Wilkins sanguine tones back on the telly, he is commentating on Spurs v Milan ATM, and if only Peter Brackley were alongside we would be sitting pretty.
OK - Not taking last weekend performance into consideration but should we start the slaught of climbing League 1 and we begin playing well like we know Southampton can - then in my opinion I am firm believer of Sir Alf Ramsey bold statement of: "Never change a winning Team"
I think you nailed it Beddy, however there is still no wrong or right answer. Therefore we will have to wait until the end of the season to see whether Adkins squad rotation has been successful, would like to see a more consistently picked back 4 though!
Same here To be honest that is the most worrying thing about the whole squad. The two centre backs in particular with a solid goalkeeper are the backbone of any team. IMO they are the two/three players that should be picked consistently. You look at any other team up and down the country, which positions are the most likely filled with the same players each game. Goal keeper and centre backs. I just have that little feeling in my water that we are not so defensively sound because of those constant changes. Just my opinion for what it is worth.......
Nigel Adkins says squad rotation is essential yet there are players that play every league game for which they are available. By that token Lambert, Lallana, Chamberlain, Fonte and Davis are irreplacable. Lambert has been fighting for fitness for what seems like an eternity yet was still picked. Does that mean we have nobody capable of replacing him? Adam is the catalyst and without him we struggle. Whether we can give him a rest every now and then is debatable. Fonte as has been stated is our number one central defender. Davis though is another question for me. He has done well enough in the past but a close look at his CV is not very good reading. I personally prefer bart. So what do I think? I think we should have Martin in front of Seaborne as third central defender. I would play Martin as often as possible with Jaidi as back up for both Fonte and Martin. The backs are all of a muchness. To me it appears that Nigel is unsure of his players even now. One thing people like Alex Ferguson will always do is play their strongest team when necessary. With us in the position we find ourselves in I believe we are at that time where we play the strongest eleven possible. So I guess that means no I don't want rotation for the sake of it..
