Back from the game - Southampton (H)

[Royal Lady]

Would you care to point out the "quality" especially all of our players that would have got in any other side bar QPR?

Kebe is quality - I expect we've seen the last of him.
Guthrie has the potential to be quality
McCarthy is a good goalie and I prefer him to Feds

that's about it really. But I don't agree with AirRaidSiren - McD always seemed to be able to get them to pick themselves up - not always this season but defo last season. They had a never say die attitude that was visible with some of our late results last season, even going a goal down. As I have said ad infinitum, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear - I don't know who we should be blaming for the lack of proper investment - I think AZ and McD are both culpable, certainly there is no one person 100% to blame, we have a good championship squad, but the step up to the Prem is so huge that we were fighting a losing battle from the off really.

Let's see where we are in 2 or 3 years time and whether the club philosophy changes with the advent of a new manager who is not in the mould of McD or Coppell.

You don't think players like Le Fondre, McCleary, Akpan, HRK, Mariappa, McAnuff for example(as well as the three you mentioned), aren't quality enough for Adkins, given that there will be a different style of football played next season? And a better system?

I meant had the quality to play in the Prem - sorry if I wasn't clear on that. Of course we have other players who will be ok in the Championship, but the giant leap from Champ to Prem has shown the lack of Prem quality in the bulk of our squad.

[windermere_royal]

Sunderland winning, as it stands 10 points from safety make that 11 with our GD...start the car.

[winchester_royal]

Was really happy to see:

1 - The entire team pressing much more but then after about the 40min, they started slipping into that craptastic style of allowing too much space.
2 - More passing and movement of the ball. But I also remember more passing under Rodgers and we couldn't win games. Must get better players.

Was very frustrated watching the squad McD purposefully put together that is the type of team that can get promoted but will always go straight back down. Defense a bit too slow and unorganized and completely outclassed in the possession and finishing areas.

Adkins got beat by the team he put together. Regardless of what others say on his spending and the relatively low position of Soton when he was sacked, his Soton team has much better players, more suited to the PL, and played a better style of football. Period.

If he gets proper funding, we'll do well next season.

Interesting last point. Yesterday was essentially the Adkins spent 2 and a half years building against a team he's spent 2 weeks building without any opporunity to bring in players. The result should be no surprise to anyone, and hopefully in the way Southampton played in the two matches we had against them this season we may have a slight vision of how we'll play next season.

[Sanguine]

Exactly, winch. This excited me, having watched pretty simple, often turgid football for a couple of years. I can't for the life of me understand why it petrified some people.

[West Stand Man]

At the end of the day if 3 of your main relegation rivals do the double over you then we are where we deserve to be, at the bottom and going down.

Sums it up perfectly.

Hard to disagree with that summary.

[Royal Rother]

Exactly, winch. This excited me, having watched pretty simple, often turgid football for a couple of years. I can't for the life of me understand why it petrified some people.

We were pretty good at it.

Work rate, team ethic, belief, organisation and a never say die mentality can take a team a long way.

And it did.

[bcubed]

Exactly, winch. This excited me, having watched pretty simple, often turgid football for a couple of years. I can't for the life of me understand why it petrified some people.

We were pretty good at it.

Work rate, team ethic, belief, organisation and a never say die mentality can take a team a long way.

And it did.

It did indeed and none of this was evident on Saturday

[bcubed]

Anybody else have difficulty joining in with "Nigel Adkins Barmy army"?
Just didn't feel right yet

[AirRaidSiren]

"I meant had the quality to play in the Prem - sorry if I wasn't clear on that. Of course we have other players who will be ok in the Championship, but the giant leap from Champ to Prem has shown the lack of Prem quality in the bulk of our squad."

@Royal Lady

I dunno, the way I look at it is that players that are not Premiership experienced, can adapt to it quickly, teams over so many years have proved that point that coming up from the second tier in English football, adapting to the new style of pressure and have kept that team up. Unfortunately we had such an inept manager that put this team out to play negative football, it's not worked and they haven't adapted to the league. If Adkins had of been here from the start, or earlier, I strongly believe some of the team would be playing so much better consistently.

It's something that can never be proven now, as it's far too late. The confidence has been knocked out of the team many week ago.

[Royal Ginger]

Anybody else have difficulty joining in with "Nigel Adkins Barmy army"?
Just didn't feel right yet

Agreed, but also the Saints fans were very noisy and drowned us out when we tried.

[windermere_royal]

I`m in heaven I can look at this thread without seeing what drivel Ideal writes..thank you foe button

[AirRaidSiren]

Unfortunately we had such an inept manager that put this team out to play negative football, it's not worked and they haven't adapted to the league. If Adkins had of been here from the start, or earlier, I strongly believe some of the team would be playing so much better consistently.

That is so delusional you should be sectioned under the mental health act! If anything we're lucky to have as many points as we do have, and if Adkins had been in charge since the start of the season we'd be all set to beat Derby's record low points tally!

Can you please explain what Adkins has done so far, in order to convince you of his superior tactical ability?

What Adkins has done so far is beat us 2-0 at home, catch my drift, dopey?

[sandman]

Unfortunately we had such an inept manager that put this team out to play negative football, it's not worked and they haven't adapted to the league. If Adkins had of been here from the start, or earlier, I strongly believe some of the team would be playing so much better consistently.

So inept he beat our current manager to the title last year with an inferior squad. Disgraceful comment.

[Ian Royal]

Unfortunately we had such an inept manager that put this team out to play negative football, it's not worked and they haven't adapted to the league. If Adkins had of been here from the start, or earlier, I strongly believe some of the team would be playing so much better consistently.

So inept he beat our current manager to the title last year with an inferior squad. Disgraceful comment.

McDermott certainly was inept this season. Not being inept the previous season doesn't change that.

[Royal Ginger]

Did no-one else see Gunter's handball in the first half? The ball was about to go out for a throw at hip height and he was far too eager to get the ball. I was in the perfect spot to see it in the south stand. The Saints fans made a half-arsed shout but the ref missed it.

[ZacNaloen]

I'm a bit to the right of the line where I sit so my viewing angle is deceptive but it didn't look out to me either.

[sandman]

Unfortunately we had such an inept manager that put this team out to play negative football, it's not worked and they haven't adapted to the league. If Adkins had of been here from the start, or earlier, I strongly believe some of the team would be playing so much better consistently.

So inept he beat our current manager to the title last year with an inferior squad. Disgraceful comment.

McDermott certainly was inept this season. Not being inept the previous season doesn't change that.

And I'm not saying it does Mr Beale, although personally I think he got more points out of this team than they had the right to get. To say as a definitive that he's an inept manager is just plain wrong and a cheap shot.

Even someone like you knows a comment like that is below the belt.

[AirRaidSiren]

Unfortunately we had such an inept manager that put this team out to play negative football, it's not worked and they haven't adapted to the league. If Adkins had of been here from the start, or earlier, I strongly believe some of the team would be playing so much better consistently.

So inept he beat our current manager to the title last year with an inferior squad. Disgraceful comment.

Oh look, it's Ideals other half.

[P!ssed Off]

Unfortunately we had such an inept manager that put this team out to play negative football, it's not worked and they haven't adapted to the league. If Adkins had of been here from the start, or earlier, I strongly believe some of the team would be playing so much better consistently.

So inept he beat our current manager to the title last year with an inferior squad. Disgraceful comment.

Oh look, it's Ideals other half.

The Ideal/Sandman pair seem to think that if they completely fill up threads people might actually deem their opinions as valuable. There is some truth in this; until you actually become a poster you don't really look at the posters's names when you read a thread. Sometimes it looks like opinion is split on an issue but in actual fact one side consists of 50 people posting twice and the other side consists of the Sandman/Ideal combo each posting 50 times.

The two most pointless polls in recent times have also come from this pair.
I suspect in real life nobody wants to debate with this pair so they just spend all day in forums.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Same person.