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Saints V Exeter The Verdict
Saints V Exeter The Verdict
Sunday, 2nd Jan 2011 09:39

Stage 2 of the 3 part programme is succesfully completed.

Yesterday saw another great home win and its hard to say anything detrimental about a game that by the end could have easily have seen the eventual 4-0 scoreline doubled and that is no exageration.

Of course there are still one or two things wrong but when you are in a winning run they can be tweaked and put right gradually rather, than needing urgent attention.

Perhaps the main fact to highlight is that onle a few days ago Exeter were above Saints in the table after hammering another promotion contender in Sheff Weds 5-1 at home, whilst some will herald this as a triumph over s strong team, i would point out that its more an indication of how closely packed this league is and how there is no team who are really shining above the rest and that should give Saints good hope for the future in that if they can now put a good run together ther eis no reason as to why they shouldnt go on and win this league.

Against Exeter perhaps the key to the performance was the central midfield pairing, put bluntly the Hammond /Scheiderlin pairing saw two similar players failing to compliment each other, meaning that although each was a good player in their own right, it did not give us enough options and contrast, the introduction of Chaplow gives us differing options, Chaplow is a totally different player to either Hammond or Schneiderlin and more of a midfield terrier and thats what we have been lacking, in fact the good news is that whoever Chaplow plays with should benefit, because with either they have struggled to shine.

I have long said that this squad was big enough and strong enough to sustain a promotion bid, that it just needed to be motivated and managed and that so far it hasnt been done, the signs of recovery have been there in the last two games and if you look at the players involved yeasterday it would be hard to see a position that could be improved upon, at least not with the players that we are likely to be able to entice into League 1, whilst a new signing in any team is always a boost, we might be as well to keep our money in our pocket for next season.

Perhaps the best thing about yesterday though was the fact that it showed we had options, it was good to see Gobern used again, I feel that he could play a big part in the campaign as it gets crowded with rearanged matches etc, a look at the bench shows the stregth we have, what side can bring on three subs of the quality of Dickson, Barnard & Gobern & still have Jaidi, Connolly & Butterfield left on the bench, not to mention Arron Martin & Dean Hammond who were not there, compare that with Exeter who were using the likes of Jake Thomson once of this parish.

Another plus was the form of Guly, OK he may have the look of George Lawrence about him in some respects, but he offers something up front that we have been missing and he can score a goal or two, in truth (For French Chris & Channonite) he should not have been taken off yesterday, he should have been left on to get that hat trick and boosts his confidence, but Rickie Lambert was again not subsstituted when he should have been, his performance was better but he is living on his reputation in that both Guly & Barnard should be in front of him now, comapre the scoring records of both Guly & Lambert, SRL has 7 goals, but 4 are penalties, whilst Guly has 5 goals all from open play and from a lot lot less minutes on the pitch.

Now we are in second spot its ours to lose and we have to keep it by winning games, this last week has been good in that we have shot up the table, but it shows how compact that table is in that if we lose at D & R we could be straight out of even a play off spot, winning home games has been the backbone of our climb, but we have now got to do the same on the road, the last two matches will be all in vain if we dont win at Dagenham, we have to start putting sides to the sword on the road.

Nigel Adkins now knows he has options, he now has to use those options properly, he has to get the selections right from the start and he has to know when to use the substitutions, the supporters will not accept a mis firing Rickie Lambert staying on the pitch in the last ten minutes of a game we are losing or drawing when we have Guly, Barnard & Connolly chomping a tthe bit, a winning team creates competition, when the players who are looking to get a game see that they are not going to get one, align that with those who play who know they arent going to get dropped and the sum total is you have a de motivated squad, we have made that mistake before lets not make it again.   

Kelvin Watch      

Not a lot to do for our goalkeeper, however one small point was the number of times he came rushing out of his area for through balls when he didnt need to, on several occasions being able to back track and collect the ball, add that to a cross where he came for it and Fonte headed it out of his hands and you have to conclude that the defence are a little wary of a keeper who has clearly been told to dominate his box and distribute the ball quicker and is not quite getting to grips with it.      

Photo: Action Images



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DJI added 10:47 - Jan 2
I agree with you about leaving Guly on yesterday to get his hat trick as I think he would have got it at the rate we were pressing forward. That would have given him an enormous lift but maybe Adkins felt that bringing him off allowed him the much-deserved/needed standing ovation from the St. Mary's crowd, which will also boost his confidence.
I though Barney looked his usual menacing self yesterday in the 10 or so minutes he played and with all our front men firing now, we just need to hold the midfield (spine) and we can get the run of wins we need.
I still have a doubt about Kelvin though. Yesterday I heard the "Keepers" shout as he climbed to punch the ball, only to find Seaborne head it away. I think our defence were not used to such a shout and though someone must have been winding them up !?!
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felly1 added 11:56 - Jan 2
For me Barnard is an explosive player who is really sharp around the box,works his backside off for the team and has the mobility and extra yard of pace Ricardo lacks.The problem is he tends to run out of steam through his efforts and his performances tail off in the second half,im sure Nigel is aware of this and as you say we need to use our uimpressive squad wisely.I thought Lambert had a decent enough game yesterday he had 3 good efforts on goal and was always involved.Although i guess Connolly wont be here forever i still feel that he has a lot to offer if he keeps fit,i think he`d produce the goods from the service and speedy wingplay of Chamberlain.Dont understand your Kelvin nitpicking,the facts speak for themselves 19 goals conceded is only bettered by Brighton,sometimes its best to remind yourself that we are in the 3rd Division. His shotstopping is undoubtably Premiership class, but... yes his command of the box and his distribution are at times erratic,but if he didnt have these slight faults do you really think he`d be playing at this mediocre level?
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legod7 added 12:25 - Jan 2
I think that Lambert has got back to his old self in the last couple of home games (Huddersfield and Exeter). His link up play especially against Exeter was top drawer. Under Adkins he plays more of a roving role playing off the centre forward rather than in the "centre forward" role himself.
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Ragboola added 13:25 - Jan 2
Agree with most of this report except for Lambert. He is looking far hungrier than of late and his overall play is much better. He leads the line very well and although he isn't scoring as freely as last season he is integral to the way we attack. We are now looking more balanced as a team and not relying on Lambert to score, everyone is looking like scoring and Lambert has to take at least some credit for this.
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splurty added 13:29 - Jan 2
Totally agree legod7 Ricky is back ,that is the most pleasing thing for me as he will be crucial in the remaining games ,when he is buzzing the whole team comes to life ,I am sure the goals will now flow from him and we will need that away from home especially . In Nigel and the don cortese I trust COYS
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steve73 added 00:57 - Jan 3
You often complain about how our large squad should do better. Most teams have a competent starting eleven. Surely the depth of our squad will only start to pay off now, as 'smaller' teams start to struggle with injuries etc while we are able to cover these problems. I believe you whinged too soon and that we will have a very strong second half of the season. No rose-tinted ideals it just makes sense. Adkins may not be a showbiz manager but he does seem to know his job well. Come the end of the season most of your comments will seem sensationalist and completely inaccurate. Apart from Hoddle who have you wholeheartedly backed in recent years?
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channonite added 10:29 - Jan 3
Agree with all your report Nick, save for the bit about Lambert. I thought his movement was much more fluid than it was before the bad weather set in, so I guess that the break has done him some good. I noticed he was sitting a lot deeper for a large part of the game, but he was getting involved in everything. Maybe that is what he has been told to do.

Last season our tactics seemed to revolve around hitting it up to Lambert and letting him get on with it (an over simplification I know). This season Adkins seems to be getting everyone involved and that seems to have paid off in the last two matches. Let's see what today brings.
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