A LITTLE MATTER OF THE LEAGUE CUP.......

Away to Stevenage tomorrow, could be tricky I think. I imagine that, as is now the fashion, a large number of changes will be made to the starting line-up. I read somewhere that Lee is likely to play. Good idea, but not if he is going to get injured again and be out of the team once more......let's face it, that's the sort of thing that would happen to a Saints player.

Now, do we want to win this game or is it just a nuisance when we are trying to concentrate on the League? My first thought was that it might be best to lose this so the team can concentrate all their efforts on the League...... but then I thought again. I have felt all along that if Saints can just scrape survival in the Premiership I shall view this as a satisfactory season, but if we can couple scraping survival in the Premiership with reaching the final of one of the Cup competitions then I would view this as a successful season (not just a satisfactory one). So, I should like to see us do well in the cups.

As for the Stevenage match tomorrow, like I said, I think this is going to be tricky. I'd like to see us win, to remind the squad what winning feels like, but a draw (possibly 1-1) is what we might be happy to settle for I think.

I see none of the starting 11 from saturday though I would have included Fonte and Guly though guess his drink drive arrest may not have helped. Bench is full of kids except Kelvin the team which shows why we still need a goalie. Richardson playing at CH again hope Cortese is watching!

just heard a rumour Walcott mught be at St Marys, that would be a turn up if true.

Good 4-1 win in the end after a dodgy first half.

4 good goals for Lee, Sharp, Puncheon and Reeves by the sound of things.

The Puncheon one was spectacular by all accounts and the Reeves one wasn't bad either.

SaintMike wrote:Away to Stevenage tomorrow, could be tricky I think. I imagine that, as is now the fashion, a large number of changes will be made to the starting line-up. I read somewhere that Lee is likely to play. Good idea, but not if he is going to get injured again and be out of the team once more......let's face it, that's the sort of thing that would happen to a Saints player.

Now, do we want to win this game or is it just a nuisance when we are trying to concentrate on the League? My first thought was that it might be best to lose this so the team can concentrate all their efforts on the League...... but then I thought again. I have felt all along that if Saints can just scrape survival in the Premiership I shall view this as a satisfactory season, but if we can couple scraping survival in the Premiership with reaching the final of one of the Cup competitions then I would view this as a successful season (not just a satisfactory one). So, I should like to see us do well in the cups.

It would be nice to see a win for Saints against Wednesday for the reasons in the second paragraph above. Imagine it will be a very different line-up from the Villa game, plus I guess Boruc will get his first appearance.

Saints team for this evening: Gazzaniga, Richardson, Yoshida, Hooiveld (c), Seaborne, Cork, Ward-Prowse, Chaplow, Guly, De Ridder, Rodriguez

Substitutes: K Davis, Butterfield, Dominic Gape, Andy Robinson, Hoskins, Sinclair, Reeves

Solid 2 - 0 win with Rodrigues scoring both which has to be good. A clean sheet as well, first of the season!!

Good workout for a number of players

No Tad Lee again, is he still injured? Dominic Gape is a new name to me...

SaintMike wrote:No Tad Lee again, is he still injured? Dominic Gape is a new name to me...

On the OS.....

“Luke Shaw has been ill for the past few days and we can’t risk him on the back of his illness,” he revealed.

“Unfortunately Tadanari Lee has got an elbow injury which might keep him out for a week or so, whilst Emmanuel (Mayuka) got a block tackle when he nearly scored on Saturday and has hurt his ankle a little bit which isn’t anything major and should be back in the next couple of days.”

Just shows with injuries 3 players who would have thought would play not available. disappointing about Tadanari lee, hopefully just a run of unlucky injuries but hasnt been fit very often yet.

Obviously Boruc not considered fit enough which is a shame as I think he will end up first choice and be interesting who plays at Everton, Gazzinga made some good stops by all account but dodgy on a couple of crosses. On basis of played 2 won 2 guess it has to be Gazzinger to start

Next round away to Leeds.

Crap draw, would rather have had Arsenal, Chelsea or Man U. problem with Leeds and Warnock is will look to kick us off the park so picking up injuries a real issue. Stick with the same 11 as started against Sheff Wed, maybe resting Yoshida.

Away to Leeds Tuesday, tough but getting closer if we can make it through.....

I can see a defeat coming on here. Hope not, if only for the fact that my ex-brother in law supports them and he's a first-class c**t.

1-0 down and our successful season continues . I only have the radio commentary to go by but Saints sound awful; no cutting edge and defending like clowns despite it being a completely different team. It sounds as if Guly is our best player.

I do despair at times, how could he possibly expect Lee and Mayuka to form a partnership? No height between them cant speak any english and you wonder why we are all over the place, we have no attack. Thought he would have had one proper centre forward either playing or at very least on the bench.

I know that Adkins probably doesn't want to risk first team players, especially as they played 48 hours ago, but why not put out some of that team out tonight or at least have some of them on the bench, ready to bring on when needed? A good result would do wonders for their probably fragile confidence. Fringe players are involved, there are kids - some who I have never heard of! - on the bench so we have no experience there. Nigel may not be taking the cup seriously but going behind in each and every game has got tiresome.

I see a much changed Arsenal team are 4-0 down to Reading - who have put out a near full-strength team. If Reading can do it, why can't we? Watch them get some confidence and string together a few results.

I can hear chants of 'One Nigel Adkins' but, honestly, he's lost the plot. Loyalty is very nice and Nigel is a nice bloke but these results are embarrassing.

Hope he and they can turn things round in the second half.

The problem is nothing on the bench, at least if he had put a couple of experienced players on the bench he would have had some options. de ridder, lee and mayuka or in the same team? Where's the balance? I think the average age of the bench will be about 19!

Will be amazed if he turns this around down to the squad he has picked, know Pardew hacked Cortese off when he was told promotion was the key and to ignore the cups, maybe he said the same to Adkins who has duly delivered as to sacred of the sack to do anything different.

Well, if results across the board don't improve, then Adkins will get the boot anyway. There's not point sacking him for the sake of it and without a replacement lined up, but this disastrous run of results is just grim and something has to give. I feel sorry for the travelling fans who paid to watch this crap.

This is still woeful, into the second half.

"I have yet to write down, on the hour mark, any chances of note for Saints" said Adam Blackmore just now. Says it all.

Theres no excuse for putting out a side with no ambition, no clue and no hope. Players would have known that at the start.

Youngster Lloyd Isgrove sounded useful when he came on, but that's about it. This isn't dire. It's worse than that. It's insipid and clueless.

2-0 with a couple of minutes to go. We're not going to score if we were there until next week, so this one can be written off.

That was crap. Utter crap. Yes, this is a cup game with a completely changed team but this result can't be taken in isolation. The season, so far, is a disaster.

The one ray of sunshine was Isgrove, he sounded useful but the rest of them, particularly Seaborne, are shite.

Really do wonder about Adkins now and whether finding it just to much. He could have played some of the first team if only for 45 mins, dont play till next Monday, Lambert and Rodrigues could easily have done 45 min which would have boosted the rest of the team. Playing Mayuka and Lee was simply a poor manager decision and shows no fight which worrying is what the team have been doing recently. Could have played Puncheon and Davis. Have no doubt now Cortese has made up his mind to replace Adkins but will mean the players also know he is on the way out.