RobM

http://bigadamsport.blogspot.co.uk/ I think..

What will that achieve though?

I think it's this one: http://bigadamsport.blogspot.co.uk/

If Adkins isn't allowed to choose the style of play or formation, he can't be blamed when it doesn't work and he has to stick with it.

If it is the case, it limits any potential replacements massively. It means we can only attract managers who don't mind having this dictated to them or who only want to play 4-3-3.

Depends how much that contract is worth - if he doesn't earn a fortune, it won't cost a fortune to pay him off. I wonder if the contract was a gesture of thanks to ensure he gets a good pay-off should he leave, rather than a commitment to not changing manager until 2015.

That's brilliant and worrying at the same time. It's brilliant that we want to bring players through playing the same style, so they can drop straight into the team and understand the style of play... but what if it doesn't work for the first team?

I'd imagine just one of our forward signings cost more than he would, so don't imagine money would be the problem.

That interview did nothing for my confidence in him. I'm of the opinion we should let him put right his wrongs in Jan, when he can strengthen and to be fair, he made it quite clear when asked about strengthening that we can't concede goals like that, which was as close as a 'yes, we need to strengthen' as we're going to get. But to then go on to say, bluntly, we are going to carry on playing 4-3-3 without even a hint of considering change, of dropping his opinion on this in order to win, without coming close to mentioning he will look at other ways of playing if it gets the results, my confidence dropped, quickly. I really admire the desire to want to play great football, but as he has said himself, it's about 'winning games of football' and since we don't seem to be able to do it playing 4-3-3, bloody change it. His justification for not playing Ricky from the start worries me too. It seemed to simply be 'we have other players'. Well, yes, but that doesn't mean you have to play them if it's not the right thing to do. Playing the right way, for your opponent, is more important than playing your star player... but not playing him just because we have others is crazy. That's exactly how it came across in this interview. Perhaps he is being put under pressure to play our new boys? He said with great passion that the team, transfers, tactics, selections and style of play are 100% down to him and him alone and he will live and die by those decisions... but then refuses to entertain the idea of changing. Something doesn't add up.

I'm sure he'd be desperate to do just that, but how can he if he can't make any signings until Jan to strengthen our weakest areas? On the flip-side, what's to say NA can't do the same in Jan, if the board will back him?

What else can you say though? We're good going forward and horrid at the back, all our problems come from our defence. You're right, it is obvious, it's possibly even lazy, but you can't blame shipping four goals on our forwards, our midfield does a reasonable job getting forward, but we can't defend - we can't defend in midfield, we can't defend at the back.

Hard to disagree with that. The only thing I'd say, is those who made individual mistakes are the same who have been doing so all season, so perhaps it's not a question of discipline or being firm, but just the quality and experience of those players as well as how quickly they can learn a new league.

How much success has he had in this league though? Is he really a strong enough manager to get more out of our players than Adkins is? IMO, give Adkins the Jan transfer window to right his wrongs and, if we're not already, get our scouts focusing on out-of-contract defenders!

Guess that rules McCarthy out then! Shame...

Very funny.

True that, we could afford to take a bit of a risk then, moreso than now IMO. What we need now (again, IMO) if we are to replace NA is Prem experience, otherwise what's the point? We appointed NA as he had experience of getting a team promoted to the Championship. We now need experience of life in the Prem. I also want to stick to our long-term view of building a club for the future, which rules the likes of Harry out who can't seem to sit still for that long.

Give it a rest.

Who do you replace Adkins with though? Benitez gets mentioned and would suit our long-term view, but what if he doesn't want to come along? Who else can do a better job than Adkins with the players we have, with the defence we have?

The majority of our team are plenty good enough, we just can't defend. We can do everything but defend it seems.

Seems to work for WHam.

Watching Saints is so frustrating. We have some very good players, we pass the ball so well, we have very good forwards, we attack well, we create chances... but the moment we're put under pressure we implode.

I assume you mean your own obsession with Guly, given how little playing time he has had this season so far.

Fonte lets us down, again. Our defence really has killed us this season

Two goals in just as many minutes put us in this position, so nothings too late.

You rang?