doddisalegend

Much rather have Antonio on the pitch HTH

Yes today we played 4-4-2 put two of the most deadly strikers in league one up front and ooooooopppppps by all accounts played better at Brighton in a 4-5-1. Maybe formation is less relevant than whether the players are in the mood. Not many seemed very interested today from where I was sitting in the chapel. Thank god for Lallanna a cut above today.

Agree Hammond looked much better than normal I thought.

I was sat there at st Marys and Alpines comment from the build up thread just kept poping into my head. To quote Alpine Couldnt give a sh*t about the score or manner of performance. Wasn't one of the teams better days a nightmare opening six miniutes. The goal came about as both Jaidi and Fonte missed headers (and they doesn't happen to often) and then Jaidi limped off after a nothing challenge. 1st half we were awful apart from Adams wonder goal (considering in the warm up before the match he couldn't even get a shot on target). Having praised Morgan for the last few weeks he was shocking today only piped to the post for worse player by the light weight that is Puncheon. Puncheon really flaters to decieve he makes some exciting little runs that look great but then you realize they don't actually achieve anything. To many of our players where second to the ball today the Orient players where out to impress I think, as the battled for everything and didn't give up on lost causes something our players seemed only to happy to do. AP was really getting ****ed off on the touch line gave Kelvin a right mouthful after one of his kicks went straight out of play. The orient players were out much earlier for the second half I think ours where getting a right gobful from AP We where better in the second half but not outstanding. Highlight of the second half was watching Wotton actually complete a cross field pass to one of our players, worth the price of admission alone:D adama second goal was good. Adam really was the standout player today must of quite enjoyed the chants of Adam Lallanna echoing around the ground.

Agree. If anyone has the JPT final match programme, there is an iterview with Phil Parkinson (of charlton;)) talking about APs time at saints some interesting insights into the 4-5-1 / 4-4-2 debate worth a read IMO.

here you go gives you points per game enjoy http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=21466

At the start of the season. Apparently going into admin is cheating. Although by some accounts Orient are close to it themselves.

While I haven't been to every match this season, I can't think of one I've been to where we played negative football. We always look like a team thats going to score and when we don't it's normally down to missed chances rather than not creating chances.

Sooner or later that prediction has to come true:fball:

I thought we played 4-3-3 in some of those games?

Better not let Derry see this, we have to win and play like Barcelona don't you know.

Well on paper we should win if you compare current form and the fact it's at home. However they've just sacked the manager and his assisstant has taken over. According to Orient fans this happened last season too and Orient came out and walloped the Dons 3-0 away from home. Morgan and Thomas are looking likely to be fit for today according the BBC. 7-0 just becuase the Orient chairman called us cheats:smt067

I don't have a problem with people questioning APs choices I do however get a little annoyed with the negativity. If he ****s up call him on it fair enough (although be prepared to acknowledge that not everyone will see it the sameway). However some on here carry it to extremes for example we won the JPT final by the largest scoreline in it's history yet people still complained that we didn't play well enough.Often it comes across as critiscim for the sake of it. To pick up on some other points I believe AP did prepare for Brighton as we swaped from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 an indication to me that AP is prepared to change things up for different oppostion. On the o/s there is an article today about AP traveling to watch Orient yesterday in preperation for tomorrows match. Like all good managers he does his homework but no manager can ever be totally sure what the oppostion is going to do. Postivity is an interesting choice of word. A few people on here say the team/AP are negitive or defensive but that doesn't seem to tally with the fact that we have the second highest goal difference in the league, have two of the top scorers in the league and several attacking wing/midfield players, that we have only failed to score in 5 matches all season and have scored 3 or more goals in 15 games this season.

So what are you suggesting by the comment below then that he send them out to draw? the comment below suggests to me that you don't think AP is sending out the players to win. Send the troops out to win the games. Is that asking too much ? Where is written that a football manager should listen to the fans when making his subs. So your telling me that the fans know more than an experinced football manager? The problem with that is the fans can't agree about such things just check out the average match thread you'll find half a dozen different opinons about the match so which fans should he listen to? Funny though that you only question when thing go wrong, I don't see to many posts saying wow AP got it spot on today. AP is only human he may make mistakes but he has also made plenty of good calls yet you seem to have little interest in them. Actually if you look back you'll find I too questioned APs late subs in the Brighton game as I said he has made mistakes. However I take offense when the first manager to win us silverware in 34 years, has taken us from -10 to top half of the table with the second best goal difference in the league is accussed of building a team that are no better than schoolboys being defensive and not capable of doing his job based on the odd poor sub call or team selection. You may wish for answers about APs choices you are unlikely to get them unless you ask AP personally. My own take is that we went in at half time even. Brighton had the better of the first 35mins we where on top for the last 10mins so AP porbably decided to see how we started the second half before bring on subs. We came out brightly so no need to change things. Around 65 Brighton introduced two subs the balance swung back their way 10mins later we changed it up with a very good triple sub and bossed the final bit of the match. While introducing the subs early may have been a good idea we don't actually know it would have changed anything.

In my rather basic English education I was told to say what you mean. However if people are going to use examples that simply aren't true they might expect to be questioned. Some points about your post if I'm allowed to question your assumptions? 1) you actually believe that AP sends the players out to lose? If so he's not doing a very good job as we've only lost eight in the league this year. 2) I wouldn't trust any manager who works his subs around the crowds baying, maybe AP could canvass the fans opinion on a friday to work out which team to play on a saturday.

In the context of league one clubs we are so are Norwich. In the wider football league I agree we are not.

Well if we're going down that route we could have crouch back as cover for Lambert;)

Good man. That's the way to support the club bringing in the next generation of saints fans (not that my offspring have much choice in the matter:p)

Is that going to be your new mantra for this week then? Is every reply going to be "Look at swindon! Look at swindon!":smt015

They'll be ok as long as they don't get relegated or sky goes bust (actually I wonder how English football would cope if sky went bust?). Could be interesting to see how Liverpool are affected if they don't get into the champoins league though, big loss of revenue there I would have thought.

Well apparently no one is allowed to be better than us (except prehaps Norwich and Leeds becuase they're big clubs) I think this sums up why some think it's a problem taken from the OP ffs, that tin pot outfit.... dear god, this league is crud..and yet, we are not as good as that lot

No I'm saying in no way does our team resemble schoolboy football as you stated. How many teams have you taken to the EPL by the way? an opionion is one thing but stating it like a fact is another entirely. As for the press I'm intelligent enough to make my own mind up and I'm willing to guess that long term sports writers and football pundits have been in the game long enough to give credit where it's due to a good manager.

Slightly tounge in cheek but you could argue as we have actually won something this year and they haven't we are actually doing better than them;).

True but then you could say the same about man U or liverpool who have massive debts. The thing is people direct their scorn and punishment at the clubs when the people who caused the problems (the board,chairman,owners) just walk away scot free. If Orient go under the chairman will walk away while the club gets punished and the fans suffer and thats the real cheat.

Well all he has to do is run some debts and then go into admin and Orient can benefit just like us;). To be honest we where very very lucky it could of been very different. We have been punished for it and will most likely miss out on the play offs becuase of that punishment. So calling us cheats just smacks of sour grapes to me. Edit ^ apparently thats what he is doing LOL