Bon Call Night

Although I agree with your sentiments I cannot agree about the constructive criticism. If a player plays badly he must be shown what he has done wrong in a manner that allows him to put it right. Either he will learn and not make the same mistakes again, good, understand that he has made mistakes work on correcting this and make them less often in the future, OK but still positive, or go off and sulk and think his critics are wrong, bad!!. The last one is particularly true of McGoldrick who unless being played as the out and out striker sulks and sits out wide looking disinterested. In the professional game you must take critcism on board weigh it up and if pertinent work on it. To take your analogy if your baby was running around with a knife you may be happy that he is walking but surely you would criticise aand explain that doing so with a knife is not the best way to do it!!!

Watch the Birmingham game again and see how many headers he won!!! He is not the answer at centre back. Killer is fine but the defence need some cover in front of them which was missing today, The real probalem today was Gillett and Spiderman were not at the races, White had a stinker and McGoldrick forgot how to pass, the two full backs coped well but were struggling, Dyer added something until he decided to go to centre forward as well. It was a game too far and we need to recognise this for the rest of the season. The style of play is physically demanding and we need to rotate Wotton, Spiderman, Gillett, and Lallana to keep them fresh.

I see the critics are out after one bad display!!! The guy Killer was marking was taller and bigger, and the fault was not with Killer but with management not putting someone like Gillett on hm to stop him getting the run on him. He never was blessed with that much pace so why this is an issue all of a sudden I do not know. The real blame if you want to put any out there today was Lallana who managed to precisely pick out the player on the line twice maybe three times and missed gilt edged chances. But those of us who are sensible expect a few days like this from a bunch of kids who haveplayed twice a week since pre-season!!!

It is so difficult not to get carried away, the guy oozes confidence and totally believes in what he is doing. We have some great technicians in the kids in order to achieve it. My one hope for the season is that we stuff the lumbering bullies at Watford by 5 or 6!!! Watching him on the touchline just encouraging giving precise instructions - I remember talking to Drew Surman about Buley's arm waving and he said that half the time nobody knew who he was talking to. I would love this team to achieve great things this season but if they continue to play with the Saints spirit not many will attack them for it.

I totally agree, lets enjoy the good times and help them through the difficult ones. What they have shown is that they have learnt from the mistakes and each mistake they make improves them for the future. This is so like the early 80's teams, even the reports in the press are the same, "Liverpool had an off day at Saints!!" etc. Right now the team need encouragement but not too much. They need to keep their feet on the ground the same as we do. As for the coaching set-up it is something that he tried before with SCW - I hope now that there is a similar person in the background preparing these kids mentally as the CCC season is long and hard and if things start to go bad you have very little time to put them right before the next game. As someone else has said lets have a look after 5-10 games, assess where we are readjust the targets and then take the next 5-10 games. If we are top half by Xmas that will be a good start - we may then be in a position to buy some of the loanees or strengthen if necessary, promotion this year would come very early for most of these kids and it would be interesting to see what the plan is coaching and player wise.

I have been impressed with JP and his adaptability - he learnt from the errors of the first Brum game was a little more conservative and this paid dividends. I think although we maintained the basis of the pass and move game last night we were tighter (toight like a toiger!!) and prevented Brum from getting any momentum of their own even when they got some possession. Agree completely that this has been our achilles heel for a number of years even in the Premiership under Strachan, however in theory to break down this sort of defence you need quick passing and good movement something that has not been lacking this year. We may also need to take our chances something that has been more apparent this year. We know Jermaine Wright is not all that mobile so we should be able to pass around him but my worry is Hamill will run and run at Surman who makes the Legend of the Seas look nimble!! Would like to see either Jake Thomson or Jamie White back out wide as the pace of both them and Holmes has stretched defences and left room in the middle. We might be on the verge of something great at St Marys in the coming months and Blackpool are a team we need to beat to ensure that points are taken from those around us come the end of the season or that we take points off of those at the bottom where we have failed in previous campaigns to push us into play-off places.

I would imagine that he is on a hefty bonus scheme, in fact I think it was mentioned sometime during his appointment. And rightly so IMO. He had to prove himself in English football and in this league so if he does rewards should be fitting. The kids are showing some passion and that will count for a lot when the fixtures start coming around thick and fast, I would just like to see our supporters turn up for them now and add the spirit that we had against Sheff Utd last game. If we could get 20k there on Saturday that would be a great achievement.

Several things impress me about JP: He seems to know his own mind and is not swayed by the normal preconcepts the so called "established" managers seem to play to. He is starting to identify what we need as a team and is getting the support of the board, firstly a centre half/full back albeit on loan, and now a goal scoreer and a bit of height up front. Well done JP and well done for the board supporting them the best they can. He seems to learn from his errors - against Brum in the league the kids got out thought by a more experienced side - against Derby Wotton was brough on to solidify the midfield and bring a bit of know how to the scene with 20 minutes to go an us leading. Tonight against Brum not only has he rested a couple of players some forced upon him, but he has shuffled them around - Lallana wide, Schneiderlin playing just behind the main striker or at times as the mian striker, Holmes and McGoldrick swapping sides. This will all hel the players keep mentally fresh as well as physically fresh. I too was not overly disappointed to see the back of Pearson, that said would not have been to distraught had he stayed, I wondered what the 'experiment' would bring and it has at least brought some entertainment and is now bringing a little bit of hope as well. There is still a way to go but we won tonight playing a slightly different style than against Derby, it was a little more attritional tonigh and the fact that we can do this means we can win in different ways. Like Strachan he buys players to fit the system and not change the system to fit the players - can we get anywhere with the youngters - maybe.

Probably sums him up best, he is like Dyer with a brain and balls. A brain to know when to do it, and the balls to take people on unlike Dyer. Still young, but as with most of the kids has the ability and now needs to learn to put it in a 90 minute package. I think we will see him an Thomson alternating for this position to give them a rest - this is a physical league and we need to ensure the players stay mentally fresh as well. I am just impressed with all the kids - we knew they were winning eveerything at there age level but to take that confidence into the senior game shows the likes of Prost and the bloke that went to Liverpool and Henderson have prepared them well.

It should have been all over and done by half time - a better team would have shredded us second half a la Birmingham. We need to be more clinical in front of goal - and I hope the players do not get as carried away by the result as we are.

Lets remember how good that felt hearing the other team boo and gripe about there team the next time we want to start harping on about Lowe during games. It gave us as fans a further lift and raised the noise levels from our lot!!!

Although they played well, they played better first half against Brum, and Derby were god awful!!!! Other teams will punish us for missing great chances we had. That said the effect of a win, clean sheet and away from home cannot be measured in goals or points it will give the kids great confidence and may prove to be a springboard for many of them.

And I am pretty sure that had Crouch been in charge players would still have been sold as we would need to be seen to achieving targets agreed with the bank or else they would have shut us down credit wise. But as this fits you argument carry on!! Do the math.... £19m costs - £14m turnover (inc player trading) we have to find £10m from somewhere £5m to replace that loss and £5m to supplement turnover/reduce costs this year. We have trimmed the squad and now need to put some cash in the bank. Once we have balanced the books then we can look to rebuild until them we have to take money where we can and other teams are not going to want our worst players for millions!!!!

Are you a professional sh1t stirrer? I wouldn't be surprised if JP had been concentrating on those selected, the team tactics and the game itself to be concerned with an uncompleted deal. We need to balance the books ASAP once we have done that we can then consider our position and begin rebuilding. Scneiderlin has been the best signing for some years IMO and other than Wotton most of the summer additions have been good. If all you want to do is bait the pro-Lowe's and gee up the anti-Lowe's then I suggest you get to the games and sample some of the football. You never have anything constructive to say - why do you support Saints, you sound as though you need constant success, well you ain't goin to get it with Southampton I suggest you try Chelsea or Man Utd!!

Quite possibly but they might learn that it is necessary. It may also be a stamina thing and the pace being higher and the intensity being greater than they are used to. Most of us will accept there will be weaknesses but it is all about whtehr progress is made by the majority of those that play - we know they can compete they need to do it for longer. So it is not a concern yet, but I see your point.

How about we will not always be playing teams as good as Birmingham in this league? How about we give the manager and players time to adjust to each other in real competitive games? How about we may learn from some of our mistakes and not repeat them in future games? How about you being constructive rather than dismissing every decision as wrong and every act as a failure? You are probably the sort of person who spends his entire life weasling out of making a decision and complaining that those who have the balls to do so are always wrong.

For me the start of the second half was all about naivity, a good team like Brum and probably a few crap ones going in 1 down will fly at you for the firt 10-15 minutes of the second half. If someone like Euell was playing where Lalana played (not necessarily dropping Lallana, move him wide right and play McGoldrick up front where he has scored goals!!!) then he may have had the nouse to sit in for the first few minutes and shut up shop. JP is still learning too, he was up against a seasoned CL manager with infinitely more resources at his disposal - but right now we need to get the balance right so maybe Euell coming into midfield may address that.

You happy.... you have never been happy! You just criticise from a distance, in fact to a point why I do not understand why you bother supporting Saints. Why does this mean the end of the plan? We have THREE or FOUR players over the age of 23 in the team at the moment, are you saying that Skacel and Euell are not capable of playing the system? We have been lucky to see one or two under the age of 23 in the past, yet now players are getting a chance. Players like Lallana, Thomson, James, Gillet and McGoldrick who have come through our youth system, plus the likes of Surman, Holmes and Schneiderlin who we have provided an opportunity to. We have played last years Cup Finalists and probably the hottest favourites for promotion in the league yet you continue to snipe. Until you bring some value or analysis to the table you might as well support someone else. You may be entitled to your opinion and it may just be your style of posting but people as negative as you continue to criticise any progress that is made. I expect we may lose next week too, but it represents our first chance of real points to me.... struggling team, manager under pressure, and a team in denial. We tried your Stern John approach and he missed a couple of sitters, what constructive ideas do you have for improvement?

Yep because they did so well for us last season!!!

It is easy to criticise as you only seem to do from halfway up a mountain! Perhaps we change the approach, if we have to, by bringing in the likes of Euell and Wotton in the midfield. However as you have seen nothing of the new team and its management might I suggest that Schneiderlin and Gillet are more than capable of competingon the physical front and that McGoldrick has scored 3 in 2 in competitive games or 6 in 4 if you want to add the two Premiership teams we played in preseason. As has already been said we have tried a big name manager in fact two if you count Redknapp and barring a minor blip they have both been disinterested in the job. We have tried seasoned pros and they cant be @rsed, we have tried decent players and neither can they! What else do you suggest we try and do? How about find some investment? Nope none of that around at the moment! How about remove Lowe and get someone else in? Nope tried that and that got us..... !!!! So how you can blame Lowe for trying something a little different, and unlike you, have a little faith in our youth set up to groom and prepare players for the big time? I too am p1ssed off by people continually sniping at Lowe, the team and generally writing us off before a ball has been kicked. I would suggest that if any of these kids are good enough then we may be able to sell them to right the ship, plug the holes, and possibly refit the engines at a later date. If on the other hand you expect instant success then perhaps you should have left Saints at the same time Redknapp did, and head off for the instant gratification of the occasional reserve signing for £6m down the road. I am happy that at least someone is trying to do something - whether it is right or not only time will tell, but doing nothing was not an option!!!

Only another thread on this if you take the negative they are going to be sold approach!!! One of McMenemy's redeeming features are the quality of the older pro's he got in. Osgood, England striker had oodles of skill and a great talker on the pitch, Ball, world cup winner - fantastic passer, great talker, later on he brought in the likes of Watson to play alongside Wright, Mick Mills, Keegan and then Worthington. All these player had one thing in common at one stage in their career they were the best in the country in their position. Unfortunately wages and transfer fees nowaday will not allow that to happen for CCC sides other than maybe the those on parachute payments or those with rich investors we have neither. Yet again McMenemy has desserted the ship when he is most needed and we are restricted to trying the same approach with seasoned pros. I think the knack is to get those who can pass on their know how and experience like those above I am not sure we have them at the moment.

It shows the difference when we as fans stayed behind to applaud Arsenal when they won the cup, and also applauded Derby despite the disappointment. I actually like Paul Jewell as a manager but that sh1te Billy Davis got everything coming to him. Ungracious and arrogant even in victory. I have no feeling for any other team there are some who give me great pleasure seeing them get beat especially by us!! Man United, Pompey and Derby are three of them.

People don't like him because of some of the language used - almost an anti-Lowe in that respect. But as you and a couple of other have said he can make you think about several things with his posts. At least he is passionate about his position.

Nice guy though he is Merrington is from the same school as Harry Redknapp and part of the problem with English football. You look at Arsenal and United and see how many youngsters are used and the 'Can't win anything with youngsters' mentality is soon dispelled. Unless you can afford top quality then the journey men just swallow up money and stifle younger players development. The reports seem to support what I heard on the radio - not sure cardiff will be up there at the end of the season but we have kids who will improve if given the chance.

But it would put our management team in control of their own destiny without having to satisfy the banks sooner. An extra 10k people paying £20 plus the odd coffee and programme say an average spend of £25, this is £6m over the course of the season - that sounds like a serious wedge of money when you consider last years turnover was £10m!!