saintbob40

"Southampton striker Thomas Pekhart is pushing for a place in the Saints team after scoring in midweek. Fullback Lloyd James is doubtful so Paul Wotton may play in defence. Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Svensson are both ruled out" Ok in which case I would pick.... ................Davies........... [Reserve RB???]...Perry..Wooton...Skacel ...............Gillett...Cork...................... ........Dyer....Llana...Surman............... ............... Peckhart.......................... Cork is better with the ball at his feet and Wotton can crunch people so swap them. :-?

Most loan deals are for three months or shorter. The big clubs need to take a look at whether the player is getting games and at his development. Both Cork and Pekhart look accomplished and provided they get the games will be here for the year I am sure.

You sold your soul ....how does that feel?

Too true! We need to mix the game up a bit or we become too easy to read as happended v Ipswich as they closed us down higher up the pitch. Peckhart does give us a long ball option to keep them guessing I am no fan of route one football though and quite enjoy a lot of seasoned pros chasing after kids for the ball as per Derby and Birmingham in the CC. We have schooled these kids to play a passing game lets not bottle out and go all Wimbledon (1980s) or Stoke last year. All they need is the experience they are now getting. This will get better.........

Last night and last Sunday (with the excuse of 10 men of course) we seem to hit a brick wall at about 60 minutes where the holding midfielders stop screening the defence, the wider players stop tracking back as much (at all-McGoldrick??)and the ball retention goes to pot. It is very easy to blame the back four for defensive failings but often the root cause of the problem lies higher up the pitch, e.g Gillette giving away the ball 10 seconds before the second goal. The ball just stopped sticking last night and the defence and keeper were left on the back foot trying to deal with wave after wave of attacks, often pretty heroically. At times the midfield was non-existent last night. JP needs to encourage the boys to put in the honest graft when defending as well as playing the beautiful game going forward.

3 wins in the next seven days and the fairweather fan barometer will shift in the other direction and will probably be as equally over the top. This board gets like a support group for ex-Sun journos at times. From despair to ecstasy (no not the noun!) and back again with not a great deal in between. I genuinely believe this team is one or two players from being very good. My memory can stretch back to the Derby and Birmingham games... 3-0, the Saints tonight.

why doesn't Oliver Lancashire challenge him? He'll get there as quick as he can.......

Cork & Wooton should have started as CBs. Much better balance, a ball player and someone with physicality. I would discount the last 15 minutes or so as the defence was getting overun as legs were started to get tierd higher up the park. I can see why Perry didnt (and probably wont) play alongside Cork, Perry is too short and we woud lack aerial presence. Lancashire's challenge was unneccesary and naive. Not sure James is a RB. Could try Perry/Wooton at CBs with Cork at RB. Surman getting better at LB but looks like a good footballer in the wrong position. We need to settle to a four and get them working as a unit. We also need all 3 of the 4-2-3-1 formation (not just Lalana-who is premiership class by the way and works his socks off) to track back and help the defence out. Over than that it was a very brave performance by a young and talented team. That'll be the team that beat Derby and Birmingham not so long ago for those with short memories. Two home wins this week and it will all start to look very different.......(!?)

Marcus Bent may have won numerous headers v Cork during the Birmingham game but how many of these were clean and to a man. ...zero. This was because Cork always did enough to pressure him into laying off a bad ball. More importantly how many shots did the league's premier strike force have that night, again something close to zero. That has to tell us something about the back four that night as that was something close to B'ham's best team and they were trying hard(especially second half). Compare that with the lumbering display by the CBs v Blackpool. I would prefer a ball playing/pacy+ physical CB combo. That to me is Cork and Wooton at CB. No drama, no crisis as Cork was a revelation v Birmingham and Wooton can play.

1-0 Saints. No liquid lunch either....

Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll: "You have to give credit to QPR. They learned from that defeat at Sheffield United and were much more solid today, they made it difficult for us. "Eight of their players are over 6ft 2ins so it's not rocket science to say you have to defend properly at set-plays, so we're disappointed with that. "It's the first physical test we have faced in this division and we struggled to find a way to get a result." Not a small team then.....if Thomas isn't fit we shold play Wooton...to partner Cork

Tactically naive to release this information ahead of the game? QPR can now plan accordingly. That said, Wooton can play CB and Cork can play anywhere across the back four. Wooton/Cork as CBs for me as this is a better balance between pace/reading of the game and bulk/physicality.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/17/leedsunited Good article on the not so dirty Leeds team to which you refer.

Nonsense. We were magnificent against Birmingham (CC) and Derby. We just need to make sure that we have the right youngsters playing, with the right attitude and keep an eye on fatigue or dips in form. John to lead the line, especially away from home, is a good call though and lets get Cork in the team...class act.

Dyer and White dropped from squad for Sunday by the looks of it. Who will play on the right wing? Squad..?? Davis, James, Svensson, Perry, Surman, Gillett, Wotton, Lallana, Schneiderlin, John McGoldrick, Holmes, Bialkowski, Cork, [Thomas], [Lancashire]. Looks like lots of centre backs to choose from. I wonder if he is going to rest Killer and play him mid week.

Lets stir up some debate. I am going with a sweeper system, Cork as sweeper with Dyer and Holmes as wing backs. El Tel is with me on this one.......... Davis Svensson Cork Perry Dyer Holmes Gillett Scheiderlin Llalana DMG John

I thought Cork and Lallana teamed up well down the right for the last half an hour at Derby. ...then again I think we all get a bit too excited about our performace at that game-Derby are less than good. James doesn't play it down the flanks but that may not be his fault...he may lack an outlet. White wandered a lot.

I think Dyer may already be doing that for a while!

Does all this mean that the team wont turn up on time (at all?) next Sunday and when they do they will drink innumerable cups of tea, whistle loudly, read the Sun and then disappear half way through the working day for no apparent reason/to complete another job. All very worrying.

OK reading that article it looks like a foreign loan is treated the same as a transfer. If thats the case how does that fit in with the transfer window. Also, whats the fastest animal and the largest land based mammal? No answers just lots of questions.

How many loanees can we have & have we got?

Lets not forget that Cork had a full season at championship level last year....albeit as a holding mid/right back. I like the sweeper system idea...you could then play Holmes as a wing back on the left.

...we look lopsided and don't seem to play down the right hand side at all. Team's realise that and then double mark Holmes on the left. A passing game needs to stretch teams surely so we should use all the pitch?? Solutions anyone?

give it to Ron-any view on the game/players?

I was trying to think of a witty retort on a Heather Mills theme but alas I am stumped.....