What does Adkins need to address first?

[lethallee]

I am hoping Puncheon will benefit from new manager. He has the ability but now needs the belief to go with that. Because of the type of player he is there will always be that element of frustration watching him but he does provide a spark. With Lallana injured this is a great opportunity for him to be 'big' player for us. I actually think we have more of a problem in central midfield which to me is far to pedestrian. Hammond only offers threat from set pieces (can't recall last goal he scored from open play) and his assists tally is probably not good either. Morgan good passer and tackling improved alot but is not going to score enough goals. I would drop hammond and give Guly a go.

[iansums]

Fonte's Mrs?

 

'address' not 'undress'!

[Thedelldays]

I wonder if punchoen will be any good on the left....seeing as he is left footed and not stuck in the right/centre..

 

we may actually see puncheon put in some decent crosses from time to time

[thegaffer]

need a few more violinists and find another Jimmy Case in the loan window who will b*llock the players who are not trying and make him captain.

[Jez]

Pace.

 

I wonder if Frederico Arias is still available. I hear he had pace.

[Saint Fan CaM]

He needs to...

 

(a) get the team passing at pace, moving forward as a unit so that instead of taking 10 passes to lose the ball, it takes a maximum of 5 passes to place a shot on goal.

 

(b) sort out the lack of creativity and responsibiltiy in central midfield - nearly every attack involves moving the ball out to the wings, only for a player to eventually cut-inside, rather than get to the byline or drive through the centre of defence and putting the opposition CB's under pressure.

 

Easy on paper (screen!), however I have doubts over the ability of some of our players in being able to deliver this style of play. It may just be a lack of fitness, however I am increasingly concerned that this team does not have enough about it, which also means Adkins may need to bolster the squad with decent loanees in the 1st instance (i.e. January will be too late).

[Torres]

, it takes a maximum of 5 passes to place a shot on goal.

 

Hello Charles Hughes.

[sperm_john]

The quality of the tea break biscuits. fact

[Saint Fan CaM]

Hello Charles Hughes.

 

Should have expected that I guess! (:

 

However, Hughes thoughts on this were biased towards a long-ball game - i.e. a literal five passes - whereas I was using it to illustrate the difference between slow steady play with lots of passing and the alternative fast breaks forward with a minimal number of passes. In reality a mixture of the two is necessary, however one of the big differences between the Prem and the lower leagues is the time it takes for a defenders brain to assess how to defend an attack. The quicker the attack, the more likely it is to succeed, especially when you've got accurate strikers of the ball (i.e. unlike Puncheons effort on Saturday!).

[broncoboy]

Turn this highly hysterical girls team into a team which can cope with conceding a goal.

 

Tell them you get no points for hitting the crossbar or posts

 

Explain to Kelvin he is supposed to stop the few shots the opposition normally have

 

Explain to our players that they cant expect to walk the ball into the net.

 

Stop them writing articles for the Saints website explaining how they are disappointed but determined to make amends next match

[JackFrost]

install belief into the players

 

get our strikers scoring

 

sign a couple of pacy wingers on loan

[Turkish]

I wonder if Frederico Arias is still available. I hear he had pace.

 

i'd like to see Immats Bledilis come back, he was very under rated. As was Sergi Gotsmanov.

[Give it to Ron]

Apart from all the above?

Stop that bloody girly huddle before a game....whats the point whatever its meant to do doesn't work and can be done in the changing room.

[egreog]

He needs to give everyone a massive kick up the backside, our team is easily good enough to be in contention at the other end of the league! The performance and attitude thus far this season has been a joke!

 

Absolutely correct and well put!!.......but it will take several weeks I fear before this turns around in any way. Most teams get a new manager "boost".... sadly it rarely if ever works for Saints!

[derry]

Width and pace. More bite and mobility in centre midfield. An extra striking option. Give the team direction, expectation and freedom. Improve fitness. Get a win at MK Dons.

 

Bloody hell Mark, how did you manage to get it all right and only use four sentences.

[Block 5]

'address' not 'undress'!

 

Oops! My bad.

[Leicestersaint]

Fitness. Effort. Shooting on target. Good goalkeeping. More good crosses.

 

To start with!

[Saint_lambden]

Adkins told them today their fitness wasn't good enough and there will be double training sessions starting Wednesday/Thursday.

 

Fitness checks will happen every day and we play as a team - not superstar individuals.

[aintforever]

Team morale.

[S-Clarke]

Adkins told them today their fitness wasn't good enough and there will be double training sessions starting Wednesday/Thursday.

 

Fitness checks will happen every day and we play as a team - not superstar individuals.

 

It really is showing what a waste the pre-season really was.

[saint michael]

I liked his comments about how to play with the ball and without, our team only thinks about playing with the ball hence we get caught out a lot.

secondly let's start moving and passing to each other and not wait to be passed to before we move.

thirdly, let's be brave in front of goal and shoot sometimes

fourthly, lets not behave like chickens with heads cut off when in the final third

 

good luck nigel,

[Fowllyd]

Be nice if we actually had a manager stay long enough to get an extension!

 

I think he should buy a house that's big enough in the first place.

[Saint Billy]

Adkins used pacey wingers with Scunny, do the same with saints again and we are on a winner. We need to loan some in though!

[L1Minus10]

1 Lack of pace on wings / up front

2 Hammond and the Invisible man in centre midfield.

[Miltonaggro]

He needs to insert a subtle but highly explosive rocket up the collective 'arris; arm round some, headlock for others. He needs to get a result at MK. He need to use the loan window as soon as possible to bring in a flyer, a quality holding midfielder, and a back up target man (Rotheram's number 10 would do nicely). He needs to buy a pair of Ronnie Kray style specs...

[dubai_phil]

Adkins needs to ensure that we score a GOAL

 

Then we can do a proper Goal Celebration

 

 

Was just on our Sports show here - classic from Iceland

[offix]

Morale, and the believe that we can beat (and should beat) anybody

[alpine_saint]

Actually, I've changed my mind. He should lobby the catering company to bring back chicken balti pies....

[darren]

Put round pegs in round holes.

[dune]

He needs to bannish the negativity and get everyone smiling.

[The Kraken]

According to this report from 606, supposedly passed on from a first team player, the first thing he needs to sort out are the fitness levels which are supposedly nowhere near good enough. Which is utterly shameful.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A74207108

[Dalek2003]

In games the players need to learn to be patient and draw out the opposition. They then need to learn to quicken the pace of the game and act incisively. Too much rushing about like headless chickens at the mo.

[saintant]

So Adkins has taken just one day to establish that the team are not fit enough - makes you wonder what Pardew was being paid for..

[The Kraken]

So Adkins has taken just one day to establish that the team are not fit enough - makes you wonder what Pardew was being paid for..

 

Pardew certainly should take the lions share of the blame. However, in this age of football it's typically no longer solely the job of the manager to devise the fitness routines. In fact, listed on the OS alone we have 11 members of staff in our Sports Medicine and Science department alone. There has obviously been a massive breakdown in how all of these departments work with the (ex) management team, leaving us once again playing catch up with fitness levels and transfers.

[dubai_phil]

According to this report from 606, supposedly passed on from a first team player, the first thing he needs to sort out are the fitness levels which are supposedly nowhere near good enough. Which is utterly shameful.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A74207108

 

FFS...

 

Our players were unfit under Burley, they were a disorganised rabble under JP and we bring in a supposedly top class name manager and... The players aren't fit.

 

FFS it cannot be Rocket Science, what on earth did all those people (inc AP) DO all day?

 

Sounds like a good start

[saintant]

But the manager takes the flack if the team don't perform so he must know if some of it is down to fitness. He should know straight away if there is a fitness problem and make sure it is sorted - ultimately it affects team perfomance which is down to the manager. Pardew seems not to have been bothered enough to make this an issue whereas Adkins has gone straight in and identified a problem. It adds up because we seem to start each half strongly but then fade.

[thorpie the sinner]

ha ha, the double training will take a few weeks to have an effect! The players will be even more knackered than usual on Sat!!!!!! Hope we score in the opening minute lol!!!!!!! Actually liking NA already despite my previous reservations lol!!!!

[saint1977]

In games the players need to learn to be patient and draw out the opposition. They then need to learn to quicken the pace of the game and act incisively. Too much rushing about like headless chickens at the mo.

 

Rushing about? Some of them this season have been waddling about and then leaning on their haunches blowing out of the backsides. The first thing Adkins may be advised to do is to get 4 loan players with raw pace in. Second is to get our existing players to an acceptable level of fitness. Third is to get Lallana to extend his deal. Fourth is to loan out one of the spare left backs. Fifth is to draw up our targets for January so that we can have another surge of wins like last season and to work out which players (hint Dean Hammond) we are going to move out of SMS.

[dubai_phil]

But the manager takes the flack if the team don't perform so he must know if some of it is down to fitness. He should know straight away if there is a fitness problem and make sure it is sorted - ultimately it affects team perfomance which is down to the manager. Pardew seems not to have been bothered enough to make this an issue whereas Adkins has gone straight in and identified a problem. It adds up because we seem to start each half strongly but then fade.

 

Which....

 

Makes you wonder. AP not working with the backroom staff. Players are not fit. We have fitness coaches.

 

Hmmmmmmm

 

Well, looks like we shouldn't expect much for a week or two until the double sessions start to make an impact, poor fitness, slow mind, poor decision making on the pitch, soul-less lifeless performances.

 

No wodner we haven't seen harding booming up the wing this season - he's fecked by Half time

[Saint_lambden]

ha ha, the double training will take a few weeks to have an effect! The players will be even more knackered than usual on Sat!!!!!! Hope we score in the opening minute lol!!!!!!! Actually liking NA already despite my previous reservations lol!!!!

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WATERSIDEIFASAINT]

AP should be ashamed of our pre season which was a total shambles and I have heard from one of the season ticket holders that went to the meeting with NC last week that NC was seriously pi**ed off with spending a lot of money on the Switzerland tour for them to come back unfit!!NA needs to get them fit asap

 

There are still lots of decent players without a team like Vassell,Butt and Demerit available.I wonder if there are any worth taking a gamble on.

 

We also need 2/3 loan signings pronto to get this side seriously shifting in the right direction.According to Scunny fans NA has an excellent record in the transfer market of finding gems and coaching them into much better players which sounds good.

 

So good luck NA and don't take any sh*t from these premadonna players.Hopefully they will all be with you but if a couple aren't then get rid as none of them are bigger than the club

[The Kraken]

AP should be ashamed of our pre season which was a total shambles and I have heard from one of the season ticket holders that went to the meeting with NC last week that NC was seriously pi**ed off with spending a lot of money on the Switzerland tour for them to come back unfit!!NA needs to get them fit asap

 

There are still lots of decent players without a team like Vassell,Butt and Demerit available.I wonder if there are any worth taking a gamble on.

 

We also need 2/3 loan signings pronto to get this side seriously shifting in the right direction.According to Scunny fans NA has an excellent record in the transfer market of finding gems and coaching them into much better players which sounds good.

 

So good luck NA and don't take any sh*t from these premadonna players.Hopefully they will all be with you but if a couple aren't then get rid as none of them are bigger than the club

 

The thing is, I find it a little difficult to believe its all down to AP. We have fitness coaches and a whole sports science department which have fallen down in this area. Add in the fact that Lambert praised AP and his staff for getting his diet and fitness levels up to their highest levels, and it doesn't quite all add up.

[sandwichsaint]

Two closely related areas he needs to get to grips with asap are the state of Lambert's groin and the size of his gut.

 

On these two animate objects rest about 75% of our promotion chances.