Adkins style of play

[Badger]

Sadly, I cannot make it to games due to location and work. I am delighted with Adkins so far and was happy with his appointment.

 

But I was wondering if his style of fast attacking football is starting to show- have people who attend games noticed it, and how much of a development/ change has it been on Pardew?

[Griffo]

It's a huge change. Under Pardew it was decent but today the football was unreal at times. Started the game playing long ball but once we had edged our way into the game we completely out-played Exeter on the ground.

[Thedelldays]

The Huddersfield game I noticed more play down the wings... Full backs push it down the wings...

 

If the CB give the ball to Morgan and co, They will look to play in the wingers or put a ball in for the strikers to chase down the channels..

 

Basically we try to get the opposition defence facing their own goal a lot more!!

 

Last year was more of feeding the ball into lambert and play off him..

[Andy_Porter]

Not noticed much of a difference.

 

Kelvin tries to play it short more often which can only be a good thing but other than that it's the same IMO. Some very good football when we're confident and more direct / long ball when we're lacking confidence.

[doddisalegend]

Not noticed much of a difference.

 

Kelvin tries to play it short more often which can only be a good thing but other than that it's the same IMO. Some very good football when we're confident and more direct / long ball when we're lacking confidence.

 

This ^^^^. No real difference at all from last season from what I can see when we play well we get it down, play it around and we destroy teams as we did today in the second half. Other days we have played poor aimless punting this season just like we did last season. They showed the top ten goals of 2010 on the big screen before the match today some of the goals from last year were brillant and totally dissproved the "we only played long ball last season" some people spout on here. For me the football is the same the expectations are just a lot higher.

[captainchris]

This ^^^^. No real difference at all from last season from what I can see when we play well we get it down, play it around and we destroy teams as we did today in the second half. Other days we have played poor aimless punting this season just like we did last season. They showed the top ten goals of 2010 on the big screen before the match today some of the goals from last year were brillant and totally dissproved the "we only played long ball last season" some people spout on here. For me the football is the same the expectations are just a lot higher.

 

Unfortunately you are almost right.........We did however start under Adkins by playing passing from the back but notably today there was a lot more longer balls. Remember the Tranmere game where Davis didn't punt long once but today it was mostly a long punt again - some short throws out but nothing like it was early under Adkins..........

[doddisalegend]

Unfortunately you are almost right.........We did however start under Adkins by playing passing from the back but notably today there was a lot more longer balls. Remember the Tranmere game where Davis didn't punt long once but today it was mostly a long punt again - some short throws out but nothing like it was early under Adkins..........

 

Yes but straight after Tranmere at home came Hudders away where we tried to play it out from the back and got destroyed. The Longer ball game (but not a purely long ball game) seems to suit our players maybe Nigels decided to play to the players strengths rather than force them to play away he likes but the players don't?

[positivepete]

I think the postponed matches have helped Atkins begin to impose his style on the team, there is certainly more movement in the last third. NA was going mad at Davis today for holding onto the ball, I think we will see the ball move shorter and quicker again in the next few matches.

[John Boy Saint]

Something with the last 2 games we start slowly and build, by oppression, to a point where the last 20 minutes today Saints play like they are teasing a kitten ( the opposition) with a piece of wool.

 

Someone is going to be smashed to pieces by us before this season is out.

[Wes Tender]

Naturally it takes a little time for a team to change their style, especially if certain players were brought in by the former manager for playing a style that he found attractive. But apart from the hiccup of the Brentford game, I much prefer Adkin's team's style of play, which is much more open and with more width than Pardew's.

[georgeweahscousin]

The football is definitely more attractive than it was under Pardew. Up until recently I would have argued that it was not necessarily more effective, but we are beginning to dominate sides now.

[InvictaSaint]

Naturally it takes a little time for a team to change their style, especially if certain players were brought in by the former manager for playing a style that he found attractive. But apart from the hiccup of the Brentford game, I much prefer Adkin's team's style of play, which is much more open and with more width than Pardew's.

 

Nail on head. Totally agree. The football under Adkins is, above all, much quicker of thought which in turn makes it more imaginative and more unpredictable for the opposition. Pardew relied on RL and we had the simple speed of PW and MA to feed off his knock downs, but, if not entirely one dimensional, it was a little simplistic. Adkins thinks more about how his sides play, and that is now starting to shine through. Second half yesterday, in particular, was a joy to watch. The fact that goals are now coming from all over the park tells you more than a little.

[Legod Third Coming]

Nail on head. Totally agree. The football under Adkins is, above all, much quicker of thought which in turn makes it more imaginative and more unpredictable for the opposition. Pardew relied on RL and we had the simple speed of PW and MA to feed off his knock downs, but, if not entirely one dimensional, it was a little simplistic. Adkins thinks more about how his sides play, and that is now starting to shine through. Second half yesterday, in particular, was a joy to watch. The fact that goals are now coming from all over the park tells you more than a little.

 

To be fair, look at who scored for us last season and how many they scored and we did get a few across the park.

 

Last year we were (I think) either second on third highest scorers in the league with players like Lallana, Hammond, Papa, Antonio and Barnard all bagging a few and obviously His Rickiness. This year, because Ricky is not scoring we are having to use a different approach! When he was banging them in, why give the ball to anyone else when you're in and around the box?

 

People bang on about Pardew and the long ball yet we tore Bristol Rovers apart on the deck, we did the same to Huddersfield and Norwich and Leeds...

 

For me, the only difference and I really like it is that Kelvin is encouraged not to kick the ball unless we need him to. I like this approach. Players should be encouraged to love the ball, keep it, caress it and USE it - not waste it.

 

But we are a League One side and having players who can do this well is not easy at our level. That's whay Pardew played to our strengths and let the players give it to Lambert from anywhere. It worked. Adkins approach is also working at home. As soon as it starts to work away (and I think it will), the league is ours to lose.

[Red And White Barmy Army]

I came to the first few games this year under Pardew and the last few under Adkins since i've been back in Southampton. I saw a huge difference against huddersfield - possibly helped by the fact that they were trying passing football also which made for a cracking game. We do pass it out from the back a lot more and the midfield players come deeper to receive the ball and keep the ball in midfield for longer. Yesterday wasn't so great - poor at keeping possession in midfield (partly due to Hammond's absence) and played too many long balls for my liking in the 1st half. 2nd half was a bit different cos they left 3 at the back after 2-0 and we seemed to be soaking up the pressure and them hitting them on the counter-attack time after time. I won't complain about yesterday cos we won 4-0 but at the same time I would rather the long balls were a last resort or 'plan B'.

[SaintNeil90]

Biggest difference: Much much fitter. We can play at a high tempo for the whole game.

[Leicestersaint]

Biggest difference: Much much fitter. We can play at a high tempo for the whole game.

 

And this is very encouraging - we need to get back to our high intensity play and I think we are well on the way.

[Thedelldays]

now we seem to be playing adkins way...I wonder if there is a real difference..?

[lambertsrightleg]

I first noticed it away at Yeovil. Mainly in the way we play from the back. Davis no longer stand with ths ball before rolling it outide his area and smashing it towards Lambert. Instead now the centre back drop off, full backs go wide and KD distributes alot more to them from his hands. When it gets to the full backs we now longer tend to pump it forward but look to play into the strikers feet and then get the wingers and a midfielder running onto it. Highyly enjoyable to watch.

[georgeweahscousin]

Lambert is looking a lot fitter. He made some energetic runs into the channels yesterday!