Rafa benitez

[The Kraken]

Be amazed if Pardew needed the money

Unless it was him who insisted on it lol

 

How do you mean "needed the money"?

[Dig Dig]

Of green gets picked then kelvin is a shoe-in.. Apparently..

 

And this is the best saints team ever

 

Some people were saying that Kelvin is as good as Green and i think thats still a fair opinion.

 

Some people (including myself) said that the consistency and quality of football played was the best in their lifetime. This is still true for me, I liked the squad and set up over the last couple of seasons as well as the winning mentality.

 

Still, goad away if it makes you guys feel any better.

[Dig Dig]

3 letters. NDA.

 

Which has already expired.....

[The Kraken]

Which has already expired.....

 

Has it? What were the terms of it? I don't know myself, simply that AP signed one when he left (pretty much by his own admission). I wasn't aware it had expired already.

[Dig Dig]

Has it? What were the terms of it? I don't know myself, simply that AP signed one when he left (pretty much by his own admission). I wasn't aware it had expired already.

 

He said that he couldnt give details because of the NDA but also said it was in place for 3 months I believe. It was when he was on goals on sunday soon after he was sacked.

 

Anyway, it's not practicle or normal to have an NDA which is binding for more than a reasonable period of time. The silence on the matter from both parties is a good indication that both are pretty comfortable for it not to be out in the open.

[Thedelldays]

How do you mean "needed the money"?

 

I couldn't imagine it was for multi million ££££. And last this long.... If he was hard done by then I am amazed it has never come out from his side.....

[The Kraken]

He said that he couldnt give details because of the NDA but also said it was in place for 3 months I believe. It was when he was on goals on sunday soon after he was sacked.

 

Anyway, it's not practicle or normal to have an NDA which is binding for more than a reasonable period of time. The silence on the matter from both parties is a good indication that both are pretty comfortable for it not to be out in the open.

 

I didn't know the 3 month thing.

 

As for your last part about both parties not being comfortable with it being in the open: I entirely agree. And, given how things have moved on for both, there's pretty much no value in it coming out now, neither would gain from it. If Pardew writes a book one day then we may find out some form of truth, thoug I doubt by then anyone will really care.

[Dig Dig]

I didn't know the 3 month thing.

 

As for your last part about both parties not being comfortable with it being in the open: I entirely agree. And, given how things have moved on for both, there's pretty much no value in it coming out now, neither would gain from it. If Pardew writes a book one day then we may find out some form of truth, thoug I doubt by then anyone will really care.

 

Yep. I was horrified by the decision at the time but with the power of hindsight, we got Adkins who did what we needed him to do and Pardew went on to do a great job at Newcastle. All's well that ends well and all that. I think everyone would be curious to know what happened though but probably best left alone

[Soggy Bottom]

I think Swansea lost all 4 of the opening games they did ok

[The Kraken]

I think Swansea lost all 4 of the opening games they did ok

 

You think wrong, I'm afraid.

[Saint Charlie]

You think wrong, I'm afraid.

 

Yep, they hadn't scored in the first four and had two points.

 

Hardly a world away from where we are.

[The Kraken]

Yep, they hadn't scored in the first four and had two points.

 

Hardly a world away from where we are.

 

Did they concede 14 goals too? Or, when they played at the Emirates, did the concede 6 goals?

[Saint Charlie]

Did they concede 14 goals too? Or, when they played at the Emirates, did the concede 6 goals?

 

Clearly not, but they hadn't scored which is another key part of football. Plus they only played 2 of top 3 not 3 like we have.

 

They conceded 4 in 4 league games and were considered to have a very good defence. Just shows how tough the Prem is. Ultimately we are only a win away from moving out the relegation zone and that's the key. No team will be relegated ever after 4, 5 or even 10 games.

 

In any case, let's compare results once we have got to 10games.

[Rut]

'rafa' - past me the sick bag.

 

If he comes back to the 'EPL' will he be friends with 'fergie' or not?

 

Puke inducing stuff.

[Matthew Le God]

I think Swansea lost all 4 of the opening games they did ok

 

You think wrong, I'm afraid.

 

Yep, they hadn't scored in the first four and had two points.

 

Hardly a world away from where we are.

 

Did they concede 14 goals too? Or, when they played at the Emirates, did the concede 6 goals?

 

Norwich City lost 5-1 and 6-1 against Man City last season and finished 12th.

[DT]

Clearly not, but they hadn't scored which is another key part of football.

Oh. Now it all makes sense.

[trousers]

@2ndYellow: There are Southampton fans who want Nigel Adkins sacked. After consecutive promotions. Don't they realise they support a provincial club?

[Turkish]

@2ndYellow: There are Southampton fans who want Nigel Adkins sacked. After consecutive promotions. Don't they realise they support a provincial club?

 

Are there? Apart from a couple on the internet i'm yet to come across anyone that does and certainly on one in the real world. The fact of the matter is there is clearly some tension and a lot of the speculation is that people expect Cortese to act quickly if things are going wrong.

[Thedelldays]

@2ndYellow: There are Southampton fans who want Nigel Adkins sacked. After consecutive promotions. Don't they realise they support a provincial club?

 

What is a provincial club?

[musesaint]

Knee jerk reaction of the bedwetters who are worried that we have no points - yet!

 

Rafa would be a disaster for Saints and I don't imagine he'd be the right "mix" with NC

 

The season begins on Saturday and the squad need to man-up and get a result

 

Otherwise ........

[Leslie Charteris]

Stop fretting, he's off to AC Milan according to this impeccable source...

 

http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/transfer-rumours/120919/ac-milan-planning-shock-swoop-former-liverpool-boss-181303

[Dig Dig]

Are there? Apart from a couple on the internet i'm yet to come across anyone that does and certainly on one in the real world. The fact of the matter is there is clearly some tension and a lot of the speculation is that people expect Cortese to act quickly if things are going wrong.

 

Is it really fact? Is it really clear? Or is it all just based on speculation and little whispers?

 

Journalists who are closer to the club than those writting rubbish stories about Redknapp and Benitez have said that the club are looking at a long term strategy which doesn't include sacking Adkins.

 

If it happens it happens but I've seen nothing to suggest that any of it is "fact"

[PokingFun]

As long as Adkins is doing the right things in training, getting the tactics and the play right on the day, I would expect Cortese to give him 10 games. Adkins has got to show he is addressing the problems even without the points. We have been clueless against the big 3 but that's not far from the expected.

 

If you look at all the faffing about Benetiz did at Liverpool I doubt that would work, but if you look at what he did at Valencia there is no one better. Personally I would not mind someone like Joe Jordan coming in to help Adkins.

 

How can you say we have been "clueless" against the top three?

 

We have had one game where we were not at the races (Arsenal), and two games where we have been well in contention against some of the best players on the planet. Wigan we played well first half and didn't turn up second half yet still had chances to take something from the game until their second in the 90th minute.

 

Yes, in each game we have made some inidividual mistakes which have cost us a couple of points we were in contention for but to use the work "clueless" is harsh in the extreme. Versus Man City NA made some substitutions that worked well in our favour and then he was let down by poor individual errors when defending the lead. Versus Man Utd he made some dubious substitutions (according to most fans who have no knowledge of energy levels or anything else that influenced those decisions) but again our individual errors defensively were largely responsible for Man U scoring twice late on (Utd were well on top and pressurising us for some time before we conceded or before we made the subs!) and who is to say had he not made the substitutions that we would DEFINITELY have closed that game out. I don't think its that simple against top two opposition unfortunately. You can keep things the same or change them and their ability will still often get them something from the game. I've seen it happen so often over seasons where Saints tinted specs were not on!

 

There are also many positives so far. Whilst we are low down the table on possession (around 44% average this season) the numbers in our three games against the top sides suggest we have more possession than the average team against top sides which bodes well as it means we are significantly above where the bottom sides will be over a season. In addition, we pass the ball well. We pass it accurately 85% or so of the time which is up there with top 8 territory. In addition, we have also scored against all three top teams and against Wigan it seemed one of those days when we had no rub and their keeper played extremely well (particularly first half where we may have been out of sight with average luck) so with the addition of Ramirez this also bodes very well from an attacking egde perspective. Finally, the bottom half teams will not create the chances or positions that were worked by the top three anywhere near as often and are unlikely to be anywhere near as ruthless so we will be under significantly less pressure defensively which should enable the attacking edge to come through more effectively.

 

I would certainly prefer to use a significantly longer number of games to identify us as "clueless" in the same way that I would want a significantly longer number of games to regard us as "contenders" had we won our first four matches. Yes, I am concerned that we have not picked up any points yet but the positives I am seeing against the top sides I believe will still bode well over a season and achieve safety at least. Clearly, the defensive side needs some work but more importantly I think it is concentration levels that need improving in the GK / Defence to enable us to ensure our good attacking play does not go wasted.

 

I guess time will tell and hopefully (at least from my perspective) NA will get enough time to pit his wits against sides where the games are very winnable to show he has the ability at this level. I still think he can do well and won;t change that opinion over a handful of games against top opposition especially as two games were away from home as well.

[DT]

@2ndYellow: There are Southampton fans who want Nigel Adkins sacked. After consecutive promotions. Don't they realise they support a provincial club?

One not in London, I'm guessing. So we're just like Man City, Man U, Liverpool etc etc

[Danbert]

Did they concede 14 goals too? Or, when they played at the Emirates, did the concede 6 goals?

 

Oh for crying out loud what does that matter. Didn't the mighty Arsenal get whipped something like 8-2 by Man U. at the start of last season? They still qualified for the Champions League. It's just one result. Get over it.

[The Kraken]

Oh for crying out loud what does that matter. Didn't the mighty Arsenal get whipped something like 8-2 by Man U. at the start of last season? They still qualified for the Champions League. It's just one result. Get over it.

 

14 goals conceded in 4 games Danny, but that's by the by.

[Saint Charlie]

14 goals conceded in 4 games Danny, but that's by the by.

 

Not sure what your point is?

 

We all know we have conceded too many goals, but we also know we have played possibly the best three teams in the league - Im sure City and United will score 3+ goals in a fair amount of their league games and we were also likely to get a kicking a few times this season - only Arsenal have given us one.

 

On the flip side, we have demonstrated that we can score against these teams also - and get goals from open play.

 

Clearly we need to tighten up the defence, nobody is denying that.

 

The question I have for you is - if these games had been spread through the season you wouldn't be overly concerned - you expect it against those teams. Surely you have to give the team a chance in some games vs teams around our sort of level, ie the next run of 5. Wigan was not a great display but we hit the bar twice and their keeper was MOTM. there was a lot of pressure on that game because we knew the others would be tough.

 

If we concede 17/18 in the next 5 games then of course we would all worry.

Edited 20 September, 2012 by Saint Charlie

[The Kraken]

Our defensive frailty is my point. Yes, we've played some good sides, but its not unprecedented for newly promoted sides to try to shut up shop and keep games tight. We've been unable to do that, even against Wigan, and the nature of many of the goals we've leaked are the worrying factor, not that we've actually conceded them in the first place.

 

I'm not sure about your question; you assume I'm writing the team off. I'm clearly not doing that. We've yet to see what real impact Yoshida will have. And we've also yet to see if Gazzaniga can step in. Unfortunately I feel keeping Kelvin is simply not an option, he's not commanding enough or reliable enough to be our first choice keeper. All IMO of course.

[Saint Charlie]

Our defensive frailty is my point. Yes, we've played some good sides, but its not unprecedented for newly promoted sides to try to shut up shop and keep games tight. We've been unable to do that, even against Wigan, and the nature of many of the goals we've leaked are the worrying factor, not that we've actually conceded them in the first place.

 

I'm not sure about your question; you assume I'm writing the team off. I'm clearly not doing that. We've yet to see what real impact Yoshida will have. And we've also yet to see if Gazzaniga can step in. Unfortunately I feel keeping Kelvin is simply not an option, he's not commanding enough or reliable enough to be our first choice keeper. All IMO of course.

 

 

Not much to argue with there and I agree we have to stop making basic defensive errors - suggests its more about the concentration/nerves/getting used to step up in class rather than the defenders arent good enough per se.

 

It just gest frustrating when people post as if they don't realise how good three of the teams we played are. City should have beaten Real Madrid on Tuesday and Arsenal after beating us went and won away against the French Champions. This isnt Barnsley or Crystal Palace - its a very tough league where to survive we need less than half the number of points we got last season.

 

We have played some great footy so far at times and certainly need to tighten up. But at least we know that, and we wont face anyone better than we already have done. West ham have played Villa, Swansea, Fulham and Norwich - of course you cant say for sure - but we would have got points against those teams IMO.

[Dig Dig]

Not much to argue with there and I agree we have to stop making basic defensive errors - suggests its more about the concentration/nerves/getting used to step up in class rather than the defenders arent good enough per se.

 

It just gest frustrating when people post as if they don't realise how good three of the teams we played are. City should have beaten Real Madrid on Tuesday and Arsenal after beating us went and won away against the French Champions. This isnt Barnsley or Crystal Palace - its a very tough league where to survive we need less than half the number of points we got last season.

 

We have played some great footy so far at times and certainly need to tighten up. But at least we know that, and we wont face anyone better than we already have done. West ham have played Villa, Swansea, Fulham and Norwich - of course you cant say for sure - but we would have got points against those teams IMO.

 

Good post

[The Kraken]

Arsenal was fantastically disappointing in that so many of their goals were avoidable. But even if we hadn't gifted them the goals we did, they'd still have beaten us, so its a somewhat moot point.

 

Wigan was disappointing; but we've improved our attacking options since then. Villa will be our first proper benchmark since then; so far we've played the teams in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 14th. You could argue that we're 3 points from where we could / would have expected to be at this stage. The nature of losing the Man United game was hard to take but heartening enough in itself. But we now have the tired (but accurate) old cliche that you have to beat the clubs around you, especially at home. Then its onto Everton and Fulham, and after that we'll have a much better idea of where we are.

 

I'm hoping it all comes together, Ramirez runs wild and we stick a few past Villa on Saturday.

[Saint Charlie]

Arsenal was fantastically disappointing in that so many of their goals were avoidable. But even if we hadn't gifted them the goals we did, they'd still have beaten us, so its a somewhat moot point.

 

Wigan was disappointing; but we've improved our attacking options since then. Villa will be our first proper benchmark since then; so far we've played the teams in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 14th. You could argue that we're 3 points from where we could / would have expected to be at this stage. The nature of losing the Man United game was hard to take but heartening enough in itself. But we now have the tired (but accurate) old cliche that you have to beat the clubs around you, especially at home. Then its onto Everton and Fulham, and after that we'll have a much better idea of where we are.

 

I'm hoping it all comes together, Ramirez runs wild and we stick a few past Villa on Saturday.

 

Sums it up for me, the press/Media have made the current situation a lot more negative than it actually is for a Saints fan. of course if we lose the enxt two games then its different but we certainly have a good chance to beat Villa if we tighten up.

[Turkish]

one thing is for sure if we get Rafa we can certainly gurantee the end to sloppy goals conceded and individual errors.

 

 

[The Kraken]

Great cross from Chappers there.

[tajjuk]

Our defensive frailty is my point. Yes, we've played some good sides, but its not unprecedented for newly promoted sides to try to shut up shop and keep games tight. We've been unable to do that, even against Wigan, and the nature of many of the goals we've leaked are the worrying factor, not that we've actually conceded them in the first place.

 

.

 

I made a post about this in another thread, from what I have seen so far we have been completely atrocious at trying to shut up shop and keep games tight. We started like that in the first half against City, conceded one could have been many more, second half we changed, pushed up higher Scored two goals AND conceded less chances. We started against Man Utd how we did the second half against City, and were 2-1 up with 10 minutes to go, we started to 'shut up shop' and it all went wrong. We did the same away at Arsenal, tried the traditional 10 men behind the ball park the bus and conceded 4 goals. Second half we attacked and lost 2-1.

 

The team just simply don't want to play like this or have the mindset to play that dour negative, defensive football and we play rubbish when we do. Adkins needs to be brave enough to get the team playing like they did against utd all the time, even away from home. The team will play better and be happier doing it. We might get hammered, but then we got hammered trying to be defensive, but we might just get some unexpected results away from home against the likes of Liverpool, Everton, Spurs, Newcastle who whilst good don't have the talent of an Arsenal or City to finish off us and are expected to play more open at home giving us space to attack into.

 

Wigan was a blip IMO, we didn't play great but it was a fairly balanced game, the first goal was crucial, we could have got it a couple of times, Wigan got it and then we conceded another one late on when chasing the game. If we had one that game or it had been a draw I don't think Martinez would have come out saying his team deserved to win.

 

Arsenal was fantastically disappointing in that so many of their goals were avoidable. But even if we hadn't gifted them the goals we did, they'd still have beaten us, so its a somewhat moot point.

 

 

I'm hoping it all comes together, Ramirez runs wild and we stick a few past Villa on Saturday.

 

Agree with this as well, while Arsenal did play well AND we weren't expecting anything at the Emirates (even the likes of Chelsea/Utd/City would be happy with a point there) you are correct that the way we conceded the goals was disappointing and all were avoidable.

Edited 20 September, 2012 by tajjuk

[Tokyo-Saint]

one thing is for sure if we get Rafa we can certainly gurantee the end to sloppy goals conceded and individual errors.

 

 

 

Don't blame it on sunshine

Don't blame it on moonlight

Don't blame it on good times

[Itchen_block4]

How can you say we have been "clueless" against the top three?

 

We have had one game where we were not at the races (Arsenal), and two games where we have been well in contention against some of the best players on the planet. Wigan we played well first half and didn't turn up second half yet still had chances to take something from the game until their second in the 90th minute.

 

Yes, in each game we have made some inidividual mistakes which have cost us a couple of points we were in contention for but to use the work "clueless" is harsh in the extreme. Versus Man City NA made some substitutions that worked well in our favour and then he was let down by poor individual errors when defending the lead. Versus Man Utd he made some dubious substitutions (according to most fans who have no knowledge of energy levels or anything else that influenced those decisions) but again our individual errors defensively were largely responsible for Man U scoring twice late on (Utd were well on top and pressurising us for some time before we conceded or before we made the subs!) and who is to say had he not made the substitutions that we would DEFINITELY have closed that game out. I don't think its that simple against top two opposition unfortunately. You can keep things the same or change them and their ability will still often get them something from the game. I've seen it happen so often over seasons where Saints tinted specs were not on!

 

There are also many positives so far. Whilst we are low down the table on possession (around 44% average this season) the numbers in our three games against the top sides suggest we have more possession than the average team against top sides which bodes well as it means we are significantly above where the bottom sides will be over a season. In addition, we pass the ball well. We pass it accurately 85% or so of the time which is up there with top 8 territory. In addition, we have also scored against all three top teams and against Wigan it seemed one of those days when we had no rub and their keeper played extremely well (particularly first half where we may have been out of sight with average luck) so with the addition of Ramirez this also bodes very well from an attacking egde perspective. Finally, the bottom half teams will not create the chances or positions that were worked by the top three anywhere near as often and are unlikely to be anywhere near as ruthless so we will be under significantly less pressure defensively which should enable the attacking edge to come through more effectively.

 

I would certainly prefer to use a significantly longer number of games to identify us as "clueless" in the same way that I would want a significantly longer number of games to regard us as "contenders" had we won our first four matches. Yes, I am concerned that we have not picked up any points yet but the positives I am seeing against the top sides I believe will still bode well over a season and achieve safety at least. Clearly, the defensive side needs some work but more importantly I think it is concentration levels that need improving in the GK / Defence to enable us to ensure our good attacking play does not go wasted.

 

I guess time will tell and hopefully (at least from my perspective) NA will get enough time to pit his wits against sides where the games are very winnable to show he has the ability at this level. I still think he can do well and won;t change that opinion over a handful of games against top opposition especially as two games were away from home as well.

 

Great post.

 

This thread is about replacing Adkins and we wouldn't have much to gain by doing it. He's got most of the big stuff right and when he didn't against Wigan, he was quick to acknowledge his mistake. What we need to do is to specifically target our frailties and build confidence in the way we want to play. We have a good setup, a good manager and the makings of a good team too. We've played 4 good sides and without the individual erreors, we could well have some points. As you say, there are positives that we can build on.

[This Charming Man]

I just think his Liverpool sides were generally sh!te. Brought some dire players.

 

Some of the stuff posted on here really is astonishing.

[Window Cleaner]

Anyway I don't see him coming to SMS at any time in the near future. No need anyway, there's not much wrong with the Saints that a decent keeper won't sort out, even our CB frailties would be lessened if they had someone behind them that they could rely on in a difficult situation.

[The Kraken]

Some of the stuff posted on here really is astonishing.

 

Its a bit like saying you don't want Mourinho to come to Saints because he was a bit negative with Chelsea.

[buctootim]

"Nothing at all" in the rumour

http://www.eatsleepsport.com/southampton/balague-scotches-rafa-saints-talk-1471893.html

[Bucks Saint]

"Nothing at all" in the rumour

http://www.eatsleepsport.com/southampton/balague-scotches-rafa-saints-talk-1471893.html

 

oh ok thats sealed that then. If only he could have said that on Saturday evening.

[up and away]

How can you say we have been "clueless" against the top three?

 

We have had one game where we were not at the races (Arsenal), and two games where we have been well in contention against some of the best players on the planet. Wigan we played well first half and didn't turn up second half yet still had chances to take something from the game until their second in the 90th minute.

 

Fair enough, maybe too general a statement that should be changed to the defence against the top 3 was clueless. Add into that the support given to the defence by the midfield at times. Whether they are individual errors or combined, the volume and basic nature of the defence makes it clueless. Fox is deliberately giving space and freedom to the winger in the area between the 18 yard box and the touch line. Not a one off but evident in every game so far. This is not what I would call a recognised method of treatment for wing backs and I would best describe that as clueless, you can use your own descriptive. Jos has got his own problems at this level but it comes down to major flaws in his decision making. As soon as Tevez felt his thigh touch the back of his leg, Tevez knew he could convert that innocent position into a stone wall penalty. Tevez then rolled around Jos's thigh and hit the deck, confident no referee in the land would deny him. Jos is still scratching his head wondering what happened. Fonte continually goes to sleep and finds himself on / in the wrong position with defenders. Something he has done for so long that it is more of a trait than error. Kelvin, by no means the worst offender has shown examples beyond all others. When Fonte "lost" the ball to the Wigan forward he came out towards the edge of his 18 yard box, then just waited with a Michael Flatley impression in such an open position, it was impossible to see anyone missing. By staying still you take the major obstacle out of the frame for the attacker. By positioning yourself more towards the centre, you are leaving little for the attacker to get wrong. Then the free kick where you position yourself so off centred from the middle you are just betting that the attacker cannot get the ball over the wall and down again. This was not a one off and already been demonstrated. It's not as if the wall is in on the ploy as no one is jumping to make it any more difficult.

 

You can call all of this what ever you like, individual errors, extremely naive but my impression was that the defence did not have a clue on several occasions and as such they repeated the same error again.

[kpturner]

"nothing at all" in the rumour

http://www.eatsleepsport.com/southampton/balague-scotches-rafa-saints-talk-1471893.html

 

thread closed

[Wes Tender]

thread closed

 

What does Alan Nixon have to say on the subject? If anybody knows, it will be him.

[PokingFun]

Fair enough, maybe too general a statement that should be changed to the defence against the top 3 was clueless. Add into that the support given to the defence by the midfield at times. Whether they are individual errors or combined, the volume and basic nature of the defence makes it clueless. Fox is deliberately giving space and freedom to the winger in the area between the 18 yard box and the touch line. Not a one off but evident in every game so far. This is not what I would call a recognised method of treatment for wing backs and I would best describe that as clueless, you can use your own descriptive. Jos has got his own problems at this level but it comes down to major flaws in his decision making. As soon as Tevez felt his thigh touch the back of his leg, Tevez knew he could convert that innocent position into a stone wall penalty. Tevez then rolled around Jos's thigh and hit the deck, confident no referee in the land would deny him. Jos is still scratching his head wondering what happened. Fonte continually goes to sleep and finds himself on / in the wrong position with defenders. Something he has done for so long that it is more of a trait than error. Kelvin, by no means the worst offender has shown examples beyond all others. When Fonte "lost" the ball to the Wigan forward he came out towards the edge of his 18 yard box, then just waited with a Michael Flatley impression in such an open position, it was impossible to see anyone missing. By staying still you take the major obstacle out of the frame for the attacker. By positioning yourself more towards the centre, you are leaving little for the attacker to get wrong. Then the free kick where you position yourself so off centred from the middle you are just betting that the attacker cannot get the ball over the wall and down again. This was not a one off and already been demonstrated. It's not as if the wall is in on the ploy as no one is jumping to make it any more difficult.

 

You can call all of this what ever you like, individual errors, extremely naive but my impression was that the defence did not have a clue on several occasions and as such they repeated the same error again.

 

I think the point is that if we can a) improve on those mistakes through coaching and b) we are playing against sides that aren't top 3, then I suspect we will not be punished anything like as much and therefore are likely to still win enough games due to our attacking ability being up there with some of the more decent mid-table sides in the league. That will be a big fact as to whether we can stay up or not. I agree with you that naive defending though needs to be eradicated from our game as much as possible to give us our best chance of getting major benefit from our attacking play. Time will tell.

[Spudders]

To me, the litmus test will be whether or not Glasgow Saint is planning to get a t-shirt with Benitez on the back. If so, it's on. If not, it's ummm, not on.