Players need to wake up.

[John Boy Saint]

As fans we have had a great time these last few season, we have seen a winning side playing winning football, at times some of the football we have watched has been mesmerising.

 

However the gulf between the championship and Premiership has be there to see, last year when teams got in our faces we wobble, this season every team is in your face for almost 90 minute, but like we saw second half against Villa get at teams and they are vulnerable too.

 

Monday night the players look like they are in shock or still not believing they are playing in what is reputed to be the best league in the world, and at times playing in a dream like trance: go 1 or 2 goals down and still play at the same slow pace as if "we will wake up in an hour and it will all be over". There are players in the team who seem to know exactly where they are but are surrounded by those in this trance.

 

Adkins is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and as fans I think many of us would like to see the team share his burden. Adkins says training has been great but on the day so far it has gone awry. It would be shame if the cold bucket of water over the players as they wander round in their stupor is the departure of Nigel, but they really need to wake up and get a bit nasty, make a meal of getting tapped by an opposing player (Spurs were excellent at that) Adam Lallana needs to behave like a captain and get a bit nasty (in the right way to gee the players up) Hammond whilst deficient in some parts of his game didn't hold back in getting into the players to get them going.

 

Sadly the players probably don't read this haven for wristslitters and the like, but if they did I would like them to wake up, treat Saturday as the first game of the season and play like they are capable of. In fact play like every scout for every great team in the world is watching them alone. Otherwise it's going to be a bloody long nightmare and if you ain't looking to be trying then no one is going to offer you and easy way out in January, and come May there will be a pay cut.............. This is it, yes you really are in the Premiership, that smell? Coffee. Wake and take what could be your only chance of tasting it every morning for the rest of your careers.

[Pilchards]

Confidence and a suited formation is the answer.

[Saint Fan CaM]

It's not about waking up - it's about a good proportion of the players just not being good enough mentally and physically unfortunately.

 

If you ask a group of men to jump 4ft in the air from a crouching position, some might achieve it the first time. Every successive time they try to do it, the ones that can do it will eventually tire and stop being able to do it. The ones that couldn't in the first place will see some do it and realise they're not good enough, tire quickly trying and then very quickly give up. It will not take too long for the entire group to stop believing in their collective ability to continue to achieve the task.

 

Failing to achieve a task because of ones own limitations, despite a real and honest desire to do so, induces stress. Stress compounds failure.

 

In simple terms, this is appears to be our team.

 

Add in the pressure of performing in front of tens of thousands of people, any niggling injuries in the back of the mind, a coach that keeps telling you it will come good when everything in your mind and body is screaming "no!" at you and a whole bunch of other issues - then you'll be closer to the truth.

 

This is why we MUST stick with Adkins - he knows this stuff. It's why he MUST be given the opportunity to raise the collective competency of the squad in January. He has spent much time getting to know each one of these players intimately and he is the best one to know where to improve. We know he can organise a competent squad to win games - it's all about getting the right quality of players for the task at hand.