Do we need another RB?

[max_saints]

I know we already have a back up RB in the form of Richardson but NA does not seem to rate him and in the cases when clyne was out, he would rather play maya or cork out of position than to play our other specialist righ back. the problem this causes is that we miss them playing in their natural position and they are at best only competent filling in at RB. I know clyne is coming back from injury soon but I would hate for him to get injured again in the latter stages of the season and we had to play players out of position in a relegation scrap.

 

however, having said all that, I think it will be tough finding a good RB who would be content at sitting on the bench and being back up... perhaps someone on loan till the end of the season?

[Avenue Saint]

Think we need

 

1) Keeper

2) Centre back

3) Right back

4) Wide Midfield

 

Out:

Forecast

Richardson

Butterfield

Seaborne

Dickson

Chaplow?

Forte

De Ridder?

[slickmick]

Think we need

 

1) Keeper

2) Centre back

3) Right back

4) Wide Midfield

 

Out:

Forecast

Richardson

Butterfield

Seaborne

Dickson

Chaplow?

Forte

De Ridder?

 

And Kelvin ?

[Avenue Saint]

And Kelvin ?

 

Yeah sorry,

 

Kelvin:OUT

[Saint Garrett]

Was Fraser injured yesterday? Thought it was odd him not on the bench atleast.

[sammysaint]

I would hope we are focusing on a CB and winger RB does need a back up but they key areas are the ones i have mentioned, keeper is also needed possibly, but i would just wack Gazza back in there, he is young and will get better he has got the confidence just needs experience.

[Window Cleaner]

Was Fraser injured yesterday? Thought it was odd him not on the bench atleast.

 

think he's probably on his way out, maybe better for him not to be cup tied.

[Rebel]

I thought Fraser was carrying an injury - but yes I think we probably do need another right back. Kieran Trippier at Burnley would do for me.

 

Worryingly it adds another player to the long list of players we need. We now need:

 

- a first choice goal keeper

- a first choice left back

- a right back

- a defensive midfielder

- a right winger

- and 2 centre backs

 

We have got quite a few players to get rid of now though - including:

 

De Ridder

Hooiveld

Fox

Richardson

Butterfield

Dickson

Seaborne

Forte

Chaplow?

Boruc?

Barnard

 

I would loan out Chaplow, Fraser, Fox and Barnard for now though just in case we need them next season.

 

I would also send Tandanari, Martin and Mayuka out on loan to the Championship to get some game time and some more experience.

[The Kraken]

Was Fraser injured yesterday? Thought it was odd him not on the bench atleast.

 

I thought the same. He was on the bench the previous week, but Ben Reeves made the bench against Chelsea at his expense.

 

There was a good deal of interest in Richardson earlier in the season; in fact he was being lined up for a loan move to a Championship club before Clyne got injured. I wouldn't be surprised if that gets resurrected, the club he was originally potentially going to are still looking for a RB.

[Legod Third Coming]

I'm beginning to worry about Adkins and that he may think he's Arsene Wenger and that we are Arsenal...

 

We desperately need improvement at the back.

 

We need a Premiership Keeper.

 

We need at least one, possibly two Centre Backs.

 

We need a right back.

 

And we're ok at left back as long as Shaw stays fit and Fox is used as back-up...

[Saints boy in Leeds]

I would hope we are focusing on a CB and winger RB does need a back up but they key areas are the ones i have mentioned, keeper is also needed possibly, but i would just wack Gazza back in there, he is young and will get better he has got the confidence just needs experience.

 

I hope Gazzaniga is playing every game for our reserves for game time, I thought he looked good in the Everton game. Hopefully he will be ready for next season be it prem or champ ?

[RobM]

In recent times our lack of true quality in depth has been shown up, so we do need to add to RB but also all other positions. If we don't have a Prem-ready player sat ready to go, we aren't strong enough. As Fonte has shown, injuries can happen at anytime... Imagine Yoshida getting injured in training this week, or Cork!

 

Where I disagree with other posters is how we do it. IMO we buy better than we have now, we should never buy cover, buy to improve the starting lineup and let players fight and prove their worth.

[Chez]

No, we have Butterfield ready and waiting. Prize for anyone that can explain why we offered him an extension to his contract. Madness.

[Thedelldays]

we cant and wont buy in every position we get an injury in......

[RobM]

we cant and wont buy in every position we get an injury in......

 

We can't and won't survive in this league without quality cover in every position.

[Thedelldays]

We can't and won't survive in this league without quality cover in every position.

plenty of other teams have managed it..some quite comfortably

[MINIBARCELONASAINT]

I thought Fraser was carrying an injury - but yes I think we probably do need another right back. Kieran Trippier at Burnley would do for me.

 

Worryingly it adds another player to the long list of players we need. We now need:

 

- a first choice goal keeper

- a first choice left back

- a right back

- a defensive midfielder

- a right winger

- and 2 centre backs

 

We have got quite a few players to get rid of now though - including:

 

De Ridder

Hooiveld

Fox

Richardson

Butterfield

Dickson

Seaborne

Forte

Chaplow?

Boruc?

Barnard

 

I would loan out Chaplow, Fraser, Fox and Barnard for now though just in case we need them next season.

 

I would also send Tandanari, Martin and Mayuka out on loan to the Championship to get some game time and some more experience.

 

And be left struggling to name seven on the bench................................

[RobM]

plenty of other teams have managed it..some quite comfortably

 

What's your opinion then - do we have enough quality in depth to maintain our position beyond this season, or do we need quality cover in every position?

[Thedelldays]

What's your opinion then - do we have enough quality in depth to maintain our position beyond this season, or do we need quality cover in every position?

my opinion..ok (no doubt you will disagree/sneer)

 

looking back from the last couple of season in the prem..I have seen team come up (and not spent the whole season in the top two of the NPC)

spend very little compared to us and stay up....the mighty hull, wigan, stoke (their team in the first season was woeful) norwich and swansea..

none of which came up in the position we did...I believe we have got a better squad than many of those DID and they stayed up..some quite comfortably

 

.even blackpool with the great gary taylor-fletcher and marlon harewood went to the last day.........

 

we go on about the likes of QPR throwing money at it..yet we (if rumours are to be correct) are set to be one of the biggest spenders in europe...insane to go down if you are just that

 

so yes, right now, I believe we have the players good enough to stay up..as I have said, others have come up with (IMO) worse squads

I still am not sure about the manager though...we should have after a £30m spend

Edited 6 January, 2013 by Thedelldays

[RobM]

I'm not going to sneer at that, it didn't answer my question but it's a valid opinion.

 

I agree that our starting lineup, plus cover in some areas is good enough to stay up. I think the way we have competed against some of the best teams in existence has shown that. But my concern - and the question I asked your opinion on - was whether our cover in all positions is good enough.

In goal we're OK, IMO

At LB we have Fox only, who has looked poor defensively but OK going forward.

At RB we have Richardson, who I think is OK, but the club doesn't seem to so we're playing CB's or DM's there as cover.

At CB we have Jos, who has cost us points and scored more goals than some of our forwards... just in the wrong net.

At CM I think we're OK - Davis and JWP are good enough IMO.

On the wings we have Guly and SDR... Guly is good enough cover and puts in a shift, SDR not so much.

Up front we have more than enough.

 

We lost Lallana and it weakened us as we didn't have quality cover.

We lost Clyne and it weakened us as we didn't have quality cover, but worse we had to move one of our best performers out of position, weakening two positions.

We've not lost Fonte and we're now reliant on Jos.

 

We know it's a squad game, it's not about 11... IMO, out squad isn't strong enough, our starting 11 is.

[Saint Garrett]

Harewood was always quite good though, he done a job for Forest in the prem and was very good for West Ham in the prem.

 

Harewood Prem Apps:

132

 

Lambert Prem Apps: 19.

 

You make out to say all these players were sh*t and our squad is so so much better and hugely underperforming. The average age of our squad is probably about 26, and the first 11 is far less than that. The players we bought are good players but unproven, we decided to go down this route rightly or wrongly it's still unproven. It's not like we have spent £30m on players in their prime or even on their downward spiral is it. This season was always going to be tough as the players that we bought had never played in the Prem apart from Steven Davis who is a pretty average player.

 

The fact that Steve De Ridder and us having 2 17/18 year olds in the matchday squads everyweek shows that our 'squad' is actually not that great. We always knew it was going to be a very hard year, but if we can just stay up this season, then I don't think we'll be in the same position next season fighting against relegation.

[Thedelldays]

but our squad is better (imo) than Norwich, wigan, hull, stoke when they came up...light years ahead of blackpool who lead at OT on the last day but lost and went down

 

what people are after is just not going to happen..IE "quality cover in all positions"....no team in their first season in the prem has that...just none..and many who have stayed up did not even have the squad we have now..no where near it...

 

remember stoke had delap and ricardo fuller as their main players....we thought they were utter garbage in the NPC....

 

if we cant stay up, with a club that spent the whole season in the NPC in the top 2 and added £30m worth of players in all areas of the park...then, again in my opinion, adkins has fuk'd it up......as again, plenty of managers who would be laughed at if they were suggested as saints manager have stayed up with said poorer squads...phil brown and paul jewell for a start...and holloways miracle and blackpool nearly came off

[Saint Garrett]

but our squad is better (imo) than Norwich, wigan, hull, stoke when they came up...light years ahead of blackpool who lead at OT on the last day but lost and went down

 

what people are after is just not going to happen..IE "quality cover in all positions"....no team in their first season in the prem has that...just none..and many who have stayed up did not even have the squad we have now..no where near it...

 

remember stoke had delap and ricardo fuller as their main players....we thought they were utter garbage in the NPC....

 

if we cant stay up, with a club that spent the whole season in the NPC in the top 2 and added £30m worth of players in all areas of the park...then, again in my opinion, adkins has fuk'd it up......as again, plenty of managers who would be laughed at if they were suggested as saints manager have stayed up with said poorer squads...phil brown and paul jewell for a start...and holloways miracle and blackpool nearly came off

 

But Stoke came up and played their way. Very solid at the back, bought very solid defenders and the midfield was very disciplined, then hit the balls long to a big lump up front. I coudln't watch that every week, you're lucky you don't go to games so it's easy to say you'd be happy for us to play like that and stay up.

[Thedelldays]

But Stoke came up and played their way. Very solid at the back, bought very solid defenders and the midfield was very disciplined, then hit the balls long to a big lump up front. I coudln't watch that every week, you're lucky you don't go to games so it's easy to say you'd be happy for us to play like that and stay up.

bit of a selfish view....bet you never had a problem under WGS when we were more direct...

 

we hoof it plenty of times ourselves

[Saint Garrett]

I didn't mind that much no, because I didn't have a season ticket.

[Thedelldays]

I didn't mind that much no, because I didn't have a season ticket.

ah i see.....not really sure why you feel the need to have a pop

 

guess it is a common trait on here...unless you think adkins is super duper, saints are just doing the best ever and us spending massive money is totally different to say QPR throwing money at it....you must be sneered at

 

i get it

[studentsaint]

You have to realise money isn't endless. A decision has to be made, quality in 2 positions or cheap alternatives that offer cover and don't improve what we have. We are lucky that cork and yoshi are versatile. If we buy a cb could yoshi play rb if Clyne got injured?

[Saint Garrett]

Not really. I'm not having a pop at all, I'm stating a fact. Just because I don't agree with your opinion it doesn't mean I'm 'having a pop'.

 

I think we have some good players at this level, maybe some 8-12th position players. I also think we have some very average players, and some who are improving all the time. There is no doubt whether the younger lads will be good enough to play in the Premiership, just unsure as to whether they're ready yet. Some are still making errors as often as you can get away with in the NPC but unable to make them in the Premiership. Nigel said in the week, 'Luke Shaw is best staying with us as he can learn and make errors at Southampton'. Yes he can, and yes he is a very very talented player. Which is why if we stay up I don't think we'll be struggling next year. Our players will have a seasons experience uner their belts and will have 'wised up' to the premiership.

 

You look at West Ham and they have players who have been there before, players which know when to pull a shirt or step in front of an attacker, to the point where they get away with fouls. I don't think it's necessarily the talent that is holding us back, but just being a bit cleverer when we have the ball and without it. Also we do need a few more players. IMO, a keeper who is good enough to save us multiple points a season, i.e. Vorm for Swansea last season or Al-Habsi has done for Wigan. And then a commanding CB, maybe a bit more power in the middle of the park, and then also a forward who is going to offer a bit more. Quite a few times this season when J-Rod has played, the balls been punted up to him from CB and he's got no chance is getting it. Going the other way, there has been quite a few 'through balls' to Lambert where he's just not that kind of player. You get the breaks in the lower leagues, you don't get that in the Prem.

[Leicestersaint]

Yes I think we need cover for the RB position.

[RobM]

ah i see.....not really sure why you feel the need to have a pop

 

guess it is a common trait on here...unless you think adkins is super duper, saints are just doing the best ever and us spending massive money is totally different to say QPR throwing money at it....you must be sneered at

 

i get it

 

I'm not sure anyone was having a pop, in fact it was a decent conversation until you got upset.

 

I do see your point about the other clubs that have come up, but don't forget Wigan spent over £11m in their promotion season, which was a lot of money for a newly promoted club in 2005 (2006???) - £11m wouldn't go anywhere near as far today. Stoke too have spent a lot of money to secure their place and they continue to do so.

 

And for every Norwich, who you're right, didn't come up with a better squad than us and didn't spend millions, there are two, three, four other clubs who tried the same and went down. It's not the case that every newly promoted club sticks largely with what they have got, many spend big to survive... some bigger than others.