Ive noticed recently that my posts seem to have a direct correlation between poor performances by the team. This occurs, as
Martin Maldonado Jersey far as I can tell, for several reasons. Firstly, the simple explanation that it remains much easier to comment upon and criticize a performance than it is to praise at times. This isnt particularly surprising; as a long-suffering Saints fan, I firmly believe that I deserve a bloody good moan on occasion. Two relegations, administration and eight years of relative mediocrity are testament to this, and I firmly believe that most of my fellow supporters are of the same mind. If not, then they should be. Such negativity was, however, briefly pushed aside last season with the arrival of the Knight-like Marcus Liebherr, an injection of funds for the recruitment of playing staff and the appointment of Alan Pardew. A first season in League One, albeit one commencing on minus ten points, came as, much to the surprise of most, somewhat refreshing for most fans. Regular wins, decent football on display (at least from our own side) and visits to some genuine British stadiums for yesteryear, as well as a trip to Wembley proved enjoyable, and despite the disappointment of falling just short of the play-offs, relegation from the Championship wasnt the worse thing to happen in Saints history. That however, was last year. The noveltys worn off, and Im thoroughly fed up of trips to Hartlepool and Swindon (with all due respect to our rivals). I, like most, expected automatic promotion this year. An excellent end to the previous season was expected to continue into the next, and with the two leading strikers in the league, and the strengthening of two players from the team of the year in Frazier Richardson and Ryan Dickson, many saw the
Andrew Heaney Jersey team as more than suitably armed to be crowned Champions at a canter. A BBC report titled Who can stop Southampton? seemed justified and what appeared to be a significantly weaker league without the likes of Leeds, Norwich and Millwall added to the sense of optimism around St. Marys. Oh how we scoffed when opposition fans dubbed us the new Leeds in a league we described as too small for us.And yet here we are, approaching the final stage of the season, fresh on the back of defeat to fourth from bottom Walsall and trailing behind the likes of Peterborough, Huddersfield and Bournemouth, there is anything but the said sense of optimism many experienced in August of last year. I am not an arrogant fan. I realise that we are in this league for one reason, and one reason alone; we deserve to be. No-one has a divine right to succe s, and come May the seventh, the two most succe sful teams will find themselves promoted to the Championship, with the four below them entering the lottery of the play-offs.
CJ Wilson Jersey With that disclaimer over, and without trying to come acro s as too strong, how the bloody hell are we still struggling to overcome Walsall. Walsall. Whose back four contains Oliver Lancashire. A team that have conceded twenty-six goals at home (second highest in the league if youre wondering). Yet here I am, writing about a one-nil defeat in a must win game nece sary to take advantage of our games in hand over the rest of the dro s around us. Adkins answer of us battering them for ninety minutes offers scant consolation in a results based industry. As we are told on an irritatingly regular basis from the man at the helm, its all about winning games of football. Its as simple as that. Another surprisingly simple thing is whatll happen if
Hansel Robles Jersey we fail to achieve promotion. Lets hope you get it right Nigel.I am, as it happens, a fan of Nigel Adkins. Hes introduced some good, attractive football to St. Marys and excellent victories over Oldham, Blackpool and Huddersfield have been extremely encouraging. Yet this team, that must be cla sed as one of the most talented in the league (certainly the most expensive) with the likes of Jose Fonte, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, whom Adkins hails as the best player in League One, continues to frustrate on an ever increasing basis. The awful result at Walsall was proceeded by an unconvincing victory over Carlisle,
Zack Cozart Jersey the surrendering of a three goal lead at Peterborough and a lackluster draw at Hartlepool. Its certainly been coming. There were victories over Swindon and Exeter to consider, but without being unrealistic, such wins were rightfully expected. This is not a particularly talented league. Succe s is usually attributed to a good work ethic and organisation on the pitch la Swindon last year. Yet time and again we find ourselves unable to break teams down in the style and manner in which Brighton have shown themselves capable of all season. An early goal is usually followed by several more, but on the ever increasing basis in which we fail to score early, we find ourselves struggling to break teams down and finish our chances. The positive from this result is a more encouraging statistic to consider. Each of our prior four lo ses under Adkins have been followed with a victory. A difficult away trip to Colchester however, is not the fixture I find myself overly confident about.
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