We’ve had a tough start to the season at Southampton but I personally feel that the performances have been better than the results. We’ve been on top in a lot of the games and on a couple of occasions we’ve had some very dodgy decisions go against us. In the match against QPR there were two incidents which led to goals which should have been pulled up by the ref – those types of things totally change the results of a game. It just seems to be that things are going against us at the moment but at the end of the day we’re the ones who are going to have to turn it around.
Still Confident
The young guys in the squad are still full of confidence and still enjoying the fact that they are part of the first squad. In previous seasons they weren’t given nearly as many chances so for them it’s a great opportunity to make an impression. Even though things haven’t been going too well they are still positive. That being said, the reality of how hard it is in the Championship is starting to hit home, you can’t guarantee three points in any match in this League and they are starting to realise it!
The fitness levels of the squad are very high after a long pre-season, intense pre-season. Perhaps some of the young guys need to learn not to use all their energy before the matches! They want to go out everyday in training giving it 100% when maybe they should be looking towards the next match and knowing how to conserve their strength. As you get older and more experienced you get better at learning how to manage your own body so that you peak for the game rather than training.
Shining Stars
I mentioned in my last column, prior to the season starting, that Adam Lallana and David McGoldrick would be the standout players for us this season. So far they haven’t disappointed, they’ve performed really well. The Club have also done well in bringing them into the first team and it’s now important that we try and keep the side together. With the financial worries at the Club it’s going to be hard to turn down big money offers in January but I really hope we can keep this group of guys at Southampton for a couple of years and then we’ll really start going places.
Arsene Wenger does a great job at Arsenal giving youngsters an opportunity in the first team. He tries to hold onto the ones he thinks are right for the Club and makes his money from selling the successful guys whose careers are winding down. Hopefully we can replicate that at St. Mary’s and give the young guys long-term contracts.
Dreaming of Wembley
The Carling Cup run could be great for the team. We had a superb win against Birmingham and these one-off games are a brilliant way for the lads to go out and express themselves without having the pressure of getting League points. The game against Rotherham next week is a good chance for us to make the next round and perhaps then we might draw one of the Premier League sides. We’re only two or three rounds away from a Wembley final! Results in the past show that anything can happen in the Carling Cup because the big teams usually don’t play their best sides.
I’ve been on the wrong end of a giant-killing and it’s not good. When I was at Spurs we got beaten by Fulham who were way down the leagues. It can always happen and with Rotherham on Tuesday we have a potential banana skin. I’ve no doubt it’ll be a very tough game especially as we play three games in six days!
Some of the attendances at home this season have been pretty poor – especially in the evening games. It’s a shame but we recognise as players that we have to create an atmosphere by performing on the day. It’s one of those things in football that you’ve got to get on with, it doesn’t matter if there are 500 people watching or 50,000 you still need to give it your all. Hopefully the young guys can take that on board and focus on their own games and not worry about the crowd too much.
Players to Watch
I was right in predicting that Kevin Phillips was a great buy for Birmingham, he’s been on fire again. I’ve also been really impressed by some of the guys at QPR; although he didn’t play against us, the Argentine Emmanuel Ledesma looks fantastic and they’ve also got young Daniel Parejo, on loan from Real Madrid, who’s a brilliant player as well. All the money that has gone into QPR has made them a much stronger proposition on paper. It would be nice if somebody wanted to come in and invest in Southampton, then we could go out and buy some star names and try and move up the League! In the long term I do think all the money coming into the game is a positive thing, I just hope they don’t invest in all our rivals!
Spurs need Time
I don’t think my old club Spurs are too far off from being where they want to be. Juande Ramos did really well last year when he came in and they even won the Carling Cup. The manager had a great record at Sevilla and I think that given time and once the players have all had time to gel, they’ll be a real force in the Premier League. All Ramos needs to do is decide who he wants in the first eleven and I’m sure they’ll reach the European places.
Until next time...