Nigel Adkins is quite correct when he says it wasnt the system to blame for the defeat at Brunton Park.

The Saints boss speaking tto The Daily Echo has quite correctly said that Saints need to adapt to different styles if they want to progress through the leagues, he is also correct in his assertion that Saints have not played well in their last two games on the road and this was the reason why he chose a different formation for the trip to Carlisle, to be blunt at this level and the standard of players we have compared to other teams we should be good enough to switch formations, just not game by game but also during matches as play dictates, those that say the players were not used to the system are forgetting that only a couple of the players out there on Saturday hadnt played the system under Alan Pardew last season with varying degrees of success, so it should not have been an alien concept for them.

Adkins goes on to point out that it was individual errors that have cost us the game and that tends to suggest that perhaps he has given certain players enough time to try and regain their form and that now he is prepared to be ruthless, I certainly hope so.

But although Adkins has correctly put his finger on exactly where we went wrong on Saturday its now time to do something about it, in truth it wasnt completely the fault of individual error, Adkins selection of Rickie Lambert as the lone striker was a mistake, anyone who has watched Lambert this season will tell you he is not the man for the job up front on his own in that he is not mobile enough, but apart from that he didnt deserve the place on merit, Barnard has been the player that has shown a willingness to work hard and close down defenders and at least two of the penalties that lambert has scored have been from Barnard being chopped down when through on goal.

So Adkins having publicly declared where he thinks the problem lies, he now has to do something about it, its not acceptable to now do nothing, how long can players be allowed to rest on their laurels, perhaps the manager is afraid of upsetting a few so called big names, but if those players arent producing the goods then it has to be done, Rickie lambert was the best striker in the division last season, this time out  he isnt even the best at Saints, Barnard & Guly probably both deserve to be in ahead of him, harsh but a fact of life in that in 19 games he has only scored once in open play and that is not good enough.

The worry is that having made his thoughts public Adkins might not carry through what he needs to do and if he doesnt he will have possibly lost respect in the dressing room, its clear that certain players expect to play come what may and that has to change, the manager had clearly hoped that if he gave them a bit of time they would find form, but in the main that hasnt happened.

In fact the inadaquacies on the road have been glossed over by a run of 5 straight home wins, 20,000 or so watched Saints slaughter Dagenham & Redbridge & beat Oldham and will be under the impression that everything is fine, the 1,000 or so at Carlisle or Huddersfield will tell you a different story, Saints are fast becoming showboaters who look good at St Mary's when teams sit back and give them room to play, but away from home its different and the worry is that teams are fast realising our weaknesses and playing on them, too many goals conceded are similar and should have been prevented,

On the road we dont let the opposition get many shots on target and some will point to this and claim we played well at Carlisle and were unlucky, but its not luck its poor performance and a lack of concentration, on Saturday the home side only had four shots on target yet three of them went in, something is wrong somewhere as its a similar pattern in previous games.

My one worry about  Nigel Adkins so far is that selection wise he has done little different from his predecessor and there lies the rub, too often the side that starts out doesnt perform and changes have to be made before the game is turned round, this in the main is because he has stayed faithful to those who were first choice under Pardew, he now has to show he is the man for the job by imposing his own stamp on the side.

Nigel Adkins is right it wasnt the system that cost us the game it was individual players, but it is he who picks those players !   

Photo: Action Images

kcaj1164retsof added 16:54 - Nov 16 None of us yet know what NA's opinions are on his players as individuals. He must by now have formed some, although he is unlikely to make a verbal disclosure. It is much more likely that he will demonstrate his opinions in January by way of the moving on of some players who he feels cannot/will not aspire to the desired standard and the purchase of suitable replacements. I think we must remain patient and see what happens. We need to bear in mind that with small exceptions NA has, so far, had to manage with some-one elses player choices.

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SaintNick added 18:39 - Nov 16 whilst i would concur that he is having to manage with someone elses player choices, the facts are that these players should be the best in the league, we could put out two teams that in themselves should be able to challenge for promotion. When a manager takes over at Chelsea they dont excuse defeat by saying that Terry, lampard, Drogba etc were not his player choices

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kcaj1164retsof added 22:07 - Nov 16 We have been led to believe, at regular intervals, for the past 14 months or so that these players are, or should be the best in the league. Actually though, very little that has happened in that time and more particularly this season so far actually bears that out! I suspect that Nigel has probably lost patience with some of them out and is likely to act accordingly in the new year.

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hortonsaint added 22:15 - Nov 16 Difference is managers at Chelsea are inheriting players that are at the top of their profession and don't lose very often! Adkins on the other hand has inherited players that are either out of form or are simply making the same mistakes every week and therefore not good enough whether it be mentally or technically. Nick you regularly state the players should be the best in the league and then equally regularly say a number of players are inadequate and need replacing following a defeat. It's the same old same old isn't it which suggests some are maybe not as good as we/they like to believe. I think we are at a point where Adkins is seeing the same patterns and his patience is wearing thin. I think we could see some changes in January if Cortese allows it. Interesting times ahead...

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channonite added 17:18 - Nov 17 It was noticeable in Adkins post match interview after the Daggers game that, even though we had won 4-0, he was furious with the team. I think that Puncheon being moved on sets down a marker to the rest of them. Why on earth can we not defend corners properly? The is clearly down to a lack of concentration by just one, or two players. That was clearly an issue at Carlisle and not for the first time in a game by along chalk. In concert with the failings of the central defenders is the abject failure of Lambert to score from open play. Several have commented on Lambert's baffling inability to jump at all this season. He looks as mobile as a log, but give him a penalty to take and he looks his old confident self. I look forward to an improved performance on Saturday.

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kcaj1164retsof added 18:42 - Nov 17 The Puncheon move proves a point Nick. I was wrong in thinking he would wait until January before he acted. I'm convinced more will follow.
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