Nigel Adkins has spoken of how he wont change our attacking style on the road despite a patchy record.

Most Saints supporters will be glad to hear that, however the problem isnt our attacking play but our failure to defend situations, Adkins himself offers the opinion that we are yet to concede a fantastic goal on the road and that many like on Saturday are due to lapses of concentration, that being the case then something has to be done about it.

The problem is though that in the main these goals are bieng leaked through the centre of the defence, granted Fonte hasnt been having a great season, but even taking into account that, the purchase of Hooiveld is merely signing someone permanently who is part of the problem not the solution to it, certainly Hooiveld hasnt been all to blame for the goals conceded on our travels, bt his lapse of concentration on Saturday was not his first.

In 10 away games the shocking stats are not only have Saints failed to keep a clean sheet since the opening trip on the road at Barnsley, but in half of these games they have conceded two goals or more and that to be blunt is not good enough for a team with their sights set on automatic promotion.

Yes its worrying that we have suffered two straight reverses away and that they have been against two teams in the bottom three, but its the long term pattern thats more worrying, after winning the first two away, we have since won only once in the next eight, collecting only six points in doing so.

Promotions are won by teams who are able to keep it tight at the back and then win the game when the chances arrive to do so, as Nigel admits barely a goal has been conceded that hasnt been down to our own sloppiness.

But how does he arrest this slump, the anser is that after 10 games of this, something has to change, it doesnt look like its going to happen with the current back four, so personel has to change, this is why Im surprised that we went for Hooiveld permanently, as i stated he is part of the problem not part of the solution, with the stakes so high, surely it would have made more sense to let him see out his loan spell and then pay out for someone a little bit better, the Fonte/Hooiveld combination is not working away from home whenever pressure is applied, it needs to be changed, there is an old adage "do the same things and get the same results" this applies here, its hard to see where we will be able to change this away record otherwise.

Of course we will win some games on the road, on average a promoted side will win about 8-10 games away from home, to match this we need to start winning and start winning fast, we have wasted too many opportunities against lower half clubs, we could have rattled up those away wins the easy way, now we will have to take the hard route and beat some of the better sides inthis division on their own patches.    

Photo: Action Images

michaeljoycetf added 14:21 - Dec 6 You can bring out all the negative stats you can find and opinionate about ''arresting slumps'' for even longer but some of us feel that most important facts to keep in mind are that we are top of our division in our 1st year and have scored more goals than all our rivals. Nigel could not have achieved that if he was not an extremely good coach/manager,with a top backroom staff, it could even be argued that he is the best in the league, all of this and you have the audacity to question his judgement on so many fronts. Maybe you dont quite understand as much about the game as you think you do! You wouldn't believe it by reading your article but this really is a fantastic time to be a Saint. most of us enjoy the thrills and spills, that is the nature of the game. Maybe you could lighten up a bit and write something we would enjoy reading.

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tiptop added 14:35 - Dec 6 I havn't been to the last 3 games to judge. The defensive record is worrying. NA's shared that blunt assessment about recent concentration lapses. In fairness to Hooiveld he and Fonte do have an understanding. Hooi does look to be able to time tackles and has confident handling the ball. Maybe thats it. He isn't a natural burly leader,full of confidence. He's feeding off the rest of the team whos confidence is down. Who do you replace him with? I havnt seen Aaron Martin play I think he's probably going to be good, honest player. Has he got the bottle and the brain... I dont know? In any case as the last line of defence any lapse can be highlighted with a goal. The team as a whole need to stop lapsing and want picking up. We need someone to kick some ass on the pitch. We need to start playing again before its a crisis. In a time of crisis tightening up the back is paramount. That means a change in mentality which our Mr positive NA is reluctant to do.

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SaintNick added 14:38 - Dec 6 Firstly at no time did i criticise the manager, the nearest to is is I expressed surprise at signing Hooiveld permanently given our away record. I am bearing in mind we are top of the division and i want to stay there and lets be blunt our away record is not good enough at the moment, it has to change otherwise even two home games without a win could see us not just frop off the top spot but also out of the top 2. I havent a problem with Nigel Adkins, none at all, but that doesnt mean that I shouldnt question him, as for arguing if he is the best in the league, we can do that at the end of the season when the final league positions are done and dusted. On this site i try to be objective and look at all aspects of the team, if you want 100% sycophantic praise for all and everything connected with the club then quite rightly the official site is the place for that, to question does not make me negative after all the Championshipis full of managers who have had bright starts but failed to get promotion, the most important fact is not being top of the division in December or any other month other than the last one, after the last game of the season, Lee Clarke at Hudderfield is being heralded at the moment as a great manager for their unbeaten run, in some quarters far more than Adkins, fact is though he didnt get them promoted and they arent even in the top 3 at the moment Thrills and spills are part of the game and so is having different opinions, why not question what i have written, why not tell me why you think we are so great at home one week and so poor the next on the road

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1teeminants added 14:38 - Dec 6 I know youre after hits on your site Nick But to say hoovield is to blame and then question Adkins for signing him is beyond me. Hoovield lost all his confidence at Celtic because he was out for long periods through injury he actually admitted that himelf in a recent interview .He has steadily grown in stature and confidence as each game progresses. Most Saints fans i know are very very happy with Hoovield. Seems to me mate if youre not having a go at Davis its Harding, if not Harding ,its Hoovield . whose next ffs.

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SaintNick added 14:44 - Dec 6 I didnt say Hooiveld was to blame, I said he was part of the problem, and therefore is part of it, given we had paid big money for Fonte & Fox etc and he was on loan I was surprised that we signed him, tell me what will be different in the coming games if we continue to play the same back four. Im not after hits Im after points away from home, and every game, as even Nigel admits, we are conceding sloppy goals. Most saints fans who watch the team at home are happy with hooiveld, those who watch them away are not happy with our defending and that includes Hooiveld who on Saturday was caught napping (as was Fonte in my opinion also) and it cost us a goal and the game. I have a go at players who deserve it, I always base it on facts and try to explain myself, I have barely mentioned davis in several months because he hasnt been costing us too many goals. Here is one fact on the road in the last 8 games we have got six points, tell me why, dont have a go at me for telling you facts, tell me why our away record is so poor, I have given you my reasons

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saintleroy added 15:39 - Dec 6 We need to be more direct away from home (doesn't mean long ball). More crosses and shots on goal rather than fancy flicks and trying to walk the ball into net. Its all very well having superior fitness in last 20 mins of a game but that is worthless if we have already fallen behind and chasing game. The ironic thing here is that Nige was always beating on about how its a simple game but now we seem to be over complicating the game.

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michaeljoycetf added 15:53 - Dec 6 you just dont get it do you? your glass is def 1/2 empty.
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BlackRod added 16:50 - Dec 6 As others have said it is always possible to pull out negative statistics. If the analysis is balanced why don't you tell us that in the last 8 home games we have got 24 points? The alternative to the club website doesn't have to be a constant stream of invective. Nigel may not be perfect but he has found a way to make the team better than the sum of its parts. The League Table is testament to that. COYR!

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bstokesaint added 19:07 - Dec 6 Nick, Saintleroy has nailed it on the head. We're trying to walk the ball in and over-complicate things. Hooiveld is a quality signing and is not the problem. What is the problem is we're getting predictable. We need to mix things up, not play out from the back every single time, test the keeper from further out than the six yard box and keep working on the set pieces. If I was a home team expecting Southampton I'd know what was coming. Individuals aren't costing us, but the whole team need to take our game up a gear. It's the same kind of pitch we play on away as it is at home.

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richardmdcooper added 19:12 - Dec 6 Agree with bstoke and saintleroy - adkins is too good a manager not to figure it out though - he said as much after the doncaster game. Hooiveld definitely not the problem - this is the same team that's won ten out of ten home games this season so it's not the team - it's their application away from home. Nigel will sort it out though and I fancy us to give the skates a good hiding.

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StSaint added 19:24 - Dec 6 There's no need to worry. You can't win the league without a slump at some point. The simple fact is that there isn't another team in a better position than us, so just imagine how much the competition are stressing. You keep blaming the defence, but in our last 3 away defeats we have only scored once. In total! Why not slate the forwards??!! On second thoughts, don't. It's a great achievement for us to be doing so well and what will see us through is giving as much support as we can and letting NA, NC and the rest of them do their job without questioning every decision. Adkins knows so much more about football management and Cortese about running a club than we ever will. Until they give justification for us to moan, let's get behind them. By the way - fully agreed with your article on Guly. Well said.

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hortonsaint added 21:50 - Dec 6 Exactly Stsaint, Nick is obsessed with players who make errors forgetting the fact that goals will always be conceded, especially away from home. Fact is we've failed to score in our last 2 away games so that is clearly at least as much of the problem. We also only scored 1 at Derby,Reading.Burnley, Barnsley, Cardiff and Barnsley so in answer to Nick's question I would say lack of goals is a big reason why we are not winning away from home, pretty obvious I'd have thought!! In 10 away games we've scored 16 goals but 9 of those came in 2 games so that leaves us with 7 goals in the other 8 games. Come on Nick let's have a little more variety to your analysis, can you not see that is an issue! Nick seems to expect robotic defenders who go a whole game without making an error but you can't expect to be winning games away regularly with our poor goals for record away. Also it's funny how Fox seems to be exempt from blame (as was Dickson) simply because he is not Harding and yet defensively is no better whereas Hooiveld who to Nick was seen as a cheap option we were lumbered with due to Cortese's inability to sign our targets is identified as part of the problem when I'd say he's been our best defender. I've said all season that if anything, team shape is as much to blame as individuals, when attacking ,our players interchange so much that if caught high up the pitch we are are all over the place and extremely vulnerable. Doncaster's goal and best chances came from us being caught up the field. It's exciting but risky at times and will cost goals. However I'm enjoying this season like no other and will reserve judgement until the end of the season before losing too much sleep over a situation that is way beyond what I had hoped for. BTW I also agree with the article on Guly and was appalled at the abuse.

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SaintNick added 21:57 - Dec 6 What is the problem with putting a topic forward for discussion ? why is it some epople cannot look at it without frothing at the mouth, all I have done on this article is take some points Nigel Adkins made in his comments to the Daily Echo about his being worried about the fact that he was going to continue to play in the same way on the road but he was concerned about conceding sloppy goals. If people feel that our defence has been outstanding on the road and hasnt conceded sloppy goals, then dont take me to task, ask the manager because that is his view

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Jesus_02 added 10:43 - Dec 7 If we were tighter at the back we would have had a couple of draws and while 2 points aren’t to be sniffed at. I d rather be promoted than have an unbeaten run as long as Huddersfield. We need a striker, we have the money... don’t we?
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bstokesaint added 12:14 - Dec 7 I think the main point is looking at individual mistakes is not always productive. If one single player repeatedly made these mistakes and looked out of their depth then yes this would be a valid argument. However the issue is the performances as a whole away from home have been poor. We're not the same side as we are at home and that needs to change if we're to stay in the race.

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Lallanarama added 13:19 - Dec 7 You're articles do have a slight "glass is half empty" tinge to them Nick but it's good that you kick off the discussions and always raise some interesting points. Our away form is below where we want it, and is obviously a cause for concern but I'm not sure it's fair or helpful to look at the away form alone. I am definitely a fan of our back four and was ecstatic that we've got Hooiveld permanently, but whatever your opinion I think it would be a bad idea to drop a player from a winning team. Consistency wins promotions, and are team is consitently winning (a-fricking-men), which is why we are top. How do we know changing the personnel for the away games won't aversely effect our unbelievable home form? Maybe our passing, attacking style of football suits home games where teams want to sit back but not away games where teams refuse to be bossed on their own patch. The players are good, our home record and league position makes that fundamentally clear. Maybe we could look at the formation or tactics away from home (In Nigel I trust), but dropping one defender for another doesn't achieve that, and looking at their current form (home and away) doesn't seem justified. I'd prefer to keep the same team, and start looking for the performance away from home that gives us confidence that we will consistenly pick up points. And as Nigel says, we're due a win. COYR

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hortonsaint added 14:32 - Dec 7 Nick, I'm not debating the defence has been responsible for some sloppy goals but people 'froth at the mouth' because you are like a dog with a bone with certain points and show no inclination to accept others may have a valid point of view that does not match your own. Fact is our goals for away from home is a major concern and if it was better we'd not be debating the odd sloppy goal. People who see different slants to your own are bleaters according to youin a previous article, are we not allowed to debate then?

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SaintNick added 15:28 - Dec 7 I welcome debate of all kinds, the people I refer to as Bleaters arent those who put forward their opinions but those that just revert to the "we're top of the league what have we got to complain about" I can listen to and accept all valid points, sometimes they change my opinionsome times they dont, but I do enjoy hearing alternative views to my own. With regard to our away form, we have been letting in sloppy goals all season, as i have said if we continue to pick the same personel then we will continue to get the same results, my questioning of Hooiveld was not suggesting that he be dropped for away games, to be blunt we probably dont have any better alternatives at the club, but that it might have been better to seek an alternative player in January, all our rivals will be strengthening their squads and we need to as well and this sloppiness is a weak point. Those who have read my articles over time will see i try to keep to the same standards, and for a defender that should be they rarely make a mistake, one in a season is normal and two acceptable, we all make mistakes, but three or more is a weak link, same as for a keeper, one howler happens to every keeper even the best ones, a couple is bad luck but more is not acceptable. Harsh on keepers and defenders, but thats the nature of their job

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Jesus_02 added 11:36 - Dec 8 Personally I dont think that our deffense is the Problem. The best form of defence is attack, and at the moment our away form suugest that we are producing far to few chances to give the home side too much to think about
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