The verdict on the draw against Barnsley.
On Wednesay against Ipswich Town there sere several plus points that could be taken from the drawn game, on Saturday there were very few from what was a disapointing game against Barnsley.
The truth was that saints battled hard but didnt have the guile to break down a resolute Barnsley side who looked determined not to lose, of course there were a few players out through injury but that doesnt tell the full story.
At this point in time there is no point in starting witch hunts, the truth of the matter is we are stuck with what we have got through financial neccessity, we have to support the club and the team and drag ourselves through the most difficult period in the club's history.
However that doesnt mean that we should look at every game through rose tinted spectacles and not critiscise where necessary.
The fact is on Saturday we got the team selection badly wrong, at the back we were fine, Wooton and Perry coped well in the centre, Cork was strong and Mills got better as the game went on, up front no one would complain about the selection of Peckhart, but in midfield we were a shambles.
In the centre it was understandable why Surman was drafted into the role as Wooton was needed at the back, Gillett started to get back something like the form he had early season although he was still not back to his best, but it was out wide that we have problems.
David mcGoldrick is a forward, nothing more nothing less, he is not a wide midfield player in a million years, yes going forward he can run at players but defensively he is often found lacking and to be blunt he hasnt got the intelligence to play in the position often making runs inside rather than wide where we needed him, meaning that we lacked width for large periods.
On the other wing BWP is in a similar position. in truth he is a player that might make a reasonable living in League 1, coming off the bench up front his pace will sometimes win you a game or two and I do mean sometimes, but to start him out wide is nothing short of madness, like McGoldrick he isnt intelligent enough(football speaking) to play the role, he runs about a little bit more than McGoldrick, but truth is the end result is the same and when both in the same team the result is, well as we saw on Saturday.
My real worry is though that Poortvliet is unsure of what to do, we do not play a rrotational system, so when players are brought in and out it should be on form, but with the two wide positions there seems to be no sort of pecking order, BWP has come in this week completely from the cold to being in the starting line up after a short sub appearance, whislt likewise Nathan Dyer has gone from starting on Wednesday to not even getting on the pitch whilst Jake Thomson who hasnt been seen since coming on as sub against Birmingham in the third game is suddenly brought on ahead of Dyer.
Usually when a manager is making changes like this it presses the alarm bells for me, I saw enough of it last season with all three managerial teams to recognise the symptoms.
Poortvliet does have options though, Saturday's game cried out for someone who could get the ball and use it out wide and we do still have Rudi Skacel at the club, the coach mentioned in the press that Skacel is not fit enough, well i would contend that although he might not be up to 90 minutes, he might just have changed the game on Saturday if he had been given a 20 minute run at the end, now it doesnt take much training to get a player to the level where he can manage that.
Saints fans stayed behind the team for the full 90 minutes which was good as one plus point was the team did keep going right to the end and indeed had several chances in the final quarter, which in truth should have been taken a little better than they were.
Fact of the matter is though that Saints are starting to build a run of sorts together, OK its only two games unbeaten but a thrird against Rotherham and a fourth against Doncaster would give them something to build on.
The easiest thing in the World now is to turn on the team and the manager, however that is the worst thing for the future of Southampton Football Club.