Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
In Praise Of Nigel
In Praise Of Nigel
Wednesday, 3rd Apr 2013 13:08

This might be a first in Premier League history, but the visiting fans are likely to give the home teams new manager a bigger ovation that them.

Back at the start of this season Nigel Adkins was considered something of the messiah at Southampton, you would be hard pressed to find a Saints fans with too much bad to say about him and there were those that went completely over the top and made claims that he was and would continue to be the best manager ever to manage Saints, in truth last summer that was a big claim that had a long way to go before it could truly bear fruition, however that didnt stop some and those same people often talked about how manager and Chairman were working together in tandem and rubbished reports that there was any friction between the pair.

Even as Christmas approached and Saints still sat in deep relegation trouble, support for Nigel was strong, Daily Echo Polls usually sat around the 80-90% in support of him and there was a feeling that after a terrible start a corner might just have been turned and just as he had done in the last two seasons, Nigel had learnt well from some hard lessons.

Sadly for the ex Scunthorpe boss he would not get the chance to prove that he could keep Saints up, he was unceremonially dumped by the Club without even a word of acknowledgement for his feat of two successive promotions.

Now Im not going to glaze over and claim that Nigel would have become the greatest ever Saints manager, he had a long long way to go before getting near that, however it cannot be taken away from him that whatever his faults and there were many in his two promotion seasons, he got us over the finish line and that is what counts in football, without Nigel who is to say that we would not still be in League 1, certainly Championship at best, in his first season he came here when the club was in the bottom 3 and 6 points off even the play off spots, indeed 8 behind second, yes we had a game in hand so perhaps our position wasnt as precarious as some would make out, but we were still playing catch up, a game that we would ultimately win.

That momentum carried into the following season and our great start gave us the momentum to keep going when others looked likely to overhaul us, but come the end of the Coventry game Nigel had the right to call himself a Premiership manager.

The summer brought whispers of rifts in the camp, certainly Nigel had given a very strange interview after the Coventry game and it has to be said that in hindsight those rumours look to be nearer the truth than most would care to admit.

The big question though was how much control Nigel had over transfers and indeed was he being forced to play certain players, as for the transfer side of things, clearly players were being brought in from areas he would have had no prior knowledge and whilst he spoke of needing central defenders and goalkeepers, other marquee signings seemed to arrive.

Rumours of his imminent sacking emerged around November as the team struggled, but after a run of good results it seemed he had survived and would see the season out, but just as he seemed to be finding his feet with a great point at Stamford Bridge to make it five unbeaten in the league, he was axed and without even a word of thanks in the club programme.

Rumours flew around about his sacking although unlike Alan Pardew there didnt seem to be a smear campaign, purely the allegation that he wasnt good enough to take the club to the next step.

But if Nigel thought his next step might be easy he was wrong and as well highlighted in the press he was forced to take the club to a tribunal to seek compensation and to enable him to take another job in the meantime.

That job turned out to be Reading, a big disapointment for Saints fans in that for him to succeed in keeping them up, we might be a prime prospect to be the ones that suffered as a result, the Chelsea win has taken a chunk of that away, but the fact still remains that we need the points on Saturday and getting them means that Reading will be needing the last rites before Nigel has got his feet under the table.

Reading have got themselves and honest manager who has the experience to do just what they will almost certainly need him to do next year and thats get them promoted, in that they are choosing a man to do the job in hand.

So good luck Nigel Adkins I wish you well in all you do in football, you werent the best manager we ever had here but you cemented your name in Saints history and that can never be taken away from you, on Saturday I hope that the Saints supporters rise as one as now they finally have their chance to not only say goodbye to you properly, but also to thank you for just over two years good work.  

Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



vectis added 14:10 - Apr 3
I think we're gonna get a draw against Reading...or lose narrowly. But a win would be nice. Greatest respect for NA and hope he does well at Reading...but hope we beat them.
0

JazzyJeff added 14:25 - Apr 3
Fully respect Nigel for all that he did for us, however, I always thought that he had no real Plan B and made some strange and sometimes appalling substitutions !

Let us all hope that after a rapturous round of heart felt applause before the match, that Saints show him how far we have moved on since he left.

I wish Reading no ill but the sooner the bottom clubs reach the point of no return the better !!!
0

richardmdcooper added 15:01 - Apr 3
A fair assessment of NA's tenure..I hope all the Saints fans give him a great reception on Saturday..I don't think there's anyway he'll be able to keep reading up but you'd have to fancy him to get promoted again next season - I'm convinced he'll end up managing at a bigger premier league club eventually

Agree there's been no smear campaign from the Saints, although the lack of recognition of his achievements together with all the positive propaganda about MP leaves a bad taste in the mouth

Looking back at the coventry game last year - the akward handshake between NC and NA and NA's comments - it was clear he was never going to be here long term which is a shame. I for one still wish he was our manager
0

Libertine36 added 18:39 - Apr 3
Agree with you richardmdcooper and I'm sure he will be an England Manager. One of the good guys of footie and I hope he gets a great applause.
0

thedelldays added 18:42 - Apr 3
he wont be England manager
0

stmichael added 21:46 - Apr 3
I would rather have NA as England manager than woy hodgson.
Nigel and lawrie followed by ted our best ever managers.
Young and getting better by the game.
Loved the guy and he loved us.
Still upset at how he was treated.
Have to say the players don't seem affected which may be significant!
0

BlackRod added 22:14 - Apr 3
I was sickened by Mo Po's ingracious and sycophantic interview after the Chelsea game. When asked if he would thank Nigel for putting together the team that is doing so well he said no, he thanked only the chairman, the investors and the fans who had welcomed him. I don't hear those fans chanting his name - no-one knows how to say it. There's only one Nigel Adkins.
0

aceofthebase added 23:23 - Apr 3
BlackRod it's easy to pronounce his name 'The POX '
0

LennyJam added 08:11 - Apr 4
StMicael - WGS was better than Adkins IMO, for a future England manager, why has he gone to Reading?

Blackrod - why were you 'sickened'? did NA publically thank Pardew for the team he built for him? No, he never and nor did we expect him to
0

bstokesaint added 13:37 - Apr 4
I still believe Gordon Strachan was the best manager we have had in recent years. You can't argue with our best Premiership finish and an FA Cup final. I also believe Nigel will only get better and better as a manager. There's no reason he won't be England manager some day. Just look at the calibre of some recent international managers. Nigel's better than some of them already. One thing is for sure is he derserves all the plaudits he gets for what he has done for us and he was treated very badly. Cortese may have the club's interest at heart but he has some pretty diabolical people skills!! He'll always been emancipated from anyone below him at the club, i.e. everyone else!!
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 31 bloggers

Knees-up Mother Brown #22 by wessex_exile

Queens Park Rangers Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© FansNetwork 2024