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Lambert Should Be Fit For Saturday
Lambert Should Be Fit For Saturday
Tuesday, 3rd Apr 2012 09:19

Saints fans biggest talking poit this week is whether Rickie Lambert will be fit for the visit of Portsmouth on Saturday.

Nigel Adkins hasspoken today saying that Lambert could and indeed should be fit on Saturday, but the problem for supporters is that with a policy of trying to confuse the opposition regarding who is injured and who isnt, fans dont know what to believe and having been told that Lambert would be fit to face Blackpool last weekend they are sceptical that anything has changed and that he again might be missing.

The problem for Saints here and it isnt their fault, is that whilst it serves a purpose to keep the opposition guessing whether a player will be fit or not, once the player has missed a game it can be counter productive to the fans who will then start to speculate about the players chances and in the case of Lambert, it can instill the wrong message in the fans and make them edgy on the day of the game.

However if any team can cover the loss of their leading scorer it is Saints, even with Tadanari Lee out injured they still have better attacking options than most teams in this division, Sharp, Guly, Connolly & Barnard are all players that have or are capable of hitting double figures in this division and in this respect Saints have no fears.

The big problem though is that without Lambert, Saints have to completely change the style of play and that contributed to the defeat at Blackpool, back in the transfer & loan windows earlier in the season I suggested that for a side that relied heavily on one player, that if he should get injured then we should have a like for like replacement in the wings, not only to replace Lambert when he was unavailable, but also to give him a rest when neccessary, whilst Sharp and Lee are good players in their own right, they are totally different to Lambert and compliment him rather than replace him, someone like Lukas Jutkiewicz would have been ideal.

If Lambert is missing against Portsmouth it will be a blow, but not a blow that in this game is insurmountable, in fact if it was any other bottom three team other than Pompey, supporters would probably not be so worried, indeed many would advocate resting Lambert for another game, keeping him in reserve ready for the tougher games in the last five

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mgprobert added 09:55 - Apr 3
I agree 100% with the comment about Lukas Jutkiewicz - I thought at the time it would have been relatively low cost insurance so we could still have a Rickie type figure up front - still hoping we can stumble over the line, then see who comes in over the Summer
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BlackRod added 10:37 - Apr 3
We learn today from Radio Solent that Tadanari Lee has had surgery on his right foot. Will we learn tomorrow that Rickie has had surgery after all? It will be pretty obvious something is amiss if he's not in the starting lineup on Saturday. That said I'd rather we save him for Palace on Monday if there is even the slightest doubt.

I'm not convinced our other strikers have the enthusiasm and/or match fitness. Was Blackpool a blip or the start of another weak run?
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SaintNick added 10:42 - Apr 3
Blackpool wasnt about the strikers but more about a defence that cant handle presssure
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stmichael added 11:17 - Apr 3
Something is not right with the Rickie injury coverage.
He was supposed to be fit for Blackpool.

As for the other strikers Sharpe does not look like he feels he belongs at this club/level and is woefully short of confidence/self belief.

Guly I cant even bear to mentiion as he has been shiite for ages and should not be near the team.

DC if fit could see us limp over the line.

Lee Barnard has not scored a goal this season and in his cameo appearances I have not seen him even have a shot let alone come close to scoring.

If Rickie is missing along with Lee I can see serious problems ahead.
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stmichael added 11:20 - Apr 3
I can imagine the negotiations with Lukas.
Sign for us mate as cover for Rickie.
If he is fit you wont get a game.
Bet he would have jumped at that !
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SaintNick added 11:36 - Apr 3
We could have opted to play both, but the main point is, that we play a certain way, yet we have absolutely no coverage for the type of player Lambert is, I said this back in November but was laughed at, people are getting squeaky bums now though
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saintstowin added 11:46 - Apr 3
the essence of hyprocrisy, whilst still trying to score points off your fellow saints fans. on one hand you say we should have enough without Lambert, on the other you gloat about having an opinion we should have signed a less than prolific back up striker! couldn't make it up. let's just wait until saturday. i imagine his fitness for sat and mon is in the balance, like it is for many players each week who are carrying knocks. we all hope he gets rid of it in time but we'll have enough without him i would have thought.
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bstokesaint added 12:45 - Apr 3
We need to have a plan B for Saturday in the event that Rickie isn't playing. We can't afford to play the style we do if there is no link-up player who can perform a like for like in Rickie's absence. The problem last Saturday though was more than that. Okay, Rickie would have made a difference, but down the wings we were woefully exposed at the back.

The players need to raise their game because it doesn't get any easier in the PL. If they're going to get that chance they need to start raising their game now. It's no good thinking Rickie will keep on scoring, Jos will keep on clearing anything in the air and Kelvin will tidy up what gets behind him. The rest of the team would probably get in most other Championship side's first XI but they can't afford to go AWOL for games now. They all need to work a bit harder for each other. There were too many example of players looking losti n possession last weekend and very little positive forward movement or cover in tackles. Maybe someone taking a bit more of a lead in the middle of the park would help.
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eusebio added 13:05 - Apr 3
"We could have opted to play both, but the main point is, that we play a certain way, yet we have absolutely no coverage for the type of player Lambert is, I said this back in November but was laughed at, people are getting squeaky bums now though " You really are a prize c0ck
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geezershoong added 21:15 - Apr 3
Gawd, how smug, grow up.
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