Nigel Adkins Talks About The Game

Last updated : 12 February 2011 By Thetashkentterror
Nigel Adkins
Saints manager Nigel Adkins (NA) spoke to BBC Radio Solent's Lawrence Herdman (LH) after his side's narrow 1-0 League One victory at home to Carlisle, Adkins finding few positives from the Southampton win :

LH

Are you happier with the result perhaps possibly more than the performance this afternoon?

NA


Yes, and Rickie Lambert has scored his 50th goal for the football club, and Adam Lallana returning from injury, so there are two things. We have kept a clean sheet and got three points, they are the positives.





LH

The turning point clearly came just before half-time with the sending-off (of Carlisle's Gary Borrowdale), what was your view?

NA

Well it was a definite booking and it was his second one, so he has got to go hasn't he?





LH

You felt that the booking was fair?

NA

Oh, certainly, Alex (Oxlade-Chamberlain) has skinned him hasn't he and he (Borrowdale) has brought him down, end of story.





LH

And sometimes as often happens, straight away you pick up the ball and Rickie Lambert scores?

NA

Good, yeah, it was a good goal.





LH

His 50th goal for Southampton and a typical Rickie Lambert goal, what is he bringing to this football club?

NA

Well, it is great, he had a superb season last year and on the back of that he has had to try to get his body right this season. Because, obviously as that focal targetman he does put his body through a lot.

We have had to take a long period of time to try to get his body in a good position now, and he has been scoring goals regularly. Congratulations to him and his wife, because they just had a little baby boy yesterday, so great credit to him today, he has been out and scored the winning goal for us today.





LH

I watched you towards the end of the game and you booted a bottle of water, was that endemic of the frustration you were feeling on an afternoon where things maybe didn't go quite as you planned?

NA

No, I didn't kick a bottle of water did I, I kicked a ball at the end. Yeah, listen, we have set standards at the football club and the players have been made well aware of that at half-time and full-time. The principles of football are there, I want us to get the ball and pass the ball quickly and we have not done that today.

The players are well aware of the standards that we are looking for, the positives are that you have got three points but I expect us to play in a certain manner and in a certain style. Again, we do it religiously in training, all the time we are on about passing the football and today we haven't passed the ball nowhere near as quick as I would have liked.





LH

How pleasing for you to see Adam Lallana back and coming on as a second-half substitute?

NA

Yeah, it was good, I didn't really want to put him on if I could have helped it. But, I just thought that everything was very flat wasn't it for whatever reason I don't know. I have asked that question as well, why didn't we seem to have a spark about ourselves. Training has been good this week, the whole surroundings were quite flat today, whether it was the sunshine I don't know.

I don't know, we will have to reflect on that over the weekend, and we will debrief the game on Monday with the players and go through a lot of situations that we have got to get better at. The principles are just there, get the ball and pass the ball and pass it quickly, and we haven't done that anywhere near as much today but we have won the game.





LH

A win and a clean sheet, a first start at home for Dany N'Guessan, what did you make of his performance?

NA

It is his first start, he is going to have to play in front of a big crowd, he has had opportunities to go and score, he has hit one over the bar and one or two situations. He knows he has got pace and power and that is what we have brought him into the building to do, same as Johnno (Jonathan Forte), they have got pace and power.

What we have got to do is keep working on them, keep supporting them, keep them enjoying being here and keep making sure that they have a contribution to make to the team. We have got good competition for places now, and it is important and the players are well aware of that, that they have got to perform.





LH

And how important to get back to winning ways at St Mary's after a lot of away games recently and also seeing Brighton and Bournemouth winning today?

NA

Yeah, I haven't seen any other results, I just focused on ourselves. But, it is important that you win your home games, it was pleasing that we have won a game today, we were expected to win it and we have won it. But, again, it is performances, we have got 18 to go now and we have got to get ourselves ready for two very challenging games away from home again. But, two games that we have got to try to get some points from.





LH

And reading your programme notes today, you made a few references to the Southampton way, for those that aren't familiar what is the Southampton way?

NA

Well, it is trying to get a philosophy at this football club. But, again, the principles of football are all the same aren't they, for me you try to get the ball and you pass it and move it, it is as simple as that.

You can talk about all sorts of different formations and whatever you want, we have changed the shape in the second-half to try to be very, very attack-minded with two young wingers and Rickie up top and (Guly) Do Prado and Adam Lallana with that licence to get forward. All of a sudden that is a front five that you think is going to pick holes in an opposition, so there you go.