JOHN Gorman and Jason
Dodd are going to have to
show their managerial
mettle sooner than they,
or anybody else, would
have hoped.
Having been given the job for the
foreseeable future was a boost for
them and a vote for stability at this
point in time.
Foreseeable future' is a terrific
phrase because it sets no out-andout
time limit.
If they do at least fairly well then
they will surely be allowed to see
out the season. If not, then a permanent
appointment can be made
at any time.
But they are going to have to show
a ruthless streak as managers to
turn things around.
Dodd and Gorman were a popular
choice for the players to remain in
charge. But as football has constantly
shown us, popular managers
aren't always the most successful.
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It's hard to imagine Alex
Ferguson winning many popularity
contests in his Manchester United
squad, even when they are flying
high.
The thing Dodd and Gorman do
have on their side is that the players
respect them and that's more
than half the battle won.
But being a manager is often a
very lonely existence. You are left to
make big decisions every week,
every day, on your own.
No matter how good your backroom
staff is, as a manager you feel
the pressure quite severely.
Dodd and Gorman are managing
by committee, something which has
not traditionally worked, and they
need to show they are not afraid to
be unpopular.
In a football club if you have a
whole squad of happy players then
you have serious problems - you
only ever want 11 happy players at
any one time.
To be a manager is to drop players,
to lay into them when necessary,
to make tough decisions that
might put noses out of joint.
Gorman and Dodd are surely
capable of doing that, they will
have to be now, but would surely
have hoped for a little more of a
honeymoon period first.
The grim facts of the matter don't
lie and it's uncomfortable, particularly
for those at the top of the club.
It makes no difference how often
people are told there is a good
squad in place or you had no choice
but to let players go if the team
don't win.
The judgement is on results and
when fans see a side struggle so
much to take plentiful chances,
with their most prolific striker out
on loan, and a central midfielder
having to play at left back, with a
man who can play left back out on
loan, they will not be happy.
One win in the last ten league
games, eight points out of 30 in that
time, 18th in the Championship
table, only bottom club Colchester
having conceded as many goals
tells its own story.
Saints fans feel at their lowest ebb for many, many years. Dodd and Gorman have a very hard job and deserve some patience and sympathy because it’s a difficult time. However, without wins very soon, a relegation battle looms.
Adam Leitch
It's not Dodd and Gorman's doing.
But it's their mess to sort out.
Saints could have been home and
hosed by half-time against QPR and
instead went in trailing at the
break and ended up losing their
seventh - yes, seventh - home game
of the campaign.
It started well with Adam
Hammill's whipped free-kick from
the edge of the area being turned
home by Darren Powell and possibly
a deflection to give Saints the
lead after just 55 seconds.
It was a pulsating first half where
both teams kept the ball down and
tried to play football.
After Bradley Wright-Phillips had
glanced a header wide, Saints had
two glorious opportunities in the
space of a minute.
First Andrew Surman's defencesplitting
pass played in Wright-
Phillips but his finish was weak
and straight at Lee Camp.
Amazingly, Saints intercepted
the ball back out again and found
themselves with three men in
behind the QPR defence.
Jason Euell squared to Stern
John who just had to sidefoot
home from 12 yards and could
even have taken a touch, but
blazed his effort a mile over.
Inevitably, Saints paid the price.
Three minutes later the scores
were level, Rowan Vine finding
Martin Rowlands in the area and
he stabbed low past the advancing
Kelvin Davis.
On the stroke of half-time, QPR
had the lead, Hammill giving the
ball away cheaply, Damien
Delaney crossing from the right
where Patrick Agyemang peeled
off the back of Jermaine Wright
and volleyed home.
Saints went on to make life very
hard for themselves by conceding
a comical third goal on 61 minutes.
Camp pumped the ball up the
field and it landed outside the
area.
Davis came out to clear, while
Wright was chasing back under
pressure from Agyemang and
tried to do who knows what with
the ball on his thigh.
It all resulted in the two Saints
men watching on outside the box
as Agyemang gratefully walked
the ball into the empty net.
It got even worse when Youssef
Safri was sent off 12 minutes from
time.
He won the ball in a challenge
with Agyemang but referee
Anthony Taylor felt his follow
through was an act of violence
and now the captain serves a fourmatch
ban.
John pulled a goal back late on
but it was too little too late.
There are tough decisions to be
made and it's up to Dodd and
Gorman to show what they can do.
Let's hope they are backed up by
the players.
Daily Echo Man of the Match: ANDREW DAVIES
Was easily the best Saints
player on the day and is so
strong even when others are
struggling.
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