Adkins admits to 'reality check' (From Daily Echo)
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Saints boss Adkins admits to 'reality check'
7:00am Monday 7th January 2013 in Saints News
By Adam Leitch, Chief Sports Writer
Nigel Adkins
Nigel Adkins admitted Saints were given a reality check as they were dumped out of the FA Cup 5-1 by holders Chelsea.
After three back-to-back draws in the Premier League, the last of which came against Arsenal, confidence was high around St Mary’s going into the tie.
Saints started well and took the lead through Jay Rodriguez.
But the second half in particular became a Chelsea procession and left the men in white looking utterly despondent as they struggled to compete.
Saints have to face Chelsea again a week on Wednesday, and this time at Stamford Bridge in the league.
But before that, there’s a huge match at fellow Premier League strugglers Aston Villa this coming Saturday.
“Sometimes you just give people a bit of a reality check because we have played against some exceptional players and in the second half they were excellent,” said Adkins.
“We’ve hit a Chelsea team in form in the second half of the game, but we will pick ourselves up.
“Our destiny is in our own hands. “The Opta stats will show how well we are doing and it gives us hope and optimism for the second half of the campaign.”
Why I left out Lambert - Adkins explains in today's Daily Echo
Comments(2)
Jesus_02
says...
1:15pm Mon 7 Jan 13
Adkins has a very clear idea of what the team are capable and what constitutes success in the short, medium and long term.
I think what he is saying is that people expectations needs to be managed as we have had a couple of unbelievable years and we are doing well in terms of giving us a great chance of survival.
At the begining of the season we where the bookies favorites to go down. That was based on pur economics and was representative of the task that lay ahead of us.
Losing 5-1 to Chelsea in the Cup is disapointing but almost irrelevant at the moment.
A win in the cup against Chelsea or a Draw against Arsenal in the League... you decide
OSPREYSAINT says...
8:40am Mon 7 Jan 13