All the very latest news on the Saints from St Mary's Stadium.
Have your say by leaving a comment on the question below or e-mailing echosport@dailyecho.co.uk or write to Fans Letters, The Pink, Sportsdesk, Newspaper House, Test Lane, Redbridge, Southampton, SO16 9JX.
This year, Saints' leading scorer by quite some margin is Stern John.
The Trinidad and Tobago international came to St. Mary's as a makeweight in the £6m deal that saw his countryman Kenwyne Jones head to Sunderland.
So far this season, John has bagged 16 goals for Saints, far ahead of anyone else. His nearest competitors are Rasiak and Bradley Wright-Phillips who have netted eight times each. Drew Surman has got four and Jhon Viafara three.
Over the whole of last season, Grzegorz Rasiak netted 21 times, with Jones next with 16 goals, Wright-Phillips got 11 and Marek Saganowski a further 10 and Gareth Bale getting a further five.
That means that the top five scorers for Saints this season have bagged 39 goals between them so far.
In contrast, the top five from last season got 63.
advertisement
So while Rasiak was the man behind a third of Saints' goals last year, Stern John accounts for 41 per cent of the team's goals this season.
We want to hear your opinions on this and whether or not it's okay to have just one goal scorer in the squad, or if there is anything can be done. Is the problem the other strikers, or is it the service they are getting? Are the tactics too obvious? Let us know exactly what you think and the best comments will be featured in this weekend's copy of The Pink.
Posted by: Exiled, Tamworth on 12:41pm Mon 17 Mar 08
That's what he's paid for!!!!!
From the few games i've seen him play, i don't see why not! he does nothing else! one game is apparent, QPR defeat 3-2 at home, that he partically stood in the middle of the park for 90 minutes and popped up at the end and scored. If he actually put some effort in he may score more!
That's what he's paid for!!!!!
From the few games i've seen him play, i don't see why not! he does nothing else! one game is apparent, QPR defeat 3-2 at home, that he partically stood in the middle of the park for 90 minutes and popped up at the end and scored. If he actually put some effort in he may score more!
[quote][bold]Exiled[/bold] wrote:
That's what he's paid for!!!!! From the few games i've seen him play, i don't see why not! he does nothing else! one game is apparent, QPR defeat 3-2 at home, that he partically stood in the middle of the park for 90 minutes and popped up at the end and scored. If he actually put some effort in he may score more! [/quote] It's not about whether or not he scores enough or puts in enough effort. It's about whether or not the rest of them are doing enough.
Exiled wrote:
That's what he's paid for!!!!! From the few games i've seen him play, i don't see why not! he does nothing else! one game is apparent, QPR defeat 3-2 at home, that he partically stood in the middle of the park for 90 minutes and popped up at the end and scored. If he actually put some effort in he may score more!
It's not about whether or not he scores enough or puts in enough effort. It's about whether or not the rest of them are doing enough.
I think we need another decent goal-scorer. Saga does well with a giant upfront and Bradley's...........
.....Bradley. McGoldrick is definitely one for the future and I think Cedric should be given a chance too.
We need a big target-man, that's why, I hate to say it, we miss Jones - and Saga played so well with him too. Stern can score some cracking goals at times but against the big burly defenders in this league, he hasn't got the height.
And I didn't realise until someone pointed it out to me, but he can't head the ball to save his life and by the time he expects the ball to come down for him to control it with his chest or his feet, a defender's whipped it off him and we're on the back foot. Again!
To have a goalscorer that's third in the league shows how were struggling in the place that we are. I just hope we're not putting all our eggs in one basket.
Let's hope Nigel can get the players' confidence up so they come out of the tunnel at SMS on Saturday believing they can beat Coventry.
COYR!!
I think we need another decent goal-scorer. Saga does well with a giant upfront and Bradley's...........
.....Bradley. McGoldrick is definitely one for the future and I think Cedric should be given a chance too.
We need a big target-man, that's why, I hate to say it, we miss Jones - and Saga played so well with him too. Stern can score some cracking goals at times but against the big burly defenders in this league, he hasn't got the height.
And I didn't realise until someone pointed it out to me, but he can't head the ball to save his life and by the time he expects the ball to come down for him to control it with his chest or his feet, a defender's whipped it off him and we're on the back foot. Again!
To have a goalscorer that's third in the league shows how were struggling in the place that we are. I just hope we're not putting all our eggs in one basket.
Let's hope Nigel can get the players' confidence up so they come out of the tunnel at SMS on Saturday believing they can beat Coventry.
Posted by: Derry, west hampshire on 2:37pm Mon 17 Mar 08
There are a number of problems in the way that Saints play. The midfield players rarely, almost never break forward through the strikers, who never seem to take their markers away on a decoy run to allow this to happen. Nobody ever seems to play one/twos breaking forward.
The central midfield players especially Safri seem to play in a comfort zone and never break forward. The wide players,full backs never get to the byeline to cross which together with the central midfield sitting, cause the strikers to be easily outnumbered.
We have the worst defensive record in the league because the opponents are given the room to attack us, by so many players sitting back, knowing they are unlikely to be caught on the break.
Players seem to lack pace and energy and because many give the ball away with poor passing we don't seem to be able to pressurise our opponents.
I would like to see those players such as Viafara and Euell who cannot pass to their own side left out.
There are a number of problems in the way that Saints play. The midfield players rarely, almost never break forward through the strikers, who never seem to take their markers away on a decoy run to allow this to happen. Nobody ever seems to play one/twos breaking forward.
The central midfield players especially Safri seem to play in a comfort zone and never break forward. The wide players,full backs never get to the byeline to cross which together with the central midfield sitting, cause the strikers to be easily outnumbered.
We have the worst defensive record in the league because the opponents are given the room to attack us, by so many players sitting back, knowing they are unlikely to be caught on the break.
Players seem to lack pace and energy and because many give the ball away with poor passing we don't seem to be able to pressurise our opponents.
I would like to see those players such as Viafara and Euell who cannot pass to their own side left out.
Posted by: Paddy B, The Exiled Saint, Shropshire on 6:50pm Mon 17 Mar 08
We'd be in League One already if he wasn't around.
Judging from some the comments above, they've never seen Greaves and the other great forwards of the past.
Stern John like all great stikers appear to the less experienced in the game, and the role of the position, to be doing nothing. This is wrong.
This is one of today's problems caused from having too much football on TV, it prevents one from seeing the broader picture and the eye is entirely focused on what the camera chhose to show.
Yes! It's looking bad for the saints, but this should not be unexpected when one looks at the overall management of the club this season and last. It's both living in the past (Dell Spirit and 1976) and far too fond of navel-gazing.
The fat lady is sorting out her song sheets but she's not cleared her throat yet!
COYS.
We'd be in League One already if he wasn't around.
Judging from some the comments above, they've never seen Greaves and the other great forwards of the past.
Stern John like all great stikers appear to the less experienced in the game, and the role of the position, to be doing nothing. This is wrong.
This is one of today's problems caused from having too much football on TV, it prevents one from seeing the broader picture and the eye is entirely focused on what the camera chhose to show.
Yes! It's looking bad for the saints, but this should not be unexpected when one looks at the overall management of the club this season and last. It's both living in the past (Dell Spirit and 1976) and far too fond of navel-gazing.
The fat lady is sorting out her song sheets but she's not cleared her throat yet!
[quote][bold]Ric Flair[/bold] wrote:
yeh that means probably we should play only one player
pathetic[/quote] Yep, you are. This is about the first time I've seen you post without using zero everywhere.
Ric Flair wrote:
yeh that means probably we should play only one player
pathetic
Yep, you are. This is about the first time I've seen you post without using zero everywhere.
Posted by: saintluc, saints on 7:29pm Mon 17 Mar 08
i think we r all relying on stern john to score goals but yer thats what he is there for but the other forwards like BWP (who is a low life peice of junk) and saganofski r there to do that job too as well as every other player. if u look at viafara - when he gets the ball he boots it over the bar!! thats pathetic when we need to win to keep us up! i think all the players should find their most comfortable position, stay there, and play!!
i think we r all relying on stern john to score goals but yer thats what he is there for but the other forwards like BWP (who is a low life peice of junk) and saganofski r there to do that job too as well as every other player. if u look at viafara - when he gets the ball he boots it over the bar!! thats pathetic when we need to win to keep us up! i think all the players should find their most comfortable position, stay there, and play!!
Posted by: Hawkeye, Bristol on 1:57am Tue 18 Mar 08
At last, someone else who has spotted why Saints are not scoring.Stern John should never be used as a target man he cannot head a ball to save his life. Saga does well with a TARGET MAN WHO CAN HEAD A BALL alongside him - there nice big letters so that Saits management do not miss the point. Pearson pull your finger out, the honeymoon is over. If you cant bring a proper target man in on loan then play Baseya up front with Saga and we will be fine.
Balls it up by relying on John to get the odd goal with nothing coming fro anywhere else and we will go down.Play John in the hole behind the front two strikers and there could be fireworks yet.
COYS
At last, someone else who has spotted why Saints are not scoring.Stern John should never be used as a target man he cannot head a ball to save his life. Saga does well with a TARGET MAN WHO CAN HEAD A BALL alongside him - there nice big letters so that Saits management do not miss the point. Pearson pull your finger out, the honeymoon is over. If you cant bring a proper target man in on loan then play Baseya up front with Saga and we will be fine.
Balls it up by relying on John to get the odd goal with nothing coming fro anywhere else and we will go down.Play John in the hole behind the front two strikers and there could be fireworks yet.
COYS
[quote][bold]saintluc[/bold] wrote:
i think we r all relying on stern john to score goals but yer thats what he is there for but the other forwards like BWP (who is a low life peice of junk) and saganofski r there to do that job too as well as every other player. if u look at viafara - when he gets the ball he boots it over the bar!! thats pathetic when we need to win to keep us up! i think all the players should find their most comfortable position, stay there, and play!![/quote] like rasiak then?
saintluc wrote:
i think we r all relying on stern john to score goals but yer thats what he is there for but the other forwards like BWP (who is a low life peice of junk) and saganofski r there to do that job too as well as every other player. if u look at viafara - when he gets the ball he boots it over the bar!! thats pathetic when we need to win to keep us up! i think all the players should find their most comfortable position, stay there, and play!!
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
