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Lallana: we ran out of ideas (From Andover Advertiser)
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Lallana: we ran out of ideas
7:50am Monday 8th February 2010
Adam Lallana insists Saints were not distracted ahead of their massive cup games this week when they took on Exeter.
The Saints midfielder produced a bit of genuine quality on an awful pitch to score his first goal since late November to give Saints the lead at St James’s Park.
Lallana ended an 11-match goalless run with his 13th goal of the campaign.
But it proved not be the winner as lowly Exeter clawed back a point with a 1-1 draw.
Saints now have little time to prepare for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy southern area final second leg against MK Dons at St Mary’s tomorrow night before then switching focus again to the FA Cup and Portsmouth on Saturday.
Lallana, though, believes those impending games had no effect on the result at Exeter.
He said: “The pitch was difficult but it was the same for both teams.
“You have to adapt to the conditions and they seemed to do that better than us in the second half.
“We’ve got to look forward now, we have a couple of big games coming up so we have to prepare and get ourselves right physically for those.
“The upcoming games weren’t a distraction for us.
“We have a big enough squad to cope with all three competitions that we are in, but maybe we need to just be a little bit tighter as a team.
“The good teams win games 1-0 so we just need to make sure that we pick up and I’m sure that between now and the end of the season we will do that.”
The goal was Lallana’s tenth league strike of the campaign and a welcome one after a barren run in what has been a campaign of quality and consistency from the midfielder.
His run of one goal in his last 12 league and cup games contrasts with the nine goals he had plundered in 12 games leading up to the FA Cup second round win at Northampton at the end of November.
“It was nice to score but I would much rather have taken the win and not been on the scoresheet,” he reflected.
“It’s been a few games and it’s been at the back of my mind, but in the end it is two points dropped.
“We were in a leading position again and we let it slip.
“It was awful conditions out there but that’s no excuse as it’s the same for both teams.
“We did quite well first half and we went in with the lead but we couldn’t hold on to it.
“We had a couple of chances but in the end we just ran out of ideas.”
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Your Say YourAndover
deadly666, Southampton says...
8:04am Mon 8 Feb 10
maybe its time AP played the side he plays in the cup in the league?!?! they seem to have more desire and drive than this lot did on saturday
AP never seems to play the same side two matches running
we dont have the quality in the squad to rotate the way he does
i would stick to:
davis;
thomas; fonte; perry; harding:
lallana; schneiderlin; james; holmes;
lambert; waigo
stmarysmush, soton says...
8:11am Mon 8 Feb 10
St.Yorkie, Pocklington says...
8:55am Mon 8 Feb 10
Some of course are not available for that game so they should have been totally focused. Others well I guess they wanted to avoid injury...after all a trip to Wembley and then beating the "old enemy" has got to play on the mind.
I asked for 3-wins - but i'll settle for 2 now. Come on Saints you know we can do it!
Tirau Dan, Tirau (NZL) says...
9:17am Mon 8 Feb 10
For the months prior to mid dec the forums were very pos and the negative moaning people that filled the pre-season forums with doom and gloom were out in force.
Everyone without exception agreed that a mid table finish this season would be all we would hope for and we would be grateful for it.
The anti Pardew people swore we would be in L2 at the end of the season and didn't have a chance, but now so many of them are surfacing in the forums again slagging and banging on about being season ticket holders and how poor Pardew is and his players are hopeless etc.
This is the second bedding in period. in the midst of a string of games important to the fans and the eventual finishing place in the season.
The season has been a fantastic ride. I still say that if I woke up and it had all been a dream.. the dream would sit well with me.
My biggest wish now is for the team to end the season with a string of positive performances.
It would be brilliant for Pards and the squad to show of the skills we now they are capable of by giving us a sign that we are a force to be reckoned with and that we are going up to the Premiership within five years.
That and smashing the smelly muffs will do me this season.
Keep singing and be proud Saints
COYR
Costa Baz, Southampton says...
10:54am Mon 8 Feb 10
They have named the same 11 for 12 consecutive games and have lost just once in that time.
However, the supporters were hoping for several new players to be signed during January, which they got, and now they have to show some patience whilst they bed in.
IMO our biggest problem is the continued absence of Hammond, as we have no other player in the squad that can gel the team as he does.
St Retford, Manchester says...
1:10pm Mon 8 Feb 10
Costa Baz wrote:Good shout. The people complaining about our recent form are by and large the same people demanding we brought new players in. You can't have it both ways.
The importance of sending out a settled team is there to be seen in Birmingham. They have named the same 11 for 12 consecutive games and have lost just once in that time. However, the supporters were hoping for several new players to be signed during January, which they got, and now they have to show some patience whilst they bed in. IMO our biggest problem is the continued absence of Hammond, as we have no other player in the squad that can gel the team as he does.
And I totally agree re Hammond. When is he expected back?
jaynett, Hedge End says...
1:30pm Mon 8 Feb 10
spratt, southampton says...
3:35pm Mon 8 Feb 10
mack chinnon, southampton says...
4:24pm Mon 8 Feb 10
No excuses. Roll em over Saints. This is our house.
Jannersaint, Plymuff says...
8:42pm Mon 8 Feb 10
We have the players but there seemed to be no shape or organisation. Players seemed to be out of position. Otsemobor was awful, Kelv kept looking for a quick throw but Jon has no confidence so avoided the opportunity to counter.
Fonte looks quality.
Nearly every ball to Lambert was in the air. When we gave it to feet it looked better. We should have played more people up front and gone direct on Saturday as the pitch didn't suit Punch and Lallana's tricks one bit. I was so disappointed with what I saw. The pitch was bad but they had the same surface. Who in the hell makes an attacking substitution on 85 minutes. Why did Otsemobor get such a long spell at right midfield. I'm a big AP fan and we have come a long way but Saturday was crazy.
Adam Lallana beats Steve Tully to a header.
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chappers73, Ryde Isle of Wight says...
7:56am Mon 8 Feb 10