In Nigel Adkins We Trust
Since Nigel Adkins took over the Southampton ship, not only has he become a household name and legend across Southampton, he has also drawn attention from around the country. Honestly this isn’t surprising, the physio-turned-manager took over Saints in August 2010, he immediately made his impression not only on the fans, but on the philosophy of the club.
The Southampton board and owners had set out a 5 year plan to get the Saints back to the Premier League, when we got out of administration and were only starting out in League One. Nigel Adkins joined the club a year after this was set out, and two years later, we are back where most of our fans think we belong.
Adkins managed to do this by immediately expecting 110% from his players, and implemented his own style of attacking football, making sure that we passed around the ball and be patient. This worked to a level that no-one expected, in his first season he saw his side win comfortably and humiliating some teams, like our 6-0 away victory against Oldham. This style of play was a delight to see from the Southampton faithful; who had got used to almost giving up hope in previous seasons. We continued to play this way in the Championship, and it worked amazingly well yet again. We didn’t leave the top two all season which is an incredible feat for any team, let alone for a newly-promoted club. He did what many haven’t achieved, gaining back-to-back promotions.
He very much believes in something which some managers don’t spend too much time on: Sustainability. He puts in a lot of his time helping with the academy side of things, and tries to bring as much of our own talent through the ranks, for example Adam Lallana. Many have said that he is integral to the team more so than Ricky Lambert.
He is a realistic manager, who takes each game at a time, although he mostly speaks in clichés, all of what he says is true. I truly believe that he, along with the facilities at hand, also the clubs folklore, will help us stay up and hopefully establish ourselves back as a Premier League team.
I have always seen Southampton as a big club, for instance we broke our club attendance record this season, vs Reading and had the second highest average attendance in the Championship.
Whilst having an outrageously tough first month in the Prem, with journeys to the Etihad and the Emirates to make, and welcoming the likes of Man United, I still insist that we can make an impression. All we need to do is play the way we have played and I think a few upsets are on the cards. In Nigel Adkins we trust.
By Will Sharp (@WillSharp94)
The Southampton board and owners had set out a 5 year plan to get the Saints back to the Premier League, when we got out of administration and were only starting out in League One. Nigel Adkins joined the club a year after this was set out, and two years later, we are back where most of our fans think we belong.
Adkins managed to do this by immediately expecting 110% from his players, and implemented his own style of attacking football, making sure that we passed around the ball and be patient. This worked to a level that no-one expected, in his first season he saw his side win comfortably and humiliating some teams, like our 6-0 away victory against Oldham. This style of play was a delight to see from the Southampton faithful; who had got used to almost giving up hope in previous seasons. We continued to play this way in the Championship, and it worked amazingly well yet again. We didn’t leave the top two all season which is an incredible feat for any team, let alone for a newly-promoted club. He did what many haven’t achieved, gaining back-to-back promotions.
He very much believes in something which some managers don’t spend too much time on: Sustainability. He puts in a lot of his time helping with the academy side of things, and tries to bring as much of our own talent through the ranks, for example Adam Lallana. Many have said that he is integral to the team more so than Ricky Lambert.
He is a realistic manager, who takes each game at a time, although he mostly speaks in clichés, all of what he says is true. I truly believe that he, along with the facilities at hand, also the clubs folklore, will help us stay up and hopefully establish ourselves back as a Premier League team.
I have always seen Southampton as a big club, for instance we broke our club attendance record this season, vs Reading and had the second highest average attendance in the Championship.
Whilst having an outrageously tough first month in the Prem, with journeys to the Etihad and the Emirates to make, and welcoming the likes of Man United, I still insist that we can make an impression. All we need to do is play the way we have played and I think a few upsets are on the cards. In Nigel Adkins we trust.
By Will Sharp (@WillSharp94)