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Friday, August 7, 2009
SAINTS THIS season Saints fans are in for a culture shock, that much is for sure. The maligned kick and run mentality will still be in force. But those hopeful kicks are now going to go askew more often than not. Like the Championship, we will go to some nice grounds and some bad ones. But the latter will be absolutely awful. I must admit, I have seen very little League One football. But there seems to be little difference, in terms of quality, with League Two. Just look at those sides that have gone on and succeeded once achieving promotion, like Peterborough and MK Dons last season In 2008/09 I watched a lot of League Two football. I covered Rotherham for the local rag up there and, had it not been for a 17-point deduction, they would have probably faced Saints this season. And one thing really stood out. How a side can succeed despite their dearth of talent and points deduction. You just need organisation in a team and a group of people who will work together for the greater good. Something Saints have not had in recent years. Rotherham had a basic squad. They had a good manager (ex-Manchester United striker Mark Robins), a fairly strong backline and a decent target man (Rueben Reid), with men with the pace to run off him. And they worked as a unit,
dailyecho.co.uk
Points deduction can create a positive
Rotherham can be a good template for us to follow ... By Simon Peach echosport@dailyecho.co.uk For up-to-the-minute news and sport – dailyecho.co.uk
which is all it took. Saints found out in the Carling Cup third round loss at the Don Valley Stadium just what the Millers were capable of when they were up for it. For Rotherham, the monstrous 17-point deficit worked in their favour in terms of mentality. On numerous occasions staff and players told me how much it pulled the side together.
Major issue It made them push to prove the authorities wrong. But the management did admit there was major issue in building that team. At League One and Two level it is fairly straightforward to sign a defender that will help sturdy the ship. They just have to be big and able to concentrate. It’s at the other end they, and unfortunately we, may struggle.
Rotherham gambled on several strikers with hope of finding a gem. They had to. No half-decent forward with any pedigree wanted to sign for a club languishing at the bottom of the league, fighting a point deficit from the offset. Saints will have to do the same. We are in the league above and are a far bigger name. But we are competing with the likes of Leeds, Charlton and Norwich for the same players. And they have the bonus of starting on a level footing. All of this, in one big melting pot, means that this season will be a difficult voyage into the unknown. Alan Pardew is a fine managerm but now he must build a team. A team that will play for each other, not just their pay cheques. A team of players who will fight for one another and the fans. A team that are proud to wear the red and white. I never thought I’d say this but Saints could do with taking a leaf out of Rotherham’s book ...
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16-PAGE SAINTS PRE-SEASON SPECIAL Alan Pardew speaks out – ‘I know the owners dream about the Premiership and they want to do it in a structured way’. In-depth guide to the Saints squad. Club by club League One guide – their signings and their chances. The template for success in League One – by the man who knows the division so well.
GOAL-DEN MOMENT: Stern John scores at Rotherham last season, but Saints suffered a miserable Carling Cup exit.
Exclusive interviews with Saints midfielder Simon Gillett and Paul Wotton on their League One experiences.
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