William Henry Foulkes
Big Member
Found the following when googling Adkins and formations:
Adkins had proven to be extremely adaptable in his first season at St Marys, adopting a number of different formations over the course of the campaign (4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 were all used at some point) but more often than not he settled on using a diamond midfield. Adkins also shored things up at the back. Southampton recorded their best defensive record for years in 2010/11 thanks to a very organised back four. Saints also saw an increase of goals from set plays, something Adkins liked to work extensively on in training. On March 24th Adkins took Dale Stephens on loan from Oldham.
Adkins really proved his worth in the final two months of the 2010/11 season. His Southampton side won 9 of their last 10 matches to secure promotion back to The Championship in 2nd spot. The highlight of that run undoubtedly came at Brighton on 23rd April when Adkins men came from 1-0 down to win 2-1, with late goals from David Connolly and Jose Fonte. The end of season form was even more remarkable given the fact that a number of key players were missing in certain matches. Alex Chamberlain missed most of the run in, only returning on the final day. Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana and Lee Barnard also sat out due to injury. Despite these key absences, Adkins handled the squad brilliantly, and promotion was secured on 2nd May after a 3-1 win at Plymouth. He was named manager of the month for April 2011.
On May 21st 2011 Southampton announced Adkins had signed a new four and a half year contract back in January, keeping him at the club until June 2015. His Saints side made a great start to the 2011/12 season, winning 6 out of 7 matches in August. Adkins had strengthened the side with new signings Jack Cork, Steve De Ridder and Danny Fox. Cork in particular made a huge difference in the first month, helping Saints to some excellent attacking displays.
Adkins got the absolute maximum out of every single player during 2011/12. The likes of Frazer Richardson and Dean Hammond came on leaps and bounds under his stewardship. Throughout the season Adkins geared the whole team around star striker Rickie Lambert, who had become a well rounded centre forward. The width would be provided by the full backs. Richardson and Fox were capable of making fantastic cross-field passes. Cork and Hammond sat in midfield keeping things ticking over, while the adaptable Guly and Adam Lallana provided plenty of skill from the flanks. David Connolly brilliantly linked up alongside the talismanic Lambert.
Adkins used the cup competitions to give fringe players and youngsters an opportunity. He employed a 4-2-3-1 formation during Carling Cup matches before going out in the 4th round. Saints went out at the same stage to Millwall in February 2012. Adkins handed debuts to James Ward-Prowse, Ben Reeves, Luke Shaw, Jack Stephens, Ryan Doble and Sam Hoskins.
http://www.thesaintshub.com/nigeladkins2.html
Adkins had proven to be extremely adaptable in his first season at St Marys, adopting a number of different formations over the course of the campaign (4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 were all used at some point) but more often than not he settled on using a diamond midfield. Adkins also shored things up at the back. Southampton recorded their best defensive record for years in 2010/11 thanks to a very organised back four. Saints also saw an increase of goals from set plays, something Adkins liked to work extensively on in training. On March 24th Adkins took Dale Stephens on loan from Oldham.
Adkins really proved his worth in the final two months of the 2010/11 season. His Southampton side won 9 of their last 10 matches to secure promotion back to The Championship in 2nd spot. The highlight of that run undoubtedly came at Brighton on 23rd April when Adkins men came from 1-0 down to win 2-1, with late goals from David Connolly and Jose Fonte. The end of season form was even more remarkable given the fact that a number of key players were missing in certain matches. Alex Chamberlain missed most of the run in, only returning on the final day. Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana and Lee Barnard also sat out due to injury. Despite these key absences, Adkins handled the squad brilliantly, and promotion was secured on 2nd May after a 3-1 win at Plymouth. He was named manager of the month for April 2011.
On May 21st 2011 Southampton announced Adkins had signed a new four and a half year contract back in January, keeping him at the club until June 2015. His Saints side made a great start to the 2011/12 season, winning 6 out of 7 matches in August. Adkins had strengthened the side with new signings Jack Cork, Steve De Ridder and Danny Fox. Cork in particular made a huge difference in the first month, helping Saints to some excellent attacking displays.
Adkins got the absolute maximum out of every single player during 2011/12. The likes of Frazer Richardson and Dean Hammond came on leaps and bounds under his stewardship. Throughout the season Adkins geared the whole team around star striker Rickie Lambert, who had become a well rounded centre forward. The width would be provided by the full backs. Richardson and Fox were capable of making fantastic cross-field passes. Cork and Hammond sat in midfield keeping things ticking over, while the adaptable Guly and Adam Lallana provided plenty of skill from the flanks. David Connolly brilliantly linked up alongside the talismanic Lambert.
Adkins used the cup competitions to give fringe players and youngsters an opportunity. He employed a 4-2-3-1 formation during Carling Cup matches before going out in the 4th round. Saints went out at the same stage to Millwall in February 2012. Adkins handed debuts to James Ward-Prowse, Ben Reeves, Luke Shaw, Jack Stephens, Ryan Doble and Sam Hoskins.
http://www.thesaintshub.com/nigeladkins2.html
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