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Wednesday, 09 May 2012, 19:45

Championship Play-Offs Semi-Final

ADKINS UNHAPPY WITH FOX RED

Post-match reaction to the 0-0 draw between Birmingham and Southampton.

Last Updated: 04/02/12 at 21:34 Post Comment    Bet with SkyBet  npower Championship. Click here to bet.

Nigel Adkins: Looking for 'clarity'

Nigel Adkins: Looking for 'clarity'

Southampton manager Nigel Adkins described his side's goalless draw at Birmingham as "a good point to pick up", but was less pleased about the late dismissal of defender Danny Fox.

Fox had already been booked in the first half when he picked up a second caution in the 82nd minute for the goalless draw for a foul on Chris Burke to receive his marching orders.

Adkins' questioned whether the second challenge was enough to warrant a dismissal, saying: "We have an issue in the game at this moment in time. It has been highlighted this season. The players do not know how to react.

"Whenever someone goes for a challenge everyone is up in arms. Is it a sending off? Is it a booking? Is it a perfectly good challenge?

"I think there needs to be some clarity coming out on this question.

"We are talking about two incidents which effectively put us down to 10 men for the last 10 minutes. From then on we had to make sure we could get something out of the game."

Birmingham boss Chris Hughton also thought the sending off Fox was a harsh decision, saying: "The first booking was fairly fierce. There was no complaints with the first yellow card but the second was harsh."

Aside from that incident, Adkins felt it was a good point for his side to get in match played in atrocious conditions at St Andrew's against a Birmingham side who had not been beaten at home this season.

"I am sure that if you had asked the referee after 70 minutes about the conditions he would not have started the game," said Adkins, whose side had only picked up two wins from their previous nine games,.

"Birmingham were on top in the first 10 minutes but afterwards we dominated the game. But as the snow came down we were not able to pass the ball crisply enough and could not penetrate the opposition.

"When you look at Birmingham's home record in that context it was a good point to pick up away from home.

"We played very well in midweek against Cardiff and there was also a controversial decision in that game.

So it was another good point to pick up against Birmingham.

"We have a strong squad of players and we have goals in the group to set us up for the games that are coming our way."

Birmingham, involved in only their second goalless home draw this season, obviously missed their striker Nikola Zigic, who scored four goals in the previous game at Leeds in midweek.

In the adverse conditions, with snow falling throughout the game, neither side could produce their best form which has taken them into the top six.

Hughton added: "The result was a fair result when you are up against a team as good as Southampton you reach a stage in the game where you are more concerned about not losing.

"On possession it was probably fairly even. We definitely had the better of the

chances and if there one team which deserved to win on chances it us.

"The best two chances were the header from (Guirane) N'Daw and (Marlon) King."

Hughton was full of praise for N'Daw's performance after his return from playing in the African Nations Cup for Senegal.

He said: "In all honesty I wasn't sure what to expect from him.

It has been a couple of tough weeks for him but I was delighted with his performance."

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here has only been 3 players who made me hold my breath in dread when they picked the ball up anywhere near our penalty area...in their prime Scholes and Giggs... and always Drogba. Awesome player who on his day was the best striker in the world in my opinion.

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Farewell Big, Brutal, Big-Balled B**tard

I

remember him scoring a 25-yarder, either the season just gone or the one before, against Bolton at the Reebok. I've never seen a ball hit that hard before in my entire life. You could almost feel the shockwave from his foot contacting it 40 yards away in the stands. Didier Droga. You might not have loved him, but you just had to be in awe of him.

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den Hazard, def. - 1) that girl in a club who makes eyes at you all night, who allows you to buy her a drink and walk her home arm in arm, who then gives you a suggestive kiss on her doorstep before declaring how tired she is and how she has to be up early the next day. 2) A cock tease.

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