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Saturday, August 23, 2008
Saints' head coach Jan Poortvliet has praised his young team's efforts at Pride Park, and issued a wake-up call to the rest of his squad.
The Dutch coach singled out Jamie White for special mention, following an impressive first team debut against the Rams.
"I can only compliment Jamie on his performance," Poortvliet said. "He was motivated and it gave him a bounce to play well.
"He's 18 years of age and you can always select an older player, but I chose him because I think he works hard. He played well for the reserves and he trains hard and he wants to be there. It was his first game and we'll look at how he recovers for Tuesday."
He continued: "I hope that more players at Southampton will be woken up by this signal, because we need them all. It's a long season and we need everyone.
"We have a lot of talented players who didn't start on Saturday," he added. "Bradley Wright-Phillips, Nathan Dyer and Stern John, for example. We want everyone to work together to create a strong team."
The boss also had plenty to say about Lee Holmes, who was warmly received by both sets of fans at his former club.
Poortvliet said: "Holmes also played well. He is an outstanding player and has it all. He's quick, he can dribble, he can make goals and he's motivated. I'm very happy with him and the only thing he didn't do on Saturday was score.
"We created a lot of chances but didn't look like scoring them all. But you have to believe in what you do and keep trying for a second goal.
"I needed the second goal more than perhaps the players did, if only to help me relax!
"We're aiming for the play-offs. As a coach it's important to have a goal to aim for. To motivate players it's no good just aspiring to not get relegated.
"We take every game seriously and every game we have to win, and now we know how to do it."
