After Billy Sharp arrived it looked like he might be consigned to a place on the bench for the rest of the season as the manager seemed to prefer just about every other forward before him, but in recent weeks he has shown just why we signed him.

The signing of Billy Sharp looked like turning into a strange situation shortly after he signed for a fee believed to be just shy of £2 million in January, Nigel Adkins had seemingly been chasing his man since the summer, but when he eventually got him didnt exactly push him to the top of the pack, after initially starting in the team Sharp found himself behind not only Lambert, but Guly, Tadanari Lee, David Connolly and even Steve De Ridder, all of whom at some stage were played in a forward role in preference to Sharp.

Just why this was the case was puzzling as although Sharp hadnt exactly set the World alight at this stage he had played reasonably well and scored.

Some Saints fans spoke of the phrase "Saints Fit" claiming that Sharp wasnt fit enough for Adkins, but in fairness the manager would have been aware of Sharp's fitness levels, he wasnt buying him for that, he was buying him because Lambert aside, he was one of the best goalscorers in the Championship, of course if Adkins got him fitter he would be a better player, but even at his level when he signed he was still a man who had scored 10 goals in 20 appearances for Doncaster, not a shabby figure.

So Sharp looked out in the cold, consigned to a few cameo roles off the bench and even then he wasnt even the first name Adkins called on to play up front, the good form of Tadanari Lee of course blocked his path, but it was more than that, when Steve De Ridder is being asked to play up front ahead of you, you know somethings afoot.

Perhaps the turning point came at Millwall, with 25 mins left on the clock and Saints 2-1 down, Lee and Connolly out injured, Adkins had no choice but to throw on Sharp, it paid dividends, with 7 minutes to go Sharp made a great run and was played through, he laid the ball to lambert who with an open goal was scythed down, Saints and Sharp were back in the game.

From then on Sharp has been back on the money, in the six games since he has hit six goals and is showing just why we paid so much money for him, but perhaps more than just the goals, he looks an excellent foild for Lambert.

Sometimes in football things work out more by luck than judgement and this could be one of those cases, Lee played well before his injury, but the truth is he isnt the natural goalscorer that Sharp is, compare the Japanese man's 1 goal in 4 starts and 3 off the bench to Sharp's 7 from 9 starts and 4 from the bench and you can see why perhaps the injury to Lee was one of those fortuitous happenings that change the course of a season.

So the fat lad from Sheffield as Sharp refers to himself on his twitter account is fast becoming the player who will make the difference between success and failure, when Saints got promoted that man was Tony Funnell who came in late in the campaign and hit some vital goals and now its Sharp, it doesnt matter what lead up to his inclusion in the team and whether he would have got the chance had both Lee and Connolly not seccumbed to injury, the fact is that Nigel Adkins perhaps got lucky and had a decision made for him, but better to be a lucky manager than not one.

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ThereIn76 added 11:49 - Apr 18 I'm sure Nigel knew what he was doing all along. He knew Billy well from Scunthorpe of course. Fitness is one factor but remember too what a torrid time Billy has had personally in recent months and settling into a new club in an unfamiliar part of the country takes a bit of time even in normal circumstances. Saints need options up front and the team was on a good run with Billy not in the starting XI so there was no reason to change things. Next season I can see Rickie and Billy as the first choice strike pairing with Tadanari being used mainly as an impact player.

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michaeljoycetf added 11:56 - Apr 18 I dont subscribe totally to your 'lucky' theory. Its more likely that Nigel, who saw his potential, bought him then brought him on both mentally and physically until he felt he was right for the challenge. sounds more like judgement than luck in this case. Full credit to Nigel and the staff for the way in which they handled his situation.
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SaintNick added 12:07 - Apr 18 whilst i applaud your support of our managers wisdom, I would point out that Sharp had been doing quite well both mentally and physically for Doncaster in the months before we bought him, so i dont really think this was the problem
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OldRed added 12:07 - Apr 18 Try looking at it from the point of view of the players that have being working hard for a place all season.
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bstokesaint added 12:39 - Apr 18 I don't totally subscribe to the view that NA was lucky. There's no guarantee that Lee wouldn't have banged in a few goals himself. What it does prove is that Sharp when called upon is good enough to rise to the occasion. I was also particularly impressed with his interview last night when he wasn't getting too carried away and admitted he could and wanted to play better. He has a good attitude in my opinion. I just feel NA felt it took Sharp a while to adapt to our way of playing from what he was used to at Doncaster, and where he was a shoe-in for a start every week.

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hmmm added 13:57 - Apr 18 Quite a simplistic analysis, equating goals scored being the be all and end all. We won nearly every game Tadanari Lee started or played off the bench, whilst this is certainly not the case for the Sharp. Call it the Heskey effect (in his England guise - kept being picked, England kept winning, despite his lack of goals). What Lee offers is pace (something we sorely lack), and a different type of threat. Sharp appears even slower than SRL. Not a conclusive point I know, but goals scored arent everything.

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SaintNick added 13:59 - Apr 18 all mamagers need luck to a certain degree as they cant control many things, ie players missing chances or making mistakes, in this context though Adkins was lucky because the injuries to Lee and connolly made a decision for him and its paid off, of course all managers when this happens will claim it was all part of a great big masterplan all along lol
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Jesus_02 added 14:04 - Apr 18 Personally I think that Lee or Chung (or whatever) is a much better player and he will be a revelation in the Premier League. Other than that we will need another Striker to make up the four competative strikers that you need at premier league level. Billy may improve but he was wholey out of his depth against Reading, I can imagine Lee would have given Gorks a good deal more to deal with

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StSaint added 14:19 - Apr 18 I agree with Jesus_02 and think Lee is the better player. You could just as easilly say that we have been unlucky that he has been injured. Who is to say we wouldn't have won all the games and already been Champions had he been fit? Sharp has scored a few goals, but I don't think he's turned our season. This is a real non-story.
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SaintNick added 14:48 - Apr 18 I wasnt saying who was the better player or who would have done what, all I was doing was saying that Sharp came into the side at the right time and has hit six vital goals, he hasnt turned the season but he has given it a big boost at just the right time and thats what counts As for non stories basically every story is a non one unless its reporting facts like a result

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Toussaint added 14:56 - Apr 18 Dosen`t matter much who plays up top with Ricky, we will win a fair % with our style of play COYR !!! one more point
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SingaporeSaint added 16:18 - Apr 18 Fair post - I dont think we need to dwell on who is better between Lee and Sharp until the end of the season. The bare facts are that Lee got injured and couldnt play for the rest of the season and Sharp has stepped up. A very good signing as we needed a quality support striker and Sharp has delivered. He just needs to keep up this form for another 2 weeks, get us promoted and he will have more than paid back his transfer fee...

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SaintStu7 added 09:53 - Apr 19 Should we make it to the PL, do we need to sign another striker? I think no, we would have to spend millions to get anything better than what we have got. lambert and Sharp could really hit it off in the PL and with Lee and Barnard in reserve this cant be bad. How about a Midfielder.... Need a different type of player in there.... Joey Barton when QPR get relegated!! Out there for debate!

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bstokesaint added 12:44 - Apr 19 Probably a bit too early to be talking about the above. One thing I will say though is Saints don't need any big egos upsetting the balance. Reading and Saints have got where they are by not adopting the s*** or bust approach of West Ham and Leicester.
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