Having rolled out a series of articles on the promoted sides, we now focus on the main protagonists from each of the three clubs in terms of likely Fantasy impact. First up, then, we take a look at the top scorer in last season’s npower Championship, Southampton’s Rickie Lambert:

With a total of 85 goals, Nigel Adkins’ runners-up found the net more times than any other side in the Championship in 2011/12 and a look at the stats shows just how crucial Lambert is to the team’s attacking potential. Aided by penalty duties and his fair share of direct free-kicks, the 6 foot 2 forward racked up 27 goals last term; supplementing this with 14 assists, Lambert played a part on 41 (or 48%) of the Saints’ goals – double the ratio of next best Adam Lallana, whose 11 goals and 10 assists equate to 24%.

The Statistics

It’s fair to say Lambert has led a somewhat nomadic existence amongst the lower leagues. He began his career as a 16-year-old at Blackpool in 1998 but after just three sub appearances, was released by then-manager Steve McMahon in 2000. The forward remained without a club for four months before Macclesfield Town rescued him from obscurity and, after notching eight goals in 44 league matches, was snapped up by Stockport County ahead of the 2002-03 campaign. Lambert netted just 18 times in 98 league appearances, however, and was shipped off to Rochdale midway through the 2004-05 campaign – his one full season there saw him find the net 22 times in 46 league games before Bristol Rovers came calling on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2006.

A modest first couple of seasons produced just 21 goals from 82 league matches before Lambert set the tone for what has subsequently followed. The 2008-09 campaign harvested 29 goals in 45 appearances as Lambert finally found his feet; finishing joint-top scorer in League One, his displays afforded him a place in the division’s Team of the Year and, after scoring in the opening day of the following campaign, he was snapped up by Southampton in a deal thought to be in excess of £1m.

Under the guidance of Nigel Adkins, Lambert has gone from strength to strength, returning double figures for goals and assists in each of his three seasons at St Mary’s. In 2009/10, he produced 29 goals and 13 assists in 45 league games – combined with his goal for Bristol Rovers in the first match of the campaign, he was the top scorer across all four divisions in England for the second successive season and was also voted PFA Fans’ Player of the Year for League One. Since then, his performances have helped the club record back-to-back promotions; 21 goals and 13 assists in 2010/11 elevated them into the Championship, where last season’s above-mentioned displays earned Lambert the division’s Player of the Year accolade, in addition to being voted the Southampton Fans’ Player of the Season for the second time since arriving at the club.

The Prospects

Priced at 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and 6.8 in the Sky Sports game, Lambert is an intriguing mid-price option for Fantasy managers to consider for the season ahead. While the Saints striker is yet unproven in the top-flight, Norwich’s Grant Holt demonstrated last season that the step up in class can be seamlessly achieved; the Canaries skipper was joint sixth top scoring forward in FPL, accruing 138 points thanks to 15 goals, three assists and 19 bonus points.

Adkins’ approach is key to Southampton’s Fantasy potential next season. Last term, Swansea’s propensity for picking up clean sheets was mainly down to Brendan Rodgers’ refusal to alter his possession-based game after his club’s play-off promotion, while Norwich benefitted from Paul Lambert’s attack-minded philosophy and racked up 52 goals; the seventh best tally in the Premier League.

The Saints’ default 4-4-2 formation has been fundamental to their success under Adkins but the past couple of pre-season friendlies have seen him trial a 4-3-2-1 formation; perhaps there are lessons to be learned from Norwich’s failure to pick up a single clean sheet away from home last season. It could well be that the Saints will rein in their gung-ho approach on the road and hand Lambert a lone striker role, with 4-4-2 rolled out for their matches at St Mary’s but, at present, it’s too early to come to any conclusions.

Certainly, if Southampton are to flourish in the upcoming campaign, Lambert’s potency will be key. The first four Gameweeks (mci, WIG, MUN, ars) provides them with just one good fixture and hands them a schedule which will be enough to deter even the most optimistic of Fantasy managers. On the positive side, though, the trips to City and Arsenal could afford us a window into Adkins’ thoughts on away tactics for the season ahead, allowing us to begin the campaign with alternative mid-price candidates before we consider throwing some investment Lambert’s way.

Further Reference

Rickie Lambert Wikipedia
Rickie Lambert Statistics
Rickie Lambert YouTube