Village Saint

It's hard to see what the point is when people post nonsense like this. Is it just to wind people up? Do you really believe this? Are you just one of those people who always sees the dark side and is incapable of enjoying the up side of life? I was a great fan of Adkins; I think his sacking was unjustified and unneccesary but, if you really can't see the progress we have made under Pochettino, it is difficult to see how you are ever going to get any joy out of watching football!

Um NO Osvaldo doesn't as can be judged by his NO goals so far. There really is no need to tinker with this aspect of the team which works so well at the moment and I guess MP is well aware of this. The front six are achieving exactly what he wants - putting pressure on their back 4 AND also creating a lot of chances. We haven't yet been as good as we might be at taking those yet and Osvaldo (0 goals so far) has been one of the guilty parties. So, for Saints, has Lambert (3 goals so far this season and 2 of those in the heady atmosphere of international football). It won't be long before he does register though and if I was Palace I would be very afraid. So afraid I might even play 4 centre-backs..........

There I think you have it. No-one who actually watched the game yesterday without a pre-conceived notion could fail to notice that, as ever, he was the leader that made what did happen happen. He came closest to scoring and was instrumental in the build-up to just about every other chance but heh lets change the part of the team that works best. Absolute madness. Much more of this and we will have people going on and on and on about a mangeer that left us 8 months ago!

Maybe its how I am reading it but that looks like 3-6-2 which no doubt could be quite effective but may not get past the referee's scrutiny!

I had very low expectations of Puncheon. Apart from one surprisingly sound spell of about 6 matches last year he certainly didn't exceed them. Overall given the undoubted talent he had his perfomances were erratic (as they had been at his previous clubs) and he gave us precious little return for a lot of money (three and a half years wages so far and still counting).

That is far far too generous. His career record suggests that he isn't that good a finisher. Yes he will always get a few goals at Champioship level (and indeed thanks for those) and can be more prolific at Legaue 1 standard but that's it. When asked to do it regularly in the upper levels of the Championshiphe just hasn't shown the required consistency.

"Sounds as if" - so you weren't there and are able to make this sanp judgement. Now that's the sort of view that should guide any football club's transfer policy and much cheaper than watching players carefully in games; in training; analysing the games on video afterwards and all that other scientific nonsense modern clubs engage in.

Negligent certainly is. With the utmost respect I suggest a short spell consulting a dictionary before further posts.

Sorry ART but this thread is about Hooper who is not a known-goal scorer at the level at which Saints play. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets 10-11 goals next season in the Prem if he adjusts well but I am willing to make a sizeable bet that he wont get more than 15 which is surely what we are looking for and I equally wouldn't be at all surprised if he is a total flop. p.s. I would imagine given the circumstances of Forren's departure that he has not cost us 4 million

There did indeed used to be a very active Midlands Saints Group which a frined of mine from Cov was part of and they organised travelling together - I even remember coaches for some games. But I am going back years. These were the contact details then but they could be way out of date. Mr M Meredith 10 Bramcote Road, Loughborough,Leics E-Mail Andrew.Bartlett@nationwideisp.net

I am sorry but I really dont think he would score enough for what we need. Nicky Maynard banged them in for fun at the same level; so did Sharp; so have umpteen other players from Scotland and from our Championship. Clubs don't always get in right but they do watch players over and over again and make judgements about their potential to do it in the Prem. It simply is not coincidence that all the Prem clubs have watched Hooper carefully and only newly promoted Hull and Norwich (allegedly) have shown any interest. He might well go to QPR or Norwich but he won't pull up any trees. If he is sensible he will remain a very big fish in a pond whose size causes some controversy on here.

It would be a scandalous waste of resources for any team serious about pushing on (we may have money but its not a bottomless pit) to replace Fox who is more than adequate as a back-up. I am sure MP is no fool and will be focussing on the areas we do need to strengthen.

Age 63 - shocked at how long in the tooth so many of us are. First match at the finest football ground in history was a 5-1 win at home to Gillingham in the Third Division South in 1957. Exciting enough to bring me back.

Well he is a much more intelligent player who uses space better and brings out the best in players around him. His ability to control the ball in an instant when it is hit at him at almost any angle also gives him advantages over other players who have pace but a poorer touch. He would be much more suited to international football where intelligence and touch are more important than pace and power than some of the others mentioned. Indeed continuing to pick Jermaine Defoe is the classic example of what is wrong with having people like Hodgson as England manager and is this is why we will never succeed at international level. Defoe is the sort of player - loose control, inconsistency but pace and power who succeeds in the harem scarem, world that is Premier League football - although to be fair even that is changing which is why AVB doesn't always pick him! As my friend who is a German semi-professional player says they wouldn't be asking these questions about Lambert in Germany. He would be in the squad - although not the starting line-up. Defoe would be nowhere near it.

We certainly can't register Sharpe - he is a fictional character played by Sean Bean (coincidentally who sort of played for Sheffield United (in a film!) not unlike Billy Sharp who is a footballer who has struggled to play in the Championship this season and is therefore of little interest to Saints who play in the Premier League - a different kettle of fish altogether.) Which reminds me didn't Billy the Fish also play for Sheffield United. Now he might do a job for us.

Dont worry. This thread is obviously some sort of wind-up although I can't see the humour in it myself. MP always comes across as someone very happy to speak to the media. I have seen absolutely nothing that could be interpreted as either charmless or in any way rude. He is always happy to be interviewed and never appears ruffled by what are often fatuous questions - e.g. 'Are you going to thank Nigel Adkins for your squad when you meet him?'. A very rude question but one he took seriously and battered away rather gently. He doesn't smile a lot or crack jokes but is that really a football manager's job?

Indeed if you look at the stats it's never actually been proven to do anyone any harm. As many teams have seemed to have benefitted as have seemed to have been harmed. In essence clubs do well or clubs do badly in a range of competitions in any one year according to how good their squads and their management are. What it does do is create an excuse for managers whose teams are underperforming. The Tottenham manager (what was his name?) did that last year. Unfortunately for him his Chairman saw through that ruse.

Whilst that is a fair point it is also true that it is ALWAYS possible to get into a game if you really want to. I have often got tickets for sold out games including FA Cup Semi-Finals; European Cup Finals; and Saints 'sold-out' games at Luton; Old Trafford; the Dell (I do though remember one very uncomfortable ride when in the front row of the part of the East Stand allocated to Chelsea supporters when we scored and I forgot where I was) and at St Marys this season. There are always people with unused season tickets; tickets their mates couldn't use at the last minute etc. As long as you turn up knowing you will get in; aren't afraid to ask around; are prepared in compromise over where you sit and never never buy a ticket from a tout until the last minute you should always be able to get a ticket at face value or better.

I suspect that you may have missed David's point. I think he knows full well who the team involved were who weren't allowed to take up their European place but the reason for their exclusion was not to do with the ground but the state of their finances. They appealled but I am pretty sure were unsuccessful. They were a team from Hampshire.........

It most certainly is. Reported in the Guradian on saturday amongst other places.

Most of its been said but, unless I have missed it, no-one has drawn attention that even before Saturday Lambert was officially the fourth best attacking player in Europe. I imagine Messi is one of the three above him but yes when it comes to creating goalscoring opportunities Ricky had 62 to his name before Saturday putting him 4th in the list from Europe's top 5 leagues.

Rupert Lowe was a posh boy who led a charmed life based on the privileges of birth which mean that being an incompetent buffoon did not hold him back. I know many like him, although to be fair most are quite fun to be around which I don't think anyone has said about Rupert. Basically he got lucky and rode the wave when things were going well and was just hopeless when they didn't. Nicola Cortese is an odious little man who knows how to run a business (the two often not being entirely mutually exclusive) and so far has done very little to complain about in getting us where we are today. I know which I prefer as Saints Chairman.

All in their ways have been successful except for Forren and Mayuka but as these are longer term signings it will take time to be sure. The suggestion that QPR have done better is laughable. They have signed nearly 20 players on huge wages; only a handful are even in their first team squad and (in case you hadn't noticed) they are bottom of the league!

Sadly nice guy though he is Sharp has not been able to reproduce that form for Forest and is now clinging to a spot on the sub's bench.

Dont confuse the argument with facts.