The9

I'd just like to say Keith Gillespie hasn't been any good since about 2001 and nor has Michael Bridges. I saw Michael Ricketts was having some trial somewhere at our level too, there's another one I wouldn't touch with a 50ft pole.

As far as I was aware clubs can make a contract offer to anyone whose contract is expiring in the 6 months prior to the contract expiry, as opposed to the "needing permission to talk to a player" thing. The actual transfers themselves (if you can call being out of contract a "transfer") can only occur in the transfer windows, or at any time if a player has his contract cancelled. I dare say someone who bothers to play FM2009 (and not Matthew Le God, preferably ) will know for sure... Wiki says I'm right (for over 23s, due to the compensation rules for U-23s) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_transfer_(soccer)

Well, we are in a pickle.

By now I'd think all the ones who are free due to refusing to sign new deals have been snapped up by the clubs they were planning on signing for anyway, or they're on week-to-week contracts at their "old" clubs and starting to panic. Depends what level their at as to their suitability for improving Saints. Given that clubs can make offers from Jan 1st that's a lot of self-confidence and/or brinkmanship. Then again, there's BWP to Plymouth and Euell to Blackpool... so there's usually some sucker. I hear Rudi Skacel's been released. HCDAJFU ?

Hmm, I think the idea is to get in anyone who costs nowt and addresses a problem at the point when they're available (i.e. immediately), and then IF there's a budget we can start throwing it at people not as available to everyone. I'm not expecting us to spend all £2.5bn in one go. Or indeed even £5m of it this season.

Call me devil's advocate, as I actually think he's saying the right things, but what's the difference between Pardew's "we need more experience" and Redknapp's equivalent of "everyone's crap" when he took over ? Is the difference in the timing, degree to which the statement has fan agreement, or the anticipated effect on squad morale ?

You'd have to assume Lloyd James would get a Wales call up as he's been in the U-21s for a while and their pool of players is so limited (he was 21 in Feb), plus McLaggon might get a Wales U-21 call up too as he's in U-19 squad (still qualifies for U-19s though as birthday is in September). plus Saga for Poland if he's still around Stern John at T&T Lallana could be in England U-21s again Schneiderlin with French U-19s too. We'll be ok in getting postponements on International weekends with two of those getting call ups.

So factoring in a bit of statistical sampling error, the whole argument is completely irrelevant, because there's basically no difference in the scoring rates in the two divisions. Thanks for clarifying, can't beat facts (as opposed to FACTs). Of course this is unless last season saw a significant shift in scoring patterns, or unless there's a more concentrated range of top scorers amongst the very top teams, or something like that. But who's going to look into THAT kind of factual detail when we can have a big ol' row about having a rubbish reserve defence against Salisbury in a friendly ? :cool:

It is a pretty stupid idea if the suggestion is a 75% price reduction for missing, say 6 or 7 games (I haven't checked). Though a "weekend matches only" ST would be workable with a proportionate price, and I think would be a good idea in principle, though I doubt we'd shift more than a hundred. However, it might also end up costing the club money as some of those weekend-only ST attendees might have otherwise stumped up for the full ST or individual tickets at the full price. I mean I'd like an ST where I get the weekend of V Festival reduced from the cost, but it ain't gonna happen...

To be fair he was a PL player with one starting appearance (and 70mins as sub) when he played in the FA Cup Final, that's not a success in its own right, and we lost anyway. Then he had about 2 seasons of being sent off on loan for clubs in lower leagues before even getting near the Saints team because he was poor when he got a game, and we were at a much higher level at the time. Gradually, under Burley, he improved, first at right back, (he stopped chipping the bloody ball up the right wing to the opposition left midfielder every time for a start) and then he moved inside where he was an unqualified success at CB - which is when we sold him after ONE successful season, rather than "a few". Which is not to say he wouldn't be a great signing, I just think you're going a bit OTT with his achievements at Saints. Unless there are tensions I haven't heard about, I also doubt there's any problem between him and Davis, people argue about decision-making on the pitch all the time, they just don't always get so carried away with it as they did that one time.

Heaven, or not playing a back five of Poke, James, Perry, Lancashire and Mills - precisely one of which (Perry) I'd expect to be in a starting XI now James has started getting games in his preferred position of centre midfield, Murty and Harding are around and Thomas is fit. Goes without saying that we have 3 players ahead of Poke, too.

Not, as you know, but no-one's actually posted the top scorers in the CCC as a comparison though have they ? FWIW my take on lower leagues being "more physical" is actually down to the lower skill level in passing leading to more stray passes and thus more loose balls to compete for, so instead of the game being strategic as skilled players with the ball at their feet act out tactical presets and set pieces as designed, it's more competitive as people use physicality to compete for loose balls. But what THAT means is that a team of skilled players at this level will get more possession of the ball from opposition errors than they would get at higher levels, and also more time to do something with it as fitness and reaction times in closing down are marginally worse too. "You need thugs to win 50-50s" is oversimplifying a bit if you don't give the ball away as much as the opposition.

Hardly a "problem" for Fulham, they had one of the best defences in the Premier League last season, and he wasn't in it. If we got him back it would be a massive signal of intent, as his wages would probably be higher than practically anyone in the division. I can't see it happening myself, but at least we don't have to worry about whether we can afford it any more, just whether we're going to be investing in the squad in that manner. Baird saying "unfinished business" would imply to me that he'd like another few games for us when he's 34.

The ones for Saints where he was really good at centre back for an entire season and was never much better than alright at right back ? He played loads of games for Northern Ireland in defensive midfield as well. And getting into the N.I. team is a piece of cake if you happen to be a professional footballer in England and Northern Irish, same as almost anyone Welsh playing in the Football League gets a call up at some point.

I've occasionally picked up a Saints-sounding SSID in the Northam, but the signal's never strong enough to use it. Haven't been there since I got my iPhone 3GS though, I was using 2G previously. They may have something there for the photographers with laptops at pitchside, though they could always dongle it I suppose.

As I have nothing better to add to this thread I'm just going to mention that David James was in Eastleigh Post Office at around 3:15pm today. That is all.

Bad example.

Heresy !!!! We've got an owner who has loads of money in his bank account, that automatically means all the players we've got will become good and win games. Etc. :cool:

Probably a method of getting rid of the players who we know aren't up to it - I can't believe a Wotton/Pulis combination would grace Conference South, never mind League One (and we were thankfully spared it in the CCC), and whoever picked that team probably knows it. Wotton has some useful qualities, certainly leadership, and he's probably the right kind of mentality in the changing room, but we've all seen what he does with a ball at his feet. As for Pulis, he's a walking testament to the power of nepotism. He needs fitness to close people down and get remotely near the ball, and some kind of presence, as I haven't seen him affect the game at all in the four or so times I've seen him.

Yeah, but I also "remember" ART spouting 3,000 parts utter nonsense to every one useful piece of information, so I think the "infinite number of monkeys" clause probably applies here. On the Saga front, if we can get a psychologist to persuade him he's playing for a contract, keep him. If not, wave goodbye - in fact preferably send him on loan to them first, so he can up his value by playing for a contract before January, THEN sell him and watch him disappear again.

Pardew Out.

Maybe we should try this "total football" ?

Yes, none of them Poke, leaving 8 outfield players and Davis. Plus one keeper to be named in the squad on match days. That'll be the ten. With the exception of possibly Rasiak all of them are likely to start fairly often. The OS hasn't even got this listed as a proper friendly, it's a Saints XI after all.

How about this lot ? Davis, Bialkowski, Thomas, Lallana, Rasiak, Gillett, Forecast, Harding, Holmes, McLaggon and Schneiderlin. None of whom played, and about 10 or so of whom I'd expect to feature heavily in the first team squad next season.

From what I saw of the highlights the problem came from them playing quality passes behind our defence from not being pressured anywhere on the pitch, which is a different issue. But I'm not going to sit here and pontificate on the tactics of a match I didn't see, just to say I don't see how "being more attacking" would strengthen our defence, especially as Ajax are well known for swift counter attacks via their wide players.