Giordano

In the 21 matches this season ( 17 league plus 4 cup ) we have scored 26 goals in the first half versus 7 conceded in the first half. That means, on average, we are winning 1.24 to 0.33 by half time in every match we play....almost exactly one goal UP by halftime IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE 21 MATCHES PLAYED THIS SEASON. It probably is the reason why more of our goals conceded come in the first 25 minutes of the second half - the opponents need to score before they get too tired chasing our players passing the ball around them making them look like dummies so play more offensively....and why we score so many in the last ten minutes too when they are tired out too.. We must be pretty good atm i reckons. I thinks bets on saints to score first in league matches are a bargain at odds anything better than 5-2 on....which they usually are...just a little tip to fellow "investors"..

Guly would start for Arsenal.

It's an east London song, typically West Ham sing it. We sung it at the Dell early eighties I remember but it was then and always has been a London cockney song. --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.393910,-0.412951

Some of you may have a copy of the southampton magazine in which the picture of my avatar has come from (Wurzel?) but the reckless distribution of Ferrero Rocher by an official Saints Diplomat to Police officers, fellow saints and our bewildered half man half fishfriends was regarded as a contributory tipping point for concrete rain and other niceties on one of our recent visits to Fartton park. The riot officers protecting me after one such incident outside the ground in that picture were none too pleased i must say. The Bubble was created as a way of mitigating this and stopping Ferrero Rocher related violent incidents recurring. I am sorry if this causes inconvenience come December. I feel its an overreaction myself. Its not the Ferrero Rocher its the people who eat them that's the issue surely.

Jaidi was re-signed to play against the likes of Carew in this league. He was also to be available as an experienced pro to step in if and when we get hit by injuries and/or suspensions to our first choice centre-backs. IF he does not get fit by December/Jan we not only need to sign up Hooiveld but get another CB in because there will be no cover on the bench/pitch if either Fonte, Hooiveld or Martin get taken out....Whether that CB should be an automatic starter and hence displace an existing starter straight away, or a squad player like Raidi, is an interesting debate. My take on it is that Hooiveld is good and better than expected so far for a loanee - but needs to be "great" by xmas to ensure he is not sacrificed for a "star" name centre back who will go straight into the gap left when/if Hooiveld goes back to Scotland or indeed has only been "good" but not "great" at CB alongside Fonte.

Agree that Adam is not the quickest but also agree that he has more than balanced that with his other attributes. If he was a Top Trumps card he would be very valuable for dribbling, set pieces, crossing, assists, shooting and scoring but not so good for tackling, pace and headers. I wonder if theres someone with time on their hands willing to draw up the Saints forum unofficial Top Trumps rankings by catagory for our first team squad in that way? I know TUI have got the rolling player score but this would be more detailed an exercise...

It was a very interesting interview and very revealing. As far as I can recall, it was the first time NA has let on that he personally wants to go, "as far as he can" or words to that effect. Now I'm no mystic meg but everything we already knew about him into the pot including the newer stuff about his sporting hero being Botham plus his admiration for Johnny Wilkinson i'm thinking he is something of an english national team patriot type of chap and so "going as far as he can go" can only mean that his dream job would be to manage the National team. I'd place a wager that he would be the next England Manager after they make the mistake of appointing Redknapp or Allardyce to succeed Fabio, probably around 2014-16. Must look if i can get odds.....

Im not sure if his team nickname of "Cid" from Ice Age film (animated film creature with a wide head - supposedly as wide as Hooiveld's) is going to catch on but i agree with Minty about the implications of what he has said in interview (as well as the public banter on twitter) - they are an excellent sign. Very interesting the comparison with Copenhagen but it neatly sidesteps the more interesting to me comparison with Celtic....i'd say that he is too savvy to dis Celtic by comparing us to them - and im certain tons of his twitter followers are Celtic fans so we won't ever know until he signs permanently. He will surely have guaranteed a full time contract by Sunday December 18th given his good start but I have a feeling that after that particular game he will become something of a cult hero figure due to his performance on the pitch against the opposition, local rivals I think, name eludes me...already got a mental image of him putting Kitson into the seats or Benjani crying after a particularly hard tackle meaning he is substituted, perhaps Kanu refusing to come on as a substitute forward out of fear and the wild look in Hooiveld's eyes. If he's been involved in an old firm game he will know what is expected at that match fer sure and i'm 100% confident he would deliver what we want to see from our big CB in THAT game if given the chance.....

Saints must be better than citeh then...only 2-0 at ht................

I'm thinking Connolly is better for us because his assists and link up play plus goals are an excellent combination in our set-up, but if they were both same age, I would have to say Phillips overall because he was and is the greater predatory goalscorer- and of course top premiership goalscorer 1999-2000... That was a great goal Phillips he scored on Saturday, seems he cant stop scoring wherever he is except for last year in the EPL and he's at it again with 5 in 7 for Blackpool. In a similar vein, is Phillips really still that good, or is it actually quite easy if you've got a bit of class (like both Connolly and Philips do have) to put the ball in the back of the net in the CCC? For instance I'm 100% certain that if David Connolly plays 30 games for Saints this year he will score at least 15 goals - but I don't think he would score 15 goals in 30 EPL games though. Players like Raul, Klose and Del Piero show that classy forwards can still score at the highest levels. If Owen ever played more than 20 minutes every month i'm sure he'd score lots as well. Maybe 35 and playing upfront in the EPL is not a level too far for our David...

Yes we do need another striker and i think Nigel has already sent a letter to Father Christmas about it.

I always want England to win. I Like Gareth Bale as you do and I'm proud he was a Saint but with your comments you are just exposing how irascible you are (again). As for that "numpty Italian boss": Fabio Capello was manager of one of the most beautiful and stylish football teams OF ALL TIME ( The Milan team that beat Barca 4-0 in the 1993 final of the Champions League ) - so he can make teams play cosmic football, with the right players, and you must surely be aware of his awesome CV as a manager all over europe let alone the fact that he played 32 times for Italy and even scored the winner in a 1-0 win for Italy at Wembley back in 1973 ( at which i was lucky enough to be present). He is NOT a Numpty. He's made mistakes ~ but in football management terms he is already in the Hall of Legends as a senior member and to call him a numpty is nothing short of ignorant. England are currently ranked number 4 in the World with him despite common agreement that, Rooney aside, our squad is fairly average and has been for a decade or more. Alex Ferguson, The Special One, Guardiola or whoever else you like would struggle to get England to higher than 4th in the world with this squad, the player pool and the ridiculous expectations from the media - and people like you.

Tim- I've worked with male and females elite athletes on occasion for two decades - world class superstars of their sport - and have travelled around Europe and the UK with them, socialised etc. Long and the short of it is that if you think that 3am in a night club is probably no place for such athletes let alone Dan Seabourne or Ronaldiniho for that matter then you are right- but the reality is that it goes on all the time. One theory is that the massive stress of public sporting performance at the very highest level can sometimes only be defused by excess in some other "unhealthy" area for some of these athletes - these guys sometimes feel they "need a break" and according to their upbringing in many cases that means going on the lash...for many it does not- but those guys are boring for the media so we only ever get to hear about the Gazza's of this world emerging from night clubs and bars tired and emotional..

Cortese would NOT tell player salaries to the dinner table just like that. All BS.

The Echo report last two paragraphs are disgracefully insensitive and totally inappropriate. I've asked they be removed. Get back and well soon Dan.

Agree with Chaz- Seabourne has added nastiness this year. I already feel we've got three very good ccc cb's in martin, seabourne and fonte plus an excellent experienced old timer in Radji who can do a job on occasion at this level -and will do when injury and suspensions kick in. One good year at this level maybe two and I think they will get better still and make the EPL grade. --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.393965,-0.412841

I agree totally with everything John Smith has said. I would pick Martin first as well but in any case Seabourne and Martin just need to play with Fonte alongside and game by game they will improve. If they get a good full season they might be the most prepared they can ever be for the likes of Aguerro, Rooney, Carroll and Bent. IF we buy another CB though they better be damn fine top class international quality because if they are "squad" its an indictment of the existing two CB's thats for sure and a waste of time. I do think that, as someone mentioned on the list, that having good CB's often comes hand in glove with having good FB's who stop crosses etc effectively. We might have a great pair of CB's but if we are getting overrun and the FB's not working properly its like trying to stop the tide..

has just signed for FC Koln on a one year loan deal (+option to sign him permanently). German Bundesliga team. Cross him off the list of possible CB's for sure then.

Chez - you are right about Fox, and for-heavens-saint is also right about new players only getting on the bench to start with, but i think that the fb thing is only recent as a consequence of the 5subs rule. Before Fox I don't think it was Nigels normal plan to have a FB on a 5 man bench and i would be surprised to see Harding on the bench if Fox starts, leaving space for a CB, Morgan and only one forward. The fact that Cork, Seabourne, Martin and possibly even De ridder could play FB at a push leads me to think N A wont pick a specialist FB for the bench this season. It would be hard lines on Harding for example having gone from scoring a goal at LCFC to not making the first 16 though. Mind you Connolly is in the same boat- he scores he gets dropped in favour of a new CF - what would he think he has to do to get picked? I can't see David Connolly being dropped anytime soon after his start to the season whoever we buy as a forward. Perhaps that what is putting off some of our potential new aquisitionsin that department?

IF we sign a starting centre forward and a starting centreback ( as opposed to squad players) what will the subs bench look like? My best guess is: I assume we will always have Bilko on the bench and that we always have a CB on the bench - perhaps Seabourne if a superstar CB is signed, which leaves three outfield positions, again I assume one must be a specialist central midfielder - probably Morgan or Chaplow atm, leaving space for two attacking players/forwards - probably a winger and a more central attacker? If we recruited a new superstar centre forward I assume that Connolly and De Ridder are those two players on the bench hence: Subs bench post transfer window assuming standard NA line-ups and formations: Bench: Bilko, Seabourne, Morgan, De Ridder, Connolly. Starting 11: Davies, Richardson, Fonte, Superstar new CB, Fox, Adam, Hammond, Cork, Guly, Lambert, Superstar new CF. Probable consequences : Connolly (dropped to subs), Seabourne (dropped to subs), Martin (won't make subs bench unless a CB is injured), Barnard (won't make subs bench unless a forward is injured), Chaplow (won't make subs bench unless a central midfielder is injured) Forte (won't make subs bench unless two forwards/wingers are injured, Harding (won't make subs bench unless N A changes his bench policy of not having substitute full backs), Dickson (ditto), Butterfield (ditto) Holmes (won't make subs bench unless a winger is injured), Radhi (wont make subs bench unless 2 CB's are injured), the rest of the youngsters - would need 2/3 injuries+ in their position to get on the bench and Puncheon won't make a bench unless you gave him some wood, nails, a saw and some carpentry glue and evwen then its doubtful.. Am i wide of the mark looking at these consequences? What are the implications for us loaning out some of the fringe players? What would Connolly say/do in particular- how can he be dropped for scoring every time he plays? It could be that Lambo is dropped if the new CF is better at doing what Lambo does???? Hmmmmmm...what do you think?

No way! Why Le Tissier? If the club took your suggestion seriously we'd have bronzes of every 'worthy' lining Britannia Road from one end of the street to t'other! Daft idea IMO. I think you may have inadvertently hit on a great new way of celebrating Saints legends.... Suggestion: around the outer perimeter of SMS, at intervals of say, 30-40 metres, erect a bronze statue/plaque to a Saints hall of famer- need not be massively expensive........................maybe it could be a rule that ony one player can be enrolled in any one year and even then it must have a significant, independently verifiable support - say via some kind of match-day polling exercise to see who real match day attending fans think qualifies as a h-o-f player. Allow postal votes for non residents, far aways, the sick and the economically challenged supporters too. In year one it may well be MLT ~ but he can only get in once so in time all the players considered worthy will be celebrated, eventually. The voting eligibility rules are important and it could be a rule that you only get in if you receive more that...say 10% of the average home gate in votes - about 2500-3000 - the voting rules will avoid Ali Dia getting enrolled with 238 skate votes because nobody else bothers to vote ...keeps the quality high..the perimeter hall of fame could help make prematch SMS and Herbies tours even more of a destination for adults bringing kids to the club to see and explain who these people are/were to there kids...

Im really uncertain as to this fixture in terms of a punt and that should be enough to steer clear! If i had to answer as to the most likely outcomes I would say home win, score draw and >2.5goals in the game.

Dan - is the Ramadan theory credible?

If i understand whats been going on lately with the "search for a CB" we have: Invited a tunisian international - Amwar Jemal (sp?) over to stay from Young Boys Switzerland - apparently he came, stayed in soton for (3,4 5 days?) apparently toured the facilities ( did he train with squad) gave positive signals via FB but apparently left in a huff over fees to a former club. Invited a Latvian international - Gorkks (sp?) over to stay - apparently he came, stayed in soton for a couple of days, apparently found an apartment, apparently toured the facilities ( did he train with the squad?) apparently indicated he was positive about joining ( after initially not being and saying was going to fight for his place at qpr) and apparently was then told to go away as we had found another option who was: Fontaine from Bristol City - who apparently agreed terms, his club agreed a fee but who it is reported to have been mutually decided it was not happening after all because of a disputed ankle problem or something else which the agent says he is not at liberty to discuss but its all amicable. For me it looks like Fontaine was preferred to Gorkks but his ankle might not heal for a while so its gone pectoralis group muscles up for both of them and we are not going to deal with problematic Amwar again either. What do these apparent set of circumstances indicate, apart from that we want a CB with a left foot that can kick rather than just to stand on? It indicates quite odd thinking actually because Gorkks is/seems to be a younger Radhi, whereas Amwar seemed to be a cultured left foot footballing CB, Fontaine is probably somewhere in-between. None of them looked to be massively superior to what we have and nailed on automatic starters- perhaps Gorkks of any of them due to his league winning experience last year.. Is Nigel looking for Beauty, The Beast, or a hybrid for his number 5? I don't think anyone knows. We will get what we can at CB but there does not see to be an exact photofit of the requirement is what im sensing. It could be any kind of CB for all we know.

Apologies for spelling! --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.393974,-0.412904