Panda

There was a lot of concern expressed on here that we could not keep a clean sheet, however, we are scoring bags of goals - the main concern then is the defence right? We sign a right sided central defender who can play at right back and a left sided central defender who can play left back. This means we have three options depending on the opposition and the state of the game. Three at the back (Fonte, Jaidi and Seaborne) allowing James and Harding freedom to attach, or pull one wing back out of midfield and move the other three left or right depending to give us four at the back and if we are really under the cosh we can even play five at the back! Given that, we can play two mobile central mid-fielders (Hammond and Spiderman perhaps) and three attackers (Lambert, Lallana and Connolly). We can switch this to 4-4-2 as well by dropping Lallana back in to slot vacated by the wing back who has gone to full back. Now that to me looks strong yet flexible as well talented. On top of that we do not know who else is coming in .... I am going to trust a management team that has four experienced guys who have all managed clubs before to select the targets they want ahead of some of the narrow minded, opinionated, know-alls that are very quick to judge but lack that experience. Thank you!

"Six goals in 15 games for Carlisle have seen Pericard rebuild his reputation" Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1241186/Vincent-Pericard-tops-Alan-Pardews-shopping-list-Southampton-chase-promotion-push.html#ixzz0cUFPwH0D So 'this season' is not 25+ games its 15 and his two goals in cup games don't count as goals? I reckon 6 goals in 15 games is around 20 in a season - not bad generally but not good enough for an ex-p****y player?

"The chairman of Leicester City Football Club has been charged with two counts of cheating the public revenue. The charges against Milan Mandaric relate to the payment of US $295,000 to another person through a bank account in Monaco. It meant he evaded tax and National Insurance contributions due between 1 April 2002 and 28 November 2007, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. The allegation goes back to his time at Portsmouth Football Club." Ok can we have a poll to vote on who the $295,000 was paid to please? I reckon the candidates are Our 'Arry and .... well I can't think of anyone else. OK forget the poll then. You want to know when P********h's problems really started - when Milan walked in! It has been total corruption there ever since and now it is totally corroded. Thank goodness our 'sugar daddy' has nothing in common with MM! (That is a genuine statement and not a sarcastic one).

That's what I like about your posts you are always so positive (about your own opinions). I won't list the things I don't like, I don't have time.

Just watched this and nearly wet myself the PS say "will anyone not paid please leave the room and nearly everyone walks out! Love it ... I also clicked the link to the fans forum and the first words I see are "Debts piling up ...?". You could not ask for a better ad banner on that!

A statement on the club's official website read: "Portsmouth Football Club has not been formally served with a winding-up petition and is shocked and surprised this action has been taken in respect of VAT, PAYE and National Insurance Contributions which either have been, or are about to be paid, or are disputed. "The club is disputing the VAT amount outstanding and has formally notified HMRC of this. We expect HMRC to withdraw their demands forthwith. This is a strange statement! They say they have not been issued with a winding up order but are shocked that this action has been taken - what????? Not only that, everyone in business knows that if you can't pay HMRC and dispute the amount they will still issue the winding up order. You have to pay them and then dispute, HMRC are never wrong! If they have debts to HMRC and are trying to avoid payment by disputing amounts then they will be hit very, very hard indeed. There is only ever one winner when its 'you' against the tax man. This statement just shows how naive the admin team are down there, They need to pay up quickly or they will be in real trouble. Mess with the other creditors if you will but NOT HMRC. I find it amusing really but I suppose I shouldn't should I? I mean they are our friends aren't they? They would not laugh at us surely? They would help us wouldn't they?

But there has to be changes in January, we will almost certainly lose three players who will return to their clubs at the end of their loans. In addition, the chances of Murty really making a contribution in the second half of the season is remote. Which ever way you look at there will be new faces, a couple of permanent signings and a couple of new loans. This will have minimal impact on team morale, who knows, it could even improve it.

We are very much 'work in progress'. When AP arrived he had to get some stop gaps (Jaidi, Connolly and Murty) and some temps to give us options and new faces (Mellis, Trottman, Antonio, Waigo) and three 'permanent' players with a future here (Lambert, Hammond and Harding). The fact we have done so well with a make shift side is a bonus and there will, no doubt, be some more permanent faces joining shortly. Our team for the second half of the season may well look a little different in some areas than it did during the first half. Despite the optimism in some quarters a play off spot was, and still is, a big ask. We may yet make it but realistically we are not closing the gap on the top six and the top six are better than we give them credit for. I will not give up hoping for the play offs but I certainly do not expect it. The side needs to become a bit more settled and containing a few less short term options before we will really make progress. It is a five year plan and we are three months in, may be a little patience is called for?

8th

Would it not be good to be able to stop this loan thing now and make permanent signings and so start to build a settled side? Stop gaps for three months at a time is not a long term strategy if you want to get back to the 'prem'. Let the loans go, none has excelled, and buy replacements who will stay a couple of seasons. Our five year plan to get back to the top needs three years to get out of where we are and consolidate in the Championship before reaching the goal. Who we buy now should be good enough to take us to mid-table Championship. No more short term loans please!

Before someone else says it - try reading the other two threads on this subject and they will tell you all you need to know and more! Regards Panda

"It is unfortunate that his Derby County career has been hampered by injury for the past two years, but Giles is a determined character and we all wish him well in the future." Lee Holmes mark II?

There are two sides to every story - we have heard the Echo's version but not NC's. There is more to this than we can understand but there is obviously a problem here that needs sorting and I am sure the will when the posturing ends. I don't think the Echo have done themselves any favours frankly, their relationship with the club has been strained for many years. I guess the Echo needs to Saints more than the other way round these days and if they want the fast track to breaking news to help them sell their rag then they need to respect the clubs wishes when asked. If they don't then they get what they deserve!

What? Wotte to P****m***h? ha hahah hahahahah HAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA

Note to those expecting an easy three points at Walsall on Saturday - they have just won again 3-1 at Yeovil. The team of the moment.

21:17 The referee blows for offside against Ndiaye Papa Waigo. Indirect free kick taken by Scott Shearer. Not a lot changes then ...

When I started work in 1966 I used to finish at 12.30 on a Saturday and I would walk from the office to the Dell to get there about 1.00pm. We would watch the players arrive and go into the ground when the gates opened at 2.00pm. We would stand on the terraces until kick-off at 3.00pm and watch the match through to about 5.00pm before walking back to the bus station to get the bus home to Hythe which would, invariably be stuck in the football traffic! We would get home after 6.00pm. So, when I was younger I could not only go without food and drink for 6 hours, I could spend most of that time on my feet so what is your problem with 2 hours? I could not do that now of course, I can hardly stand for half an hour ... times change with age.

We won 3-2 FFS!!!! An unfortunate OG and a penalty against three cracking headers. WE WON - get it WE WON - Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just for the record - N'thants was an OG Hammond. Why blame Bart?

No, I am pretty sure Terry Paine came from Winchester City as a teenager (approx 18) around 1957/8 when we were still Division Three. I saw him play in my first game at the Dell 1959, a Div 3 evening game against Norwich. It was Terry that laid on most of the chances that Derek Reeves and George O'Brien would snap up and led to Derek scoring 39 goals in one season

LOVL! What amazing foresight Mr Munster; 7th is good enough and I have shown that is as good as ours! Happiness.

"Although this is very cleverly worked out, it is very unlikely that 7 or 8 teams will maintain their form over the entire season, and I would be extremely surprised if there were that many points required for the play-offs. 1 or 2 teams maintaining good form is possible, we just have to hope we are on of them, IMO." You are of course quite right! When was football logical and pure statistics? Charlton beating MK Dons 5-1 today is a clear indicator of that and makes the presumptions I used totally wrong. However, the premiss put forward was that if we maintain our current form we will make the play-off's and I am merely pointing out that if we maintain our form then we must consider it reasonable for the other teams to maintain their form too and as a result we would not make it this year. However, I went on to say that it could be very close and that it is going to be an exciting end to the season. In the end it will be decided on the pitch and not on this forum!

Lots of speculation here so let's use some logic. If we take the points gained over the last 6 games to give a 'current form average' and multiply by the number of games remaining and then add in the points accumulated so far the top of the table at the end of the season looks like this: 1 Norwich 103 2 Millwall 95 3 Leeds 93 4 MK Dons 89 5 Huddersfield 87 6 Colchester 84 7 Southampton 79 8 Hartlepool 78 9 Charlton 77 10 Yeovil 76 So if all the teams in the league maintain their current form for the rest of the season we cannot make the play-offs this year. Huddersfield and/or Colchester have to go right off the boil whilst we have to drop no more than four points every six games. Its not being negative to say the play-offs are not a realistic proposition this year, I think it is being pragmatic. But it could be very close and we are going to have a mighty exciting season. Turning briefly to the JPT draw with a tie against Norwich. Over the last six games Norwich have won five and lost one and are the top in form side, a better current record than ours in the league. So, despite our good run, victory against Norwich is far from certain with 2-2 written all over it - then its down to penalties. There is far too much excitement this season for an old chap like me.

David Peach had a pretty awesome penalty record too. Did he ever miss one? He really hit them hard and low, goalies had no chance.

A Saint since the day I was first able to look at the players photos in the Football Echo (circa 1955) and I saw my first match in 1961 (aged 11) against Norwich at the Dell under floodlights in Division 3 South. A Saint, man and boy, and despite good times and horrendous times, I have never wavered nor never will. I shall die a Saint - I can't help it!