Fitzhugh Fella

I am starting to think that some fans comprehensively swallowing Adkins banal responses to be a little worrying.

Everything you say is true Ron, it is all about money these days. I personally think the club will be sold in the next 2-3 years and everything will then depend on the new owners.

I am going to break the habit of a lifetime and agree with manji. Davis my mom and it is time to stick with this keeper to let him develop confidence. I was disappointed with Puncheon today mind. Thought he was pretty clueless. Defence superb and had we had Wiltshire today we would have won with ease.

Dad's Army is still being shown on BBC2. HTH.

Just back - one word sums up our performance although we lacked it.......... "composure" and that is why we only had one point instead of 3: More composure with Guly's miss and Jay Rod's wild over hit cross to Lambert would have delivered. In a local pub after the game the Stoke fans said they were impressed with our support.

The debate is superfluous imo. Simply put Sharp is not good enough for the Prem but he can certainly do it in the Championship. If we go down then I can see him coming back esp after they sacked SoD. He's a good player but has no pace and a poor first touch.

Ken Jones ex-Saints full-back from the 60s has died over Xmas. Here is what I was planning to publish about him next year but on a personal note I would like to add a nicer man you could not wish to meet. So helpful towards us historians too - always ready for a chat or to lend a photo. My sympathies to his wife and family. Ken Jones was widely regarded as the best full-back playing in Division 4 when Ted Bates decided he wanted his services to bolster Southampton’s ambitions to finally gain promotion to the top-flight. His first contract was interesting because he was not only offered £27 a week but also a pound for every 1000 above 20,000 in attendance at home games. A tidy and unflappable defender, he initially jousted with Stuart Williams for the right to wear the nos 2 shirt and then Tommy Hare, but all three lost out when Ted returned to the market in March 1966 to bring in David Webb and with the crew-cutted Londoner now ensconced at right-back, the team reached Division 1 by remaining unbeaten in their last 12 matches. The next season the versatile Ken made 19 League appearances all but one of them at left-back and played his part in the consolidation process as the club strived to hold onto their newly found position among the country’s elite. His best season was 1968-69 when he alternated between both back positions at the expense of Joe Kirkup or Denis Hollywood as Saints qualified for Europe but by the following year Bob McCarthy and Tony Byrne had joined the full-back selection fray and Ken fell further behind in the pecking order. He joined Cardiff then being managed by Jimmy Scoular his old Bradford PA manager but injuries preceded a retirement to a job in Southampton Docks, a resting place for quite a few other Saints players of the era. He settled in Chandlers Ford but was not lost to the sporting pages of the Southern Daily Echo as he forged quite a name for himself as an accomplished snooker player/ coach.

Excellent decision, well done NC for recognising a truly great servant who still avidly watches and follows his team.

NA is playing down new signings in tonight's Echo - would not be surprised if it is a quiet window.

I have been told by someone fairly close to things that NC does look on here from time to time.

So if, presumably, the players travelled last night that's another few grand up the Swanee

Not sure there is one planned but have just been in Southampton and walked the dog and the rain has not been particularly heavy - yesterday's dry day would have helped. I would be surprised if there is a problem.

I think Adkins needs to man up a bit. If AL is out for a couple of months so what. This secret squirrel stuff is pathetic. Sorry, this post is bound to upset the likes of NickG who will not allow criticism of our hallowed club but we are taking ourselves far to seriously on this issue. He's injured, come clean and let's deal with it.

I did the same thing about 15 years ago. Must have been the same dentist, what was his name?

If true I wonder why we haven't offered terms?

Ivan Golac and John Sharpe were two that returned as did Alan Ball (twice). Going back to the late 50s Don Roper returned from Arsenal

I think he is closer than most - Adkins is aware he is a fan, I think he trusts him and I reckon he tells him things he wouldn't tell other less trusted journos. Trouble is, Peach can't then tell us, so it is all a bit pointless really. We all have to rely on gossip and rumour and read between peach's lines (which is why this forum flourishes).

That's the trouble I can't repeat it.....people tell you things but the first thing they say to me is "but you can't put that on any forums" and I have to respect that. Now if you were a drinker in my local..........

I think Peach is as close as anyone is likely to get - whether that is of value to everyone comes down to your own personal opinion but I for one look out for what he says. He usually has a good gut feel and as a saints fan he knows more than most what makes us tick.

I think you will find Peach is reasonably close to Adkins. The other day I heard "a story" re Adkins and something that was said post the West Ham game. The info was slightly damning/worrying and so I ended up checking with Peach who was with Adkins, post the West ham game and he was able to put the story into proper context which portrayed Adkins words much more sympathetically.

Campbell was capped while at Kilmarnock - he was not capped while on Saints books

Ian Black, Saints goalkeeper between 1947 and 1950 has passed away aged 88. He played 104 games for Saints and was the only Southampton player in the 20th century to win a Scotland cap v England 1948. In his 97 league games for us he only let in 95 goals, making him the only Saints goalkeeper to have an average of less than one goal per game. When Bill Dodgin left Saints for Fulham in 1950, Ian followed him to Craven Cottage and went on to play 263 League games for them.

Good grief, someone has just walked over my grave.

I guess so as not to upset the nutjobs we better leave this discussion for elsewhere but I do beg to differ. In the meantime let's settle back and watch this unfurling horror soap, safe in the knowledge our position as the South's top club will never be challenged - well not in our life time anyway. From what I have seen reading between the lines this week they are more f Cked than I thought they were. I predict the PST will get increasing flak once the dimwits on the island realise they have been led up a garden path that leads nowhere.

Fair point