Fitzhugh Fella

Have you ever tried the subtle approach? Just asking

His post match interviews now to me are utterly worthless, win or lose. He just goes into a zone that is meaningless. Beginning to lose faith and the players must be too. Sorry I know he is a great bloke and has worked miracles but am increasingly thinking he can go no further

Classic response. We have just pulled the current European Champions and Cup holders and its "boring". Proof, if it were needed that something has gone seriously wrong with football. I wonder who will be managing them?

Agree 100% - he is starting to come across a little patronising, especially after yesterday when anyone would have thought we had just won.

NA was talikng our performance up - reckons we finished the game stronger blah blah blah

Thankfully we won't be able to use tiredness as an excuse if we falter

I was surprised Davis came on today when we were chasing the game and also surprised with Norwich lookiing the stronger team in the final stages on Wednesday, Adkins did not give Mayuka a chance.

Can't argue with that

Yea I thought that too but liked the line with Saints are coming through

If we are as fit as Adkins claims then we should be able to handle 3 games in 6 days especially as 2 were at home. Sorry tiredness is a lame excuse and not good enough. When you come up against a big club having an off day it games like that you need to take at least a point.

Was listening and singing along to Them's version of Dylan's "It's all over now baby blue" this morning and found myself inserting "Pompey" in the place of "baby". Check it out about a minute in "look out baby the Saints are coming through.........., and its all over now, Pompey blue" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7WJHdE0__I

Totally agree Pedro, its not much better than when we were at the Dell where at least the expectation was lower

Yes Ron, he is now goalkeeping coach at Otterbourne FC who have just celebrated their 50th anniversary.

Yes Ron, he is now goalkeeping coach at Otterbourne FC who have just celebrated their 50th anniversary.

I wrote an article on ex-Saints for the Norwich programme which included a mention of Otterbourne FC's Ian Ritchie (the person responsible for organising the appeal for Kevin Moore). He has just sent me this article which is a nice comparison between football today and 1962. it will probably only appeal to those of a certain age but what is interesting is how the price of football has risen far in excess of the cost of living. Have a look for yourself "I started supporting Saints in 1961/62 when, at the age of 12, I moved to Southampton with my family. Oh the happy days of watching Derek Reeves, George O’Brien, Terry Paine & co from the ‘boys’ chocolate box at the Milton Road end. Fast forward to the present day and after following Saints for over 50 years, I finally had a mention in the matchday programme for the recent home game against Norwich. That mention was purely a by line in an article by Saints’ historian Duncan Holley, but it nevertheless encouraged me to buy a programme, which I don’t normally do these days. I have to say that the presentation and look of the current publication reminds me more of the handbook that you get given when you buy a new car, running as it does to 76 pages. Just out of interest, I decided to have a look back at my programme collection from 50 years ago, when of course, buying a programme was part of the matchday ritual. In looking to get as close to the date of this season’s Norwich game (28th November) I found that Saints were at home to Norwich on Saturday December 1st. Incredibly, like 50 years later, the previous home game was against Newcastle. Amazing coincidences. Comparisons with bygone years are sometimes a little unfair, but here are a few things that I found. The 76 page compared to the more modest 16 of the 62/63 version. However the present day version cost £3 compared to the sixpence (2 ½ p) of the 62/63. A quick check on inflation rates tells us that if the programme price had only matched inflation, the cost today would be 42p! I paid £34 for my ticket the other night, in the Itchen stand wings. The equivalent West Stand wing seat back then would have set me back 6 shillings, which with inflation would have risen to £5.05 at today’s value. The Boys gate entry was one shilling, 5p. Back then the threepence on the ball competition (that’s just over 1p in today’s terms) returned to the winner £25, which would equate to £420.75 today which suddenly looks a lot more attractive than the £75 paid out by the Saints Foundation to the holder of a £1 winning ticket. Oh and by the way, the second prize back then was the match ball. The Norwich programme from 62/63 shows the winner of the £25 as a Mr Hazelton of West Grimstead near Salisbury. I wonder if he is still around? The ball was won by a Mr Diaper of Valentine Road in Sholing. I wonder what happened to it and whether he is any relation to Dave Diaper, today’s Sholing FC manager! Of the programme advertisers back then, most have gone. The brewers, Brickwoods, Watneys and Strongs have long since been acquired by others. Other old Southampton businesses now disappeared include Toomers, who used to supply Saints’ kit, Perrins Motors, Basticks Mens Shop in Above Bar, Hargroves & Babey, and Criterion, the old Citroen Garage then sited in St Mary’s Road. Surviving to this day are Beestons Funeral Directors, R H Hammond the builders, The Florida Restaurant in Pound Tree Road, Barfoot & Powell and of course, The Echo! One advert that took my eye was from the Aldershot District Provost Company seeking recruits to the Territorial Army, describing the ideal candidates as ‘young men of integrity and resource’ to fill the few remaining vacancies. For me, one of the copouts in today’s programmes and not just Southampton, is the modern style of listing the entire playing squad for each team on the back page, with tick boxes so you can record who was playing for yourself. I suppose in these days of keeping line ups a secret until an hour before kickoff, we will never revert to that form of presentation. With only 16 pages, there was of course nothing like the editorial coverage that one gets in today’s version. ‘Manager’s notes’ have stood the test of time, with Ted Bates and Nigel Adkins featuring in their respective issues. In the 1962 version there was also ‘From the Boardroom’ with comment from the then chairman, Mr John Barber. Many supporters today I am sure would love to know the views of the current chairman, but we’ll leave that one out there. Whilst today’s publication provides an interesting magazine, to me it serves little purpose as a match programme, and to a large extent, up to the minute information supply has been overtaken by the internet. I will confess to checking my phone at 7pm on the night of the game to ascertain the starting line up. The other ritual we have lost now is the rush at the final whistle from The Dell back into town, to peer into the shop window of Radio Rentals to see the one and only running of the day’s results. Then it was a question of hanging about in Above Bar until around 5.30 when the Football Echo (to give it its proper name!) came out and you could see all the results and the league tables. They were much more innocent times. Football Clubs were football clubs and not plcs. I was saddened to hear recently of the demise of the external programme sellers at St Mary’s for no (apparently) good reason and then to learn that the programme booth concession behind the Chapel goal was also given summary notice to quit. Those at the top need to realise that football, particularly British football is part of our culture and history, otherwise why would I be moved to write an article such as this? It was not my intention to end this nostalgic article with negative comments concerning the current regime. Much has been achieved since the injection of the Liebherr family cash, and like all Saints fans, I am grateful for that. I fully accept that in today’s tough world a football club has to be run as a business, but I sometimes wish for a bit more openness, and perhaps more ‘football club’ and less plc. ‘Southampton ‘til I die’ but not sure when I will next invest £3 in a matchday programme"!

Not being funny but there are umpteen threads where our goalkeeping frailities are being discussed. Old folk like me can't keep up

I think Adkins (a goalkeeper himself) should shoulder some of the blame for the mess we are in. For one reason or another we have three flawed keepers on our hands. Hardly ideal organisation.

Good and bad in this Good Gets rid of the Europa Cup Spreads the money around a bit more Gives clubs like us the chance we otherwise wouldn't get Bad The 5th best club in Scotland would not reach in the Johnstones Paint semis so there has got to be a robust sytem devised for qualification

This has to be the most retarded, dim-witted, no sense of irony bull sh*t ever to be typed on Allen's keyboard. Does he not realise that to get to play games like that the club were blowing off both feet with a blunderbuss to make it happen and now they want to elevate it to Remembrance Day proportions. it a bit like a guy who loses his legs in a car crash enthusiastically celebrating the anniversary of the accident by organising a knees up at the actual scene. Neil Allen has taken self deception to a new level and what's even funnier, with all the players at their cheating disposal they didn't even win the bloody game. This reporter is surely an embarrassment to any vaguely intelligent, principled P++++y fans, assuming there are one or two still left.

Ramirez reminds me of Ekelund (in his prime) and remember MLT enjoyed playing alongside him more than anyone else. When Gaston scored yesterday all the players looked really pleased for him - if there is any dressing room disharmony then it wasn't apparent yesterday. He is real class.

Good point. We were excellent going forward yesterday but it is still nice to have a bit of pace on the bench

No, not really, your warped mind just chooses to see it as such - you just need to get out a bit more. HTH

Not sure that his him - I think it someone who is having a larf as they say!!!!

I don't think the Chairman has to be liked but I think it important the fans, players and city at large have respect and trust. There was an intersting article in yesterday's Guardian about Chelsea's owner who while delivering titles and wealth etc has created a toxic club that no one likes. Some Chelsea fans are feeling now that perhaps the old days were best when many neutrals felt affection for Chelsea. The funny thing is Abramavic (sp) wants everyone to look up to his team in awe and respect but the way he has gone about it has created the exact opposite. NA's remarks on AP were most telling for me - most unlike NA not to be gracious.

I see Nile Ranger has been chosen for Sunday's squad