Fitzhugh Fella

wash saint - I wasn't looking to start another Lowe war but you can't over ride 5 years of neglect in a month. I am concerned at AP's start - I went to Huddersfield and was shocked at our ineptitude but like it or not we have got to give the guy a chance. He talks well but I agree he has already made some strange team selections and tactical decisions but we gotta keep our nerve here. Avoiding relegation is our goal. D

of course you are entitled to post and there have been times when I have enjoyed your contributions but just recently you have been obnoxious and aggressive in your views. I think you know you have been an arse - take it like a man and skip the cheap jibes - they do you no credit. When are you next coming to SMS - meet for a pint if you like?

And how much Pinnacle's "never gonna happen" takeover held us back. We are now suffering from a very disorganised close season and there are some who supported Pinnacle who should be asking themselves serious questions.

I haven't got a problem with you not going to games because you live a long way away but you sure have a big gob for someone who doesn't go to matches - perhaps you would be better served respecting the opinions of the fans that do go and keep quiet until you get to a match yourself - then your opinion will hold a little more water.

AP inherited a mess left by 5 years of mismanagement by Lowe. We can't expect him to sort that out in 4 weeks. Those extra 4 weeks wasted by Pinnacle's "never gonna happen" bid are now coming home to roost. Perhaps people's frustrations should be aimed at Pinnacle and the people that gave them oxygen rather than Pinnacle. Just a - no doubt unpopular - thought. Give Pardew a chance - he is far from being the biggest culprit here.

You need to get a grip mate - you spend half your life on here berating people who dare to criticise (having been to the games) and then you start a knee jerk thread having a go at the club for not signing a centre half - this after telling us Thomas is the best thing since sliced bread. May I suggest, with respect, you spend less time at your keyboard typing a load of crap and get your arse out there and actually take a look at a game or two. And then come back on here and give us the benefit of your undoubted intellect.

you've changed your tune? perhaps it might be a good idea if you took in a few games before you start pontificating - just a thought?

AP does appear to be frustrated with things. Must be a bit of a nightmare trying to rebuild a club amid the beginning of a season with -10 points.

I don't think your last sentence is correct.

Interesting and I wonder if that has any relevance to Cortese's answer to a question about his role "decisions we took right at the beginning which probably need to be revised? It seems however Andy Oldknow was the introductory agent to bring the Swiss to the table so would like his version - he may have done us a great favour. One thing I will credit him with is he knew his football.

Worth getting this as there is 100% non Premiership news and transfer speculation involving the likes of Southampton. I bought today's edition and found some interesting reading about potential transfer targets, most of which have been picked up elsewhere on this forum. The write up of the Huddersfield game was also interesting. The Echo (Adam Leitch) gave Thomas the best mark for an outfield player (6) on Saturday's performance while TLP gave him the lowest mark (3). How can two reporters differ so much? Just goes to show you can't trust what you read. I think Adam Leitch got it wrong incidentally. Pardew's cooments in the TLP were concerning too - he said " I'm aware we need to bring in one or two new players to bolster the squad here, but to be honest I don't know whether that is possible". I assume we are having trouble attracting players reluctant to drop down to our level? Anyhow when all said and done - you learn a lot from this paper and it is a refreshing read compared to the national media's obsession with the Prem and the big 4.

John B - that is a classic sentence.

He was pictured standing behind ML and NC in the director's box for the Millwall game. I thought he had put on a little weight since I had last seen him but he won't thank me for pointing it out.

Yes I stand corrected. He was trying to save the club no doubt about it but he had tied his ribbon to the wrong mast.

Appreciate what you are saying especially when comparing Saturday to some of the abyssmal away performances over the last few years but I think the fact remains we just weren't at the races v Town and that was despite being "up for it". As for Thomas I have heard some worrying things from people who would know about his mental strength. Although he a powerfully built defender there are stories than when the going gets tough he gets going and to me on Saturday that was increasingly evident as the game wore on. I would not be surprised to find him injured for tomorrow's game. I'd like to be proved wrong here because, for a team that is far too lightweight we desperately need his strength and power but we also need determination and a cool head. Tomorrow will be an interesting test of his and our bouncibility .

Robbie I beg to differ. IMO Pinnacle (MLT and perhaps TL apart) never were "interested" in saving Southampton. They were just a couple of men who intended to use leveraged debt to purchase the club and ultimately move it on for a profit. TL and MLT were used because of local connections and also Matt's profile. I think we have to be careful when we refer to Pinnacle because there is no doubt elements of the so called Pinnacle group were not being totally honest with each other. The FL issue was just an excuse. We came very close to losing ML because of Pinnacle (see Cortese'srecent interviews in the Echo) and to give them praise by saying they tried to save saints is wide of the mark. I think MLT was trying to "save the Saints" but he was unwittingly used by a bunch of glorified con artists.

Some interesting extracts from Saturday's interview which appeared in the Echo on Saturday. As it is no longer possible to purchase Saturday's Echo I hope I am not infringing on their copyright. There have been quite a few who live out of the area who have asked me what was said. Q - How are you settling into your new life in Southampton? NC - Me and my family are trying to settle. My wife is looking into finding a property where hopefully we will spend a lot of our future. Q - What about your role at the football club? NC - My official start was Aug 1 but I was running the business since July 8. I am at the point now where I am starting to learn the business - I am a quick learner. I can already see some decisions we took right at the beginning which need to be revised. We are starting to control the business and make it more efficient. Q - Does ML have any input on either transfers or in AP's appointment? NC - So far, no he doesn't Q - I take it then you are trying to run it as a self sufficient business not to have to phone him up and ask him to wire some money? NC - A successful football team has to be a business. What I discuss with Markus is the financial aspect, budgets and once I have his approval for that we just run. Decisions about the team are personal for me and on my judgement. Q - How are decisions made then - does AP come to you with a list of players? NC - We discuss a few times a day over the telephone and see each other every 2 days, we sit down, have a cup of tea and discuss what still needs to be done on the team. He listens to my view, I listen to his view and then we see and i'll start investigating and find possibilities in signing a player. The ultimate decision on who comes in and goes out relies on me and my decision. That last sentence to me is quite revealing and infers that NC and AP simply HAVE to have a good relationship or things will quickly fall apart. I don't know how "qualified" NC is to take footballing decisions - obviously ML is happy for him to do so - but the dynamics of the relationship between manager and executive chairman will be fundamental to our success. The interview is a lengthy one and he makes some further innuendos re Pinnacle and wasted time but maybe, mods permitting, I will post that at another time.

If the money is "right" players can usually be persuaded to drop a league.

Ah yes Yorkie, the "Grove" indeed was an excellent pub - 18 real ales and lagers to choose from. Unfortunately the driver of our car (Lets B Avenue) took us to the other "Grove" in Huddersfield first and shall we say it did not quite match up to expectations. It was in the middle of a rough council estate, full of pitbulls, abandoned cars, boarded up shops and roaming gangs. When we walked in and asked where the 18 real ales were the barman looked at us as if we had just landed from Jupiter. The moral of this story is make sure you "google map the right pub". Valuable drinking time was lost and I tell you that performance by Saints you needed a few pints inside you to make it bearable.

Bit of a strange post this, if you don't mind me saying Mornington. You seem to imply it was the Gods that were against us and therefore it was not really our fault. While I agree with you there was no lack of effort I thought we were woefully short of nous, class and organisation, not to mention skill, fitness and drive. The ref did hound Thomas a tad but he did committ a couple of brazen fouls right in front. Thomas was awful and got worse and you really can't blame the ref for that. The bloke next to me said he must have had a bar of Toblerone on his head because whenever he tried to head the ball it went all over the place. (Thats Thomas not the ref btw)

Had you been at Huddersfield you would never have made that statement DD. He was awful and got worse as the game went on.

Absolutely spot on post. Matt is the greatest Saints player of all time imo and a top notch bloke to boot but, he screwed up by not delving deep enough into a bogus consortium who wanted to use his popularity. And then he allowed the farce to continue far too long. Matt would never have made a good chairman. Icon yes, Legend yes, Hero to young and old, yes but he needs a kick up his arse for swallowing, without question, the Pinnacle Pill.

Sorry Cortese. His interview in the Echo was quite candid and very interesting. He talks openly and I like what he says. I will keep the piece and when I have more time will try and post some of the more revealing quotes......... unless someone beats me to it.

According to tonight's Echo he and his family are moving to the So'ton area. Shows more committment than Burley ever did.

Just got back and have to say in common with others who went I cannot find anything positive to say. Normally there is one or two players who do OK but it was simply dreadful in every dept. I am more worried tonight than I was prior to the Millwall game because we were inadequate all over the pitch. The defence were all over the place - Thomas was particularly embarrassing and got worse as the game went on, the midfield were shocking. I am a fan of Lallana but totally ineffectual today and fancy dan tricks don't get you far in Yorkshire. Lloyd James looked lost out wide right and Schneiderlin just not suited to this league. Wotton well I think you all know his weaknesses. Lambert did his best and you could see Rasiak's class but we threatened little. The new lad from Chelsea made a few intelligent runs into the area after he came on but no one had the nous to anticipate these runs - once he ran into acres of space as Murty shaped to take a free kick but the former Reading man wasn't even looking. Even Davis was Jekyll and Hyde - he made some great one on one saves but he didn't properly deal with all the corners (and they had loads) which put our defence under continual pressure. Also a shame he palmed a terrible pen kick back into the path of the taker. Bit churlish to criticise him however because of the dreadful organisation of the defence. I just wish he had a greater command of his box. If I was AP tonight I would be worried. I like his post match comments - it sounds like he is aware of the problems but I have to say, based on that performance, I would take an ultimately successful battle against relegation right now. My sights have been considerable lowered after today and I realise just how lowe we have sunk.