Fitzhugh Fella

He was a bit of a plodder compared to say Danny Wallace but of course he got between the boxes with a minimum of fuss and the maximum efficiency and he could score goals. He just never caught my eye but that was probably because off too many pints down the Fitzhugh.

Sorry I missed this question yesterday - it was in the main News part of the paper.

This seems a reasonable and fair post. The club hate fans who ask pertinent questions, they are an inconvenience. Incidentally Victor I never rated David Armstrong until he stopped playing and then I suddenly realised what a good player he was. Oh to have someone like him today.

Manji - I was never respected by the likes of you Nothing serious, just trying to enliven a dull w/end for us Saints fans - FWIW I am right behind Rupert, well at least till the season's end. Maybe there's some good news just around the corner????

I think he sort of gave up worrying about that aspect last time around.

Nah, decided to give Eastleigh a miss - with 2000 there and no terracing the view will be crap. I hate these Saturdays when we aren't playing and our very future is in the balance. I think now the price of relegation will be potentially larger than when we lost our premiership status. I remember Rupert one year saying if we went down the building plans for SMS would be shelved and at the time thinking thats a helluva forfeit but with administration likely should we not avoid the drop the next few weeks are crucial, hubris or not! Enjoy the game this afternoon - horrible to think if Eastleigh go up and we go down there will only be 2 leagues between us!

Interesting article in today's Guardian on Hubris Syndrome that "rang a few bells". I'll say no more! (Sorry, unusually, there was nothing about Saints in the sports pages). Anyway back to hubris syndrome which has, according to the article, the following symptoms ~ A narcissistic propensity to see one's world primarily as an arena in which to exercise power and seek glory. A disproportionate concern with image and presentation. A messianic manner. Excessive confidence in own judgement and contempt for advice. Exaggerated self-belief, bordering on omnipotence. A belief that one is accountable solely to history or God (my favourite). Loss of contact with reality; often associated with progressive isolation. Restlessness, recklessness and impulsiveness.

Hi Trousers - had an interesting message from a friend last night who is a Saints fan but who is "well connected" in Pompey circles. This is what he had to say (and I laughed at his Echo v The P*rtmouth News comparison quote) - The background to this is that The News is currently banned from all access by p***ey after they did the story that the FA Cup was damaged. The story was true, the club couldn't deny it as the paper had the story from the silversmith employed to repair it. So in a little fit of pique, the club banned them. Unlike the Echo, who have balls the size of lentils, when The News get banned, they take the gloves off. P***ey held a fans forum recently where The News managed to get a reporter in. It was the one where they announced the plans for the new ground would be put on hold and Krap Nottarf enlarged Typically arrogant of those in football, Peter Storrie thought he was addressing fans only, and that he could assume they were of low intelligence, and confessed that the club are in big trouble, they have around £90m worth of debt, and unless they manage to find a buyer in the summer, the gig is up. The Gaydamaks either will not or (more likely) cannot pump in any more money, and with some big payments on transfers due that make our £100,000 for McGoldrick look like chicken feed, and that flapping sound is that of the wings of chickens on their way home to the roost. They would find it difficult enough to find a buyer in the Premiership, with the size of their debt, the huge wage bill Harry saddled them with, and the outlay any new buyer would have to find to refurbish the ground (let alone fund a new one which, according to Storrie, would be ready to form part of England's 2018 World Cup bid). Storrie discovered The News have his quotes and is hopping mad. He claims it can't be used as he was only talking to supporters. Read whatever inference into that you like, but he's oblivious to the fact that they constitute members of the public, and thus it is in the public domain. What might stop it getting out is p***ey's loathsome press officer Gary Double, who might try and crawl around his former Fleet Street buddies and in the style of Max Clifford, try and stop them publishing it by buying them off with an alternative exclusive, so don't be too surprised if you don't see this story, but a series of 'exclusive' interviews with Sasha Gaydamak. I think the South Coast Administration Handicap Chase is on. Who will go in first, us, Bournemouth or them?

Ta, that was interesting!

Fair play to you Steve, there is good research here. I am going to give it a good read in the morning when I can certainly do it due justice.

His garden is the talk of the neighbourhood!

I am hearing that a meeting withthe IR in London did not go too well last week. Also hearing some salaries may not have been met. Plus I gather there was a Board meeting yesterday - a Monday is not normally a day when the Board meet unless there is something specific to be discussed. I know no more than that.

He goes onto say "Southampton's recent decline has been particularly sad, a tale of worsening results set against a seemingly never ending backdrop of boardroom upheavel. One murmer doing the rounds has them going into imminent administration..."

brought a nostalgic but rueful smile to my face. "Samson drew strength from his mane of hair. Andrew Ridgeley got rich on George Michael's good looks and song writing ability. As for Southampton, well they had The Dell, that antiquated yet charismatic corner of Hampshire where others, including Sir Alex Ferguson among them, feared to tread. So long as The Dell was around, then Southampton were more than just an average team. They would win the FA Cup, qualify regularly for Europe and finished 2nd in the league to Liverpool in 1984. It was, in a nutshell, their power source. Then they moved. Bar a visit to the Millennium Stadium to face Arsenal in 2003, it's been pretty much downhill all the way since". - Spencer Vignes. 22/03/09

yea Mike - the last 3 games have been very dissapointing - we just don't seem able to win games we should.

How does that work percentage wise? Sorry had a long day and the wine is kicking in!

Looking at the table tonight, contemplating our home form, the fact that matches are running out and considering many of our rivals are playing each other I would put our chances of staying up - percentage wise - at around 30%. Am I being too pessimistic/optimistic? If you had to seriously put your house on such a bet what (non gung-ho) chance would you opt for on us surviving? Anyone go above 50%?

2 dropped I am afraid. Blackpool will be relieved.

Cheered me up no end.

It was nothing major - in fact quite minor, but just goes to show how much this forum is scrutinised - unless it is just me

Hey I agree

I would be intrigued to find out more about how the club plan to "evaluate" nominees. Incidentally they still monitor this forum with a fine toothcomb as I have been "admonished" over the last few days for something I posted over the weekend. This whole thing belongs on Wilde's manifesto.

This is a strange one. Poke has gone to Torquay for the rest of the season and then his contract expires so in effect he is no longer a Saints player. And Forecast is a crap keeper, according to Webster, who was then put on gardening leave for expressing an opinion. Let's hope Davis does not pick up an injury between then and now.

Fair point and lets face it the comparison should never have been floated in the first place.

He's a good to average CCC player, no more no less. Certainly not a Prem player. Value about £300,000 I would say.