Lazlo78

Annoying yes, but I think you (and others) are spot on with this assumption... It's impossible to notice patterns if you don't have anything to observe upon. Pardew is doing his observations in league games rather than preseason friendlies. Really, really annoying but that's just how it is. The real test begins when Pardew has noticed some patterns, made his judgement and acted upon it. So far it doesn't look too bad. Lambert, Hammond, Murty, Harding all seem to have been brought in to address specific problems that the fans have been staring at for ages (not counting Mellis as I have a feeling he was a player that was just suddenly "available" through the Wilkins link and Pardew did't want to pass on him. Might prove to be the most useful luxury in League One though ;-)). If somehow a big, bad CB appears soon I think Pardew has identified most of our major weaknesses in the starting XI and taken steps to correct them. Then he can take it from there and build a squad for promotion. Next step from there is to see what Pardew can do with a squad he can actually vouch for player by player... If then, he appears to have lost the plot (which I find rather unlikely) I'll start to worry. Until then I'll consider us firmly in the "rebuilding but will take any point that comes along"-phase...

Apparently scouts from Newcastle and Sheff Utd were watching Ilsø today... not a realistic target then

Which is why Pardews comments before the Millwall game that the season opener had come a few weeks too early for his taste might actually mean that they intend to further strengthen the squad over the coming weeks... Purely guesswork on my behalf but maybe, just maybe, Pardew is not a big liar

I think this is very well put. I keep thinking that Portvliet was a sensible solution to a looming economical problem. And as such Portvliet himself was not the problem. He worked within the boundaries set (=use academy players) and delivered some entertaining football but unfortunately did not deliver the unexpected results. I still like that he was a man with an ideology about football and he was willing to take up a hopeless challenge. I'd take him over Redknapp any day of the week even though Redknapps cv looks so much better. Portvliet agreed to work with what he had instead of relying on a big cheque book. He failed miserably (although as many others have posted a 20+ goals/season player would have made the situation slightly more interesting) but he still has my utmost respect...

It's like looking at a picture of little kittens. How can anyone not just loooove that guy?! He is everyones favourite granddad (along with Herbie, naturally ;-))... I would sit in his private box and take candy (Swiss chocolate?) from his warm hands and let him pat me on the head while he pointed out the players on the pitch... Muahahaha, this is the Cult of Markus

The former Aalborg BK defender and current US International Danny Califf is unhappy at his new club FCM and wants away. He's a real slugger who'll lead the team from the backline. Has probably fallen out of favor because the manager prefers more technically gifted defenders instead... See picture here: http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/fodbold/dansk_fodbold/superligaen/fc_midtjylland/article1204119.ece http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Califf Would probably not go to League One, but this guy could seriously shore up our defense...

Ah yes, he must have put on weight playing all those Champions League and UEFA Cup matches for Aalborg. Makes perfect sense ;-)

Riiiiight and those links point towards.... Justintv and Bet365 ;-) Oh well, myp2p.eu is still a good portal for streaming video of football matches...

Not sure whether this is ok to post - if not, I'll probably get a gentle reminder from a moderator? The links from this page will open Setanta from your Media Player: http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=44506&part=sports

I can only agree with your assessment of these players, but unfortunately they are unlikely to sign for a League One club. Aalborg BK sold some of their pivotal midfielders from the championship season (they are no world-beaters but they were fine players in the best Danish league) to Arminia Bielefeld and Red Bull Salzburg. I find it unlikely that they would have been happy with a transfer to the 3rd English division. So using those as a yardstick, the top players in the DK league are unrealistic targets for us. As soon as they show potential, they'll often have the option of joining a smaller club in the Dutch Eeresdivisie. Norwich just bought Jens Bertel Askou. He is virtually a no-name in DK as far as I'm concerned. He played for a club that was relegated from the best division, and then he went to Kasımpaşa in Turkey. They were relegated and when they won promotion again his contract was not renewed. This is the kind of player that can be attracted to League One. Mind you, he might turn out to be quite good. Once we get back to the CCC it'll be an entirely different story. Then we'll be more attractive to the top players in Denmark... Finally a few names (probably unrealistic targets the whole lot ;-)): - Ken Ilsø, SønderjyskE, 22 years - creative midfielder who likes to take on defenders and also has a good shot from distance. Unfortunately has been "discovered" so all the bigger clubs are looking at him - Sölvi Ottesen, SønderjyskE, 25 years - defensive lynchpin. The Iclandic centre back was generally considered the major factor in keeping Sønderjyske in the top league against all odds. Unfortunately also discovered by the larger clubs - Jonas Troest, Odense BK, 24 years - tall, athletic defender. Not sure what's the deal with him right now. He and his brother are really talented defenders but I don't see him starting for OB. Maybe he is just injured or temporarily out of their first team plans - Jesper Lange, Esbjerg fB, 23 years - aggressive forward with the greatest workrate I've seen for a long time. He is a tenacious tackler although not a goal machine - Libor Sionko, FC København, 32 years - maybe an utterly unrealistic target but this Czech international midfielder seems to be rotting in the reserves at FCK. Creative, offensive midfielder/forward with an eye for goal - Bajram Fetai, FC Nordsjælland, 25 years - an agressive forward who compensates for his technical shortcomings by playing physically and directly. Maybe not good enough for Saints but he scores quite a few goals in spite of not looking like a great player. His style might fit perfectly to League One or even CCC - Michael Beauchamp, Aalborg BK, 28 years - the (former?) Australian internernational defender is no longer wanted at Aalborg BK. He is a somewhat gangly, clumsy player but he is a physical presence and he gives 100% every match - Lasse Nielsen, Aalborg BK, 21 years - talented defender who can operate in central defense or as a full back. Played a lot of games in Aalborgs Champions League campaign last season. Maybe unrealistic as he is probably looking for a lucrative move somewhere

That's a great goal

Is Pardew in charge of seating arrangements in the Northam Stand?! ;-)

I click the link and read: The big name that sticks out in the Saints side is Saganowski. The Polish hitman has 30 international caps to his name and also played against Manchester United last year in the Champions League while on loan at Swedish side Aalborg. Please tell me that you didn't really write that. I just made up this quote, right?

Matt Oakley is set to play the lead...

Didn't he turn out to be one Mario Licka or am I dreaming that one up?

You bet! I almost never believe in sacking the manager as a solution to anything. I will admit though, that I'm often proved wrong by history ;-)

You linked directly to a picture on another site. This uses their bandwith without them getting any visitors to their site (to see their content, banner ads etc.). This is their way of saying "if you want to see the picture, come visit our site instead"

Actually, that is a wonderful idea. Hopefully someone at the club will get this idea and save the Hagiologists from having extra expenses by giving away free books. But yes, those books can turn anyone into a true believer page by page :-)

Nice. In 2006 the Liebherr family was estimated to be worth 4-5 billion Euro (at least I guess it is €): http://www.bilanz.ch/edition/artikel.asp?Session= Let's hope he still has access to the family fortune

Noooo, I can't stand all this positive cr*p. There's simply too much positivity on this board - and frankly it's making me stop reading this forum. There's always SO much good news and people chatting in a friendly fashion in each and every thread - much like they'd do if they were sitting together in a pub! *shudders* I blame the Pineapple Group for ruining this place. I'm going to sign up for a Newcastle board instead...

Granted, from the depths of despair anything will look like up, but this looks like a group that is getting ready for the long haul back up and to new heights. And by god we need investors that are willing to spend wisely over a long period rather than a one-off huge economical boost... Interesting, interesting!

So annoyingly true... But hey, at this stage, promising news is way better than no news. So fair play to all those planning to celebrate this tonight! ;-)

Frank Lampard in a 6-1 win over Derby County, 12th of March 2008... Full list here (in Danish): 5 goals: Andy Cole, 4. marts 1995: Manchester United - Ipswich Town 9-0 Alan Shearer, 19. september 1999: Newcastle United - Sheffield Wednesday 8-0 4 goals: Efan Ekoku, 25 september 1993: Everton - Norwich City 1-5 Robbie Fowler, 23. september 1995: Liverpool - Bolton Wanderers 5-2 Robbie Fowler, 14 december 1996: Liverpool - Middlesbrough 5-1 Gianluca Vialli, 24 august 1997: Barnsley - Chelsea 0-6 Jürgen Klinsmann, 2 maj 1998: Wimbledon - Tottenham Hotspur 2-6 Michael Owen, 24 oktober 1998: Liverpool - Nottingham Forest 5-1 Ole Gunnar Solskjær, 6 februar 1999: Nottingham Forest - Manchester United 1-8 Andy Cole, 30 august 1999: Manchester United - Newcastle United 5-1 Ole Gunnar Solskjær, 4 december 1999: Manchester United - Everton 5-1 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 21 oktober 2000: Chelsea - Coventry City 6-1 Mark Viduka, 4 november 2000: Leeds United - Liverpool 4-3 Michael Owen, 26 april 2003: West Bromwich Albion - Liverpool 0-6 Thierry Henry, 16 april 2004: Arsenal - Leeds United 5-0 Yakubu Aiyegbeni, 15 maj 2004: Portsmouth - Middlesbrough 5-1 Dimitar Berbatov, 29 december 2007: Tottenham Hotspur - Reading 6-4 Frank Lampard, 12 marts 2008: Chelsea - Derby County 6-1 Andrei Arshavin, 21 april 2009: Liverpool - Arsenal 4-4

I could never berate anyone neither for keeping hope nor for giving up, as you people have to put money and time into this. It's easy for me to keep hope 'cause I don't have to endure the bi-weekly defeat at SMS, thinking about how my money could have been spent better elsewhere. On that note, I was absolutely thrilled to see the attendance figure for the Palace game - what a display of loyalty from a group of fans hoping for the best but truly expecting the worst...

Exactly! It's fully well possible, so we have to show some courage. Realistically we will not get anything from the Burnley game, but we can't give up without a fight. Ask me again once we have lost or drawn Burnley and I'll admit it's over, but for now the fight is still on. Maybe somewhere somehow the Saints suddenly rise to the occasion...