Ewell

Ahh I have been waiting for someone to post up a thread on this. I am a massive Haye fan and have witnessed his power live last year at the Monty Barratt fight. I have followed his career since his first few fights and he is a talented fighter and I have no doubt he will be 'world heavyweight champ' one day. I am concerned that this Russian is just too big. The Russian has also lost some weight and got himself into the best condition he has been in for a long time, which shows how seriously he is taking Haye's threat. I know the arguments for the Hollyfield fight but that could work against Haye. It may be lesson learned for Valuev and can anyone see him making that mistake twice? This fight won’t be pretty and I can see the big Russian using all his experience and strength to lean in, hold and sap Hayes strength and mobility. My personal opinion is if it goes past 6 rounds then the Russian will win. I think Haye does have the power to be the first man to knock this guy out. Can he get in close enough though that is another question? I think it is one of the toughest fights to call in a long time and that is what makes it such an exciting match up. Personally I cannot wait.

Spot on. I think we are a reasonable team at this level but until we start to grind out results and keep clean sheets then we cannot be considered one of the best sides in league 1.

If you are unable to see the potential in Matt Patterson then I cannot see any reason to give any more of your postings the once over. He will be a very good player one day and a loan spell would do him the world of good.

KR I would say he does. Wotton is obviously not in Deschamps class who in all honesty is one of the best, If not the best 'water carrier' there has ever been. Wotton is not fit enough to lace his boots just like he is not fit enough to lace the boots of any of the class acts listed below. We are in league 1 so his skills I believe are relative. All I am pointing out is that is the role he has in our team and that is a role that does need to be filled. There are not many candidates and if anyone’s says 'Schneiderlin' I will shoot them! I am not Wotton's biggest fan, in fact far from it but let’s give Pardew the benefit of the doubt as he obviously knows what he is doing! Defensive midfielder A defensive midfielder or a holding midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in front of the back defenders for defensive reasons, thus "holding back" the freedom of the opponents to attack. This specialist midfielder's responsibilities are to defend against or tackle the opposing team, to recover the ball for their own team, and to safely distribute it to more attacking-minded players. Not only does the player protect his team's defence, he also gives his fellow midfielders the freedom to parade their more attacking flair without the worry of defensive work. For this reason, the holding midfielder may be one of the most important positions in football, as it allows the rest of the team to play a more aggressive game. The defensive midfielder position is also referred to in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese as "volante" (Spanish & Portuguese for "Rudder" or someone who gives direction), and in Portugal as a "trinco" (meaning "lock"). Eric Cantona once referred to Didier Deschamps as "the water carrier". This was originally intended as a derogatory term but is now an accepted alternative to "holding midfielder" in the UK. Most Brazilian teams deploy at least one "volante" in their team. This includes the Brazilian national team who have fielded some of the most famous defensive midfielders, such as 1994 World Cup winning team captain Dunga. The position is sometimes overlooked but it is a very important position in the modern game. It is a highly specialized position only executed successfully by very few talented players. Perhaps the most typical case of a defensive midfielder is Claude Makelele. For both club (Chelsea, Real Madrid) and country (France), he plays right in front of the back four breaking up attacking movements. His tough yet accurate tackling skills and his decisive passing decisions have more than made up his weaker attacking abilities. When he played for Real Madrid, the modus operandi had been "Makelele wins the ball and passes it to Zidane." A similar partnership is established in Chelsea when he plays with Frank Lampard. Other well-known defensive midfielders include Dietmar Hamann, Gennaro Gattuso, Emerson, and Baraja. http://en.allexperts.com/e/m/mi/midfielder.htm

Please add Jermaine Wright to your list. What many people don’t seem to realise is you need different types of players to make a balanced team. For every Zidane there has to be a Deschamps. It is about time that people trusted our management and the players they pick. Why do people need a scapegoat? I don't really know but it is a rather sad state of affairs especially when experienced managers like Strachan, Burley and Pardew pick these guys week in week out. Do they know more than us? I think so.

Pardew is doing a fantastic job and the team are playing with passion and fighting spirit. He knows what he is doing and if he decides 4-5-1 is best then why can't we all be happy with that? At the end of the day the other striker we have who is good enough to play in this team is currently coming back from a long term injury so is being given time. Why are so many struggling to see that Connolly is not being rushed and will be given time to regain full fitness. I think had we won every game this season then the same old faces would be moaning about something or other.

I now have a Spotify account so put me down for one please!

If someone recommends me for a Spotify account then I am more than happy to do a playlist!

The Drums are awesome. Really looking forward to the album. Personally I cannot stop playing The XX at the moment. Cracking album, so simple and two voices that complement each other perfectly. Album of the year for me!

After yesterdays cultured finish I cannot see this getting sung too often!

To the Gordon Watson tune from the mid 90's. It deserves a comeback! Waigo, Waigo, Waigo scores and we want one more, Not one, Not two, Not three but four, Waigo scores and we want one more!

I am not going to defend Ian Brown as to be honest there is no point. You either love him or hate him and whatever I say is not going to change people's opinions on him. I love The Roses and always will as it was the soundtrack of my teenage years. From my point of view I think with what limited talent he obviously has he has made some very good albums, some not so good but as yet not a great album. Some of his singles are different class and there is usually at least one gem on each LP. F.E.A.R. and Stellify to name just two! His new album is IMHO on a couple of plays pretty good but then again what do I know!

All newish stuff at the moment. The Horrors - Primary Colours The XX - XX Ian Brown - My Way All very good albums!

I wish people would not judge when they know dam well that in their lifetime that they are likely to have committed similar offences. There are no winners but only losers in this case. Tragic for all concerned.

A total disaster of a result. I guess that puts to bed the myth that teams who come to St Mary's and attack us will suit our game. No other result this season has ****ed me off so much! Total ****s!

The way I understood it was it is Pompey's to lose and ours to gain if they fail to get planning permission and build a new ground. We have missed the boat and considering what was going on last season then that is understandable. We had bigger priorities back then. If Pompey fail then we will step in I don't think Cortese left us any doubt about that. At the moment though the ball is in unfortunately in their court!

After listening to that very pleasurable hour long fans forum I have drawn two conclusions. 1) Thank **** Marcus Liebherr and Nicola Cortese stuck around despite other parties including the administrators trying to push them away. 2) I also thank my lucky stars we have Alan Pardew as our manager. What a refreshing change this man is. I was pleased when he was appointed and after hearing that I have no doubts we have the man to take us where we want to be. Just brilliant!

I have to agree, so you have to ask yourself what is the point in this silly nit picking looking for a fight thread?

If you want a full back to bomb on then the last thing you want your winger to do is hog the wing!

I was following one of those crappy sporty Peugeot convertibles in blue the other morning and I noticed the licence plate had the PFC letters. I thought no surely not a Skate driving through Ewell to only then spot the Pompey badge on the number plate either side of the lettering. What a sad **** I thought. I then tried to keep up with the **** for about a mile until he\she turned off. I fortunately did not get to look at them as that could have been dangerous for my health. Not sure what I was going to do really. The urge to call them a Skate bastard directly was definitely there but instead I got satisfaction of shouting it to myself in my car. God I need help.

Alsmost but not quite as much as Baj's whip round comment on the match reaction thread! This is a young lad learning his trade who is still 18 years old and the lack of support from the fan base is ****ing disgraceful. There was a time in the past where as fans we would support the younger members of the team but the NOW NOW NOW instant success world we live is creating complete morons, so is it any wonder some of them support Saints? I hear X Factor is back on maybe lads like this would be better suited to watch Cowell and his talentless gimps and then they would have something to moan about!

I am saddened to say we got what I predicted on the pre match thread. After watching Charlton today then I cannot see anything other than a defeat next week at the Valley. All our hopes seem to be rested on a player that Alan Pardew and the fans have not seen play yet. What a sad state of affairs that is. On the positive we seem to be creating chances which is a very good thing. If we were not creating then I think Pardew would be more concerned. We just need players to start taking the opportunities and I feel we will start to win matches. Come on Saints we have to start to improve and pick up points as this is already becoming a grave situation!

They looked very good. I am tempted to get a ticket for next week but I cannot see us taking more than a point from that match now. Decisions, decisions! It will probably be a draw today but given next week’s opponents we just have to win. Confidence is everything in football and to take 3 points will set us up for our visit to the Valley next week. Come on you Saints!

According to Wiki Camara was training with Hull all summer but they have not offered him a contract. I think he is well past his best but he could still play at Championship level if not higher. Personally I cannot see him coming to us and he would also be very expensive. However we may have Henri to thank as he may have put in a good word about our club to his good mate Papa. That will do for me! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Camara

A brilliant singing to slot in alongside Trotman, Perry or Thomas. We then have Murty at Right back with cover by Perry, Thomas or possibly James. Harding at Left Back with Cover from Mills. With possibly the league’s best goalkeeper in between the posts we have finally got a manager building the team from the BACK in the right manner. The goals will come and once we start keeping the clean sheets that I expect us to then we only need to score one goal to win a match. Now the defence has been sorted out then the rest will start to fall into place. George Graham and one nil to the Saints cannot come soon enough! Well done Mr Pardew you are exactly what this club has needed for the past 5 years and I salute you sir!