Miltonaggro

He didn’t need to recruit a team of specialist lawyers, just have a semi-conscious crisis management plan for the multi-million pound sports organisation that pays him well to be a CEO.

Nail on the head here with fitness and literally hitting the ground running with the first touch goal. After his relative success at Betsiktas (83 games 31 goals), with various loans he had five clubs in three countries over four years prior to signing for Saints (132 games 26 goals), so the initial sceptism appeared justified. At the time it looked like we were getting a 30 year old journeyman, lacking in match fitness with a record of one goal in five games. Larin appears incredibly at home at SFC, has bonded with the fans and willing to give 110% for the jersey. Connection and commitment has always been a big factor with Saints supporters, and we've been starved of that in recent years.

They would if they lost.

Football regulators are no different from any other commercial regulator in terms of their powers, and exceeding their powers / appearing to act subjectively. A regulatory body is never above the law, so there is always recourse, a further independent level / test. Essentially, that's the key thing, commercial or reputational damage due to the regulator exceeding their powers, or applying their powers inconsistently.

I was surprised by the club's stance towards the EFL when the case broke. Admitting the accusation /causation, allowing two other counts, and then agreeing to an accelerated timescale for the hearing was an honourable if naive approach, certainly not what would have been expected of most of the clubs in our division in the mix for the mega money playoff on merit. I anticipated the crisis strategy would be deny, set up a lengthy internal investigation (pad out), internally mitigate with those accused, and then threaten litigation if the punishment set by the regulator was excessive (external scrutiny). Solak has repeat form for this in his business dealings. SFC only seemed to wake up to reality at the 11th hour in the appeal hearing with the desparate panic to mobilise David Pannick. Far too little far too late. My gut feeling is that this time around the response may be different, and there will have been discrete communication between the club and the FA that excessive punishment towards the manager won't be accepted without consequences. We will find out soon enough.

Clarke looked one hell of a player when he joined Saints in 1986, after starring for NI in the World Cup in Mexico (remember him scoring against Spain). Scored 20 in his first season then 16 second season in the top flight, before falling out of form and favour with Chris Nicholl. His record for Saints is essentially a goal every two games. Always felt a premature departure.

He joins when we go up, giving us the Hampshire equivelent of the Siegfried Line.

A peach. Cheered up a dull afternoon with an observed guffaw. Namaste Mr Fry!

You clearly never saw Kenny Armstrong.

87,000,000 in actual fact...

Indeed.

To be honest they are - across social media - and completely full of shit.

Can you be more specific.

Watched Prowse closely against Swansea and he was the calm head and metronome of the side. Several times the younger players (and Downes!) looked to him for a nod on positioning, so we gained a second skipper on the park. Last game I saw him play for us before the transfer to West Ham was the Sheff Wed away win, first game of the season under Martin, when he looked our fittest player and a class above - looked no different to me on Tuesday.

Top, top target man. Well deserved and our best centre forward since Pelle. Hope he gets the chance to do it in the Prem like Lambert.