sambosa757

Once again someone criticising Newcastle United chooses to be totally selective. I never once referred to their recent history, just their history in general. As far as I'm concerned, a club that has 4 league titles, twice finishing runner up and 6 FA Cup triumphs with 7 runner up spots plus a Fairs Cup is a decent history. Not great but certainly something that suggests they have tasted success in their history. Regarding the clubs "overblown" ambition, do you not think fans who see the players coming through their doors for massive transfer fees would come to expect a bit of success over time? It's not them signing the players. Jesus. 3 years ago, Southampton signed Rudi Skacel and we all presumed we'd get promoted as a consequence. Imagine our reaction and expectations when big name and big money players like Owen, Emre, Boumsong, Martins, Coloccini, etc etc... The fans didnt reject anything. They were all for someone overseeing the transfer policy over Keegan with regard to youngsters. When Keegan came in, he was told he was in charge of first team affairs and left because moves for defenders (players Newcastle actually needed) were vetoed in favour of signing nobodies from the Spanish league up front and in midfield. It's hard to do a job you are proven to be good at when your hands are tied behind your back. As for Mike Ashley. He is a buffoon of the highest order. I could go into why but there is far too many reasons to point out now.

Likes his attacking football. Reading and West Ham scored bags of goals under him. For every Bobby Zamora or Marlon Harewood, there is a Yossi Benayoun or a Dean Ashton.

Exsqueeze me for having an opinion. I personally think the Killers are the most over-rated, over-hyped band in recent memory. As for Springsteen, I think that says it all really... Self-indulgent mulch.

Whys that? Would you rather have a manager with no record of promotion that doesnt unite 99% of the fanbase and play hit it and hope football with a load of demotivated players? Keegan may have a track record of resigning, but he doesnt have a track record of getting sacked, which I think is more impressive. His promotion record is also second-to-none and the best thing of all, players would actually ant to play for him.

All the ones at home actually! In fairness I was probably aged between 11-16 in this period but did see him score some crackers away from home as well. Wimbledon x 2 Newcastle x 3 Man Utd THAT goal v Arsenal. Happy days.

How about hiring Dennis Wise in the first place? He had no experience in that sort of position and had history with Newcastle fans from his playing days also. Then to back his judgement over a manager of Kevin Keegan's standing cant really see the logic there either. How about commissioning the sales of Milner, N'Zogbia and Given (amongst others last seasn also) and replacing them with players costing a fraction of what they sold them for? How about guzzling pints of lager wearing a Newcastle shirt on TV amongst the fans in an area of the Emirates where no alcohol was apparently allowed? How about leaving Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood to their own devices for 2 months waiting for Joe Kinnear to recover from open heart surgery in a display of such arrogance tha defies belief and then only acting on it when the majority of their players treat the club as much of a joke as he has. I could go on.

NOt that it helps, but putting it into perspective, if Derby scored first and we'd equalised I think most of us would be happy enough. They are a form team and we've held them. A point is a point. We cant worry too much about how other sides around us are doing.

109-8 Jimmy Anderson with wicket. 3.2 over left. its on. Come on Saints. Keep your heads...

Chris perry you absolute fecking beauty!!!!!!! Get in that onion bag!!!!!

My step-dad has eaten at a restaurant that did it and sat next to a load of Japanese businessmen who had it. The monkey is put in a sort of vice clamp with the skin on top of the head peeled back exposing the skull. Nasty and almost reduced me to tears when first hearing of it. Disgusting. But then there are people who live in the East who think we are disgusting for eating pigs and cows.

Its chicken and egg though because Pearson would have left because we were being forced into a position where no matter who was in charge, we were in a position where we had to make drastic cutbacks and let go of key players like Rasiak, John, Davies etc... and I'm not sure how happy Pearson would have been following that. It's difficult to speculate how we would have done though because Pearson didnt exactly pull up roots in his first few weeks as manager and we had on paper a much stronger squad last year to this year. I would feel confident though that if we do stay up, we would fair better next season as the players would all have a bit more experience and know-how. It also looks as if making the cutbacks we did earlier this season has stabilised us to a point as we are now in a position where we are playing the likes of Euell, Saganowski and Size etc... who would all command a lot more in wages than our kids. Hopefully that will continue next year as well, should we stay up./

Perhaps you'd be kind enough to shine some light on where exactly I might have done that?

Robbie, this really isnt the thread for it but Rupert Lowe isnt doing this because he thought it would be a jolly good idea and a bit of a laugh. He is doing this because Leon Crouch and Michael Wilde ploughed this club into so much debt in an all-or-nothing attempt at Promotion. When that didnt come off, we had a squad full of over-paid, disinterested and largely unsellable players. Lowe had to make tough decisions and the first one was whether to keep paying players who werent putting in a shift, keep a manager that would be demanding transfer funds and wages to offer (cant blame Pearson for that) or strip the club of its biggest wage-earners in an attempt to keep the wolf from the door, get a load of loans in on the basis that their parent clubs contribute or still pay their wages and employ a manager who was happy to operate under the circumstances that were laid out before he accepted the job. If you want to carry on discussing the pros and cons of both Rupert and Leon, there are 1000 other threads to do it on though.

Fraid not, he's too pretty for me. I prefer my men a bit more rugged. Roy Keane with his big grey beard does the trick for me.

He might not do that, but he does do this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF60oBBL4l0 Wonder where he learnt that from?!?!

We are most definately regarded as a family club. I cant see any reason why that would chance. The club has always put an emphasis on close relationships between parents of their academy prospects and themselves. Kids will grow up supporting their home-team club, as long as they go and watch them play. It's easy for a kid to support Man Utd if they are given the opportunity to watch Saints. Realistically, a kid is very unlikely to get to Old Trafford to watch a game, whereas St Mary's is very accessible. Another nice little feature Saints provide their prospects with is a free season ticket to them and one parent, which means that more often than not, the kids are watching the team play. I can guarantee you Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool, Spurs etc... dont do this. It will work either way. If a kid is good enough, they are old enough. The longer we follow the route we are going with now, the less likely our first team will be full of brand new recruits from the academy. This will then allow us to be more selective with the players who we bring through from the academy.

He did indeed. He's absolutely loving it. All the other boys are very friendly and made Ben feel part of the set-up from the get-go. He's been setting goals up left, right and centre since he signed but got his first goal a couple of weeks back away to Pompey with a booming header in a 4-1 win! Its early days but I honestly havent seen a kid of his age as talented as he is. If his development continues into his late-teens we are going to have a very special player on our hands. Incidentally, the 'keeper in Ben's team is absolutely brilliant too.

Ooooh hello cheeky!!!! Twitchy bum time for Burnley???

Come on Saints. Absolutely nothing to lose now. Lets attack these f*ckers.

Come on Saints!!!! You absolute beauty!! Shove that up your arrogant arses Reading.

A. Hands totally tied behind his back. NOT by Lowe but simply by the predicament the club finds itself in at the moment. No other manager would come in and be happy to coach a squad full of kids. JP appreciates the club and the opportunity he has been given, and above all, seems to buy in to the whole youth ethos we now have as a result of our financial situation. There are times this season where I have questioned his judgement and formation choices but I dont go to training and see what goes on there. The simple fact is, we cant afford seasoned campaigners and I would rather have a team of young, hungry tryers than a load of journeymen here for their last payday. The only way these kids are going to improve is by playing. It means this seaosn is going to be painful but in the long-run this could well be the best thing the club has done in a very long while.

Hi ottery st mary, thought I'd just give a little update. My nephew yesterday played for this elite team against Bournemouth academy and absolutely ran the show in a 2-2 draw. Puckett was in attendance and made a beeline straight for him. Unfortunately my nephew is playing today for Chelsea at their Cobham training ground but the fact Saints are now getting involved is certainly a good thing. My brother-in-law has told me its more or less an all out war between Saints, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Pompey and Reading and Saints and Chelsea are winning the race.

He is too young to play in the Tyro league as he is 10, but is allowed to represent the elite side in the one-off games they play against other academies. Regarding Chelsea, their training ground is in Cobham, Surrey which could easily be reached within 1 hour. The Youth Development Officer, you say? Fine, I shall try that route as I think its ludicrous Southampton wouldnt be interested if Pompey and Chelsea are.

What do you mean what is it? It's a side consisting of players underneath the age of 13 who are considered to be the "elite" players of their respective age group. They then play matches against clubs academy sides in an attempt to get provide some decent opposition and also with the intention of getting them spotted and signed by the clubs. Matches have been scheduled against the likes of Fulham, Pompey and Chelsea with the latter two sides already expressing an interest in taking on my nephew. I'm just worried that Southampton arent getting involved, and as a result are missing a trick.

On the subject of youth, does anyone know any names at the Saints academy I could ask for to recommend a young player? I wouldnt ask this willy-nilly but my 10 year old nephew is currently playing for the Hampshire elite under-13 side and Pompey and Chelsea are currently chomping at the bit to bring him to their respective academies. Without wanting to put too much pressure on the lad, he is currently outclassing 13 year-olds on a regular basis and he is 10. It just worries me a bit that Saints dont even appear to be on the radar, considering he is a Boyatt Wood lad and an avid Saints supporter. Did we cut the kids out totally as a cost-cutting measure when we were relegated? If not, I'd like to contact Saints and get them to send a scout to see him before he's snaffled by the skates or by Chelsea. Can anyone help me with this?