Polaroid Saint

Well, I still feel good about Saints. But then, of course, it is my club and I will love it, come-what-may. Still, this is how Football seems to me in 2014: Players hold all the cards. Agents pull the strings. Managers have little influence in club affairs (with a few unusual exceptions). Press have no obligation to tell the truth. Fans have become guileless in their gullibility and, sadly, complicit in their clubs demise by demanding instant success (or 'ambition' ffs). Sponsors know to associate their products with players, who may have ten years success, and not with clubs; which may not. The various football/player associations are legally powerless, directionally rudderless (and often either downright corrupt or so symbiotically linked to the status quo they cannot influence it). Club Owners/Boards are doomed to repeat the same mistake of believing the fallacy that football clubs can be competitive and financially sound.

Like this DM.

Did you really just spend minutes of your life writing that? Bless you.

Tribute to the fact I was in Byker yesterday:

And to think I called you a Skate the other day for saying how much you hate the club crest!? I am so sorry, here you are displaying your love of Saints again so clearly. You are a right old c*nt aren't you?

As WG says, a bit crude! But yes, I am staying away from the main board; what a bunch of depressing w@nkers! Only happy w@nkers on this thread.

My era. I will take this gently. Let's start with a left field option (rather than a more obvious choice).

Because Saints will not play anyone else in those positions. None at all, obviously. Instead we will play a five-a-side team.

Hurrah! Like it

At Stadium of Light today (considering an offer, don't tell Giordano!!!). Adidas shirt is thin as f*ck. Stitching dodgy. Has airtex style bits on shoulders. Horrible collar. Away kit is nice though.

Please don't try to compare Fulham's league position two seasons after that summer (2012) with our current situation... ...Fulham spent over £20m before last season began (2013) and bought in a lot of free agents and loans - I understand Fulham were relegated with the highest wage bill they have ever had in the EPL. Although it appears that's what everyone wants Saints to do?!

It seems that those of us with dry beds are now seen as the mental and irrational ones!! But I am not worried. The number of departures stands at Four (4). Chambers would surely be a 'squad player' so it would still be four first-teamers plus one. MS would be the worst and would make it '6' in total. But, as of this morning, it is still four out and two in. Two down and (by all accounts) we are intending to replace one academy player with another (really we should have replaced Fox last year, why didn't MoPo do that?). So I make that one down - the defender who left yesterday. For the money we are getting it would be IRRESPONSIBLE of the board NOT to sell these players. I could make pretty decent football arguments for why each one would not be a great loss (even Morgan). But the argument for taking the money (much more than each player is worth) and securing the future of SFC is too strong for anyone who knows half an ounce about footy finances (IE they are fuxked and weighted always in favour of the big teams). We are all fan(atic)s; we want the best team possible, but we are also all supporters too.

Liverpool have bought two thirds of a strike force that came eighth - remind him of that. And a perfect carragher replacement; Lovren has already scored for the opposition at Anfield; reckon he'll get another one of those at least this season. Again, remind him of that.

There is a collection being organised to help fund a right proper send off this lovely man. JimBob from Carter has arranged this. I don't know what it will be yet; Maybe a Viking burial in the Solent, or possibly a big funeral pyre outside Worksop County Council offices. Please give anything you can, as Jon was skint. http://www.gofundme.com/c6cbn8

Jon was a dear friend and a right old fùcker. One of the funniest, kindest, most inspiring and downright brilliant men I have ever met. I am honoured to have known him personally and, as Saints, we should be incredibly proud he was one of ours. Really, I mean it; Jon Beast was a true iconoclast, one in a generation type. He was still taking apart this whole stinking world with humour and incisiveness right to the end. Personally, I would not have had the life and fortune (good and bad!) without Jon and probably most of the indie bands of the eighties and nineties owe him something - actually I bet he still owes them, ha. I am sure he is RIPping the **** out of all of heaven right now, the crazy beautiful ol' caaant.

It is practically impossible to make money out of a football club unless you are a player. Owners, shareholders, CEOs, the club itself; they do not make money. Football is not like other businesses. Not at all. These transfer figures, as I have said before, pretty meaningless as quoted (none of us can be sure which figure is closest to the truth) so it is even more meaningless to try and do amateur accountancy using them (particularly if you are a professional accountant; because footy works in a different way).

Patience is not only a virtue for those that hold it but a blessing for those around them. Chill the fúck out people or find something else to do with your summer. Anything can happen in five weeks. Support The Bored? No thank you!

This is a reasonable view, but it is just as possible that Oswaldo will have a great season on loan and go for megabucks transfer fee. It is ALL about the wages really, it suits us to 'own' the player as long as we are not losing his weekly wage. 5mil now or 0mil in three years makes very little difference to us at this point.

1. Makes a nice change, hurrah! 2. And this point about still owning the player at the end of the loan is negative/relevant how? It makes as much sense (financially) to keep loaning Oswaldo out rather than sell cheap. 3. All clubs sell their best players. Every player that has ever gone for a large, headline worthy fee, was that clubs best player when he was sold. Work it out, then get back to me. 4. The H in IMHO stands for Humble. If your opinion really was humble, you wouldn't be banging on and on about it.

I would imagine it is! Only on chapter 3 at the moment, but off on holiday today. I will give a full review on my return. It really does look a cracking book though. Chapter two can be summed up thus: More Wages = More Wins (the team that pays the most wins the most). Big Transfers = meh, minimal advantage, big risk, no sign it helps clubs.

Sadly I can't risk it. That's too high a stake on such poor odds. ;-)

Honestly worth reading the book. The chapter that has this list goes on to write about them in detail, the one liners don't do it justice really and they all come from previous 'experts' in transfers. I can't defend all of the points (and neither would or should I - in the book they are dissected not upheld as golden rules). Brilliant book so far. Great shout 00.

Just a lot of rehashes across the interweb this morning. Vlaar (in the negative) Van Dijk (rumour rehash) De Vrij (rumour rehash, us and ManUre) Classie (rumour rehash) Forster (looking good for 9m, rehash) Redmond (claims 3.5m turned down, 6.5m will secure the move) But its 9, on Friday. Who knows what will happen today!?! W00t.

Grace hasn't had her own post yet: And this picture of perfection:

Hi Saint Billy. Depends what version of tapatalk (my tablet and phone are slightly different). But on Android TT. Just go to 'reply' and then press the menu icon (top right). Press Attach picture, chose from your gallery, then press the word 'Image' to upload as.