The Kraken

A big sticking point of the crew reduction from 15 to 14 is that the cabin service directors – the most senior crew – are being asked to no longer just oversee the on-board staff, but to serve meals and drinks as well. So they're complaining about having to actually do their job. The last strike was a massive, massive over-reaction to what are clearly some sensible ideas by BA to actually begin to reign in their enormous running losses. Unite have just had their noses put out of joint as they weren't consulted on the changes in the first place and are only looking to demonstrate their power in being able to bring the company to its knees, rather than working with BA to find a practical and realistic solution.

As the article mentions, I don't think the vote will be anywhere near as unanimous as last time. The staff had no idea the strikes were going to be for so long, and would cause so much disruption over one of the busiest times of the year. Add to that the weight of public feeling about the whole spitefulness of it all. Unfortunately though, I still think they'll vote to strike as Unite just seem intent on causing maximum chaos in order to make a point, rather than to look for the most productive solution. They are the worst example of a union flexing it's muscles, badly advising its members and closing its eyes to the actual the bottom line; the company made a £400M loss last year and are clearly in need of massive change across the board.

I think 10th is too low for this season; at the moment we're only 4 points off of 10th place, and given our comparable form to those immediately above us we should eat into that pretty quickly. I still think the play-offs this season may end up being just out of reach, but I'm anticipating it will be touch and go right up to the last game of the season. Unfortunately I think we'll just miss out, and finish 7th. Next season we will be targetting, and will achieve, automatic promotion.

Don't be silly; their website says they've got 838 members.....

I think you might be making up quotes to suit your own agenda. This is a quote from Pardew when he took over... "Our immediate plan is get rid of this minus 10 points, then see how long we have got left. If it's three or four months we can have a go at the play-offs. I'm not aiming higher than that. " As far as I recall, that's the same rhetoric that Pardew kept preaching; that and the 5 year plan. As for your quote from Cortese, this was attributed to him at the start of the season... "Cortese's plan is for the club to win promotion from League One in two seasons and reach the Premier League in five years. He does not expect Liebherr to enjoy a return on his investment until the club returns to the top flight but reckons Saints can break even in the Championship. In the meantime, there are funds available for Pardew to mould his squad.

So in other words, if found guilty he'll just get a fine and a slap on the wrists. His mates in the media will bleat about what an injustice it all is to poor old 'Arry, salt of the earth guv'nor that he is. Then it'll all be swept under the carpet.

Yes, probably. You couldn't be more right. Definitely rubbish, and slow. Awful. I've never seen him play, and neither have you, but you seem to know your onions so I agree. The end is nigh, I tell thee. Pardew out.

Bloody hell, there really are some prize weapons on this board. Criticising a new signing while the ink is still dry; ridiculous. All this "I would have preferred to have seen Mills fill in at left back" is just rubbish. Pardew has seen Mills in training every day and clearly doesn't rate him as up to the job. Seaborne is 22, highly rated, cheap, and clearly one for the future. Not expected to be a first teamer straight away but clearly good enough for cover at CB or LB. Good signing IMO.

Try reading mine and Saint Mabes previous posts on this page.....

According to Roy Danns: Roy and Neil Danns are cousins. Neil Danns is mixed race. And the transfer is definitely on. Less certain was Roy's assertion that Neil will be signing forms in the pub, witnessed by Thai the pub dog wearing a full Saints kit...

I have heard the same, from an ITK at Palace. I guess we'll see how ITK he really is...

Give us a J......

I don't think that's ever really been in doubt. Some of the more impatient suggested that promotion via the playoffs this season should be achieved, which was/is eminently possible but not to be expected. But even before seeing the transfers that will go through in this window, I think you'd have been hard pushed to find someone who didn't think the top two next season is a more than realistic target. Given the money we're now looking to spend, anything less than top two next season would certainly be deemed a failure.

£1.5M sounds like an awful lot of money to pay for an average Championship defender. He's obviously a good player; my mate is a Palace fan and says he's been one of their better players in the last few years and would be gutted to see him go for less than a million. But to me it seems like a huge sum of money. Still, in Pards we trust...

Rubbish draw.

And another one. Put your bravado aside. We lost to Colchester. Thay just lost to Preston 7-0. Preston are struggling massively in the Championship. Skatesmouth are a league above Preston. We're below them for a while. It's unfortunate, but we are. Next year, they'll be on the way down while we're on the way up. But it's not the time to gloat. Not yet.

The perfect example of most things wrong with this site; people who don't go to games and criticise individual players on a performance they haven't seen. Saga hasn't been on the bench for many a week, he clearly wants to go. Pardew has confirmed that and cup-tieing him will reduce his value; and we have nothing to gain by playing him in a competition we are never going to win. Connolly needs rest, and this is the perfect game to allow him it. But carry on. You weren't at the game so you're clearly well placed to comment.

Another loon that thinks we'll beat a Premier League team. I agree with the old faces line, but to think we'd get near giving them a good game is tremendously naive.

Unfortunately I agree with Steve; it really is a massive drop that we have been through in the past 5 years and, as awful as they are looking in the Prem, the blue filth are still streets ahead of us on the pitch. I don't like saying it, but it's obviously true, at least for now. Next year is a different proposition but this year I'd be very happy to stay away from our fishy poor relations.

If it's money you're after you want Man U away; equal share of gate receipts between the two teams in FA Cup games.

Arsenal away. A London away day,, and I've not been to the new library yet. Mind you, watching us get thumped by their third string would be a bit humbling.

Correct. Yellow card amnesty was brought forward to 31st December for this season.

Exactly right St Marco; I doubt there is a team in the league (including Leeds and Norwich) that wouldn't find a place for Lambert in the side. He's as good a striker as we could possibly hope for at this level. And he's the closest thing I've seen at the club since we lost Beattie; a real handful for any defence and with excellent close control and finishing to boot. He doesn't lose very much in the air either. We're very lucky to have him in the side.

It's a sad indictment when you get criticised for scoring 30 yard free kicks.

We do seem to be stumbling somewhat of late; too many games where I've come away thinking that we won despite not playing very well. No matter how good the team you can't keep doing that. I've always thought that on our really decent run of wins we were playing a little above ourselves, and that we were still a way from the finished article. The first team is good for this level, no doubt, but I still think that Leeds and Norwich have that little bit more than us. But then I think those two will be the ones that gets automatic promotion, so I guess that's the standard we need to aspire to, and we're not all that far away from it. At the moment we don't seem to have enough goals in us from all over the pitch; Lallana has dried up a little of late and others aren't chipping in, so it falls on Lambert's shoulders. Also, I'm never all that confident looking at a central defensive partnership of Perry and Thomas, and James just isn't a right back. But I've got faith in Pardew to do what is required, he knows better than any of us how far we have yet to go to be proper promotion favourites. The players he brought in at very short notice were just what we needed and in the main have all been good signings. You'd hope that with more time to balance up what we need we'll see some good signings in the next few days/weeks.