David Strover

At 1-1 and 'Saints are really dominating this game' anyone who has watched the club for more than a couple of years could have easily predicted the final score. The question is will it be me or my grand-children who next see Saints take on a top Premier League side and actually beat them? Regardless of players or manager. The last manager who actually did it didn't even last one season in the Premier League. Ho hum as it ever was....

Have a look up up and see the origin of 'cretin' then which people have bandied about since I can remember. It's not particularly clever and is actually offensive. On the Rojo topic someone on the Rojo thread has said he actually spoke to LR and he says it is not on - may be a WUM or not, who knows?

We have a new.....board member. It's on the OS now. Hans has resigned, no players though.

Back onto the original post. After all that has gone on this post-season I really cannot believe it takes a few flowery words and a positive spin and everyone thinks our remaining players are great. It is clear that they just say what they think people want to here and when the chances comes any player will say and think the opposite if it means he can be a sub on £100k a week and in a group game versus the Estonia League runners-up on a Wednesday night. I don't mean to come across all 'Alpine-like' (as I hate his miserable rhetoric) but really it's like having your hand bitten off by a dog and then going back the next day to pat him on th head because you've go another and he 'probably won't do that again'.

Polaroid Saint, I'm no expert either (at anything) but I believe you can circumnavigate the European and UK Employment laws citing special circumstances. Certainly the world of top class professional football would fall under this as it appears all the power is with players at the moment. Having said that if you a full-time player in the Conference or lower divisions you probably do need these laws to help you. It's a minefield but I think most people think it does need sorting out before it implodes and takes some clubs with it.

The one thing about the argument about 'you'd leave if someone offered to double your wages' I don't understand, has anyone worked in a business or trade where someone has done that? I know of one person, who left that employment after about six weeks when he realised they wanted him to work really hard and long hours for the money and, I'm not being holier than thou here, but the first thing I would ask is 'why would someone want to double my wages?' End the end though as WGS has said many times the world of top-level professional football and the 'real world' bear no relation to each other so comparing the two is ultimately pointless. I did like the definition of ambition in the article though and do agree with that - shortcuts are so much easier for most footballers, entitlement is what it is all about, the 'do you know who I am brigade' - lumped in with actors, pop-stars and front-bench politicians.

Just recently, the last few days really, I've completely lost interest, I understand people say it, I have before, but this time I really seemed to have. I could no longer care who comes or goes, I don't care about the Premier League in any way and Saints losing 8-0 at Liverpool will have the same affect on me as them winning 2-0 up there - just m'eh. I think last season and this season combined have done that - plus of course the mind-numbing banality of the Premier League, it probably all started when we cancelled Sky about two years ago and the shenanigans this close-season has brought it to a head. Of course no one is going to mourn my lose of interest and we all know everything in the football world will carry on as before. So in summary - I just don't care at all.

Yeah see what you mean but perhaps the 'sacked' part is for us - internally, with the people and levels he deals with it would be understood exactly what went on. This is why I never believe conspiracy theories, you can just bend and fit everything to your pet theory :-)

Just being Devil's Advocate, perhaps Ralph is already leaving the club, goes into this interview, lies through his teeth about JRod and MS, they get their 'dream' moves and then Ralph gets the 'sack' - no one loses face. It's a conspiracy-lite theory, and I personally hate them and don't believe most of them, but I have worked in the wonderful world of business (most of have I guess) and I don't put this type of skull-duggery past any of these top-level business-types. I have worked with a lot of devious lying bastards in my time (once again I guess a lot of us have). Oh well hopefully things will start to look up.

Well you certainly know how to make the Forum posters feel a little bit better about the whole situation. As fans that are 'lied to' what shall we do....the same as when we are 'told the truth to'....absolutely nothing as we have no power. Still let's all feel miserable. Good work.

We do what football supporters of professional clubs around the world do.... Bend over and say, 'Can I have another please?'... It doesn't matter what the club does people will still get season tickets they can hardly afford, shirts that cost a little short of £60, Sky Sports at £40 a month (even though half of the package they are forced to buy they will never use) so they can watch their team get beaten by the top clubs and ignored by the programme makers. Whilst this goes on football clubs, not just Saints, won't really give a monkeys toss about what you think and how you behave (as long as it's not racist or violent). It's a weird thing but in any other 'customer based' product people would just walk away if they were treated badly or not bother - in this one people are prepared to pay a lot of money to turn up and say 'I'm not prepared to pay a lot of money to watch this ****'. All of my Saints supporting mates (none are on here) have got their season tickets and are turning up no matter what. The only comment I have heard is, "I've renewed my season ticket and then all this happens", and that's all he said, he shrugged his shoulders, laughed and talked about something else. This isn't a criticism of anyone but I just think it's weird and I also believe you will never have much say in what happens - reading some of the comments over the years I think that is probably a good thing.

I stand corrected. Time will tell. Hampshire born, Hampshire bred - and you should know how the rest of it goes. I was brought up in a village so I am also a carrot cruncher.

Kelvin Chambers Yoshida Hooiveld Clyne Davis Wanyama Morgan Mayuka Sharp Isgrove This is so scary that I am starting to get a bit depressed and I honestly try not to about football - in the overall scheme of my life it isn't that important. I was trying to think who was the last signing we have brought in who 'hit the ground running'? Rickie Lambert maybe, but that was League One. Personally, and I mean I am not basing this on anything, I think we've dropped a massive bollock this season and we be in for a season of struggle and strife. I remember when we were taken over NC et al said the main thing was get the feeling of depression and losing mentality that was evident throughout the club and supporters - using this forum as a barometer (which I admit is not much of one) I'd say it's back. Even the positive views of the upcoming season seem to sound hollow to me when I read them. Back to the old Saints I think - and it wouldn't surprise me if there were a few of our old big defeats coming up in the next few months - a go old 6-0 or 5-0 here or there. The shame of it is I believe this could have been stopped - loads of negative newspaper articles and n'er a positive one to be seen - that surely could have been remedied and then dopey interviews given by board members - one a business bull**** speak that we've all heard a thousand times before (thanks Tony Robbins) - and another one saying we weren't a selling club just before we sold two of our biggest stars. Doesn't help does it. The only information we get seems to be from ITKers and how do you know they know anymore than you do? Marketing and social media needs beefing up and the first thing is a positive message, followed by positive action. August 17th is very far away and this would be a tough game with our best team and manager from last season - we could easily lose heavily and I've seen forty years of that thanks. Signing on players mid-next week (which we won't) isn't really going to placate a lot of fans....

What concerns me is at the end of last season I believe it would have been reasonable to say we needed another four players to make our squad stronger because it seemed we were very, very weak should there be more than say two injuries at the same time. That is without losing anyone. We have now lost three key players with more to go and have so far replaced them with two - three more players coming in would appear to be replacing players we lose. So we look to be standing still with a slim and weakish squad. Also they way things are going if we lose heavily at Liverpool (and in my experience dreams and wishes don't come true, we will probably get well beaten with Lallana, Lovren and Lambert playing significant parts in the defeat and then being interviewed ad infinitum just to rub it in) but half of this will be because the back four will have had about two training sessions together and no practice games. I don't even consider myself pessimistic but this 'patience' thing and four or five signings is starting to wear on my nerves. We need a better squad than last season, not team and so far nothing has pointed to this happening except a few promises.

SOG - I completely 100% agree. What a fantastic thing that would be to see, anyone but anyone could win the league (with luck and some good form). The media constantly go on about how competitive the Premier League is 'this year' - they say it every year - and then go on to say only three teams have got a real chance to win the title. There is an awful lot to hate in modern day football and most people I know say it but everyone keeps going and paying the prices and yearning for the money of the Premier League so I can never see it end - not unless there are few more empty stadiums every weekend. Ain't gonna happen...

The only problem with a 'European Super League' is if you have around half a dozen massive huge teams taking part in it - some of them are going to finish at the bottom end of the league and not win many matches. Imagine Manchester United fans putting up with only winning six out of twenty-four league games? I can't see that happening. They might ignore and laugh at clubs like Saints but they need them so they have guaranteed easy wins for the fans. Currently I am hoping that this week Saints might have some good news for the fans - surely if they are the business people and 'football' people they say they are the must know that a never ending relentless stream of 'leaving', 'wants to leave', 'target for', 'not accepting contract offer', news stories even if they are wind and **** can get very tiring and wearing for the average supporter. The nutters are always going to be unhappy though and should probably think about supporting Manchester City because in general things are not going to go the way Southampton FC want...in my opinion based on reality and experience.

I have done a rough and ready conversion but I can't upload it because I'm a three-posts and out member.

You Trousers, just over two minutes. How many more references to this do you think there will be? Funnily enough that isn't one of the bets you can place according to the many gambling adverts. My favourite in this World Cup, so far, was two references to the Iran team playing with their 'Christian names' on the back of their shirts - that would be the Islamic Republic of Iran and whilst there are Christians living in Iran perhaps first names or forenames would be more accurate?

Just a small thought, perhaps 'a short-list made public' [paraphrase] will actually mean the following. 'We would like to announce we have now completed our short-listed candidates and will be selecting our new manager after the interviewing process'. This makes the 'short-list' public but does not tell who is on it, but hey why not just work yourselves into a flap and get a real 'hate' on for a bloke because he is Canadian and hasn't been a football club CEO before. Go on...hate him...

Oh, I've just read my post - I didn't mean 'Sour Mash' but the person who cracked him up.

This gentleman is the main reasons I don't come on here anymore and actually 'blocked myself' so I couldn't be tempted. I actually don't see any reason why he supports Saints at all. Surely Manchester City would be better? Ho hum - I'll be back at the beginning of the season and it'll be much of the muchness with the usual suspects.

If you can't stop yourself coming back here to read crap, try this: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/blocksite/ I think I will...

Said it last season, our home record is poor, I know it's the Premier League but it is still poor and if it gets worse it will cause us serious problems...

Yes, I'm no Alpine Saint, but I can remember many optimistic build ups to games where Saints have fallen flat on their face. I remember when all we had to do was beat Brighton and home in the old money Division One to go top of the League for the first time in our history - everyone was up for it a packed out Dell - result? Lost 2-0. It must be my long history of being a Saints fan [46 years and counting, my brother forced me to go at six] but I have seen this type of situation many times - more often than not Saints some how contrive to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I'm hoping 3-0 but I have a horrible feeling 0-2. Luckily I am wrong so many times it could cancel out my misgivings. Look at me....

I'm genuinely not having a go but research the meaning of the word 'cretin' and you'd never use that word again. It is very cruel.