saint1977

O2 arena severely damaged in London. Southampton seems to have escaped so far but here in Devon it is doing a lot of damage and bins flying down the street, ceramic pots, anything not tied down. Weekend will be spent repairing our garden. Work in Midlands and Hurricane Dudley brought down a lot of big trees and was dangerous to travel in on Weds, bringing some very intense and cold rain. The M42 was not fun in 70mph winds. Very sad to see the church in Wells spire blown off. 122mph wind speeds clocked on the IOW. Hopefully it eases up a bit this afternoon!

That game may come up when the Newcastle home game is confirmed. We were in the Archers, very memorable. Kitson overhead kicks, Bruce kept us in it, Simon Charlton fk hit the bar, Saints laid siege to Newcastle defending at the Archers End then 3 late goals including Flash Watson’s first. Their keeper had a difficult last few minutes - Srnicek - sadly died out jogging at just 47 later and a legend up there. Can actually see much younger myself celebrating with Flash in the Archers.

Don’t think it was at Rangnik, more at 3-4 of their prima donnas who aren’t fussed on tracking back when they are under pressure. He didn’t sign them. Plenty of evidence this season, look at the space Liverpool got at their place. Their forums want rid of those players asap but no chance with the huge wages they are on. Other huge clubs having to cut their wage bills hence why the ESL attempts.

The John Miles Music track was played towards full time as the whistles went. Became very popular in the Bundesliga later on. Beatles early tracks always featured during the games. Later 1980s a cheer noise was introduced to signify a goal - which was always a let down when it was at say Wrexham v Bournemouth. You’d have updates from Eastleigh and Bashley if they were at home or a southern away game eg Sudbury away in the FA Vase. There were some live commentary games if Saints were playing Liverpool or Man U. There were midweek sports specials as well. Other posters mentioning Bruce Hornsby - that was normally played at full time? These memories are more for Saints away games as was frequently at them eg the exciting Man Utd Dell win in the snow with an orange ball. Although did listen at home to the Everton home game mid 80s when Kevin Sheedy scored a last minute winner for Everton - 3-2 IIRC.

I think this is almost certainly the last top flight game in 1994 eg Norwich 5-4 before Weds night where Saints were behind twice or more when winning. I’m trying to remember any 2005-2012 outside of the top flight and plenty 2-0 down eg MK Dons but not coming back twice and winning. Remember the Fulham in 2002, was October IIRC and London based fans couldn’t travel as no Sunday trains due to very high winds. Was living in Soton area at the time so that was OK. Beattie got a hat trick and Fernandes starred against his former club. Conditions played a part.

Best win under Ralph taking all of the factors into account. Great character after the setback for their second goal which was a foul. VAR doing its job in injury time. Excellent performances, Stu, JWP and Perraud the best but Fraser, Broja really good. They all deserve great credit, KWP must be very happy about now.

Totally ignoring the considering underpinning and underwriting during the pandemic - hundreds a thousands a month seemingly - added to keeping the fishing shed open which was well beyond the PST and high net worths. One of which made a joke IIRC about bits of the Milton end roof falling on Saints fans. Please don’t tell me this dinosaur gets the odd commentary gig with Sky? Fine for boxing commentary but stick to that.

Was it after that game that there was trouble with Saints and Pompey fans in Covent Garden?

Piers Corbyn is extreme on both left and right - look up his views on climate change. You can see the family anti-Semitic streak. Revolting human being, even worse than his brother and on a par with David Icke. Unfortunately I’ve seen them cause thousands worth of damage to a community building restored by volunteers, normal people, and violently attack visitors and staff, all because Jeremy Vine was the evening speaker. They are anything but harmless. That’s why the lie about Starmer is so insidious, it gives these losers verification of their loony, flat earth views, just as Trump has about the election. Fortunately the majority of the Tory party hasn’t gone fully the way of the Republicans yet, even with the Vote Leave rent-a-yob on a Downing St revolving door. I’m hoping the grandees will step in and have Boris removed via mobilising letters to the 1922 or by other means eg a really bad leak worse than the partys. There is a risk though. You’ve only got to see with Jo Cox and David Amess how extremism can escalate for a minority. For me, they are no better than the Leicester City thugs who attacked Nottingham cafes with families in pre match and the idiot on the pitch posters shared on the Other Games thread.

Hope you are right. We watched the sorts of people that were driving to be joining the road protests - ‘freedom/anti vax/patriot’ convoys - and it was all Transits plastered in anti vax, government, anti BBC slogans with lots of Union Jacks. I despair at what the country is turning into. Have stopped using Twitter altogether after seeing Momentum’s Corbyn loons as well on there day after day pursuing some celebrity or another. With Corbyn and Swinson consigned to the dustbin of history, no excuse for voting for Boris and co in 2 years time. Won’t stop me from feeling that we are turning into USA lite though with lots of crazies on either side.

Should be 6-0 as a minimum, Davies superb shot and turn hit the bar at 0-0, Yates missed a free header 8 yards out and good save from Johnson. Their young front two and Spencer have been superb. Worrall had a iffy start but grown into it and now the goal. Leicester woeful, Brendan could be on his bike if it’s a heavy defeat. Can’t even blame the Danish lamp post or the past it left back. ‘Are you Derby in disguise’ lol. Forest keeper had a brain fart, might be a lifeline for Leicester at 3-1.

FA Cup was indeed 1988 https://www.11v11.com/matches/luton-town-v-southampton-30-january-1988-215914/ League Cup Q Final replay was 1989 as Turkish mentions. Guys stood on the Milton were throwing pound coins and 50ps at Steve Foster at every set piece. A couple bounced off him and quite a few hit the bar. Was thinking as a kid what I could have bought with those. Game ended up 2-1 to them after extra time. Chelsea going there instead, that might be a busy night for Bedfordshire’s finest. Chelsea fans under 40 are in for a shock at Kenilworth Rd, Dell was luxurious compared to that. You used to literally walk through back gardens to get in the away end. Luton fans caused trouble at SMS in the Cup when they were non league 10 years or so ago. West Ham home - bit boring but it’s a home tie at least.

Agree with some of what you’ve said about early season contribution but in answer to Woodsaint what you would see if you dug up an early Che Adams thread is frustration at composure in front of goal but admiration and respect for the number of assists, hold up play and passing eg Villa game. Che is always contributing even if not scoring. I hope AA can adapt but today was important for him to make his mark and I fear RH may be losing confidence in him. WBU - just seen your post and I agree, Che was very nervous at Fratton but I don’t wholly agree in terms of revisionism, Che always had more about his game. AA is a very different striker, off the last shoulder but his link play before that is miles away from where it needs to be, even if the club recruits a starter quality number 10 in the summer to offer earlier delivery and through balls. Hoping that AA can make the transition but will need to adapt and refine his game to make the most of the reduced time and space you get in the PL.

The energy crisis in huge bill rises is about to hit taxpayers yet in France, supposedly less efficient and more anti-choice than the Anglo-US economic model, the annual rises will be 4% for consumers compared to an average of 51% for UK consumers. Perhaps more of the public will wake up that free market economics minus proper regulation are a sham to benefit a few shareholders and CEOs when many of them have to choose eating or heating. Governments have far more buying power or via UK consumer regions on volatile markets. Energy supplies and transport are like political ideologies and sport. Keep them apart. They are national infrastructure and the bigger the buying power the better costs will be. If a service is better delivered private, do it that way. If it’s better as a public service, keep it in house. We’ve already seen market failure with the smaller, newer providers. LNER for example on the railways only makes a surplus as a public owned asset.

He is 100% a liar, I don’t think he knows what the truth is. A career built on them https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-lies-conservative-leader-candidate-list-times-banana-brexit-bus-a8929076.html He had the hump with Starmer because DPP prosecuted his fellow hacks for illegal accessing a murdered girl’s phone and interfering with police investigations including illegal payments for information from them. Yeah, I’d say that was a priority for prosecution where the DPP was concerned. Not really a surprise he has another Dick in his pocket to cover up more corruption. David Cameron even appointed a criminal as his Director of Communications who did jail time. Then there’s plenty more to come out on the £34bn PPE contracts as well. If the Conservative Party since 2010 was a party in a developing country, we’d dismiss them as corrupt and backward. Apparently OK to elect four times in one of the worlds oldest democracies. Sunak not impressed and even Raab C Nesbitt distancing himself from Boris’s latest brain fart about Starmer.

If he keeps on recycling the lie about Starmer and Savile the Tories are really going come unstuck https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/revealed-jimmy-savile-s-close-friendship-with-margaret-thatcher-8432351.html https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/savile-victims-boris-johnson-weaponise-suffering They had their own issues not dealing with Peter Morrison https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/inquiry-child-sexual-abuse-peter-morrison-paedophile-tory-mp-thatcher-mi5-westminster-police-penchant-small-boys-a8818151.html Even his own party believe it to be tacky as well as completely untrue https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10467399/Tories-demand-Boris-withdraws-Jimmy-Savile-slur-Keir-Starmer.html

The ones apart from Bell and others who were brownosing him on Monday at PMQs should be ashamed. Then again, Portsmouth North has elected and the increased the majority of Penny the wardrobe (programme Splash for those of you who missed the Pompey Takeover Thread) despite this more recent set of comments from Boris https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2007/04/04/boris-portsmouth-full-of-drugs-and-obesity/ Seemingly Portsmouth South has a bit more self pride.

The Tories have become a joke party where the policies are the ones eg beetroot faced gits who are there every day reading the Sun come up with at 11.40 in Wetherspoons after the 3rd pint of 99p Ruddles County. Populist nonsense basically. Trying to be the Republicans light (very light) but failing. The ENP - English Nationalist Party. Unfortunately I suspect their support base is holding up more than we think. Many sensible Tories have left but Labour has Momentum to deal with and some the new 2019 voters will be very stubborn. Well done to May, Mitchell, Baker (did I just say that?) and Bell especially yesterday for speaking up in the national interest. Shame on all of the toadies and brownosers. They literally had whole turds on their noses with the sycophantic questions, especially the seemingly well refreshed Dorries. Can’t stand Ian Blackford but why was he kicked out for pointing out the obvious? Hoyle had a brain fart there.

Agree with all of that, but that the GK, 10, striker all have to be starter quality or at least potential to be, not the grow in players we’ve had to buy under Gao. The DM can be grow in as mileage still left in Oriol. I think we’ve established that Diallo is a box to box CM, not a DMC, and expect to see him build on this season’s development. CB depends really on Salisu signing a new deal and also if the interest in Jan materialises or was January panic. Ideally a new first choice CB to go with Salisu but that’s too much on the budget. JWP may or may not fancy a CL move but it would have to be City, Liverpool maybe Utd if they finish top 4. You won’t see him going to Villa with the takeover or Newcastle unless they offer Saints and him seriously OTT ££. Salisu will be in demand but he has plenty of potential but also more growth before he is ready for first choice CL. Sign a new deal with a release clause. Plenty to move on. Forster will help us on FFP, Long leaving, Djenepo will be on loan/perm, Fenerbache have fancied him for a while. Theo who knows. Stephens has had injuries this term but might ponder how much game time he will get going forward. Could do a job for a promoted side. Happy to keep him as a squad player if not. Moi moving on I would say, shown glimpses this term at least so not a total write off as we feared, but with a year to go similar to Djenepo but with better options and a bigger earner like Fraser going. I do think at least one of the CBs will go as well for more game time but as I say some variables as to who it is. Redmond might fancy a change of scenery if the new 10 is a major signing. With a DM we would look well stocked in midfield, full backs and CBs, albeit Salisu is by far the best CB as it stands.

Quelle surprise - Suella Braverman, brainless of Britain, tries to wing a meeting forcing through changes to EU legislation which helps Tory donors and comes unstuck https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60191402 Here comes another U Turn. Good observation by Thornberry, why not reverse the 5% minImum VAT EU requirement on fuel bills first? That would mean actually doing something for us, the actual working people, not their donor friends though. Still, I’m sure people will still vote for them in 2024, just like people in Sholing supporting Liverpool FC. ‘Cos the Tories win and they did Brexit’.

Quite. Man U also not helped the Saudis on bringing in Lingard either, made it too expensive for a loan. If Broja does well for us rest of season and Tuchel there, could well be in their squad next season.

Opening day August 1987? Hot day, Andy Cook debut, Norman Whiteside got one of theirs IIRC, all 4 goals early in a 2-2 draw, players energy faded after the break for both sides. Danny was certainly very quick, not quite as crazily rapid as Rod but I thought Danny had a bit more about him as an all round footballer. SBR should have taken him to WC 1986. Being on the scene earlier than Rod or Ray he took some awful flak when certain teams (eg West Ham or Millwall) visited and their worst fans were in the Archers pen. Never put Danny off his game though, one of my favourite ever Saints, and of course THAT overhead kick as part of the Liverpool double in 1984. Hard for posters under 35 to appreciate how few live BBC games there were in those days. Went to his testimonial in 2004. Would easily have been good enough for the modern PL. Hope his MS is manageable as it can be. Nice article from a couple of years or so ago https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2019-08-30/feature-interview-danny-wallace-pre-southampton-manchester-united-premier-league-201920

They can aim to be Man City but they are in the Cheshire Hub with Man U and Liverpool. I like the NE and know it quite well, the downside is it can be a goldfish bowl. Just look at the accounts of Jenas when he was there - enjoyed it but lack of a pressure valve stopped them going all the way under SBR. The Keegan era the money was new and only Man U and Blackburn could match them. Not saying they can’t replicate the 1990s again and winning something this time with a bit more pragmatism, but I’m not getting a sense of clear strategy yet. I’m just saying that I think it will take slightly longer than City did to sustain at the top even with equal oil resources. Chelsea could attract a different calibre of player straight away when Abramovic took over and again that’s geography. Under Keegan, Newcastle could blow Blackburn and Man U out of the water on salaries but now City, Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea can offer super money already. Arsenal and Spurs, maybe West Ham on their days. Is £50k a week more on top of an already huge package worth being outside of the NW/London scene with other top players for?

And responding to this and John B’s comments about being a lower PL team, that’s a result of several disaster transfer windows and the wrong owner in Gao. In 2014 when Les understood his role and knowledge better, with Ronald’s input we actually were stronger than Poch’s squad even with European football. Tadic was more productive first two seasons than Lallana, Mane added a dimension after a mixed start, Toby on loan, VVD were both miles better than Dejan and I could go on. Long was a good plan b in those days. We won’t get every recruitment right and some players eg Lemina that look good prospects on paper won’t always work out. Even if most on here consumed 7 pints of strong bitter before watching a match, nobody would seriously think Hoedt, Carrillo, Vesty and many others were ever PL players. I think that’s were the new set up should have a different focus with more voices in it to stop the Les and Ross effect where they are the football people and beyond challenge. It would only take mid table this season and pushing top 10 next for the lower tag to go. 2012-16 there was real momentum, post Ronald the manager and player recruitment went south. Puel is figure that divides fans on this site, tactically good but a mid sized club like ours us always at its best with personality. Ralph has it, Nigel did, Ronald and even Poch without the language had clear expression on the pitch. Going further back, WGS, Bally and Lawrie.