saint1977

My view would be Trousers that if Boris wants out of this particular mess, that the government offers 5-10 year visas to build capacity and train the professional/trade/trainer. This of course also relies on big firms like Tesco cutting out all of the big corporate gig economy crap like they’ve done to HGV drivers (including subsidiaries like Bookers) and actually paying proper wages and T&Cs. Shareholders won’t like it but time to edge away from over reliance on share capital. There was an article suggesting that they were offering £5 p/hr incentive more for drivers at Bookers in one London borough but not the one next door where there were similar unfilled vacancies. Tabloid headlines this morning that ‘Boris demand higher pay for truckers’ but it doesn’t work like that. You have to listen to the firms around labour market access and employees/unions about what makes it more attractive. Most of the semi skilled people coming over before Brexit were only staying 2-3 years on average, weren’t using the NHS much and investing in getting on the housing ladder at home so that’s worth their while and buys the economy time here to adjust to having the local skills bases that are needed to meet demand. Especially not just HGV drivers and builders and plasterers etc but very much social care with an ageing population. The Brexiteers could always say it was a long term project to create more secure better skilled jobs for young UK people in industries where there was already known shortages and demographic risks. They won’t do it I’m fairly certain as that would be good for the country in the long run for the economy, leavers and remainer kids/grandkids and all governments, especially this lot who have waged a culture war, don’t look past the end of their nose. The current fix will achieve nowt as where’s the incentive when there’s shortages in mainland Europe already? If you want to shift the skills base here, it needs at least a medium term approach.

It’s certainly what anyone with a semblance of football knowledge - fan or manager - would be doing. Insult to Tella to put on Long, who would struggle in get in most Championship squads let alone first XI, ahead of him yesterday. KWP and TL would be an awesome right hand side, give Perraud and Moussa a run on the left. Moussa has many limitations but he does work hard for his full back. Anyone who thinks Shane Long is a better bet to turn a game around than Nathan Tella, or thinks Redmond/Theo should start in the PL ahead of KWP/Livra shouldn’t be allowed near a professional football club. Even the skates.

Time to go Ralph. Could have had some credit in the bank after City but the team looked lopsided and pedestrian today even before 2pm. Hardly surprising that the board are not putting any pressure on with the total lack of fan reaction at the end, people just streaming out, no boos or any sense of being awake even. It might have to take relegation and a Derby type situation to wake everyone up and move the listless ownership and management on. We’ve been in League One before, I’m not scared of it. The footballing coma at SFC which started in Puel’s last 3 months carries on. Aintforever - I think you are right, but we will find out after the Chelsea game. The club has totally lost its DNA - slow, poor football, academy a write off and probably needs mothballing until Gao gone, absent ownership. New manager might at least get earlier balls into Armstrong feet or play him down the sides, or improve training standards so Che and Broja have some supply from wide areas. Livra in front of KWP - have one strong side at least. Perraud isn’t that bad and should be playing, was building a rapport with Djenepo. Coaching has to be appalling - club used to improve players not it ruins them. New manager might bring new coaches and new ideas. Going down if not and administration, so worth a last throw of the dice.

Seriously, what is this manager’s problem with Tella? One of the few decent players in 2nd half of last season, bright midweek, urgent need for injection of pace and taking players on. Who does the manager bring on? Someone deemed surplus to the requirement in the Championship. If the rumours are true, Howe needs to start players on their stronger side of the pitch because today’s selection has been a debacle. Wolves I think have been poor and bereft of confidence and may yet make a costly blooper and but Saints have managed to be even worse. £50 for walk up to watch this garbage. People criticising the Ings sale but Armstrong comes in, starts sharp and regressed. I’m sure the coaching will set Broja back, Livra too good for it to affect him. Hoping the crowd show some cojones at full time and let the club know what they think. Doubt it though. Djenepo, that was appalling.

It’s obvious isn’t it? I’d change Moi as Redmond has been more involved and better movement. Broja but for Armstrong, Che is doing well from what he is being fed, AA was very poor first half. Feel sorry for KWP, not doing badly but you sense he is uncomfortable. Che and Broja should be first choice forwards for me, AA doesn’t get his head up which would be alright if he looked like finishing.

Added to the fact a lot more of the VL political members are part of the government than was the case in 2015 they should absolutely be held responsible for all of the lies including the bus. Can’t just blame it all on Cummings. The vaccine honeymoon is starting to fade and the BS from Brexit starting to come home to roost although it will take years to fully emerge in its ugly glory. The COVID mitigation for Starmer is coming to an end and he needs to start cutting through this winter onwards. David Miliband would be wiping the floor with Boris and co, Unions really did Labour over by manipulating to Ed Miliband as leader. And I’m not an even a Labour supporter and can see that. LD’s have to focus on SE seats worst hit by Brexit and rebuild that way, don’t compete where Labour vote strong enough to topple Cons and vice versa. No coalitions but vote by vote cooperation.

Four Horseman of the Apocalypse seems the outcome so far

What about a draw? 😉

Yep, SA is dangerous, to the extent it has even had You Tube bans for misinformation during the pandemic. Fortunately a lot of the issues eg abortion which Murdoch outlets exploit in America have long since settled by Australian courts and Aussie conservatives are nowhere near as extreme. IIRC their record on climate change reporting and misinformation is dreadful as well. The bushfires coverage summed them up. Any repeat coming near the UK needs heavy regulation like his other efforts at gutter media. Just ask the Dowler family or Hillsborough families how devastating the impact can be when he isn’t heavily reined in. Sky News UK has been decent because regulation kept him away from interfering.

Up to Stuart to impress when fit again and take his place. This is what better depth and competition does - keeps everyone on their toes in more of the positions.

I’m not strictly vegan but am for the purposes of eating out. My body can’t process milk sugar which before being diagnosed through some unpleasant (but necessary) medical tests was making me quite unwell. Have lactose free dairy products at home to get my calcium but it’s too complex to explain to people when out and about so we just use vegan as a lot more common and look for vegan places to eat. I eat fish but find meat doesn’t agree with my digestive system either so that’s gone. Feeling a million times better since and the spells of chronic stomach cramps and heartburn gone.

Saw their FA Cup win at Torquay a few years back when Harrogate were National League North and Torquay League 2. Great to see them doing well. Mind you, to show how fortunes shift in sport, Saints beat Southend in 2007 to confirm their Championship play off spot. Today Southend lost 1-0 at Plainmoor in the National League.

In summary- - MSD very much in charge - Will find a buyer for c£25m - Half of that figure covers CVA and next season’s losses in L1 - Extra payment in future seasons if promoted - MSD keep Pride Park but again may be future obligation/option to buy Downside is that EFL rules and business plan have to be stuck to for 24 months so unlikely to be a Liebherr-fuelled automatic double promotion. That said, and we’ve been in these shoes before ourselves, they should still have a club to support. Minus Shrek’s huge wages. At least Semmens and co have reduced the very worst excesses and blunders eg Forster only one year left, Hoedt etc so not as profligate as Morris was but if we’d gone down in 2018… Gao can’t fund the club full stop minus PL TV money so MSD look to be the end game for SFC as well, more a question of when unless he sees sense, takes a lower amount to get his retirement funds overseas.

Derby have gone into administration tonight - not surprising given the last 18 months. As usual it will be the SMEs who are shafted whilst footballing creditors clean up. The correlation to Saints is of course MSD and the loan. Seems like MSD has effectively taken the driving seat and will appoint the administrator. Interesting tweet by Matt Slater about what he thinks they’ll do. Worth watching the situation closely. Might be the final nudge to Gao to take a hit and sell for £100-125m ASAP rather than MSD pick up the carcass for a fraction.

Not just Leicester fans saying it either https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-city-player-ratings-v-5928431 Salisu is more of an athlete which is helping Stephens and tbh I’m not sure Lyanco will be worse than Vesty when gets opportunities. Soyuncu is a better partner for Vesty than Evans in a 4 at the back although looked like 3-5-2 or 5-3-2. Evans is a better defender and organiser but also not the quickest. Also quite a bit of trouble before, during and after the game between the fans with a dozen arrests and growing.

This is what I suspected, allied to 5 years of largely pathetic home performances (excluding immediate lockdown games and first 2 home games of this season). The club feel they have to jack the prices up because of the absent ownership but it isn’t sustainable for a lower wage (comparatively to the SE) economy like Southampton or indeed Portsmouth. Best solution is for Gao to sell before the club is relegated to someone who can at least underwrite or invest when needed modestly. I’m sure Semmens has told him if relegation happens he will be selling it for a quid before administration but the message doesn’t seem to be getting through.

Latest is 70/4, 141 ahead. Another key stand building between Vince and Dawson after Hants went from 26/0 to 28/4 earlier. Getting through the new ball is hard. Lights are on for last hour or so. Vince just dropped by Moores off an inside edge, haven’t seen if it’s one that should have been taken or not. Need another 50-60 stand from these two if possible. Update - now 104/4, better for batting when ball older although still sideways movement with the cloud cover. Been some 50s in the match and Vince nearing his. Update - drat. Vince and Dawson out in quick succession. 116/6, 187 ahead. Notts still in thus although anything over 230 to chase will be hard. Vince gone for 52 just moments before the end of play. Gutting.

Devastating new ball spell by Keith Barker, Notts were 39/5 but Slater 50 and Patterson-White have got them to 102/5. This partnership - and breaking it - critical in the game. Abbas’s next spell could make the game.

That and the Long extension could have paid for a new GK

This analysis backs that up. Although the notion that working class people suddenly became Tories overnight is somewhat misplaced although easy to see how people would assume that from the 2019 result. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/has-labour-really-lost-working-class/ The main reasons for last GE result were 1 One party had a clear position on Brexit and one fudged, the other (LD) was just not tenable really even for Remainers 2 Corbyn and his circle had become increasingly toxic since 2017 eg anti semitism allegations and was more open to attack by the largely right wing newspapers 3 Labour and the Liberals competed rather than collaborated as they did in say GE 2017. The example I would give for this was Kensington and Chelsea where a near 10% LD swing amongst white collar voters took the seat from Labour on a semi-marginal majority to a narrow Tory one. Astonishing in a seat where Grenfell happened 4 years ago and where a Conservative Council is in disgrace but shows you the power of tactical voting websites and social media when collaboration isn’t there. I can’t ever see the LDs going into another coalition but voting with a Labour minority government issue by issue might be the only way to change number 10 occupants.

Our posts just crossed but many of the same views are present. You make a valid point on further pain around lower paid posts to come - social care has a vacancy backlog somebody told me who works for the NHS of 1.6m. Don’t know if that’s true but Boris’s worries about his Red Wall MPs complaining about the NI top up hitting the lowest paid hardest could be a drop in the ocean if a recruitment and visa skill problem many times the magnitude is around the corner. Ideology and dogma is about to be challenged by practicalities politicians prefer to ignore, which slogans won’t make go away.

It’s made the immediate problem a lot worse - although as others have posted there’s a structural problem with training investment, pay, conditions by firms nationally and globally which was looming. The pandemic has delayed the taking of driving tests for HGVs which then delays a cohort of new drivers who would have got the initial hours in on their licences and could be active. I think with the greener vehicles coming onto the market it can be an attractive career option again if the employers pull their fingers out. A couple of friends who love it have retired from driving HGVs as they are sick of unrealistic expectations/routing and dangerously short stops even pre COVID. https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2021/07/almost-3000-lorry-drivers-plan-strike-over-working-conditions/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_KqXcXkiHSFyXz0qF7dM5ldA0pXXWQuMXIjkXE7EDmmw-1630952619-0-gqNtZGzNAjujcnBszQfR To overcome some of the shorter term issues, the Prime Minister appointing a Business Secretary who understands something of the real world beyond the Lobby Rooms might help. Anyone who doesn’t think lorry drivers are a skilled profession shouldn’t be allowed to sit on a parish council let alone be a cabinet minister https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-businesses-frustrated-as-government-rejects-plea-to-loosen-visa-rules-for-lorry-drivers-amid-supply-chain-crisis-12392986

Watched the 1st qualifying round Lichfield V Nuneaton tie earlier on I-Player. Cracking game, and good quality, both played football, finished 3-1 to Nuneaton. Nuneaton had Carl Baker ex Coventry (scored against Saints for Stockport in League 1) and Leroy Lita off the bench. Carl Baker’s son cut in and scored a long range beauty as did Edmund for Nuneaton’s first but a good contest for 95% of the tie despite two divisions difference. Leon Osman good co-commentator as well. Enjoyed that more than any non international football match for quite some time.

Wouldn’t have worked out though, during match days a Bishop would have taken a right old bashing on here 😉

I’m not saying he was or is a bad manager, I just think now and expressed at the time that with the squad we had - appreciate Mane and Victor sold - that he could have been more balanced between defence and attack. When Saints did attack either side of the Cup Final we looked a good side. Ronald was a huge personality and profile and it was a bit unfair on Claude in a way to follow straight after. Tactically I thought he was sound and he’d do quite well with the limitations of the current squad. Certainly we’d ship less silly goals although hopefully RH gets it tighter this season and Lyanco is a hidden gem. 16 point drop from Ronald was a lot though and the football in the last 2 months of that season was dire. 23 points from his final 22 PL games wasn’t it? Les shafted him in that January window though with the Fonte debacle and bearing in mind VVD injured, the disorganised fool. Les should have been sacked for that. His record in France was generally good but feast (CL places) or famine at Nice and Lyon was decent but a step down from the domination they had. Lille he did well at and since another Cup Final at St Etienne. What was an insult was to sack him for Pellegrino. Actually sacking anyone for Pellegrino bar Ian Branfoot is offensive.