saint1977

Because I cannot fathom why anyone would support a politician who calls an entire nation’s men rapists, the comments about women if you have a wife/mother/sister and his appalling attitudes and ineptitude to Coronavirus which Biden is having to clean up. Injecting bleach... He did nothing to help the ex-Mining communities despite all the bluster and has left a part-built wall. I won’t even mention Capitol Hill riots which made Millwall’s NF fans in Luton 1985 look like a tea party. Law and order? Give me a break. Biden clearly won that election as clearly as Boris did in 2019. Funnily enough some of Trump’s rioters had Nazi tops and insignia. As the grandson of family who fought fascism in Dunkirk, N Africa and Italy there’s another good reason to find Trump’s misfits vile. Just been reading Nigel’s Cawthorne’s book about Jeffrey Epstein’s book about Prince Andrew and Maxwell’s daughter. Other elite names pop up in the book. If QAnon are so worked up about elite sex networks there’s a real life one to investigate rather than make believe on the dark web.

Not going to moan too much as long as we get something v Brighton. KWP too early in recovery to push through 2 games in 4 games, let alone v City away. Experimental back 4 but with the joke owner and lack of any FB depth, what else could have been done given the schedule with the later start to the season? Some positives and Diallo got another 30 minutes. Good 40 minutes and then loss of focus for 20 minutes which killed the game. This is something the club psychologists have got to look at in depth with the players as it’s been a common feature over the last 2 years. The players on the budget have flaws but they are better than the silly 20-25 minutes they are showing. It shouldn’t be happening at professional level this regularly in any of the top 5 divisions. Club needs buying and some experience buying in the defence and midfield areas that talks and organises, Ings replacement and a left back.

The whole thing bores me per se but it’s actually a national problem in trying to export the UK and it’s goods and services beyond the EU if it is seen as colonialist, racist backwater. Especially to the Commonwealth. The tabloids as always are obsessing about this but they have been the worst at banging out the old white ‘Rule Britannia’ instead of focusing on just how innovative, dynamic and inclusive this country can be eg the internet, Concorde and jet liners, vaccines, computing. That’s the positive picture I want to see sold. When the Prime Minister has some of the quotes he has on record about the empire it’s not a surprise. The media gave a clearly unwell person (Diana) a horrific hounding and when she sadly perished, they painted her as some sort of Saint (no pun intended). Her young son was made to walk in front of his mother’s coffin on global TV, expected not to show emotion when thousands of the general public in his eyeline were blubbing for someone they never knew. We then wonder why he has mental health issues as well, not to mention from military conflict which is being conveniently forgotten by the hacks. Fair play to Philip for walking with those boys on the day of the funeral. A protocol-heavy environment, especially when enforced by non-family members to some extent it appears was never going to end well. I don’t have strong views on the monarchy either way but I do think the tabloids and nonentities like Junor are an industry of parasites who have fed off this and the human travails of the 80s and 90s. I think they will survive this again eg the Royal Family but the whole thing is another metaphor for the cultural battle going on in the country for yearning for the past vs looking to the future.

Beattie loved scoring against Spurs once Hoddle joined them as manager, not least the 3-1 win at WHL which sealed Hoddle’s departure. MLT always seemed to score stunners V Villa and Newcastle. Man U suffered quite a bit from him at the Dell as well and Liverpool. Ian Wright as someone said, can remember a hat trick in about 5 minutes at Highbury which formed a Nike advert and one at the Dell under Alan Ball. Kane has scored loads against Saints but also done his hammy last season. Fowler for Liverpool used to score quite a few and then for City. Ian Rush going further back but scored for fun against everyone in the early-mid 80s. Gary Speed was another one as a midfielder, for Leeds, Newcastle and even one in 2008 at the infamous final day win v Sheffield Utd to stay up.

Amongst the dross, WBA’s left back Townsend has played well and got some good deliveries in. AMN similar to what we have, done OK but not sure he is a priority in the summer. WBA’s Turkish on loan CM looks handy through, and is different to what we have. Would imagine Ralph will have to maximise the loan system until the club is finally sold. Better point for Newcastle, that’s WBA gone.

Oh dunno, Brighton’s run in is no better than Fulham or Newcastle and although Newcastle’s run in is not pretty, they do have Sheffield Utd at home which some of their better players should be fit again for. Brighton are playing one good half but not scoring any more than one goal and prone to at least one defensive lapse per game. Last night was a summary of their season. That said, their win on Tyneside may prove crucial early season. The game at St Mary’s is one they need to get something from. My money would still be on Fulham dropping, unfortunately for Saints as the Lemina fee and wages would be very helpful. WBA last chance saloon in a minute. Can’t see them getting enough points but this is must win even for a slim chance.

A few weeks, wasn’t his knees, looked like groin area to me. Hasn’t been on it since agent was in his ear but it’s backfiring as can’t see City wanting him and Kane seems staying at Spurs. Looks like 0-0 to me unless we give a stupid one away or Armstrong/Stuart tee one up from range that do a bit in the air to beat Ramsdale. We’ve got 2 lively wide players but Che doesn’t tend to anticipate in the box.

Yep, right on both fronts having a partner who works for the NHS. The upcoming reforms proposed by the Govt will undo a lot of the Lansley era driven by Cameron by putting more decisions on recruitment and commissioning in the hands of local partnerships and away from say CCGs established in that period. The issue of flexibility will become more pressing I’m afraid as some nurses and doctors will have burnout and need flexible patterns to stay in practice.

Good article from one of the PL’s less showy and lower key ex-refs on how to fix some of the raft of issues and restore a bit of trust. Agree with much of that: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56291846

Agree with him, hopefully the daft threads about Fulham catching us get put to bed over the next 3 games and then the focus can go on to getting the club sold as vaccine programmes change the picture. Gao clearly wants to sell but may have wanted too much £££ when we were flying high. This run of results plus the continuing withdrawal of overall Chinese investments in football might encourage him to drop his price and sell quicker.

Assuming bottom three remains as now, Robinson from Fulham if they don’t want too much money to retain their bigger earners if they do go down - not certain they will if Saints get something from Brighton and Newcastle’s injuries. Although last 2 results have hurt them. He’s raw but would suit Ralph’s system as long as we don’t expect peak Bertrand. Only other player I can think of where there’s a need is Pereira and well out of Gao’s league, he will go to a properly-funded and backed top flight outfit. We will be lucky to get Wycombe and Wednesday’s free agents if we still haven’t been sold. Reed has grown into this season but is he better than a fit Diallo, Romeu or JWP? For me, no. Andresen as others have said as Vesty only has a year left on his deal but we would pay for more than the original £6-7m estimate Lyon had. Johnstone has done well but could be David Marshall MK2 and there’s so many other gaps - LB, AMR, AML, CF, another RB - that without a new owner and 3 senior keepers in the squad - Gunn’s loan kicks the Les Reed can down the road, it won’t be priority. With a new owner with some funds at least, all areas bar CM and maybe CB if Vest signed up need significant spending,

The £1m fee from Forest probably kept the club alive pre-Markus in summer 2009 so I’d argue he left at exactly the right time. Well done to the lad since, and Billy, but hope they don’t have such a good game at the weekend.

Good post. Nathan does need be taken out of the firing line and historically would have been. Until we get the takeover we badly need then it's hard to see how he can't be in at least the match day squad. Tella has to be given a go at Sheffield but not without risk. I think Moussa actually offers what an on-form Redmond does, a bit more unpredictable but if we go with a three of JWP/Stu/Diallo (if fit to start) it offers him some cover to take more risks and commit defenders. I'd be playing him last season's winner up there all week on video just to remind him. It might fire Nathan up as well being dropped, bar City we've now got some equally poor sides to play so we can afford to be more offensive in approach. Nathan has been poor all season, but Adams needs mentioning as even if he isn't scoring, his movement is a fraction of what it can be at present. Unlike Danny he can't afford to be 80%, needs to be running his socks off and competing like he was March-January. If Che's not making regular runs to the far or back post, everyone moans at Bertrand but what does he honestly have to aim at if he crosses early? Berty will be better once KWP is back so we have two outlets again.

Good post, and it underlines the folly of Bednarek at CB. Had a good pairing with Vesty, got disrupted by latter's knee injury but back now so no excuse for not retaining the partnership options available in the spine of the team. As others have said, Jack is the blatantly obvious back up at RB, sure he doesn't offer as much going forward as KWP but fairly solid defensively at RB, more so than CB arguably. Someone in the coaching or senior playing side - Danny or JWP - needs to have a word with Ralph if KWP isn't ready for Bramall. If Diallo is back that will add mobility to the midfield with JWP although I thought Armstrong was our best player by a distance last night, followed by Moussa. If Stu can play both games, get Diallo back in and Moussa higher up the pitch. I'd go for 3 in the middle and Moussa/Tella just off Danny. He looks the only player who will be brave on the ball and try to feed Danny earlier. People moaned about Theo but we haven't half missed him, and not just the running, it's the experience and ability to settle the team down. Get Jan and Jannik back together at CB. Tella for Adams as well, he's hideously out of form and confidence, at least Tella might create some space and commit people. Decent cameo at Leeds. Nathan back to the bench, Minamino if he's ready again for some time in last 30 minutes with lack of starts in Tella's legs. Cautious with hamstrings as KWP came back too fast for me. Tough for Salisu last night - DCL is one of the best English-type CFs I've seen for years. Bednarek might have fared better.

Can’t afford to sack him. Anyway, who would we get? Paul Lambert? Getting pressure on Gao so he loses face domestically via the international media as well as the clear threat of what is left of his investment going down the toilet would help more.

For context, Valery was a 90th sub for relegation-threatened Birmingham in the division below (good win v QPR for them, selecting a RB who can be bothered to defend helps) and Vokins didn’t get on at all for League 1 Sunderland who drew at Crewe, having had a nightmare first couple of appearances. It might help the first team manager if planks at the club stopped giving out 4 year contracts like confetti as soon as an academy product makes a couple of first team appearances. Make them earn it like Shearer, MLT, Maddison and Franny had to.

Memories of David McGoldrick V Watford. Be a handy result for Saints

Now you can see why football has slipped massively down the pecking order for me as a sport - mix of Gao, Les Reed, Kat’s greed and these bungling buffoons on the whistles. The referees said that if we professionalised them things would gat better but they have got worse. No more Mason, Dean or Wiley, beg Durkin and Webb out of retirement to run PGMOL and VAR, and embark on a huge recruitment drive to convert retiring lower league players with the right temperaments skills and understanding of the game into refs. Look at how rugby and cricket have professionalised their refereeing and how it is respected worldwide.

Ings isn’t helping either, that stupid foul threw away 2 valuable points on Saturday when Ralph got the tactics right. Would be good if he could at least make some effort in another 3-4 games to help the club stay up if his agent gives him permission to do so.

Whilst I don’t want to defend the current garbage and lack of second half work rate, you are talking about a RB that can’t get into a Birmingham side on an identical run in the division below and a left back dropped two divisions below. The lack of depth has something to do with an owner who couldn’t afford to run Havant and Waterlooville FC let alone an established PL club.

Hopefully that’s the alternative options to Ohio’s nuns to change fortunes. Frankly it’s only one and not the 4 or 5 it should because of McCarthy. Simply not good enough second half. Hope the Romeu not a bad one. Tella outperformed Redmond, Nathan is becoming embarrassing.

I think JWP is fine as skipper, but him, Ings and Berty can’t do it all on their own. Stephens and Fraser are also vocal but have had form issues. The last real leader we had on the pitch and at the club was Jose. When he is finished playing, with Les now gone I’d love to see him on the coaching staff helping Ralph organise. Best example I saw of leadership on the pitch was Southgate with Boro when it was 1-1 at SMS and Festa got sent off with 25 or so to go. Was marshalling the back and midfield expertly and WGS remarked on it afterwards, breaking them down was like trying to peel superglue. I can appreciate that with the current owner that we are going for re-sale on buying players but I do think there’s scope for one older head every summer window to bring know-how, implementation/adaption of Ralph’s ideas during matches, and extra professionalism. Look at Stoke fans reaction to Shawcross joining Miami, realising it is a good move for all parties but recognising him as one of their legends and proudest players to wear their shirt. It’s some of that spirit, with a sprinkling of ability, that fans are missing. They may not be at one club for 14 years like that but I hope Jose wasn’t the last of that type of player for us. Rickie was similar as well.

That’s what I feel like doing after wasting 45 minutes on Burnley v Fulham. I know SFC have been poor recently but 2 shots, not even on target, for Fulham. Maja looks handy if Fulham get him any service, otherwise very average. Burnley slightly better, shouldn’t be finishing above SFC first XI on ability but they have a bit more professionalism and bottle about them when things don’t go to plan.

Sorry, meant use the likes of Marriner for VAR, Webb if he is still around and interested

Saw that as well Lord D, and Prutton got a 10 match ban for an equivalent offence of making intentional contact with an official, Di Canio’s was nine IIRC? Yet PGMOL still try to defend the indefensible. Been charged by FA but bet it’s 3 games suspension or something pathetic. Train up a generation of lower league pros without contracts after COVID and get them ready for fast track and keep the cream of the non ex pros eg Michael Oliver. Experienced ex senior refs without baggage in respect of certain teams eg Marriner when he finishes. Have no confidence whatsoever in PGMOL after recent experiences and ineptitude with Dean, Mason and Scott. They can take up a new profession - traffic wardens - after the pandemic.