saint1977

Great win. Very good performance for 60 minutes, all 4 goals were crackers, great header by Vest, no one was stopping him or his header, two MLT fks to the JWP showcase and MOTM for me. Ings was best of the lot, unstoppable. Stu got a bit carried away for Mings’s goal and marked a spell where Saints stopped doing the basics for 30 minutes. Jan - who was doing much better until he had to go off - and Berty who has been in fine form - going off was disruptive but silly challenge for the pen. Grealish’s goal was a bit unlucky as big deflection and no chance for the keeper at all. Enjoying watching us since restart. Glad if Ings injury is minor but a yellow card for over using him and not using subs properly eg Everton and yesterday when game won. Needed to shore up the midfield far earlier yesterday. Ralph is doing an amazing job but that’s area for learning. Fantasy football went well - JWP, Ings, Grealish, Watkins (he and JWP are bargains), Walker, Wolves defenders, Werner. Got the WBA midfielder from W Ham to go tonight. JWP for just over £6m is ridiculous - skipper points and dead ball expertise. Werner replaced Antonio as another of my high performing FF bargains.

Delighted if so but not totally surprised. I know Ralph mentioned the injury but neither JWP or Vesty mentioned it and players normally know when there has been a serious. Bound to be concern given the history which was on Ralph’s mind. I will post about game management on the other thread but chance for Che and Theo to share the load, although Che has been in fine form himself.

Pathetic that Trump endorsed his thugs causing a security issue in Texas trying to barricade Biden. Animals, somebody could have seriously hurt and one of his loons actually tried to crash a car into it. if that type of partisan behaviour ever spreads to UK Elections, we’ve had it as a civilisation. The worst we’ve ever had is an egg at Hedge End Sainsbury’s or a pint from a farmer in Wales. Hope it stays that way. Those idiots were no better than the Millwall thugs that smashed up Luton in 1985, and probably similar political views. Has to be a concern of serious outbreaks of disorder. Especially in a country with that many guns loose.

With Chris Farnell closely involved https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54723696 Wouldnt be filling me with joy but might be that Garlick and his directors cannot finance the club post COVID

Not a fan of Trump at all but in the interests of balance the First Step Act had strong bi-partisan support (rare) in leading to more sensible federal incarceration terms and reducing some of the more silly impractical aspects eg a defendant could get a much larger sentence for one form of drug use than another. More funding was offered for job specific retraining and rehabilitation and some of the worst aspects of prison treatment eg shackling pregnant women was struck out. Space Force didn’t get a lot of headlines but brought together in a programme a diverse range of agencies who had fragmented responsibilities for protecting US assets in outer space. May not get people’s pulses going on here but important with China’s habit of IP related violations and a lot of non-superpower nations getting into space in a more visible way. I’m not a fan of either party being able to appoint judges to the Supreme and Federal Courts but Trump has been able to use the system effectively. 3 Supreme Court hires and 220 to the Federal benches is one of the biggest changes a President has made and tilts the judiciary in a Conservative direction for a substantial number of years. Tax reforms were a mixed bag and any gains wiped out by the mis-handling of COVID. Debits are every time he was in social media, COVID (catastrophic and will cost him), Charlottesville, lack of police reform (sad when you consider the progressive and pragmatic First Step Act), affordable care act (a broader failure by the Republicans which has hurt his core base) and some of his interventions in the Middle East eg Syria.

I do agree with much of that analysis - just a different balancing act on the axis - economic compromises vs social and cultural ones. I’m reading an interesting book at the moment by Steve Rayson on the fall of the red wall and how the Labour Party has left many white working class communities feeling up represented. 25% of the way through and very interesting so far

The challenge Boris is in holding together a hugely diverse geographic, social and cultural consortium to keep power. Just a small demonstration is the research Matthew Sinclair commissioned in the lead up to the referendum to bottom out what range of views potential leave voters in target seats held. Amongst the findings were that an overwhelming majority wanted to see the railways and other key industries eg utilities back in public hands. Firmly ‘leftie’ territory. The other side of the equation is that many of the same respondents are culturally more conservative than many Tory MPs on a range of issues including law and order and Labour and the unions movement of travel was seen as going away from white working class issues. The 2019 election was definitely a ‘get Brexit done’ message but hard to keep the old Red Wall and former Thatcherite happy in one camp once basic trade agreement/no deal happens.

I agree, although they have borrowed it from the tabloids who used it through the 1980s against opponents of Maggie and then those in the Labour Party who opposed Kinnock’s reforms. Those were genuinely ‘lefties’ eg GLC and Livingstone, Militant, as were many of Corbyn’s followers. Applying that tag to Heseltine, Clarke, Hammond, Ashdown/Kennedy/Cable or even Starmer, let alone Major or Blair is just weird and demagogic blind following of populism.

Most comfortable home win since we beat Everton 4-1 in what was the loony’s finest game. Surprised at Redmond getting MOTM although mainly his finishing iffy, level of industry was strong. Vest, Ings, Che, JWP, Berty, KWP, Stu and Romeu all very good games. McCarthy tidy when had to be although last half an hour he could have brought a book to read.

Sorry to take the air out of the tyres of the Trump boys on here but the Republicans are past masters at rigging electoral boxes https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/us/politics/california-gop-drop-boxes.html https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/10/15/schwarzenegger-california-republicans-off-the-rails-with-fake-ballot-boxes-9424470 https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/article221484265.html

Hardly surprising if Les’s team were sacked, especially after 4 largely shocking years of recruitment at all levels and that recent article in the Athletic reviving all of the Black Box nonsense was probably the final straw. I doubt Reed and Wilson were the only bad apples going by that and looks like Crocker wielded the axe.

Pleased with that, great spirit. Vest is improved this term, Theo lasted 90 and contributed well. JWP good game and strikers’ movement caused Chelsea problems. Defensively some concerns and Bednarek has been really poor. ‘Scummer’ Sims sets up Donny winner at the rust shed on his Donny debut and watching Exeter in the European Final Rugby which is a cracking game. And they score a try. Happy days

Only upside is Werner and Chilwell in my fantasy football line up. Rodriguez got an assist for Everton as well. On the debit side, I kept Ings (who had otherwise been very good for me) and JWP (poorer this year but cheap midfield set pieces taker option). As I posted on that thread, Salisu situation mind-boggling.

Bizarre that not in the bench at least today. Something not right - Forren Mk2? But has faced Messi, Dracula, Hazard and co last season. This is getting like Clyne not playing for Liverpool which was also mysterious. Media - do your job and start asking SFC some searching and persistent Qs. With a poverty owner, spending £11m on someone who can’t get past Bednarek today wasn’t a good use of funds at all.

Hundreds of youths congregating two hours before Liverpool hit Tier 3 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside- Where next for local lockdowns? Definitely some government tensions with the new Red Wall MPs about next stages. Two week Circuit Break lockdown not ruled out

Need to put pressure on the PL as an fanbase to make sure thy do their homework properly and apply the same standards as they did with Newcastle. If they do, Da Grosa has no chance unless he comes with a far better set of partners than was at Bordeaux and very clear and immediate penalties if any money whatsoever is taken out of SFC. They slipped up with Gao and damaged their brand so they had to change the FAPP rules - so as a fanbase we have to be clear with them we are watching them like a hawk. Yesterday and PPV show they aren’t bothered in general about fans but they are hugely bothered about the reputation of their brand

And very consistent, can’t think of many Saints players as consistent throughout his time with the club. Rickie, Kenny Monkou (stood out along with MLT in some very poor Saints 90s sides), VVD pre-unrest, Ings this season and last, Michael Svensson. Morgan was pretty consistent in his 20s, problems came after Saints. Into the 80s there were more consistent players but the club was able to bring a higher calibre in as a different game. Loved the Poch and Koeman years, went to quite a number of games and never came away feeling Davis hadn’t performed well or at least decently.

I’ve been a Saints fan all my life but if ai has been lucky enough to be an elite football and I was Theo at that stage, I would not have entertained signing for Pellegrino and Reed. Obvious where things were headed and Pellegrino should have been gone by the autumn. It wasn’t for Theo to prop up the worst manager in SFC history and a Vice-Chair who had been bailed out by Ronald and struggling on his own, and disappointment seems to have happened at the FA quite quickly in post SFC role. Who wants to play under a wreck of a manager who is waving players back to frantically protect a 1-0 lead against the PL’s lowest scoring side (and Hudds still scored)? With Poch or Koeman, he’d probably have rejoined then, Reed decided to massively downgrade with first Puel, Pellegrino and Hughes. The fact that having been seemingly knocked back - if they were, remember the Promes tyre kicking, Reed’s info was as reliable as Bangkok Saint on the Corona thread - they then spent £20m and probably £60k per week in wages on a player we just paid up after what, 8 appearances, says everything about those two and Wilson. Ralph has stabilised things a bit, Everton have carried on spending very heavily, so things change. He still could’ve gone to Newcastle, WHU and CP I heard. Not saying he will go into have a great season but let’s give him a chance.

This. He’d have been a right back under Pellegrino who looked like he was having a breakdown every time someone crossed over halfway. Plus meeting Les hardly would have persuaded him. Had other options yesterday - Newcastle, W Ham, Palace but made a clear choice. A low risk gamble and got to be a better role model for our younger squad than Lemina or Hoedt? Even his Everton form would an improvement and I think he may do better. Plus he has a shop window with his Everton deal winding down.

But for Gabbiadini’s outstretched leg at Swansea, the club would have been and in all honesty would have been in very serious jeopardy of going bust if they hadn’t already. There haven’t been many highlights in the Gao era but firing Reed - Kreuger should be ashamed for not doing that before he could squander the VVD money - and hiring Ralph have been the two main ones. Wish he’d done it in November 2017 pre Carrillo but better late than never. Still some deadwood to go - Forster, Hoedt and Lemina one year to go - but as others have posted a lot more cleared now and a cleaner start for a new owner which I think we will have. That Forster second extension still makes me shake my head, no justification for it. Doubt we will ever get to the bottom of it. Our deadwood is proportionally not much worse than most PL clubs now.

Wouldn’t be a bad option, and explains the rumours about Valery out of loan to see if he can get himself back in some sort of nick and focus. Can’t be worse than the last full back we loaned from Newcastle

Happy with that. A couple of excellent goals, defended reasonably bar the two set pieces with a clean sheet. Hopefully everyone stays fit during the international break and Salisu ready, Romeu showing the benefit of some competition for places coming up.

Was on bonfire night, 2-0 away. First four back tbf were City away, Wigan home 0-2 and was dire after the display at City, Fergie’s United 3-2 with RVP’s injury time winners and Arsenal 6-1 away where Fox scored but was destroyed

Hope we get this one over the line - sounds like just what we need and seems to fit Ralph’s style. Sangare was a back up for this guy I reckon. Sessegnon on loan now as well hopefully next. Hoedt looks like he is finally on his way and Gunn needs to move out on loan as Herman Munster won’t shift. Still light in the forwards department but have to hope our three stay fit.

Yes it was condemned by the Democrats where it descended into violence and looting of property (never acceptable) and by the victims families themselves with 30 seconds research.