Suomi Saint

Like it!

I remember when they tried to improve the surface at the Dell by cutting narrow trenches into the surface and filling them with sand. I guess the trenches (slits) were 50mm wide and at 2 metre centres. The ball used to bobble all over the place. I think there is an old video on Mick Channon's website showing a match from that time. Pitches were generally quagmires in the winter back then, and the Baseball Ground had no grass on it all for most of the season.

5 and relegated.

I think it's too late because no new players will want to sign for a relegation threatened (bound) club - even on loan. Even if the club does decide to sack the Argie clown now (which seems unlikely given Kreuger's comments) , it will take 2 to 3 weeks to get someone else in. After that, it will be at least 2 to 3 games before said person can get his ideas over, and by that time it will be nearly March. It took Roy Hodgson a while to get Palace moving, and he was appointed very early on.

PEH, JWP will definitely go, Targett perhaps - don't forget that he was wanted by Newcastle in the summer. Austin may stay, it all depends on the terms of his contract, i.e. whether he gets a substantial reduction in wages or not. I wouldn't be so sure about retaining Stephens or Long either. I think we are in for a hard time in the Championship to be honest.

As a regular reader of this forum, I would say CB Fry is rather aggressive toward other posters. A keyboard warrior type if ever there was one.

That was a good day from memory. Saints fans hanging off the floodlight pylons, half a dozen docker types attacking the whole Brighton end before the game - all the Brighton fans ran away and onto the pitch, which provided some general amusement (how times have changed). I think Stevie Williams scored that day, although time may be playing tricks on my memory. I do remember the fight in the park afterwards with Police running everywhere. My mates brother actually borrowed Totton College sixth form minibus to take us all down there (we were all still at Noadswood school apart from him). Tottenham away a few weeks earlier was a complete nightmare - stabbings the lot. I certainly wouldn't like a return to those days, although as a youngster it was all quite exciting.

The league table doesn't lie......

PEH has all the attributes to be captain, but, as the second poster points out, he will probably be flogged at the end of the season for a big fee.

Absolutely.

Thanks, I enjoyed it too, although it shows up our current strikers for their lack of finishing talent!

Kelvin has had a very easy ride since 2012, so it's about time he did some work. Personally, I went off him after NA was sacked, when he did not acknowledge the great job Nigel did. Also, his body language toward NA in the video of that testimonial game was not good - the one in which he referred to the fans as "that lot out there."

We sell our best player when in the midst of a relegation battle halfway through the season, and still some posters are of the opinion that this is "a great bit of business" by the club and that they "would drive VVD to Liverpool themselves for such a great fee." Interesting. I think there is a bit of Stockholm syndrome going on here. Saints are not a real football club anymore, it has become a 'revolving door' business focused solely on player trading, which some fans are all too keen to overlook because somehow it has become the norm over the past few years. The fans are being abused by the club, yet still love the club - hence the reference to the Stockholm syndrome. Well, it is only going to end one way, and that is down. Do people really think that our faceless Chinese owner is going to reinvest the whole net amount on new players, when we all know deep down that the Chinese are only interested in making money? 20 million may be ploughed back in on a foreign striker who can score 10 goals a season, and do we really think that 5 goals between now and the end of the season is going to save us from the drop? The timing of this announcement - before the transfer window opens and only a day after a 5-2 drubbing by Spurs - is particularly cynical of the club. Tease the fans with a "world record fee" of 75M and they will forget what a useless clown the manager is for a few days, in an attempt to buy the Board some time. Even throw in rumours that Theo is making a glorious return - I am surprised they didn't say Bale. The fans have been, and are continuing to be, well and truly had.

We are not capable of beating anyone at the moment........

I doubt he is going to make it now. Looking back, Steve Moran was banging in the goals at his age.

Paul Clement coming? Stranger things have happened.....

Innocent until proven guilty......

This comment is spot on in my opinion. I am surprised by his choice of club, but of course we all wish him well.

It's time to support and encourage him.....not to criticise him. That one handed reaction save was excellent.

He has a certain level of confidence bordering on arrogance - he simply knows he is going to score. It would be crazy to drop him.

Signs of improvement, but the jury is still out as far as I am concerned. How have we got into this position where we are thinking more about avoiding relegation rather than challenging for the top 6 or 8? MP has definitely lowered our expectations. 2 years ago we finished 3 points off a CL place! We are quite capable of beating Arsenal if we show ambition, and MP's team selection will tell us a lot. If he adopts a conservative/defensive line-up and we lose 0-1, then I think he is not the guy for us. MY brother-in-law is a Leicester fan and he is very happy with Puel at the moment.

Maybe one day OWTSGMI will be banned on account of religious sensitivities. We have to be careful with the path we are going down in this PC world. Here in Finland, Finns make jokes all the time about Swedish men being gay. The Swedes make jokes about Finns swearing and drinking a lot. It’s called banter. Of course this guy may be genuinely homophobic, but what happens if he is not? Is the whole crowd chanting that the referee is obsessed with masturbation a crime also? No, I am not racist or homophobic before anyone accuses me of that, but I can see self expression and freedom of speech being gradually eroded by the professionally offended.

Far too early to make a judgement. The Bournemouth game is massive. Lose that and serious doubts will return.

Good player, but I don't think he is going to make it because he is so susceptible to injury.

The whole objective is sticking the ball in the net - which CA has consistently done at every level. He may look a bit on the rotund side, but who cares? MP has got to play him regularly because we have no one else who can hit the target.