derry

This was posted on here at the time he wasn't picked right at the start of the season. He was told if he didn't go to Ipswich, he wouldnt play for us again. This was rejected by many on here maybe they would like to comment now.

Come off it, an hour with 10 men and poor refereeing decisions from a referee who has given Utd a penalty every two games and sent an opponent off every four games, leading to two goals out of three. A Utd side with 9 current full internationals, plus Rooney. Give a bit of credit where it's due. They did their best against a top class team.

Manchester Utd and their favourite referee, about 1 penalty for every 2 games, and 1 sending off for every 4 games all in Man Utd's favour.

Derby have the £11m from the Premier this year and next year and their average gates are about 27000, In two leg semi final v MU in the Carling Cup and play Notts Forest in the 4th round of the FA Cup. They probably have a large wage bill, but we are a basket case by comparison.

Slow motion proves you and Riley wrong on every decision. The first goal was offside. Welbeck was offside at the precise moment O'Shea headed the ball. Paterson, actually connected with the ball, admittedly one foot studs showing, but Vidic also was slightly lower, missed the ball but one foot studs showing. Vidic's foot and shin went under and across Patersons. Both should have been booked for the studs up but it wasn't a sending off. Riley has record for sending off players in MU games and has given twice as many penalties all in favour of MU. The penalty decision was a joke the slow motion shows it hit McGoldrick on the back of his head. It missed his raised arm completely. The referee was close enough to see that but was gesturing with his elbow, however he got it wrong. In my view if the decisions were against MU. Riley wouldn't have given them.

He is the best centre forward to play for Saints in the last 55 years. He would have been first choice in any team he played for. In the team picked with Paine to cross, as he was probably the best attacking header of a ball ever, not just the Saints, he would be a shoe in. Nobody in the list is in the same class. He also played with Channon. Keegan is a little unfortunate, but leaving as he did I think devalued him.

The young players certainly have talent. Unfortunately because of mismanagement they have been thrown in collectively before their time. Young players need help from better players to be able to break through. It is a learning process and our young players in the end will be better for the experience, however collectively we are not performing teamwise. Our team shape together with a lack of discipline and direction is the reason we are not more successful. If the team can look back at yesterday's match and see how they were outplayed and beaten by a very disciplined team, containing many experienced full international very expensive players, they could benefit enormously. Copying the way Utd play would be a good way to go. They were wide on the touchlines for a start, we play narrow. They attack with width, primarily with seven with pace and defend with seven basically. Their wide men don't allow themselves to be sucked in, they wait and allow the defence to move towards the immediate attack, then attack the undefended back post, outnumbering the overloaded defence. We attack in smaller numbers and our narrow shape sucks the wide men to the near post allowing the defence to compact. They defend from the front delaying, therefore allowing their basic seven to get goalside. If we did nothing more than copying what we could, and adopting the clear principles that are used by Utd, we would improve immensely. Man Utd are brilliant players, playing in a totally disciplined framework, dominated by a manager nobody dare cross.

Riley was Utd's most effective player today, The first goal was offside, Paterson actually made contact with the ball, I know it was one footed studs showing, the penalty given when Mcgoldrick was hit on the back of the head, I know his arm was raised but the ball missed it.

I am not saying that it wasn't a one footed studs showing tackle, what he did do was connect with the ball before glancing off Vidic.

The pipes are in but the pumps haven't been fitted.

It wasn't the mistakes, it was the fact he almost never came off his line, when he did, he just flapped at the ball, or just got nowhere near it. He never passed short and kicked everything towards the big centre backs. By putting those things right he has made himself a much better keeper. I was a big critic and if he hadn't improved, I would still be.

If any MU fan makes the mistake of sitting near me, I will make sure they are kicked out.

Ron Davies by a mile.

He is playing much better than last season. Now passing short, and long kicking to the wings, coming and getting crosses, added to his shot stopping is a much better goalkeeper. In last years form he would have been no loss. Now he is vital.

Dyer was on about £5k a week when he was arrested, clearing that out of the way may help to keep Saga. Though I'm not holding my breath.

Does that mean that nearly 5m of the total 28m are held by SLH? That would mean that Lowe, Wilde, etc have a much bigger percentage of the issued shares, 23m not 28m. Do the Directors have to give notice if they sell any of these shares?

This has to be the best summing up of Lowe's position in the club.

Costs would go down, income would probably rise if we won a few at home, wages would not be an issue and we would be better placed than now. I am sure his arrogant assumption, never being wrong is, that we would then win back to back promotions.

The buyout of Saints by Lowe was a means of generating profits and income as a cashflow business for him and his partners Anything that needs investment by them is not an option. Anything like a rights issue, which would be beneficial to supporter shareholders who would be likely to subscribe, is not an option, because in the absence of the Directors buying in, their shareholding percentage would be reduced and would allow them to be ousted. In any event any buyout, even if agreed, would take far longer than the end of January to achieve.

Paine was seen as a big influence with the manager and that was resented. Cliff Huxford gave up the captaincy because of it.

That's only the half of it, Ian White told me years ago that a lot of Saints players used to try and clatter him in training. His peripheral vision was so good, he could see them coming and they couldn't catch him with the ball.

No he was 6 months older but at some point had some boils in an ear, treated by the club doctor, when he went for the medical, although he could hear a pin drop, was missing some of the words said by the doctor. The doctor failed him as unfit.

As a matter of interest Saints played from the middle fifties, numbers 2,3 and 5 with a defensive 6 call it 4 at the back, 10 paired with 4 in the middle with 7 and 11 wide, with 9 up front paired with a goalscoring 8. That was pretty much the formation Ted played until McMenemy arrived.

Sydenham played about 80 games after promotion to div1 but it has to be remembered he was 30 when he made his last appearance and had played 401 games with 40 goals. He was regular except for having to do 2 years national service, which Paine typically managed to slide out of. He played as a regular in one championship and one promotion to the first division. He joined Saints after leaving school and was registered for nearly 15 years. Armstrong on the other hand was with us for 6 years playing 272 times an scoring 71 goals all in the first division. But almost always played on the left of ****erill and Case or at left back. I don't really see how he is a shoe in for wide left. We played a pretty defensive formation in those days with pretty much 5 defenders then Case, ****erill and Armstrong and Wallace +1.

John Sydenham was far superior as a natural wide player, Armstrong was a good all round player not particularly quick or a natural wide player, but better than Marsden, Sydenham was a natural left winger and was at least as quick as Walcott if not quicker. His pace was frightening and a natural foil for Terry Paine. As it now looks possible that Channon and Davies could well be the front two, It would have to be Paine and Sydenham wide. The age of the voters is the only thing that would stop Ron Davies from being the shoe in centre forward. At one time the best in the world in his position. I wouldn't think Channon wouldn't get in. Keegan walked out on us after a couple of years and I wouldn't pick him after that.