derry

Cedric is an absolute defensive liability because teams in the Premier target his inability to defend against crosses and tall strikers pull onto him to take advantage. He cost us too many important goals and in any case he was in poor form last season and his crosses hardly ever found a target. Not for me. He is in the same vulnerable category as Stephens and Hoedt. Valery is the future, the more he plays the better he will become.

Vokins

When I mentioned hard and ruthless it was more the attitude of mind rather than physical toughness. That's what lets us down. I think it's going to change and over time so are the culprits going to disappear.

I personally think we leaked last minute goals because the players weren't hard and ruthless enough. How often did Stephens for example trying to play like Beckenbauer tried a clever pass, straight to the opposition Cardiff, or Vestergaard back pass Cardiff again, Somebody block off Crouch a la John Terry against Burnley. Fall on their arse like Shane Long, trying to buy a free kick lose the ball, 20 secs later in our net. The first two instances instantly cured by sticking the ball into the back of the stand in the opponents half, Long was clear just needed to take it into the corner and then put it in the back of the stand. Bertrand v Everton pass it upfield in the fifth minute of injury time, back of the stand again, game over. Hojbjerg v Chelsea leave the ball to the opposition who moved it forward then scored. Keep the effin ball or give it to an opponent back forty yards away. Redmond v City, foul given by Moss, left the ball to City, keep the ball or put it in the stand, sod the yellow card. Many more like this. It shows a very poor level of intelligence. All these players need to wise up and make life impossible for opponents. It might sound like gamesmanship, it isn't it is just ruthless, hard application of the rules. I want us to be the team that nobody wants to play against not the soft touch we had become.

He was never one of my first choice players. As far as I am concerned he was another Boufal. He had bags of skill but no idea how to consistently apply it. He was also lazy, and disappeared from games for periods. He used to drive me mad dribbling down blind alleys and losing the ball after ignoring players making runs or finding space. Not for me I'm afraid, just get our money back and bring in a Hasenhuttl type replacement that gives everything. The money will be useful.

I never did hear whether he got his £500,000 (I think) deposit back either. I met him several times during that period and found him very straight forward.

Having been involved with many others trying to save the club at that dire time especially with the time wasting so called takeover that LeTissier backed very nearly burying us. I'm more than grateful. Thank goodness he waited out and bought us. He was the only one around with the finance and interest to save the club. Weeks before whilst the time wasters carried out due diligence on borrowed money Mike Osman told me a blue chip Swiss company was waiting in the wings. It is a crying shame that having bought us he didn't live to see the first ten years. RIP

One of our perennial complaints that the big clubs get the referees decisions is hopefully going to be sorted. I don't care how long it takes just get it right. It would help if the series of replays went up on the big screens to keep the spectators in the loop.

It could be Henderson but he is reported to be 60/61 not 64, The authorities are on the trail and I personally think that there will be more than one person picked up in due course. Owner, operator, charterer, registered owner, pilots, would all have been aware how this aircraft was operated.

He was charged years ago but acquitted???????

For the life of me I don't understand why it didn't come out before. I was involved in local football in the 60s and 70s, his name was out there with a question mark against it. I heard it mentioned periodically. I had nothing to do with Saints but a lot of people were aware of the suspicions. There were also others that were mentioned in the same vein, not with Saints though.

No conference today. I hope the other news was kosher.

That rings a bell but I don't remember the details just the general idea.

I was told a story by a friend who I think got it from a Saints director first hand. A Saints Chairman starting to negotiate for a player who the selling club valued at about £1m made the first offer, I'm not paying a penny more than £2m. I think he got his hand snapped off. I can't remember the details it was a long time ago. Better to start low. Maybe some of our for sale players such as Reed and Gallagher may be offered. Provided their transfer embargo is finished.

A promise is a promise. The other things we spoke about was Reed, Gallagher, Carillo available but Boufal still interesting Celta Vigo and could possibly stay there. Never mentioned Stephens to Leeds but that would be a good move for him. I think we have a long list of players that don't really fit and are available. I think some will be really difficult to shift without subsidising the cost.

I've heard rumours of a press conference in the next 24 hours, also an experienced 6'-4" international centre back from a Championship club. I know the name but my contact wouldn't tell me unless I guaranteed not to divulge it. He looks interesting if true. The source works at the club. The press conference could well be Djenepo.

I've heard a rumour that Yoshida has pneumonia and is in a private room at the General. How true I don't know.

Until we buy a couple of strong mobile goal scoring strikers we would be mad to let him go. His recent four goals have been pretty important and his cross to Austin for the winner at home to Arsenal was sublime and worth two valuable points. The Watford goal was all his and wasn't too shabby either.

There is a massive inbuilt flaw in some of our defenders. Yoshida, especially Stephens, Bertrand, Vestergaard, JWP, Hojbjerg they will always try and avoid putting the ball in the back of the stand, instead pass to a player under pressure, or as Stephens did at Watford, Bertrand at Everton last season roll the ball in play up the touchline to an opponent. Armstrong committed a cardinal sin when one goal up he unnecessarily came inside across the field and was bullied off the ball, Long had made a good run in the corner a simple pass and no danger. We have another flaw, when leading we don't need to leave ourselves light at the back. That is the time to shut things down, cut out the pretty tippy tappy and stick the balls into our runners. Not the prettiest but it sure frustrates the hell out of the opposition striving for an equaliser. How many times this season have we been hit on the break, luckily against Watford JWP our last man!!!!!!! took out the runner in their half and was yellow carded. We need to be more ruthless and park the bus in front of the opposition and press hard. I don't mean back off into our penalty area. Make the middle of the field a congested battle zone. Yesterday Hojbjerg and Stephens passed across the field to an opponent, the Stephens pass ended up with Gunn denying Bournemouth a last minute winner. We need to get the ball out to the lines and break up the play and keep it out of play as much as possible down the touchline and in the corners.

I got to know Mike and some of his brothers really well through golf. They are really nice down to earth people. In particular Mike gave his time free to compere some charity events. One of the best around.

WTF do they do all week. That was a self inflicted defeat brought on by stupidity by international players that would struggle to make up a brain between them. First goal, Yoshida passes to Hojbjerg who is instantly closed down and loses the ball. When in doubt in those positions hit the front men. I've lost count of the tippy tappy stupidity outside our box that has led to goals. Second goal, lost the ball out on the touch line, Perez 10 yds behind Bertrand, Perez busts a gut to get to the cross whilst Bertrand on reaching the penalty area slows up and Perez gets past him. Bertrand would have got there first if he had kept going. Third goal Bednarek like Yoshida last week aimlessly heads the ball straight out and again we get punished. JWP is a very limited midfielder who lacks pace and is no full back. We played three up front and were playing Puel / Pellegrino football out of defence instead of hitting them early. We paid the penalty.

Yesterday we missed numerous chances to put Sims in. He made runs as Long does but players ignored it and passed sideways for possession. We really do have to spot those runs because when we do we cut the defence to ribbons. Far better to lose the ball then than the numerous times yesterday with poor passes and dithering in our own half. Nice to see more throws going down the line although we didn't really get them close enough to the line or get a number of players together making life difficult for the defenders.

I brought this up years ago, it's been bad for that long. IMO apart from the proper long throw into the goalmouth which we can't do, there are really only two safe throw ins. The tap back to the thrower is a busted flush as we usually lose the ball. Firstly the quick throw to unmarked players under no pressure and the throw down the line. Throwing down the line isn't aimless. It needs good organisation. Put three players quickly within range of the thrower about two to three yards off the line then throw the ball hard between them and the line, their markers will then challenge and mostly the ball will be forced out for another throw in. Just continue the process as the defenders mostly won't be able to get outside the ball and concede another throw. When within range of the bye line play the ball towards the bye line and try and win a corner or get a cross in. As the team knows what is happening they can close the space down inside making it a safe action defensively. The aim is get into the opponents last third by just gaining ground. opponents will try and disrupt it but it is really almost impossible to defend against without conceding another throw/corner. The only time I've seen us do this is trying to defend a lead in the last minutes but it works. However if we win a corner we have to still have a defensive cover unlike Friday night, not for the first time get sucker punched. Losing a goal to your own corner is a nonsense. Whilst on that subject we need two about the halfway line, not level, one further forward then another between them and the penalty area. If the likes of Salah make a break the first player can block him, play the man like the top clubs, only a booking because no last man. We were really thick against Liverpool.

It's nice to see us in a bit of reliable form. We just need to keep it going. I hate the arrogant attitude at Liverpool but a negative result wouldn't be the end of the world, I hope we can repeat the Spurs result. Hasenhuttle has got us providing goals from midfield which is a real bonus. We have six games then to get some more points together.

Like the penalty he gave against Saints when a free kick hit someone in the wall on the side of his head. V Man Utd in FA Cup. God knows how many penalties he's given them at OT. It wasn't fair to Cardiff for the goal but the last man decision was correct. We had the Austin goal against Watford disallowed for 'hitting' Yoshida and recently the penalty at Burnley when Crouch had a big lump of Stephen's shirt in his fist whilst climbing all over him. Unfair but it couldn't have happened to a more biased manager.