NI76

Wow, that is seriously cheap. I don't think there are even any CIU clubs that come close to that around Southampton.

Absolutely brilliant. Been a season ticket holder for 20 years, didn't renew this season for the first time, not just because of Lowe, but because I felt like I was falling out of love with footy and Saints for the first time in my adult life. Having just danced around the room spilling my beer everywhere, stubbing my toe and shouting "ave that you skate bastard" while banging on my next door neighbours* wall when news of ours and Wigan's winner came in I've just realised that it's still in there. And I'm so glad it is. *despite being a skate my next door neighbour is sound so I will pop round later and apologise (and gloat a bit at the same time!!).

Wotton at CB and Cork at RB? Team selection totally baffles me, according to the OS BWP is on the left, Lallana on the right with Surman holding and Gillett in the hole - WTF? To be fair pretty much every manager we've had baffles me with their team selections so I guess it's just me and not them!

I'll have a pint of whatever you had at lunchtme! I think your valuations are about as far out as your predicition at the start of the season that we'd win the league. Lallana will maybe fetch £2-2.5m if in January if he keeps playing well. Surman I'd say about £750k, maybe £1m at a push but I doubt it. As for this whole Schneiderlin to Arsenal myth, it's so absurd it's funny. He wouldn't get anywhere near Arsenal's reserve team.

I kind of agree with what you are saying as Lowe coming back made my heart sink but the more I think about it the less I think it is to do with Lowe and more about football in general. I really only go now to see my footy mates before and after in the pub and for no other reason. In fact, I've stopped going to midweek games as that means just driving to the game and back. I'm only 36 and yet when I talk about football in general, and saints in particular, I sound like a grumpy old man harking back to the good old days. I used to go home and away every week without fail, middlesboro' away on a Tue night, Plymouth away in the ZDS without even thinking about it and yet now it is a real struggle to get on a bus for 15 mins to go to St Mary's. I think my reasons for falling out of love with the game and saints are numerous - change of personal circumtances, i.e. getting married, the cost of living today and the obscene amounts of money professional footballers get paid, soulless and passionless all seater stadia - the list goes on. I'm no Rupert Lowe fan, far from it, but all of the above are far bigger reasons for me not enjoying my Saturday afternoons any more than he is.

Yes, of course. Last time it was only home or away as there were 10 teams in each group. Dublin or Belfast here we come!

Let's hope the Ireland game is away. Had an absolutely cracking (if bloody expensive) long weekend in Dublin last time.

Not sure which Lancs fans are up in arms but the ones I spoke to at the rained off Pro 40 game at the Rose Bowl who travel all over the country in a minibus watching Lancs said he was finished. His stats for last season seem to back that opinion up. I just think we have enough all rounders in Dimi, Ervine and Dawson not to need him although I think his attitude in the dressing room will be good. He was obviously popular with the players at Lancs for both Law and Flintoff to publicly slag the hierarchy for releasing him. Would still have much rather kept Brown than signed Cork though.

Very disappointed about this. Our batting has been weak for a number of seasons (you only need to check the batting bonus points to confirm that) and yet we let out best batsman of the last two seasons leave. The issue is obviously to do with him not playing many one-day games so the answer is bleedin obvious - pick him in the one-dayers. I can't believe he'd leave to play second division cricket if he was given the chance in the one-dayers here. With him gone and Crawley nearing the end we need two new batsmen for next season IMO.

Brilliant stuff, unbelievable that we are now top of the Championship. A few days of rain next week and we'll have a chance of winning it going into the last game. I would have thought that Giles White was a cert to be given a chance at the coaching job given our record since he's taken over. Now we just need to get Tahir signed up.

No problem apart from the minor detail that we don't actually have a left-back in the entire first team squad and instead have to resort to playing two of our more creative midfield players in Surman and Skacel there over the past season and a bit.

As has been said a few times on this thread, clearly a comment from someone who wasn't watching Saints whilst he was in charge. We would have been relegated had he not been sacked when he was. One of the many things that sticks in my mind re Branfoot was an interview in a footy mag (might have been 4-4-2) when they asked 100 top flight managers around Europe who was the best free-kick taker they'd ever seen. Most of the answers were Platini, Cruyff, Gazza etc and Branfoot's was.......Micky Adams! Just about sums him up. The other thing I remember is Radio 5 interviewing Mick Channnon when Branfoot was sacked and the interviewer asking what he thought the reaction of the fans would be. The interviewer was expecting a diplomatic answer and Mick said something along the lines of "they'll be dancing in the streets of Southampton"! He was spot on in my case.

Found the regulations re pitches on Cricinfo. It's a 22 point deduction for an "unfit" pitch and either 8 or 12 for a "poor" pitch depending on whether or not you have been warned in the previous 12 months. Hopefully the pitch inspector will take into account the ineptitude of our batting line-up! They're over 150 ahead now which I think puts the game out of reach already but stranger things have happened.

Yes, but only because the inspectors deemed that the pitch wasn't at fault. If they deem that the pitch is at fault and is not up to standard then as far as I am aware the minimum deduction is 8 points if the pitch is deemed "poor" and can be higher if deemed worse than poor. I can't remember the rest of the categories and deductions but I'm sure 8 is the minimum.

Unfortunately deductions for dodgy pitches are usually 10+ points. But hopefully it wont come to that.

Is that right? I thought it was a one-off due to the REM concert. Knowing our luck we'll probably win this game and then get a points deduction due to the pitch.

Except that the out of position fat useless slow midfielder was far more reliable and consistent at right-back than Ostlund was (although I agree that he was useless in midfield). We signed Ostlund when we were at a low ebb after relegation and a poor first season in the Championship and because he went flying in to a few tackles in his first game and looked like Jesus the fans loved him. He was hopeless and the fact that the best club he can get even on a free transfer is in Denmark backs that up.

I think "future England star" is a bit premature. He even admitted himself in the motm interview yesterday that he feels "un-natural" bowling. He looks very promising but has a long long way to go before he gets full England recognition. I remember the future England openers we had in Jason Laney and Derek Kenway but I don't think they'll be playing at Trent Bridge tomorrow. Had a cracking day at Lord's yesterday, got suited and booted and sat in the pavillion which is a great experience and one I would recommend. I think the signing of Tahir and the emergence of Dawson are the main reasons for the upturn in form but I thnk the departure of Terry has also helped as there are rumours that he'd lost the respect of a few of the players.

I think the attendance for Blackpool will be 14-15k, the lowest at St Mary's for a league game by some distance. Whether you agree with it or not, there are a lot of fans very disillusioned with the club, and in particular Lowe's return, and as a result crowds will continue to be lower than last season. I can't quite understand why people keep trotting out the "holiday season" reason for the low attendance against Birmingham? Was it not holiday season last August when we played Palace and got a significantly bigger attendance?

Bloody hell, we must have been good if even their asst manager is saying they could have been beaten by 3, 4 or 5 if it wasn't for their keeper.

I think that Echo story is very misleading. There is a general quote from their Chairman to say that if any county wanted to talk to Adams they would not stand in his way in recognition of the success he has given them. There is absolutely nothing from Hampshire to say whether they do or do not want to speak to Adams and the Sussex chairman's quote is general and not in relation to any request from Hampshire. Yet the Echo headline is "Adams in talks". Would prefer Fletcher personally but would be happy with Adams.

Thanks, didn't think he could have been dropped.

Anyone know why Brown not playing? He's been our best batsmen in the championship this year and last so surely can't have been dropped? Also find is strange that Ervine has been left out of the recent one-dayers but is back for this game. Would have thought he was far more suited to one day games as opposed to the championship.

Drove past Rose Bowl about half an hour ago. Skies were very grey and there was light drizzle. Prospects for much, if any, play not looking good but fingers crossed it improves as we just seem to have hit a bit of form.