CHAPEL END CHARLIE

I've no comprehension of how you can so catagoricly state with 100% black or white certainty he intended to break Fagan's leg - only Danny Guthrie or a mind reader can answer that question . I'm prepared to give a young player the benefit of the (considerable) doubt in this instance - until I'm proved wrong that is .

I'm quite sure Guthrie intended to kick/foul Fagan and he'll have to take his deserved red card and any further punishment imposed by the FA like a man . However to state that he deliberately intended to break another players leg or that he's no sense of remorse over this regrettable incident is going to far - I see no evidence in his record or having seen him play for SFC that he's that type of lad .

You should hear Steve McLaren give an interview in English but speaking with a fake Dutch accent - both pointless and hilarious

I'm going in the hope (but not expectation) of seeing the team win a bloody football game , an experience I haven't enjoyed since Saints v Sheffield Utd last season - which seems like a long time ago now .

As we're paying him around £400k a year he bloody well should be happy to be here ! - and for that kind of money I feel it's quite reasonable he puts in some kind of effort as well .

I keep a close eye on the aviation business and as far as I'm aware Flybe are relatively OK at the moment . They made of profit of £15m in the year ending 31st March with a healthy increase in turnover . Having said that all airlines are taking a significant hit with the massive rise in the cost of aviation fuel so it's a tricky business to forecast .

Thanks for the kind words Half Time & Ottery , hopefully I'll be alright but it's a worrying time as I'm sure you appreciate .

It's not just the threat of a recession , it's very much a living breathing reality now . My firm's going to have a staff meeting on Tuesday where redudancies will be confirmed . If I'm on that list I'll have a season ticket but no means to afford the travel costs to actually attend the games I've already paid for , not an ideal situation to put it mildly .

You can't really argue with that , at least I'm not going to . Saints Alexandra FC - you know it makes sense

Is it a case of SFC asking for too a big a transfer fee or the player demanding a unrealistic wage ? - I suspect the latter . You can't blame a player (or more likely his agent) for looking after his own interest but this situation is highly unsatisfactory for both parties . We can't afford to keep him , he'd rather sit on his contract before taking a pay cut - such is modern football .

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/3647593.Wilde_answers_your_questions/ Plenty for you lot to chew on here .

You may well be right and I was sorely tempted to use £7.5k as the average pay number for the departed players . It's generally accepted that Rasiak for example was on £15k p/w and you can safely assume that Lundekvam , Skacel , Vignal etc were all well 'North' of £6k as well . To balance that J Wright or M Poke were on less I would expect . Ultimately I went with £6k because I thought a cautious approach was best in the light of the uncertainty surrounding the pay issue , I hope you understand . BWP's rumoured £8k p/w would equate to c£400k p/a - maybe 650 fans worth of yearly income as it were - remembering to to confuse income with profit .

I've allowed a modest saving of £50k p/a in what we were paying George Burley last season compared to what Poortvleit & Wotte combined are expected to earn this season . I understand there is a substantial performance related element to their eventual salary making any assessment even more difficult . As with many of the numbers used this is merely my speculation - the actual wages of JP & MW are undisclosed as you would expect . Any immediate saving from the dismissal of Dodd & Gorman is likely to have been used in paying off their contracts , hence I've considered it as cost neutral . The other £250k from this column is however a 'hard number' as that figure was quoted on the OS when the 'cutting corners' annouchment was issued .

With the summer transfer window now closed now might be a good time to review all recent player trading and it's financial implications . Please bare in mind the financial section does most definitely not represent properly audited accounts. This is merely my unofficial and very rough 'back of an envelope' estimate based on the limited information publicly available at this time and some educated guesswork . Player Trading . In : Tommy Forecast - Transferred from Tottenham Hotspur FC as part of the G Bale 'Early Settlement' agreement . 5 year contract . Chris Perry - Free transfer from Luton Town FC . Undisclosed contract . Michael Svennson - Out of contract player re-signed . 1 year contract . (with an option to extend) Paul Wotton - Bosman free transfer from Plymouth Argyle FC . 3 year contract . Morgan Schneiderlin - Transferred from RC Strasbourg . Transfer fee 'rising to e1.5m' (£1.2m) - 4 year contract . Lee Holmes - Bosman free transfer ex Derby County FC . Undisclosed contract . Jack Cork - Loan transfer from Chelsea FC until 31st December 2008 Tomas Pekhart - Loan transfer from Tottenham Hotspur FC until 31st December 2008 . Anthony Pulis - Free transfer from Stoke City FC . 2 year contract . Romain Gasmi - Loan transfer from RC Strasbourg until end 08/09 season . (with option to purchase) + 10 young players have joined the Orchard Homes Saints Academy this summer . Out : Academy & Reserve Team players Ian Jones - Released from Orchard Homes Saints Academy . Current status unknown . Andrew Giallombardo - Released from Orchard Homes Saints Academy . Current status unknown . (USA citizen) Matej Rondos - Released from Orchard Homes Saints Academy . Current status unknown . (Slovak Republic citizen) Nile Ranger - Released from Orchard Homes Saints Academy . Now at Newcastle Utd FC . (U18 Reserve Team) James Rowe - Transferred from Orchard Homes Saints Academy to Reading FC . (U17 Academy Team) Cedric Baseya - Rejected new contract & moved to Lille OSC on Bosman free transfer . 'Youth Development' compensation being sought . Josh Dutton-Black - Released . Now at Bognor Regis Town FC . (monthly contract) First Team Players Alexander Ostlund - Out of contract & released . Now at Esbjerg fB . (Denmark) Inigo Idiakez - Out of contract & released . Now a free agent . Jermaine Wright - Out of contract & released . Now at Blackpool FC . Mario Licka - Out of contract & released . Now at FC Banik Ostrava . (Czech Republic) Darren Powell - Out of contract & released . Now a free agent . Youssef Safri - Transferred to Qatar Sports Club (never fully confirmed) . 'Agreed' transfer fee = e400k (£320k) Marek Saganowski - On loan until 31st December 08 at AaB Aalborg (Denmark) Claus Lundekvam - Retired from professional football . (injury related) Chris Makin - Retired from professional football . (injury related) Michael Poke - On season long loan at Torquay Utd . (unlikely to return) Jhon Viafara - Contract cancelled by mutual consent . (personal reasons) Gregorz Rasiak - On season long loan at Watford FC . (WFC have an option to purchase during Jan 09 'Transfer Window') Andrew Davies - Transferred to Stoke City FC . Undisclosed transfer fee . (variously reported as £1.2m to £1.5m) Loan players employed during 2007/8 season : Gregory Vignal - On all season loan from RC Lens . (still at Lens ) Alan Bennett - On loan July 2007 to January 2008 from Reading FC . (now at Brentford FC on short term loan) Andrew Davies - On loan with a view to signing full contract Oct 2007 to Jan 08 from Middlesbrough FC . Full transfer to SFC Jan 08 . Chris Lucketti - On loan March to May 2008 from Sheffield Utd FC . (now at Huddersfield Town FC) Richard Wright - On loan March to May 2008 from West Ham Utd FC . (now at Ipswich Town FC) Adam Hammill - On all season loan from Liverpool FC . (now at Blackpool FC on loan until January 09) Vincent Pericard - On loan March to May 2008 from Stoke City FC . (still at SCFC) Christian Dailly - On loan September to November 2007 from West Ham Utd FC . (now at Glasgow Rangers FC) Phil Ifil - On loan September to December 2007 from Tottenham Hotspur FC . (now at Colchester Utd FC) Stephen O'Halloran - On loan January to February 2008 from Aston Villa FC . (still at AVFC after a serious injury) Chris Perry - On loan March to May 2008 from Luton Town FC . (now on full contract at SFC) Ian Pearce - On loan February to March 2008 from Fulham FC . (now a free agent) Player Notes : Between 31-8-07 to 1-9-08 at least 51 different players have joined and/or left the employ of SFC . (inc Loans & Academy Scholars) Loans total approximately 40 player/months of employment - the near equivalent 3.5 players hired for a full year . Lucien Mettomo was briefly at SFC last season . Contract cancelled by mutual consent Jan 08 . Now at Varia FC . (Greece) Tommy Kaland (semi pro) played for SFC in Claus Lundekvam's testimonial match - not counted as proper SFC player here . The Sky Sports website lists a 'Serge Racine' as a out of contract SFC player . No supporting reference found & assumed to be an error . Financial summary . Transfer Income & Expenditure : (since end 2007/8 season) Transfer Income £1.5m Safri & Davies* transfer fees . ....."...........".....£0.2m From Liverpool FC for Peter Crouch 'Sell-On' payment . (eventually £0.5m if all contractual 'add-ons' are applied) ....."...........".....£2.5m Estimate of G Bale 'Early Settlement' payment . (From £5m)** Other Income.....£0.5m Estimate of Loan fees received for MS & GR + Baseya Compensation . Expenditure....(-)£0.5m Estimate of (partial) payment to RC Strasbourg for M Schneiderlin ........"..........(-)£0.3m Estimate of Loan fees payed for Gasmi/Pekhart/Cork Sub Total..........£3.9m Income Generated (estimate) . Wage & Other Budget Alterations : (since end 2007/8 season) Annual saving on player wage costs. £5.1m The 16.5 (full year equivalent) departed 1st team players inc' loans @ £6k p/w ave*** Wage spending on new players ....(-)£2.1m The 10 new 1st team players @ £4k p/week ave . Spending on new contracts .........(-)£0.3m Based on a £1k p/w pay rise for 6 young players . Annual saving on other staff wages...£0.2m Based on 10 less SFC staff @ £20k p/a ave . Estimate of other savings................£0.3m (cancellation of 'free' bus service / closure of corners / reduced coaching costs ..etc) Sub Total.....................................£3.2m Savings Made (estimate) . Grand Total = £7.1m of income & savings achieved . Financial Notes : * There may be a small 'sell-on' payment due to Middlesbrough FC resulting from the Andrew Davies transfer - not included here . ** The Early Settlement payment for Gareth Bale remains undisclosed , the number quoted is my best 'guesstimate' . The similar Early Settlement in respect of Theo Walcott & any compensation from the Scottish FA regarding George Burley are assumed to have been included in the last Trading Update and are not included here . *** The average 26 to 32 year old CCC player earned £4,846 p/w(basic) in 2006 , I believe £6k p/w is a conservative average pay estimate for the players departed this summer . Alterations to Academy or Reserve team players (10 in & 7 out) are considered broadly cost-neutral for this purpose . Observations . The last Trading Update indicated that SLH will make an 'Operating Loss' of £13m before player trading & debt interest in the year ending 30th June 2008 . The £7m or so of savings and income generated this summer will clearly be insufficient to stem our monthly trading loss and further substantial player disposals/cost reductions will be necessary in due course . From next season the new Sky/BBC Football League TV deal will come into effect - increasing income by £1.5m+ p/a . If match day attendance were to fall by just 1000 per game this season it would cost SFC around £600k in lost income .

Significant ! you bet your arse it is . Get your calculators out and do some very basic maths : 1 Guess what each adult fan spends at SMS per match on average (ticket + extras like drinks ...etc) 2 Multiply that number by 1000 3 Multiply that number again by 23 (the number of home League matches a season) . 4 The big number you're looking at represents the income lost to SFC for every 1000 spectator fall in match day attendance per season. If we don't get the 'gate' back up to last seasons levels at least ( & pretty damn quick) this business will be in Administration .

I had a good laugh on the way home from the Blackpool match while listening to the 'Third Half' on Radio Hampshire ; I heard Jimmy Hard Case come perilously close to claiming that all Full Backs were thick compared to central midfielders and that the position was a doddle to play :smt082 . You might say that Jimmy , I couldn't possibly comment .

What concerns me most about Michael Svensson isn't the fact he's not the player he was five years ago -that's to be expected under the circumstances , worryingly he's not half the player I saw in July during Saints v Celtic . I was expecting his return from such a major and prolonged injury to be a slow affair (it's a footballing miracle he's playing at all) but any progress seems to have ground to a halt at the moment it pains me to say . He was never a particularly quick player but yesterday he wasn't even much good in the air either TBH . As a matter of principle you shouldn't pick a player on reputation alone , it has to be on current form and it's very much an open question as to whether Wayne Thomas or Oliver Lancashire could do a better job alongside Perry for the time being . If ever a Saints player deserved the respect and support of his club and fans then 'Killer' Svensson is it . I hope/believe that given time we'll see MS back as something like the dominant Centre Back we all know he can be , but until that happy day he'll have to earn his place in the team like everybody else -I'm sure he wouldn't want it any other way .

Alright then , not really much point wasting energy arguing about a player who's left and won't be coming back . Can I take it you were as disappointed as I was when you learnt that Jermaine wasn't playing

The older , wiser midfielder you are calling for Toomer can now be found playing for Qatar Sports Club in the gulf - doubtless being paid a lot more than he was here

My personal ratings of Saints v Blackpool : K Davis 7 - At least two top class saves and horribly exposed second half by the defence . An automatic 1st choice keeper . L James 6 - Showing steady improvement , will become a good player before very long I expect . M Svennson 6 - We all want to see the old killer but he's a mere mortal ATM I'm afraid . It may take a month or 3 to find his old form . C Perry 6.5 - Solid reliable player , a one man defence at times late on . A Surman 6 - Good 1st half but faded after the break (fitness?). Should play midfield ideally IMO . M Schneiderlin 5.5 - Great prospect but looking like he needs a rest to me , over ambitious long range passing cost us possession . S Gillett 5.5 - Dead keen , perhaps too keen at times he was a red card waiting to happen today . Partially responsible for the penalty . J White 4.5 - Very inexperienced and it shows , it's an open question if he's yet really ready for the first team . Gave away penalty . A Lallana 7 - A little star in the making , desperately unlucky not to score . If only he had a bigger body . L Holmes 6.5 - Super 1st half but like others faded after the break . I like him . D McGoldrick 7.5 MOTM - I've criticized him in the past but this was the best I've seen from him . Great effort and like Lallana very unlucky not to net . Substitutes : N Dyer 5 - Full of running with ample natural talent , but also will give away possession and won't track back ! - very frustrating player S John 5.5 - Couple of half chances but not on long enough to show his true worth . Will he remain as 3rd choice striker ? P Wotton 5 - Your typical CCC midfielder personified , not great not terrible just very average . What do you expect from a Plymouth Argyle free transfer ? Summary : I'd built my hopes up for a good win after recent results but we never really got on top of Blackpool at any stage , maybe the team have been reading their own rave reviews . This type of inconsistent performance is to be expected from a young team facing a very steep 'learning curve' and we will get more of this as the season progresses . This is the reason I feel we'll unlikely to trouble the play-off positions this season , in all honesty if you offered me 5th bottom now I'd have to take it . I've 2 observations to make about the fans . 1 - The club (and the bank) will be desperately worried about a 15k 'gate' - that way lays administration . 2 - The small minority who booed the team at the final whistle should be ashamed of themselves IMO , these young lads gave their all today and they deserve better than that :mad: Never despair although the best team won today we're not the worse team in this division and I reckon with a bit of luck we'll be alright . PS , I don't read other fans opinions before posting my own , so if I'm way off in my ratings from what others have posted please just accept it as a genuine view (however wrong !) and not a re-hash of what everyone else says .

Found this on t'internet , our Head Coach is carrying a few old grudges apparently ! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1050721/Gemmill-nutmeg-grates-Southampton-boss-Poortvliet.html

Surprised you're travelling up to London , as you seem so reluctant to use capitals

Really looking forward to going to SMS again , which is a strange think for a long term season ticket holder to say when you think about it . If we play like we did 1st half against Brum City two weeks ago we may well be too strong for Blackpool - providing we take our chances that is .

Does anyone know if these loan players can play for us on 1st January 09 ? - I'm assuming they go back on 31st December .

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4052932,00.html Good signing methinks .