CHAPEL END CHARLIE

My mistake , post edited .

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A difficult opening fixture which I feel we're likely to lose in all honesty . The job in hand will be made harder still by the absence of Stern John and Andrew Davies . I'm looking for the team to put in some sort of creditable performance and hopefully not get tonked like in the opening fixture of last season . Cardiff 2 - Saints 0

Spot on .

I was actually a supporter of George Burley , not one of his many critics . It's intellectually dishonest to stubbornly defend a point of view when it becomes superseded by events , we all have to move on sometimes and admit that we were wrong . In retrospect I (and others) defended Burley for far too long - that's the truth of the matter . By last Christmas at the latest any Saints fan with eyes in there head could see it was time for Burley to go , you were there you must have see how poorly we played for much of the 07/08 season . The manager must carry his share of the blame for the teams poor performances last season . It's my opinion that had GB not gotten the Scotland job we would have been relegated last season .

To be honest I'm more interested in the final league table than any number of 'ifs or buts' . Nigel Pearson was appointed last February with one task to perform - to keep SFC in the championship . History shows he achieved that aim , all other considerations are unimportant now . If you give a man a job and he successfully accomplished that task then he must count as a success in my book . I will remind you he took over after a humiliating defeat to Bristol Rovers on the BBC , that game being only the last of a dismal run of poor performances under both George Burley and Dodd/Gorman . Nigel working with a totally demoralised squad never had the services of two of our better players (Rasiak & Skacel) , he almost immediately lost our player of the season (Davies) and to cap it all at one stage we had no less than 3 goalkeepers injured ! I would hope any fair-minded Saints fan would take these extremely difficult circumstances into account before labeling NP as a failure only fit to "continue the slide" as you have . :mad: Everyone on this forum will be well aware that you post with an agenda , ie to support everything that's going on at SFC now almost without exception . You can put forward virtually any argument you like as far as I'm concerned , but in unfairly attacking the reputation of a decent young English manager such as Nigel Pearson merely to score a few debating points you've gone too far .

Can't agree with that . We were awful last season right from Chrystal Palace in August and we never really got above mid table at best . Nigel Pearson will go down in Saints history as a major success - the implication that he just 'continued the slide' is grossly unfair when you take all the difficult circumstances he inherited into consideration . I say this having been a defender of George Burley .

We may just be able to manage without Rasiak , Saga , and Skacel next season - in all honesty I'd already written them off as likely departures . Kelvin Davis on the other hand should remain if at all possible as (IMO) he's our best keeper and quite vital to our survival prospects in 08/09 . Bialkowski fans may well disagree but I see no evidence that he's anywhere near as capable as KD at this time . As for Tommy Forecast I can pass no comment as I've never seen him play , except that he obviously has next to zero first team experience .

The obvious lack of depth in the squad is just one of many gambles we're taking this season . I think the long term plan is to knock SMS down and build a casino

5 operations on the same knee - think of all that scar tissue . It's a footballing miracle this bloke can still walk never-mind play competitive football . Micheal Svensson = Saints legend .

This move will make it 11 different clubs before the age of 30 for Saganowski , that should tell you something . If you look at this players record he's really only managed to be consistently successful when playing in his home country - trust Southampton Football Club to employ the only Pole who doesn't work well abroad !

To celebrate this unlikely event I would alter my normal Saturday night Medium Cod & Chips order to Large Cod & Chips - and damn the expense !

How about the future not the past ?

This argument will be collecting it's old age pension soon , time to move on methinks .

The corners are to be fenced off with a barbed wire fence patrolled by vicious guard dogs . But anyone who's seen the classic movie 'The Satan Bug' will know that even these formidable defences can be breached !

The question of where we will finish the season can only be answered when we get some evidence of how fast the management team and many of the youngsters can adapt to the reality of competitive CCC football . Both coaches and young players are facing a pretty steep 'learning curve' to be honest , if we adapt quickly we may well survive in the bottom half of the table - if we take until Xmas to get our act together then we're relegated . Those on here predicting we'll finish anywhere near the playoff positions are being far too optimistic IMO , but there again I might be completely wrong - I hope I am .

Interesting read NickG , I personally have no problem with a good 'cut and paste' article on here as they're a useful debating tool but the forum terms and conditions specifically rule against it , something to do with copyright and the Echo complaining I understand . As a point of order can the Mods issue definitive guidance on this matter so that we all know where we stand in future?

May I add Saintsweb first ever WOOT !

I would like to ask Mr Cowen : Do you see any realistic possibility of the business trading profitably without a Premier League income in the foreseeable future ?

DMG could possibly go from 'zero to hero' in one giant leap - but I wouldn't want to bet the club's CCC future on it . The only prudent course of action for the club to take is to keep John or Rasiak until the January transfer window and see how he develops . I would remind fans that David McGoldrick has never scored a league goal for this football club - the lad proberly doesn't need the extra pressure of suddenly becoming our main striker overnight .

I'm secretly pleased all my TSF rubbish opinions and terrible match predictions are now 'lost in space' and can't be held against me . If anybody asks I intend to claim I was always right about everything .

The members of this forum are probably in as good a position to judge as most football hacks - many of whom have only an knowledge/interest in the Premier League in truth .

No I'm still here .

Full Member - Bog Standard ex TSF hack Senior Member - As above but they drive Jags Member - Untermensche Junior Member - that 14 year old Spanish kid HTH