kwsaint

My Celtic supporting work colleague says that he could be the best player that we have signed from them yet. Really talented. For £7 million this could be excellent business.

Were you at the last three home games of the season after Hughes took over? Atmosphere completely changed and fans got behind the team - especially the Bournemouth game. Had been quiet up until then but the dross we were served up may have had something to do with it. We get our support from a wide cross-section of the local community and long may that continue. Agree that there is an issue over ticket pricing for young adults. Would like to see safe standing and corresponding price reductions. But that's another issue.

I don't get all the moaning about fellow Saints fans. What are we supposed to do? Fans are powerless much as we like to think that we aren't. In the past boycotts could work as such a high percentage of the clubs revenue was from gate money. Not now because of TV. Clubs have become rich man's playthings and the FA checks on owners are inadequate. United didn't manage to get rid the Glazers despite all their best efforts. Newcastle are still stuck with Ashley. Blackpool had massive fan boycotts and Oyston ended up in high court and lost, but it is now his daughter who is chairperson. We got lucky with Marcus Leibherr as he wanted to run the club for his enjoyment - plus he bought us for a relatively small amount of money. Current owner is going to take his money out of the club - hopefully at a sensible rate (and he won't put any in), but seems to generally leave the running of the club alone. Hopefully that will continue, but if his finances go bad then he will treat Saints as his personal piggy bank and things could get messy.

Chivers has gone to Spurs and Charlie Wayman to Preston. So we wont score any goals this season

CB Fry? Although that is going back a while

Isnt it Ted Bates second left? My view is that to be a Saints legend a player should have played his best football for Saints, and be someone that you would instantly identify with the club. Which probably rules out both Keegan and Shilton, much as I enjoyed watching them both. But the other six definitely did play their best football for Saints. I would have Ron Davies up there instead. Greatest header of a ball I have ever seen. Then maybe Nick Holmes.

Good question. And a tough one for us older posters. Hugely enjoyed the rise through the divisions, JPT final, League 1 promotion, Championship promotion and the first four seasons in the Premier League. Less said about the last two seasons the better. Going back in time. The first two years under WGS, including the cup final, were fun. The 18 months under Bally were great, especially as MLT was playing brilliantly. The 83/84 team was the best Saints team ever, although I still have the scars from Highbury. But for me, I would go all the way back to the Keegan seasons, and go for 1981/82. Saints were scoring goals for fun (and letting them in), and you would go to games pretty much guaranteed to be entertained. We topped the league for 6 weeks (I think) in 1981/82 before falling away. Plus scored the greatest Saints goal ever against Liverpool. Got beaten that day, but I remember it as being a very good game against a quality Liverpool side.

People who chose their football team because they were top of the league or won the cup when they were 9 are not proper supporters. Have enough of them in the office and they are not worth talking football with. Glory hunters. I blame poor parenting. There has to be a reason why you support your team - so in a sense it chooses you: - Where you were born - Family team - Where you grew up - Where you now live Anyone who supports a team for the above reasons is usually worth talking football with. My wife's family team is Lincoln City, and they have enjoyed the last couple of seasons hugely.

Wonder if he is worth trying at wing back if we stick with 5 at the back. Hasnt got cedrics pace but at least he can cross a ball. And he has the legs to get up and down

Kiev is in Ukraine. They don't like the Russians very much, so uncle Les is probably safe

And then lost the court case.

We do need a DoF. Just not Les Reed. A good DoF (actually any good manager) works with his team, gets input, then makes decisions. Get the impression that Les Reed does none of these things. The days when managers did everything are long gone. Just need to get someone in who will work with MH and everyone else

Agreed. It was Les Reed insisting that all Saints teams played the same formation that got us into the mess. Hughes has managed to work out a formation that fitted what was available. Interesting listening to Solent driving home after the game yesterday. Adam Blackmore saying that they have tried to interview Les Reed and he simply won't talk to them. Dear old Dave M was fairly direct and implied that Les Reed should go. Think that we just need a different DoF.

According to BBC website a few days ago talks have already started to keep Hughes on to next season. I was doubtful at the beginning (just wanted rid of MoPe), but Hughes seems to fit the club where it is now. He has managed to get the team playing as a team, simply by playing a system that suited the players at his disposal, not by a fixed 4-2-3-1. The players clearly like him because they know where they stand - and he has no patience with prima donnas (Boufal). So I would be happy for him to stay.

Fulham is one of my favourite away trips and have sat in the neutral section. Works ok. Just accept that you could be sitting next to a fulham or saints supporter or a neutral. Fulham supporters are generally a civilised bunch. They do put segregation in occasionally when needed.

Boufal and McCarthy as well. Bit of a no brainer The West Brom game was terrible. Foster wasting time from the first few minutes. Typical Pulis side. Boufal's goal was just so unexpected in the context of the game that it made you laugh. Pity he did nothing of note after that game. McCarthy just does the basics right, as well as making a number of great saves in recent games. Comes for crosses, is not afraid of clattering his own teammates to get the ball, and is able to get down quickly. Should have been in the team much earlier in the season. Teams had worked out Forster's weaknesses and were deliberately shooting low.

1998/99 for me as well. We were a long way adrift at the turn of the year and just kept on winning home games. 3-1 down at home to Blackburn and got it back to 3-3 (and nearly nicked it). Coming from behind v Leicester, and then Dellhurst and the final game home in Everton. In the bottom 3 all season until the Leicester win. Spirit in the team that season was amazing, which made up for their limitations. This season is more about managerial ineptitude getting us into a mess. We have the players for a mid-table team. Just beggars belief why MoPe was appointed and why he was allowed to stay so long. Would have been a completely avoidable relegation.

Swansea City or Manchester City?

works both ways. how many times do teams get relegated and then start to play well because there's no pressure on them?

Agreed. Anything less than three points from the next two games and we are in big trouble. Get four points and we can enjoy the City game. Still think we are more likely to go down than survive - maybe 60:40. But beat either of Everton or Swansea (big if) and we should be OK. It's the hope that gets you.

Why are some posters still picking teams? Might as well put all the names in a hat and pick them out at random. At least it might be entertaining. We are going down. Sooner we start rebuilding the better.

They started life as Boscombe FC - so their supporters tend to refer to them as Cherries or Boscombe. I remember them as Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic and changing to AFC Bournemouth in the seventies. Bournemouth FC play in the Wessex League - might have some local derbies with them before too long

Would not mind if Hughes stayed assuming he wants it. Otherwise think that we need to hope that Fulham miss out on promotion again and offer Jokanovic lots of money. He would certainly get us playing again. Don't think we would be getting relegated if he had succeeded Puel. Although thinking about it most managers would have kept us up.

My old man promised to take my mum to the Ritz if we stay up...

He's died?