doddisalegend

I don't want to go further we lost and it's one more game we most likely won't win. However I'd be happy for the FA to declare saturday as null in void so that we in fact didn't lose to pompey at home, and our 100% record in the cup against pompey stands.

What do you base that on then? what makes Norwhich players more average than ours? Their league postion doesn't lie its not their manager out their scoring the goals, defending etc it's the Norwhich players. I love the way some saints fans think we have a team of Glacticos just becuase we spent a couple of million. Lambert is the only player we can say is the best in league one becuase he is the leagues highest scorer. With the rest of the team it's just opinion For example some norwhich players Defender Gary Doherty has scored five goals this season and used to play for the spuds is he better than Jhadi? Midfielder Wes Hoolahan is a Irish international scored 13 goals and has 15 asssits is he better than Lallanna? Midifielder Stephen Hughes is a Scottish iternational has played for Rangers won the Scottish preimership and played in the championship he hasn't scored this year so does that make him better than Morgan? Right back Russell Martian captained Peterbrough to automatic promtion last season is he better than John Ostsemboor? well pretty likely really as he replaced him. Honestly people just form opinions on other teams with no knowledge of the other team at all. Yes we have spent money but that doesn't mean our players are better it just means we spent more money on them. Until all our new players are playing in a settled team on a regular basis we wont Know how good they are or aren't. It's not like saints have a history of buying crap players for to much money is it ?

I don't see that, our worst run of results were early on before the cups really got going. Everyone seems to be blaming the cups yet alot of our cup games came during our purple patch when we where doing well. Our dip in league form came in late December /January which is mostly to do with new faces appering in the team, an injury to Hammond and having to play some tough away fixtures.

I'm not sure thats true we've had to go to some tough places since December to get results. Only Exeter away is a blip I think (and I only think that because we'd already done them 3-1) At home we've been O.K. we might not have played like Brazil but we still got the result. In the cups we've been superb playing very well against MK Dons, beating Ipswhich and looking the better side against EPL oppostion for 70mins. I think as fans we often don't give rival teams enough credit for playing well sometimes.

I can't help but agree with that.

I agree and I'd expect us to do better next year, with none of the off field crap and a settled team. I just can't understand why some feel this season has been poor and are already sharpening the knives for AP. This time next year if we aren't up in the top 3-4 I to will start to question AP but for now I'm happy with the progress we're making.

But how do we define best? is it because we paid a lot of money for them? If so that doesn't mean they're the best it just means we paid lots of money for them. As League one top scorer Lambert is the only one that can be claimed the best, most of the others have yet to prove they are. We spent more money in our play off season (7 mil) and lost more away games than we have this year and still made the play offs. Our away form is not bad, It's our (the Fans and NC) idea that we have spent money so we must automatically beat teams that is the problem. Brentford have held most of the top teams at home, Leeds couldn't beat them there if I recall correctly. Exeter was a bad day at the office we could have done better there, but then they have beaten leeds this season. Interesting that Colchester have exactly the same away record as us at the moment, and no one would say Colchester are doing badly this year the difference is they have won more games at home than we have. Yes I know Colchesters entire team cost less than Rickie Lamberts left testicle but money doesn't mean automatic success just ask Man city. I still maintain we are heading in the right direction after watching us match an EPL (a crap one but still) team for 70mins I think AP will get us where we want to go given a bit of time.

Well yeah 2003 was probably the best, our playoff year wasn't bad either. but good years have been few and far between for saints fans so we might as well enjoy them when we get one. Regardless of what happens for the rest of the season, this season has far out done the expectations I had back in August.

Hey can't change whats already happened we've had to many draws this season end of. To me however this season has been encouraging, I assume talking to other fans plus the increasing numbers at St Mary's this season some agree with me. For you it has been another year of abject faliure fair enough enjoy the misery thats your right. We have lost less games so far this year, than we have at the same time in the last three seasons this is a fact it shows we're are improving there is reason for optimism, however you don't care about that becuase it doesn't fit your out look on saints. Again fair enough we all have the right to support saints in any way we like, although I feel you may enjoy supporting Man U or Chelsea more. I now await your usual tired arguments about money, not excepting second best or telling NC. All of which will be pointless I care not. I haven't enjoyed supporting saints this much for years this has been the best season we've had for some time IMO. I excpect next season to be better I'm very happy being a saints fan you aren't that's your right just like it's mine to look at the if if if and feel there are good things ahead.

If we had turned two home draws and three away draws into wins we would have the almost same number of away/home wins and draws as Norwhich (remembering Norwhich have played three more games than us). We would have lost one more game at home than Norwhich though. So that means if we can convert five draws into wins next season we would be around three points below where Norwhich are right now. I reckon with a more settled team that is easily achievable next season.

Sorry I don't agree I think it shows things have improved. How can people claim things have not improved under AP when it's apparent they have is beyond me. Only Leeds(3), Charlton(2) and Swindon(3) have lost less games on their travels than us. Our problem is draws if we can just turn a few of our draws into wins will be right up there next year.

We've lost four games away from home all season I hardly call it poor form. At this date last season we had last nine away games. At this date the season before that we had lost nine away games. The season before that (our play off season) we had lost seven on the road by the middle of febuary. Our away form has improved drastically over the last few seasons.

I know some don't agree but I think NC has changed his objectives this year. There is the early season BBC interview with NC where he clearly states a five year plan and makes it known he wants silverware in the trophy cabinet. Fast forward six months and AP has him within 180mins of saints first silverware since 76 NC starts saying the league is everything cups don't matter. A week latter AP says that he was told he had 18 months to achieve promotion. I think NC has changed the goal posts. Fair enough Saints is his (and ML) plaything now but I worry if NC is being realistic about things. Intresting that on page 11 of the Pink there's an interview with Rickie Lambert where he says "When I came here I was told what (we) wanted to happen, so it's going on course at the moment." He then goes on to say that we've done better in the cups than expected but that league performances could be better. That says to me that the players weren't expecting to go up this year if things are on course. Personally I'm happy with AP we've lost seven games all season in all competitions and two of those games where against EPL opposition. As a team we're close to being there we just need to convert those draws into wins.

I like him, ok he looks like Bambi on ice skates some times and he's never going to be EPL level but at league one he is an asset. Lets face most league one players are just that league one if they were any good they would play at a higher level. The thing is no matter how akward he looks things seem to happen with Papa on the pitch. He's got speed (which most of the team don't) and he seems to get into good postions to score, even if his missed some sitters if he keeps getting into the right postions he'll score more. He is also the top scorer in the JPT so he is in part responible for our trip to wembly and for that alone I like him.

It was the oppostion yesterday that caused the atmosphere, people won't get that worked up by Trannmere or Stockport the feeling is just not there. I was sat in the kingsland yesterday (I normally sit in the chapel) and some of the people sat near me reckoned they normaly sat in the Northam but couldn't get seats there, they started most of the songs and chants and eveyone else joinned in. So the thing to do is split the Northam gang into groups and placing them strategically all over St Mary's to get everyone going:D.

I think maybe some of those that normally sit in the Northam where spread around the ground yesterday I know I was sat next to some who said they normally sat in the Northam they started the songs off and everyone else joined in. I've never heard so much noise for a goal being scored than Lambert's yesterday. Despite the score I thought yesterday was great my eight year old had his first derby yesterday and although his been to st Marys quite a few times he looked rather shell shocked yesterday(not to metion a being little embarassed by his old man going nuts when we scored)

Fair enough but I really enjoyed today (well apart from the score) and the match against Ipswhich, games like these are the ones fans remember in thier old age not the league matches. Im sure in the next few years we will reach the heady hieghts of mid table obscruity in the EPL and everyone will be happy. In the mean time I plan to enjoy watching saints play even in the pointless cup competitions.

LOL did you see that match? I don't know what match you saw but the simple fact is none of our back four could keep up with them end off. I'm proud of the boys and AP we gave it our all (as we have in almost every game this season) but they just had a little more class than us when it counted, It hurts to say it but its true. In a couple of years things will be very different I think.

Just back, like others have said we played well for long parts of the game. In the end it was the pace they had up front that won it for them our defence just couldn't keep up. LOL the pompey fans celebrating like they just beat Man u at Old Trafford instead of a team two divisions below them playing a second string back for. If we played like that evey week we would slaughter most teams in our division. Papa and lambert up front is the way to go for the rest of the season I think. In the end I sort of new we wouldn't win this one I'm not to upset becuase I'd still rather support saints than that shower down the road any day.

Counting down the hours now. I've got to go in to work for a couple of hours this morning can't see me getting much done HTH. By all rights we should lose this, but I thought that against Ipswhich to. All the pressure should be on the skates, though if we lose no one will bat an eyelid if they lose they're season is finished and they'll be even more of a laughing stock. Even if we lose they'll only have a week to enjoy it before they go bust, they still play football in a shed and still can't attract a fullhouse for EPL games. Even if we lose we're still the better team. Also it will look rather sad to the rest of the football world if they gloat over beating a league oneside. Hopefully it will be 2-2 until 90+5 when Papa will pop up to score the winner:D

You know I've never seen that sort of thing at a saints match. Maybe I need to sit some where else (I sit in the chapel), plenty of the refs a ******, you fat bastard that sort of thing but never any thing rascist or homophobic (maybe I'm just lucky). Does this sort of thing go on at St Marys?

LOL

It looks like they might be getting their parachute payments early so they don't go bust until they reach the CC next year then EPL won't care and the football league will hit them with penalites. In the mean time they will have already spent the parachute money staying a float this year dark days ahead for pompey (shame ) Makes me wish the EPL had never come along it's so sad that clubs think finishing fourth from bottom is better than winning an actual trophy

The supporters of every single one of those clubs would give their right testicle to win a trophy and be in our postion. Which is why I can't understand the attidue of some fans we are not man utd chances to win trophies are far and few between for clubs like us. To be embarressed to win a trophy (any trophy) doesn't make any sense to me. Really well we should be very happy this season then shouldn't we? I agree staying in the top flight all those years was an achievement but I think we look back with rose tinted glasses sometimes years of struggle and last day miracles with the odd good win against a big club. Without MLT those days would have been far less fun

I really don't understand this we're to good for that trophy attitude, I think some are still suffereing from a 25+ years in the top flight hangover. We're a league one side now through merit (or lack of), it's one of only four trophies we can win this year. I shall happily brag about it if we win it. How many things have we won as a club in the last 40 years? 1 FA cup..... The JPT is a cup for the lower divisions, we are a lower division club we should be proud to win it. Arguably it proves we're the best club in league one and two I feel that's something we should be proud of.