SO5 4BW

BBC now reporting that we've got an 8 point deduction - asses indeed

Sergei Gotsmanov

Absolutely -ball boy at the World Cup final - and as this one has dragged on too long the other future '76 Saint at Wembley - easier to get I would have thought - was Jim McCalliog who played and scored in the FA cup final for Sheff Wed.

For a couple of seasons he was the best left back we've ever had - and I loved him for this: Think there's some truth in the idea that is career stalled after Chelsea bought Cole. He'd still get into our team though

Not Peter Rodrigues, both at Wembley in 1966. Cup finals and ball boys along the right lines

Laurie Fishlock the other cricketer? (Just been through Holley & Chalk again!) League cup final was only played at Wembley from 1967 onwards - before that was played home & away, so not Peter Osgood

No, but you're on the right lines...

Right - I think there's more than one question flying about here so I'm going for a 'unification bout' approach - answering the last one one - and setting one for getting Ivan Golac right Answer to the three cricketers are (I think) CB Fry, John Arnold and Phil Mead (one game for Saints as a goalkeeper according to Holley & Chalk) My question - two members of the 1976 cup winning side appeared at Wemvley ten years earlier - who, and in what capacity?

Favourites (not neccessarily best) Eric Martin Golac, McGrath, Steele, Dennis Ball, Case, Sir Nick Holmes Le Tiss Channon, Osgood Golac would be nowhere near the best XI as he couldn't defend - but great to watch - at home!

Ivan Golac!

The same week! (well, Friday and following Tuesday) The high point of 40-odd years of fandom - so far... Worst eveing game memories - Ronny bloody Rosenthal in 1995 and the Newcastle Fairs cup game in 1969/70. Still remember the silence after they equalised and everybody realised that they'd go through on away goals

Modern players may have the cash but they won't ever have the affection that players like Ron have. Anybody of my age from the So'ton area absolutely idolised Ron when we were kids. He's part of the soul of this club. Happy birthday, many more, please let's get him over, stand him in front of a packed St.Marys and show him how he's still loved!

I don't actually think there's a huge difference in the standard between League one & the Championship. We should use the momentum of the finish to this season to be challenging for promotion - our mind set shouldn't be just consolidation - and with Cortese and Adkins there I don't think it will be. Absolute bare mimimum however, is to finish above the skates and restore the natural order of things!

Can't count Wigley the first time, Gorman or Wilkins, who were all caretakers for a few games (wouldn'r we have to include Dave Bassett & Denis Wise?) So - best 1 Hoddle - mad but class. Rock solid defence 2 Strachan - would be no1 apart from his team selection in the cup final - putting out a team to lose 1-0 3 Ball - legend. Some of the most enjoyable football since he was playing for us with Keegan & Channon 4 Adkins - but let's see how he does in the transfer market 5 Pardew - turned it around Worst 1 & 2 - Poortvliet & Wotte - how did those clowns get to manage anything???? 3 B*stard Redknapp - great with everybody else. Useless with us. 4 Wigley - hopelessly out of his depth 5 Branfoot - hated his whole football philosophy. It was like my team being under enemy occupation. However - he wasn't useless. Kept us up - unlike nos 1 to 4

Feel sorry for the Hudd fans as I know how I'd feel if it was us. This has been a tremendous fight for second - after we won at Brighton I thought that was it but they still came back and matched us - a truly gutsy team. Very much hope they go up in the play-offs - would be a travesty otherwise

What are people's thoughts ahead of the Somerset game? - I think it may be a bad time to play them - they're too good to lose three on the bounce. On the other hand we should come good with the players we've got Talking of which - if Deccan aren't going to use Michael Lumb in the IPL can we have him back? Seems like there'd have to be an outbreak of plague for him to get a game at the mo'..

I think we should do it - hopefully it'll annoy our players so much having to do it that it'll provide some extra motivation - as if any should be needed!

I'd prevent players playing in games where they got crucial injuries - Steve Williams in the FA cup v Wednesday at home in 1984. He played once more that season - in the semi-final - but shouldn't have. With him we could have won something that year. Or Charlie Wayman in 1949 v Spurs (not that I remember that...)

Think we have the best squad for years on paper - only trouble is that there are question marks against virtually all the first teamers: Carberry - carrying an injury Adams - needs to be rested after NZ twenty20/Hants in the Carribean/England Lions in the Carribean Lumb - playing in the IPL Pothas - still recovering from injury - may just play as a batsman? Mascarenhas - still injured - back for the twenty20 at the earliest Kabir Ali - recovering from injury Jones - recovering from injury Imran Tahir - broken thumb at the world cup - so I guess Briggs will play despite also needing a rest (like Adams). Looks like Tahir won't be here until June - by which time half of the championship matches will have been played. Guess early season isn't really the best for spinners though So - my stab at predicting the team for Friday: Howell, Myburgh, Pothas (as a batsman), Vince, McKenzie, Ervine, Cork, DeWet, Kabir Ali or Jones, Bates, Briggs Which actually doesn't look like a bad team - just wish that the fixture schedule was different as it seems we play all the likely championship contenders in the first few matches!

There were a few mistakes that season. We couldn't seem to make our mind up whether to go for the league or the cup - or maybe that's my memory playing tricks and the league was never a realistic possibility until Liverpool started dropping points late on - anyway, there was the home league game with Forest which we lost that was rearranged so that Williams could serve a suspension and be available for a cup game, and Lawrie played a weakened team at Everton in the league (lost 0-1 I think) where he rested Dennis, Worthington & Williams because a booking would mean they missed a cup game. In hindsight those games were the difference. Stems from having a small squad I suppose. On the whole though, this is nit-picking. Lawrie was marvellous for us - 1975-85 were our glory years!

Takes a leap of the imagination to see going to Fratton as 'a nice change', but I know what you mean...

On paper we seems to have the best squad for years. At full strength we could line up: Carberry Adams Lumb McKenzie Ervine Pothas Mascarenhas Cork Kabir Ali Imran Tahir Jones With Myburgh, Vince, Dawson, De Wet, Briggs and Tomlinson also pressing for a spot BUT - of that first choice bowling attack, Dimi, Kabir, Simon Jones are carrying injuries, and Cork, while still playing v well, is probably in his last season. Also, Bates may be adequate cover for Pothas behind the stumps but has still got to develop a lot to fill his place as a batsman. I think the batting is just about the strongest since the mid-80s time of Greenidge/Terry/C & R Smith/Nicholas - and I think we'll end up playing six batsmen this year. The problem this poses is that Dimi gives the side balance at seven. Four bowlers is a bit light and Ervine is at best a sixth bowler (glad he's back as a batsman tho'). Given his performance in the Caribbean T20 maybe Myburgh will do some bowling? What do people think - what's our best lineup? Finally the captaincy - having fill-in skippers is obviously not ideal - although Cork did a great job last year. There was a rumour on the BBC 606 that Jimmy Adams was going to get it. Anybody ITK?

Actually - Mark Dennis. Not by Saints fans, but if you talk to supporters of other clubs they usually remember him as just a nutter (ok, some truth in that) but I haven't seen many better English left-backs...

Mick Mills - considering that Ivan Golac always gets chosen in all-time saints XIs and Mills was about a 100 times better defender. One of the mainstays of our best season in 1984

Ah - thanks for putting me right. I'm sure we can think of another precedent for the Skates to lose that cup though...