West Dean FC Legend

Three CBs - no matter what the score. Lose 5-1, win 4-2, doesn't really matter, the philosophy, tactics, players selected by the club, will not change. Tippy, tap around the penalty area and halfway line. Score loads of goals - great! Let last-minute winner in - great! Results mean nothing to the philosophy!

My mate's aunty queuing up at the Dell and getting me and my mate tickets for the FA Cup finals in '76. I was 14 he was 13, we were the only people, adult or child, in the village that got tickets for the FInal. That included my brother who was 6 years older than me and had been watching Saints since he was 6, he wanted me to give him the ticket because of this and then he was going to beat me up to get it. My mate and I went, thought we were going to lose, Bob sat down on the terrace and gave up with about 15 minutes to go, he was convinced they were going to score - then that goal went in, luckily he'd got up just before it was scored. Saints will never, ever, have a moment like that again in my lifetime. The drive back on the coach was fantastic.

I used to like Peter Wells. I remember posting this on a Saints Forum years ago - so long ago I can't even remember which one it was - and a chap replied really, really angrily saying he was the worst goalie Saints had ever had and I was an idiot. He wasn't world-class but he wasn't that bad either.

Aaaah - so I get it now, we have to employ a coach the players are happy with. Doesn't matter about the results, how we defend or attack, or how many people are crying or laughing about us. Whether supporters stop coming to the stadium, whether our goalie looks like an outfield player forced to play in goal, whether we don't have one player who anyone thinks can reliably score goals - as long as they are 'enjoying themselves'? Hopefully, they get hugs from the manager (we are clearly getting now), and he says he loves them, and they get Mondays off. Results, league position? Yeah okay, sort of needs looking at, but c'mon the players are happy and enjoying themselves.... Why don't SR just announce the senior players are now the 'manager' and they make all the decisions relating to the team etc? It'd be easier.

Down south recently, talking to my mate (for decades) and he apparently is mate of his. He was at some golf do or something, stood next to him, built up his courage to talk to him and apparently you genuinely wouldn't know he is famous or was a top level talented professional footballer. He's really ordinary and he plays golf with him occassionally, chats to him.....fair enough I say.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/football/would-be-welcomed-former-rangers-boss-gets-support-for-southampton-job/ar-AA1PFKKu?ocid=msedgntp&pc=SCOODB&cvid=ffbebdbb2be34da79b7254349280dc1f&ei=43

To make me stop being in the slightest bit interested in football, and especially Saints football, I am going to bet they take on Russ 'you're my best mate' Martin again, because he got the club promoted (just).

Thank goodness. I thought it was only me. I was dipping in and out of the game admittedly, but I saw a lot of halfway line passing back and forth, then out to the wing, then forward for a bit up to near the penalty area but then back down the wing and along the halfway line again. I thought it was pointless and tedious. Around the Saints-based Internet, I have seen posters saying what a good game it was. Honestly, if football is getting more and more like this and people are thinking it is 'great' or 'good' I might have to stick to ice-hockey more. At least you can say there were goals in a 9-6 win!

The Inadequates The Incompetents The Impotents The Inefficents The Blunderers The Sporting Republicans

Funny thing is when people talk about awful record we hold, not many mention the 0-9 home defeat to Leciester City. This is the record home defeat in the top division (regardless of what the division was called) in the HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE! It broke the record Newcastle United 1 Sunderland 9 in 1908, United getting absolutely shafted at home by their bitter rivals BUT there was one consolation. They won the bloody First Division (top league at the time) Championship that season.

Knowing Sports Republic's incompetence and the 'if it ain't broke break it' attitude and the fact that nothing has been said, confirmed or shown, they will probably sack him 8 o'clock Friday night. That would fit their methods and ideology.

I can't get my head around the sick players picked, not picked, taxis, a bloke with no number on his shirt, this seems isimilar to a Sunday morning team going and knocking on a mate's front door to get him because they're short - except of course how many people at Saints are involved in the organisation and running of the first team and match day squad and are professionals and it is all the do for a living, and get paid very well for it I would imagine....

If they sign on Russell Martin Mark 2 then that's me done for the season.

Funnily enough I used to do detailed player/team/opponent stats for a top ice hockey club in the UK for season or so (I still do them for graphics and so forth nowadays), the player/coach I worked with (he was the British UN20s assistant coach for a while so no dummy and he scored a lot of points when he played) always was interested in them, took notice of them, but he said he did not select his 'lines'/players and tactics soley based on them. For starters you don't know who is recording them in another ice rink. Interesting point - a 'shot-on-goal' is a shot that will go into the goal and be a goal (whether it goes in or is saved), hitting the post or bar (unless saved by the goalie prior to that) is not a shot-on-goal and if a goalie saves a shot but a team mate is behind him on the line or in the goal area and could have stopped the shot if missed that is not a shot-on-goal! Half the stats recorders did not know that

I don't bet, darn it.