OfnPanad

Any HK Saints want to meet up for a drink and some televised games next season? My username at googlemail dot com if you do

Jos is extremely articulate especially considering he's speaking his second language. Also a top bloke. Fraser has been released now which has raised the average IQ of the team about 10 points I reckon. Luke Shaw is an amazing prospect as a footballer... Luckily... His interviews remind me of the Brendan Fraser basketball player character in 'Bedazzled'.

I just can't help thinking you could *****HAVE***** written this post a lot better.

Thanks OP. Set me up for the day

Come on guys, it's Saints - we'll pick up a few frees, maybe one big signing, and retain all the players that keep us fans up at night! Cardiff will sign Messi and we'll be talking about "the next Messi" picked up from non-league for thirty quid. Who'll be kept out of the side by Guly. Aim low. I've just got my hopes on proper stripes next season

Really need to improve the squad - players like Guly and Fox just don't belong and let us down when called upon. Really need some more Ramirez-esque 'coup' signings, but hopefully that have more impact. Pochettino is ideally suited to bring us the next Michu - no?

I had a fiver on Lambert to be Prem golden boot so I'm up for this

This. I've not been excited about an England match since 1998, and barely watched one, and it's mostly because of sh1te like this that show up how feckin WEAK England managers are. We'll never win anything with a yes man in charge. I have taped footage somewhere of an interview with Hoddle as Chelsea manager saying if he was England manager, Matt's name would be first on the team sheet. Every time I think back to it, I feel like ripping someone's head off. One day it'll give me an aneurism!

'Arry obviously believes his own press and has been well and truly found out...again...but it never seems to stop him and just like the city fat cats the rewards for failure and success are pretty much identical. His dog is laughing all the way to the Grand Cayman bank! Oh, to be a football manager.

Already written a long angry Facebook status about this and had to have a bit of a sit down lol Is the answer "A) The Football League are a bunch of amateurish, self-interested ***ts", perhaps? It is a real "two fingers" to Saints though. Make an example of us, yet Pompey effectively steal £200m of public money, deliberately destroy local businesses and the footballing authorities allow the club to be brought out of admin by more public money with a business plan written on a napkin and it's all fine and dandy. I'd like to think at my age I could just allow my bitter cynicism to kick in and laugh this off....but if one of the blue few was in front of me cheering this I would kick him into next week as a matter of principle and be extremely happy in my work. Trying to step back...what difference is one more f**king travesty in the Pompey saga? When all's said and done they couldn't get 16,000 against Man U in the Prem so after the novelty has worn thin, how many will watch them losing in League 2? As far as I can see the fans consortium is a crap business model and they have already used every penny they could borrow to achieve this so where will the investment come from to get out of League 2? You'd think they would have substantial costs to get the infrastructure working properly again...surely they won't get away with a fourth round of buying players on a gazillion quid a week on the promise that it will be paid for by future success? In summary - it's sh1t but common sense says we get to watch them squirm for a while yet anyway!

Not really but it's a bit odd. At the time of the announcement I was sure our CB pairing was Fonte and Forren with Yoshida on the bench. I'm glad Jos has found a bit of form and consistency though - he is a top bloke - very eloquent and humble with lot of time for everyone - a model footballer.

Steady on! Even in the "Saints vs Legends" game the old man version of Niemi was still all but unbeatable. Niemi was the best keeper the club has ever had (before anyone mentions Shilton, or even Flowers, standards have improved since their time). Don't get me wrong, Boruc is looking very good and I'm glad he signed but Niemi was an elite 'keeper.

Hansen & Lawro out Baddiel & Skinner in.

Fact is he had more to do with us losing the match than any other player. Harsh but true. The tactical switch is Clyne to LB, Cork to RB, and bring on Ward-Prowse with Schneidelin told to hang back deep. All better players than Fox. Its not personal its just a case of how many times does he (and Guly) have to play like a donkey before being dropped for the good of the squad? They might be the second coming in training but they just cannot do it on matchday so they have to go.

I loved this guy - we have had some top fullbacks over the years, haven't we? Either cult heroes or top class. Ostlund I rate 3rd for cult fullback status behind Benali and Ulrich Van Gobbel

100% correct, please give the man his prize.

Legend. Until this year the only player I paid to have on my shirt

Shocking! Just look at the comments on the BBC website. At a stroke NC has turned us from everyone's favorite underdogs to the most hated team in the Prem. Sometimes it really is how you play the game I just don't understand, were we supposed to be challenging for a CL place? I know Nigel inexplicably kept playing Guly but I thought that was a phase he'd grow out of...! Nigel deserved better than this. He is a great bloke as noted by friends if mine who showed him round Bangor's new ground at Christmas. Really down to earth, genuine nice guy were their exact words. I just wish there were more like him in football then we'd have nothing to complain about. ..apart from Guly.

My daughter suggested this for Ramirez! (from 1:00 on!)

Sorry is this Jason Puncheon? What match were you at? De Ridder was an absolute class act and had them swapping their right-back at halftime! The new guy did no better and hauled him down for the penalty! My MOTM. Overall the tactics were too negative I thought. Wednesday were clearly in awe of us and were ridiculously susceptible to the ball over the top or crosses. If it wasn't Guly & JRod up front the game would have been over much earlier. JRod getting his goal gave him some confidence - he fired a sitter right at Bywater just before - but still looks like a bag of nerves most of the time and the penalty was awful - worse than Billy's at Blackpool. Guly was his usual headless chicken for five minutes followed by five minutes of strolling, and repeat. If Adam/Gaston & Rickie were in instead of Guly & JRod we'd have set a cup record. Gazza made 2 very good saves and looks worthy of a run in the side. Seabourne is not a left back...that said I don't think he did any worse than Fox does. Yoshi, Richardson and Hooiveld looked comfortable and in control most of the game. JWP and Cork picked up a lot of possession but seemed unable to work out which way we were shooting. Don't think I've ever seen so many negative passes. Chaplow charged about but struggled to influence the game. Should have played him in the middle and Guly out on the right. The new lads did nothing to discredit themselves but hardly had a chance to influence the game - we'd clearly decided we'd played enough football for the night after the penalty. Reeves was the pick - seemed very direct and has a good shot with his left. Did Robinson touch the ball? That's my tuppence worth anyway...

Lallana ran the game 2nd half and was even good in the first - if he would just bloody well pull the trigger when he's clear in the box he will be an England regular.

Why don't we bring Shaw in? Arsenal offered £4m for him in the summer so he must have something about him, other than looking like Draco Malfoy! We just looked so much better without Fox.

In the good old days we had Monkou to control the air, Dodd to block crosses, Hall or Maddison to throw body at the ball and Benali to rake his studs down the quick winger's calves (then score an OG and get sent off!). The question is - that was good enough for 17th back then - standards have risen - are the current crop better than those? We also had Beasant in goal - and those of you who think Kelvin is ropey should have a look back at Dave Beasant. Unless the ball was already at hand-to-head height, it went under him or he left it for a forward to head in. Hooiveld needs to be our Monkou - maybe he will, maybe he needs time...Fonte is OK just needs to calm down, I've not seen the match today to comment on Yoshi. Fox is woeful and has been since we signed him so that's no surprise. Maybe if Nigel just told him to concentrate very hard on defending and not come forward at all he'd stop being turned around as often as Alan Carr. I have no idea why we signed Clyne who is the same player as Richardson and Butterfield, just shorter?! Again, pretty nifty going forward but passed at will going back. We're just stuffed down the sides so lots of practise defending crosses is the only way forward I guess - or put Luke Shaw in? Random thought: Another plus point - I guess having Fox there is better than George Burley's solution. "Who shall I put at left back?" (take swig of whiskey) "Who's left-footed?" (take another swig). "Rudi Skacel! Of course". (A long swig now). "Oh but I already have him down as the only player at the club who can pass accurately more than 3ft away and so in the creative midfield role" (drain bottle) "Nevermind, left-back it is". (Fall down). Pushing Gazzaniga in now may shatter his confidence and create another Bart - undoubted ability just too fragile mentally - and what would it do to Kelvin? Where do we go if Gazzaniga is no good? Just smack Kelvin's bum and have him stay behind for extra practise. A LOT of extra practise! Back to the good old days - we had Captain Magic Jim Magilton & Matt Oakley to hold the midfield. JWP and Lallana? Skillful yes but I think Yaya Toure would be taller than JWP on Lallana's shoulders, and wider than them sat next to each other on the team bus. How are the pair of them going to stop him or anyone like him? Lallana should be on the left or right, where he was effective last year, with Davis or Cork sitting back in front of the defence. JWP can't play every week so rotate him with Spiderman. Everyone is happy with Ramirez so he's the other winger and Puncheon & Guly can go to QPR/Blackpool/Hell. I'd much rather have De Ridder on the bench than those two. Is it too much to ask our record signing be played in his correct position? Up top with Lambert, to do the running. Lee or Mayuka to come on when either tires. I'm mildly horrified by the result but hey - 17th is the target, right? No-one said we'd be challenging for 2nd this year. (Except very quietly in our own heads when steaming).

Back from the game. So chuffed with the match - in fits and starts we were total class - back where we belong! I've not sung and celebrated so hard in ages. Brilliant. Kelvin - Did OK. Good saves. Not seen the replays but didn't look like he could've done anything about the goals - too close range? Clyne - Great going forward, a little bit undone by his lack of height/physical presence Fonte - Good but you get the feeling he's at his best - perhaps we could do better? Hooiveld - Looks better every game. NEVER a pen in a million years. Couple of crucial foot-ins when they were shaping to shoot Fox - Poor positioning and needed more time on the ball than he got. Shame we missed out on Buttner - I assume we're still looking Puncheon - Is the guy unfit or just slooooowwwww? Never looked worth his place for more than 10 seconds at a time Ward-Prowse - Occasionally overwhelmed but seems to have that quick football brain and can pick out a pass like Lallana. Maybe not quiiiite ready for the top sides. Schneiderlin - Great player - looks more than capable of stepping up. Some great passes and lots of energy Lallana - As usual his superb touch created space and chances for both himself and others, I only wish he'd shoot! Not sure he should be captain Rodriguez - Whhhhyyyyyy is our record signing out on the left??? Wasted. He should've started up front, Puncheon on the left, Guly on the right. So obvious. Guly - Well, he was Guly. The only Brazilian with the first touch of Carlton Palmer. Ran about a bit but never looked threatening and clearly needed more thinking time than he had - how many chances will he get? Not nearly Premiership material. Lambert - Born for the Prem - who could have ever doubted it? If he was 2 or more years younger he'd be a shoe-in for England now, even playing for us. S. Davis - Looks a great player. Really gave us some class in the middle when we were attacking Sharp - Looked so much better than Guly when he came on - how can Nigel miss that?! And we've still to see if Lee & Lambert will work as well in the Prem! Just a left-back and a centre half and dropping Puncheon & Guly from a top-half side. We're back!!!

Is that Luke Shaw or Draco Malfoy???