sotonswan

I think the Swans have won only 4 home league matches in the past calendar year. Desperation amongst fans was reaching fever pitch. The standard of football has become absolutely diabolical. I remember pass completion rates of 90%+ under Brendan Rodgers. Now its probably in the 60s. Basic skills are shot to pieces. The lack of training rumours ring very true. He's taken a cohesive squad of competent unglamorous journeymen and reduced them to individuals. He's undone Brendan Rodger's work. He got lucky with Michu last season. That masked basic failings. This season, with Michu injured, it has deteriorated constantly. We have played at relegation standard for a whole year now. I am delighted Laudrup has gone. I'm sure Gary Monk will only be a temporary appointment, but I wish him luck. It was so obvious Laudrup was leaving anyway. My great fear at this point in time was that he would indulge in some CV polishing at the club's expense. He seems to value progression in cup competitions over the league. We have 3 cup games this month - 2 UEFA and 1 FA (Everton). If Laudrup was holding players back for cup games then we were in great danger. Remember Pardew prioritising Tin Pot cup over promotion from League 1? That was bad. Laudrup was potentially a bomb waiting to go off. Good Riddance. Of course we can expect ex-players in the media to eulogise him, quickfire cliches to hand. Don't care. He had to go. Well done the board of SCFC. For the record I can cope with relegation if it happens. We're in good financial shape. We'll be competitive in the Championship. But I want us to at least fight to stay up, not surrender while pointless cup campaigns are prioritised.

I only add this update since there's a Southampton connection. Something in the water here obviously. New Petition Demands Fashion Industry To Stop Hiring "Alleged Sex Offender" Terry Richardson! The petition itself

Daily Mail have an article about Terry Richardson and Miley. Fashion's King of Sleaze: The squalid truth about the photographer venerated by A-list stars and behind Miley Cyrus's X-rated makeover

A lot of this imagery is being dreamt up by her current mentor Terry Richardson. Google him. Plenty of complaints from models about his behaviour, getting naked on set etc. But he's an artistic genius doncha know. Some really get into it e.g.Lindsay Lohan. Plenty of time to regret it later. Here's some of his older work. NSFW!!!

As I was using it (can't vouch for anyone else), a ball launched aerially from around halfway or slightly behind aimed between two centre backs who aren't used to each-other, in the hope that neither actually deals with it. The onrushing striker steals it and makes a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Really shouldn't work at this level, but . . . . . I hope I'm wrong.

I really can't call this. Swansea's defence is a bit of a mess at the moment. Amat is a very poor replacement for Ashley Williams, and Tiendali is not fit to lace Angel Rangel's boots. So Southampton could edge this via a long ball and keystone cops comedy defending. Amat apparently has some history with Pochettino and Osvaldo at Espanyol Friends reunited for Jordi Not sure who that advantages. Southampton probably. :/

Dyer may have a League Cup winners medal, but he did rather disgrace himself on the day with his teenage strop over taking a penalty to get his hat-trick. No doubt he couldn't believe he'd actually scored two goals. Nobody else could either. This was against Bradford though. He was substituted on 77 minutes having completely lost his mind trying to single-handedly score his third :/ He's much the player he ever was at Southampton, but much better at quick passing at close quarters. He's not supposed to go bombing off on his own and get out of his depth in the oppositions corner. He works closely with the full back who will overlap him. He has exceptionally good understanding with Angel Rangel. These two will terrorise most defences and get up there REALLY quickly. If he starts on Sunday he'll likely have Tiendali behind him, who is still learning (slowly) how to play this way. Hence Nathan's progress will be stop-start, getting swamped all alone and losing the ball. The same old Nathan you remember. He doesn't score enough goals to be considered a great winger, but he has his uses. I like him. Behind Walcott for me. OC still doesn't have enough flying hours to really rate for me.

I joined Mensa just after I left Uni. I seemed to move around the country a lot following the work and found the social meet-ups a useful way of making new friends quickly. This is in the days before Facebook. Early 90s. Quite how good they were depended a lot on the people organising them. Great in Birmingham, very good in Poole (I actually met a nice girl I lived with for a while here), awful in Wareham. I was the only person to turn up to a meeting in Wareham; not even the organiser showed up. I gave him an ear-bashing on the phone for that, and let my membership lapse shortly afterwards. This was about 15 years ago. I never re-joined. On my travels I did notice that it was quite a good mix of professionals - dentists, pharmacists, lawyers etc - in the early 20s age group, but above 40 it seemed to be populated by people using it as their runners-up prize in life i.e. the professionals had moved on to other things.

Micro Men? If you remember the early microcomputer wars - Acorn v Sinclair, this is a great drama. 1 hr 24 min.

Micah Hall : Engagement Manager

I can't wait for Accrington Stanley v Portsmouth on Sky Sports 12:00 next Saturday. A real bottom of the table relegation ****-sandwich of a game.

Hope so. Come on Hartlepool! Sent from my Russell Hobbs 18117 using 'Lift and Look'

HMV no longer accepting gift cards already. I and my partner went to the Above Bar store this morning at 9:15 and the staff have already been told not to accept them. That's £60 we're down between us. Guess we'll be registering as creditors. :/

My other half has just suggested that maybe they should have had other subjects for monthly pictures rather than players. Which got me thinking. What would suitable subjects be? * views of and around fortress fatpipes - this will be a highly desirable collectors item as soon as they are evicted from it (March). * bestest individual fans - they (like stubborn stains) will never leave * away fan group shots (being clapped by opposition for their plucky awesomeness) Lots of ways this could have remained a hot seller rather than requiring pulping by February. Another opportunity missed.

Just to remind the bestest what getting to the Premier League under fan ownership looks like, here is the league table exactly 10 years ago - with Swansea rooted to the bottom of division 4 (in old money). http://www.swanseacity-mad.co.uk/snapshot_tables/2002_2003/26/dec/swansea_city/index.shtml Enjoy the ride lads. You know you deserve this.

As indicators go, that has to be right up there. Fiasco. It's going to be a hell of a job organising the non-league Phoenix club at this rate. So much dis-trust. :/

Ironic isn't it that come February, and the last parachute payment, the HNW individuals will be all over it to recoup their 'bridging' loans - just like Chinny would. Nothing has really changed there at all has it?

He probably wasn't good enough for a PL Southampton. He was good enough for a League 1 Swansea. Some players take a while to develop. He's not a normal first choice nowadays, but a very capable squad player. Bit injury prone though (back). As a senior/captain he's important for bedding in new players into the squad. Funnily enough I just put his autobiography on my 'wanted' Christmas list tonight. Loud, Proud and Positive, The Garry Monk autobiography.

Loving the optimism here Of course the worst thing you could do is actually try to play football v Swansea. Swans counter attacking v Liverpool last Wednesday was breath-takingly good. (Won 3-1 at Anfield) Plus points for Saints are that we are without first choice keeper (Vorm), and two other defenders (Chico & Taylor). Gary Monk will likely be getting a rare start at CB. He completely lost his composure on the last visit to St Marys and was owned by Saganowski. (2-2 draw) Will he fold again on Saturday? I think there will be goals. Plenty of goals.

"Hello white people" Paul Chowdhry as seen on Stand Up for the Week

Are they dead yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohRa9lsx0Q

A song about an ice-cream man, and what some people will swallow when someone with money appears . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj0INOEbPHQ

Well as you've mentioned both Swansea and Exeter there, I thought I'd make you aware of this video:- That Final Day, Revisited (It switches from Dutch to English from about the third minute, so persevere.) Swansea had been under new ownership, including 20% Trust ownership, for a year and had gone from bad to worse on the field while grappling with finances. On 5th May 2003 both Swansea and Exeter were playing to avoid relegation from League 2 to the Vauxhall Conference. At that time it was ALL about survival. If anyone had claimed we'd be in the Premier league in 10 years time they'd be carted off for psychiatric evaluation. That was just not on anybodies radar. I do hope you can get to grips with what supporters trusts are all about - survival. That is all. For the neutral, the above movie is a cracker. Lower league football, jumpers for goalposts . . . . . Trivia 14 mins - Leon Britton in training. He's still with us playing in the PL. 17 mins - Mike 'Fatty' Lewis - who screwed BOTH clubs over and was subsequently sent down for fraud for his time at Exeter

Didn't both of those things actually happen against Oldham last weekend? Appy hasn't so much 'lost the dressing room' as created a sense of deep-seated resentment. Way to go!!

He's not planning to use it as a giant centrifuge to enrich Uranium, in Liverpool, is he?!!! The man's an evil genius.