tiger

That explains a few things

then why join it - go and hold hands with the happy clappies on the "reasons to be cheerful" thread. If you are interested however the point is, how poster's or fans perceptions can "change" as time passes.

There is a train of thought that if we lose you can say ah well I was expecting that and if we win its a pleasant surprise. Saints have given us much to be miserable over the last 4 years so is it a surprise when the odd bit of gallows humour surfaces. Even in the dark days of the 90s we had Le Tiss and in the dark days of the 50s we had Elvis (Paine that is not Presley).

NickH - the only reference to Burley's drinking I made was to the fact that apparently he often smelt of booze when he turned up to work. This I was told first hand by someone who often had to "work" in close proximity to him. Not a crime and like you say Ferguson and Clough are meant to have been heavy drinkers but they have at least won 4 European Cups and to my knowledge never had a problem with players showing a lack of respect. He has gone now and life moves on but I still regard it interesting how history gets re-written when we look back at our past. I remember calling for Ted Bates's resignation along with the rest of Milton Rd but you won't find a bad word said about him anywhere now and you only have to see the divided opinion on the pros and cons of L Mac's time here to realise how polarised the debate can be. My point is how some on here are very inconsistent with their views. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but so is hubris. Still at least you didn't call me a dribbling cretin.

Careful I am not sure you are allowed to express even slightly cynical thoughts on this forum. The happy clappies are in control.

And calling someone a dribbling cretin is not "tedious"

Thank you Snowballs

Spelling aside I am very much in accord with these sentiments. It seems sometimes on this forum unless you shower the club with oodles of support amid a barrage of tub thumping "get behind the lads ffs" you have no right being on here.

Burley isolated him, didn't pick him and his confidence suffered as a result. His form at the end of the previous year proves he had it in him.

Appreciate your bravery in at least sticking up for Burley now however I have to take issue with some of your views. Burley is an international manager true but he is far from proven in this arena. Also he did not turn Bale and Jones into multi pound sales from reserves. The chances are it would have happened anyway especially in the case of Bale who looked every inch a Prem player right from the outset. In the case of Jones most of the credit should go to Sturrock who signed him from Trinidad. My biggest gripe with Burley was that he had given up the ghost during 07-08and was just turning up (often late and smelling of booze) to pick up his pay check. No wonder we soon went on the slide. It was obvious as well and yet many on here preferred to turn a blind eye.

But Nick any criticism of GB last season was met by a near crescendo of posters praising what he was doing and yet now those same posters are slagging down the way the team performed last season. Seems a bit hypocritic really. Had he stayed I think we would have gone down because we really were on the slide and NP did well to reverse (just about) the speed of the decline.

I agree entirely. Burley treated him badly last year and as a result he lost confidence but mark my words he is twice the player McGoldrick is and by November we will crying out for his return. Lowe has told David McG he is first choice and nothing else matters.

Thank you for giving a reasoned response to my post. I wish others could have done the same without resorting to calling names. I don't agree with all of it but you have certainly presented a fair view on Burley's tenure. One point of yours I beg to differ on is your interpretation of Lowe's return as being a solution to all the infighting. True we were in a mess thanks to Wilde, Crouch and the mercenaries not having a clue how to run a successful club but, it must never be forgotten the reason why we were being led by such a bunch of numpties in the first place was because of Lowe's crucial foul ups during our relegation season and then some of his actions during the first season down. His stupidity, in other words, proved very fertile for the crap which followed. As for Burley his sides did play some good football in the early days but once he realised good football does not get you out of the CCC he lost interest and criminally was just going through the motions during 07-08. It is only now that many on here have woken up to that. Hence my thread. Cheers St Marco.

If you don't like this thread mate, stay away from it. The point I am making is that Saints fans are very fickle. Today there are no end of posts decrying the standard of football played under Burley during the last 12 months of his tenure and yet many of those same posters weren't saying that at the time, in fact if you criticised Burley there was a general outcry. In other words just because there is a new dawn it is safe to criticise what preceded it. And I daresay if the Dutch duo screw up most on here will be saying "I always said it was never going to work". I believe my point to be valid and with respect to Colin I have a right to make it without being insulted.

This forum and the one before seems to be very antipathetic towards Burley's time in charge, now the dust has settled from last year, and yet even up until his departure, a few months ago, people like "Bournemouth Saint" and "Sad old Git" were vehement that he was God's gift to management. Are they now prepared to admit that GB had, by and large, given up on his job as Saints manager once his spending spree had not got us back to the Prem and also accept he then saw the job as a stepping stone to pastures more lucrative? If not I would welcome them defending Burley a little bit more because of late they have been very silent. Bournemouth Saint care to comment?

Sad Old Git and Bournemouth Saint thought he was the dogs ********

the master of the "snipe from the sidelines whilst personally doing nothing except mock" speaks! Oh and just in case his post hasn't rabble roused enough, why not throw in the name Chorley just to be really spiteful.

Steady!!

Phil - are you serious when you say pre-season has gone better than many had dreamt about. 3 draws and 2 losses aint THAT good.

Do you "do" total football because if you do JP could well come calling?

I have a horrible feeling this "youth experiment" is going to go very pear shaped on Saturday.

The bookies rarely get it wrong and we are one of a handful of teams tipped to go down. If our Youth were that good how come they won nothing last year?

Perhaps someone should also check out Regus Offices in Fareham

Am I about to be vindicated NickH - you seem to know something?

Those in glass houses?