spyinthesky

Couple of names we were linked with: Manuel Benson winger at Burnley, last season Samon Ghoddis midfielder at Brentford, apparently out of contract, back in June. Presume both off our radar?

Some members of our Derek Reeves Appreciation Society applied to the Ticket Office for Season Ticket Cards instead of this new fangled App thingy, communicating using headed notepaper and quill pen left over when we were all members of The Dell Supporters Club back in the 1950's (most of us still retain our label badges). Fair play to the Ticket Office, the Cards have arrived well in advance of the first game, without any fuss and without charge. Top Marks to the team there. I wonder if there are any others on here who can remember the days of having to queue for what seemed like hours to get in, stand in the rain at many games, piss in a smelly trough, after a half time Bovril, and then walk down to the Echo Office after the game to queue again for an early copy of the Football Echo, and have been pleased to receive a physical piece of plastic to see us give away myriad goals this season by messing around trying to keep possession in our own penalty area? Us old 'uns reckon a big boot upfield is all that is needed like the old days to keep the ball as far away as possible from our net and, of course, the return of a goal scorer in the mould of Derek Reeves (or Charlie Wayman or Ron Davies or indeed anyone who can be termed a proper Centre Forward). Up The Saints!!!!

There was also that time in the Dickens era when workers in the Naval port were upset when cheaper footwear was being produced by workers in the Combined Union of Northamptonshire Tanners and Shoemakers. That's why Pompey supporters have never forgotten and refer to the supporters of Northampton FC using an explicit word that should not be heard in front of children or those of a sensitive disposition.

I lived for a time in Lowford so would be interested to know if GM lives in the nicer parts of Bursledon or Pilands Estate which has really gone down over the years.

I appreciate not many people read local news nowadays but looking at the comments on the Echo site seems to indicate there are quite a lot of people with quite radical and often ill informed views on a number of issues, often expressed in very poor grammatical language. There is a 'lady' providing a prime example of this relating to a piece on possible protests tomorrow night in Southampton. In her rant see seems to indicate that Muslims are protesting about 'proper pig'. I assume she means 'Pepper Pig' but who knows. And it's not just people in this area, it is often even worse elsewhere in the country.

I am someone who was born just after the end of WW2 and can remember going to collect food vouchers at a Post Office in London Road well into the early 1950's. We had very little. Both Mum & Dad lost relatives and property during the war and this was not uncommon. National Service put young men into uniform for a year or two and subject to discipline. I got the cane at school at 10 years old for repeating a word I had heard but had no idea what it meant. We had discipline at school and discipline at home. It wasnt pleasant and sometimes the boundaries were stretched but basic rules were set and this brought most of us in line. We rented a 14" Sobell TV, had no phone, no car, no foreign holidays and we stood in the rain in the Chocolate Boxes to watch the Saints make their way up from Division 3 to the unexpected heights of Division One. A lot of us used to sneak in to watch Hampshire Cricket later in the day FOC when they played at the County Ground. Many of us played football in the winter and cricket in the summer either at school or on the many Sports Grounds around the town. When we went anywhere by coach or train, the entertainment was provided by looking out of the window, not focused on a screen which nowadays provides irrelevant or seditious material. I was given a small Kodak camera for passing the 11+ and promptly left it on a Royal Blue coach taking us to a rented caravan in Weymouth which leaked and after 3 days we had to pack up and go home so I have very few photos of me growing up and most of them would not have been good enough quality to pass through the Boots developing process in any event. We had scraps at school using fists as the only weapon, no kicking and definitely no weapons and no Drugs, the latter contributing a lot to society's woes in recent times. In rather a rambling way, I am suggesting that although my kids and society as a whole have many more material things, life has become much more polarised and less disciplined, to the detriment of us all. Moving onto the subject of Immigration, I have a lot of good friends who are not WASP's and have all made decent contributions to life in this country as have many immigrants before them eg Irish, Caribbean, Huguenots, Jews etc Most of them, who have integrated fully into life in this country, agree that Immigration should be controlled and decry the way Britain has lost it's perceived traditional values. How Immigration is dealt with in a sensitive way and how the legislators deal with those promoting radical views is beyond my comprehension but something needs to be done.. However those 'patriots' supporting the likes of Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon , Katie Hopkins, Nigel Farage etc etc are not helping nor are the likes of Twitter and other platforms that allow access to all sorts of unsubstantiated nonsense to be passed on to largely under educated thugs who delight in a bit of summer rioting and the opportunity of robbing the occasional convenience store. This all seems to be reminiscent of the problems that led up to WW2 when Mosley and his black shirts turned their attention on the Jews, replicating what was going on in Germany. Although they were effectively repulsed here by actions of those who were opposed to their doctrine, the world moved onto much more dangerous times and unfortunately this seems to be happening around the world at the moment. I havent much longer to concern myself about this or the concerns about whether Saints will be able to avoid another relegation but I do worry about my kids and all you whippersnappers on here who will have to deal with the consequences. Best of luck chums.

But didnt the Aussie lady who won the gold win all her previous races?

GM You seem to suggest that immigration is an issue unique to England (or the UK) However in reality there are similar issues in other European countries, especially those closer to North Africa, and even across the Irish Sea there are challenges. And, of course, the USA has problems. I think even you will agree that some Immigration is required and perhaps EDL supporters would be prepared to tolerate Eastern European immigrants rather than those with a different view on religion or a darker shade of skin tone. Question is how do you deal with those who come into this country 'illegally', especially those without documentation. Appreciate your thoughts.

Whilst having a degree of sympathy with people trying to escape violence/economic hardship in their own country, there are obvious and growing issues with unregulated immigration. I often try to imagine how i would deal with this if I was a Minister in charge of Immigration, especially trying to deal with those arriving via Channel crossings and cant come up with a solution. That nice Mr Farage reckons he would get the Navy to tow the rafts back to the French coast and drop them off there. Is that his only view on the matter? Appreciate thoughts of our intelligent posters on here. Would the introduction of identity cards be part of the solution? How would people arriving without passports be repatriated?

Fact of life, if we go down, as expected, we are not going to hold onto our better players and we start again from scratch> I cant see much enjoyment in the coming season but that the 'joy' of being a Saints fan. The money the club has lost from a litany of recent crap transfer dealings (apart from Livramento and Lavia) has really impacted on the quality of the team.

I agree with you re KWP playing forward of Suga. He has all the skills of a forward and some defensive nous. However unless KWP agrees to an extended deal he has, very unfortunately, to be sold to release transfer funds.

Also someone I know phoned up to ask for a ticket and the girl in the ticket office tried to explain how the App worked to a nearly 80 year old who has no idea what this entails. However the poor girl had to give up a lost cause eventually but at least kudos to the Ticket office for progressing the enquiry.

That's interesting. When and how did you apply for this and was there a charge?

Of course you cant make too many assumptions from pre season games but I guess Everton fans might be a tad concerned after drawing against Sligo in Ireland, losing 2-1 at Salford and another 3-0 loss at Coventry tonight

I tend to agree. Bucking the rend a bit, I have been looking to buy one of those caps with the peak at the back. Are they only sold in the good old US of A?

Didnt Steve get attacked by a Pompey Youth team player in a bar/club down in Pompey? As 31CC mentioned, Steve went to Prices Grammar School in Fareham and presumably lived around the area.

Think Steve ended up in Hull and worked as a lorry driver. Wishing him a full and speedy recovery

The French team I always thought Saints should have an association with, which they used to when the cities were linked, was Le Havre. They have bounced around French League 2 and League 1 but have seen quite a few decent players pass through their ranks. Bordeaux Girondins have historically been a big club in France with a decent stadium. Seems they have really gone downhill recently.

Interesting input. Hopefully the priority is a striker as well as a midfielder although I could see KWP playing on the right side of a midfield four on occasions if he stays. Presumably transfer activity includes outgoings as well as potential inbound players

Apparently Ipswich keen on Sammy Szmodics from Blackburn at £7m. Thought he would be the type of player in the right price range for us.

Did The Donald ever settle his Tax Bill or is it still too complicated to work out (to account for all the tax write offs from his failed businesses?)

Interesting interview last night Victoria Derbyshire - James Comey (former head of the FBI) When questioned about J D Vance's comments on Ukraine, Comey reckoned that Vance (and Trump) are likely to change their views when presented with updated Intelligence briefings on Russia as and when the Republicans win the election.

Back to pen and ink methinks. More people employed, more money spent on coffee and croissants in city centres, less electricity consumed, the end of Microsoft and Apple, biro sales increase, people taking to one another. What's not to like!!

Christophe, Just a bit of clarification about your fixtures. What is the situation regarding the uncertainty as to whether you will be playing Bordeaux or Troyes? I guess Bordeaux would be the biggest name in your League with the stadium size and population of the city. As a youngster I remember the Saints playing a midweek/mid season friendly against the Girondins at our old ground, The Dell. This seemed quite exotic for many of us young lads at the time as very few of us had ever ventured abroad at the time. Also does Valenciennes have to compete for support with a local rugby club?

He's mentioned!!