Super_Uwe

A very interesting take on matters. Rewind the clock 20 years or so and I dare say the majority of people would have suggested you were a bit bonkers. Nowadays of course nothing surprises me in football. I can't see it happening but I would not under any circumstances be surprised either if it did. I personally think NA deserves at least another season at the helm; I know that we have our aggressive 5-year plan in place, but I also think that someone like Nicola Cortese knows that you cannot keep hiring and firing and expecting to do well in the long-term. I believe NA was appointed for the long-term and I think he would have to seriously balls it up from now on in to get the boot. IMHO of course :@)

Those pictures sum up exactly why this could work. These stands are not just a free-for-all, they are allocated spaces which can be controlled in exactly the same way as all-seater stadia are today. I visited the old Olympiastadion in Munich before the AllianzArena was opened up and was amazed at how much space each individual place had. I really would like to see standing areas re-introduced, but it would appear that the whole issue is very political. I am rather at a loss as to why the Premier League are so against it; the argument used yesterday was that more women and children have been attracted to watch games and that seating is always safer than standing. But no-one is asking for entire grounds to be changed back, it is simply to give people who want to be more vocal in their support the opportunity to stand and do so.

I think we are both splitting hairs a bit here...:@) OK fair dos - I should maybe have re-worded my original post. I still personally believe that it is likely (as opposed to almost certain) that it will go to the last day. I just can't see any of the teams in and around 2nd now pulling away, however I accept that someone (and hopefully it's Saints) may well get the job done prior to the end of the season. The superior goal difference will definitely help Saints' cause - that is for certain (or is it....!)

You're entitled to your opinion but I personally think you are being unrealistic. Whether you like it or not, this season is almost certainly going to go down to the last game. Brighton keep grinding out wins and I think we have to assume now that they will win the league (and quite frankly they deserve to win it, just like QPR deserve to win the Champ). So we are going to have to focus on second now IMO. I know that it's frustrating that we can't quite get our noses in front, but we have to stay calm whilst we have the games in hand. I would much rather we had the points on the board, but what can you do? It's not ideal that the Plymouth game was called off as it's yet another one that's had to be moved - but depending on the injury situation with Lallana and Oxo, maybe it will be a blessing in disguise. Having lived until recently in Cardiff, we all know how the Bluebirds have been unable to make that final push for the auto promotion spots over the last few years. I can't believe that they've managed to cock it up again this year, but that is football I'm afraid.

You miss the point completely about people "justifying" poor results. I am not sure anyone on here is trying to think of 1,001 reasons why we should not win a game and it be acceptable. If we were to win the next 11 games and thus seal automatic promotion, it would be a truly epic achievement. The reality is that we are very unlikely to do that - not because we're crap or bottlers, but because winning 15 league games in a row would simply be out of this world. Charlton are still a dangerous team and although they've contrived to f*** up their season so far, I would be satisfied (not happy, just satisfied) with a point tonight. You have to look at the bigger picture which is something I believe you consistently fail to do.

I couldn't agree more. What an astonishing article!

Not sure why the 8 is a smiley face but hey ho!

It just goes to show that the "dark forces" NC was on about are alive and kicking. That's not to say the overall message here is completely wrong; I do think we as a club in general have struggled to come to terms with our fall from grace. But to be fair to us, we sank like a stone in no more than about four years (2004-2008) and we had to put up with all sorts of comings and goings. Who wouldn't feel aggrieved at falling so far in so little time? The thing I am finding hard to get my head round is this - we seem to be in a really stable position and have ambitious managers both on and off the pitch, but the way we have gone about it seems to have riled so many people that are or were connected to the club, and I mean REALLY riled.

IMO we have plenty of depth to get us over the line, but if a decent young Prem/Champ player became available on loan that could challenge the 1st XI so to speak, we may as well go for it.

You're absolutely right IMHO too. The first seven league games of the season saw us pick up 5 points. 5 pathetic, paltry points . In the 24 league games since we have managed to pick up 47. I don't like the inconsistent results that we've seen of late, but at the same time we are still well on track to do this. I know it's a nutty concept but we CAN just about afford these crappy results. It's not good for the nerves but what can you do?!

It's a sad day for Argyle but unfortunately the worst may still be yet to come. Having moved down to Devon recently, this story has been in the news a lot, but I keep up to date with it all as my father-in-law is an Argyle. The whole situation regarding the directors is almost a carbon-copy of our situation in 2009 in the sense that there are so many different parties all wanting different things. Administration is probably not what was wanted by some, but ultimately they have no choice. Peter Ridsdale is a smart bloke and has come out of it pretty well to be fair. That is neither a positive or negative view of what he's done, but rather the fact that he's put himself in a position where he really can't be blamed at all. He has said that there are bidders lined up, but only he will know whether they are any good or if they are just chancers who fancy a punt. Whatever anyone thinks about the authorities, sooner or later a club in the Football League will fold. It is simply a case of when rather than if. I really hope that it isn't Plymouth, but at the moment there is nothing on the horizon to save them. They are literally going to have to hope/beg/pray that someone will buy them out. Oh, and one final point - totally agree with those who are criticising posters for saying that they hope Plymouth go to the wall in order to help us get promoted. I cannot believe any genuine Saints fans who understand how close WE were to folding can think that.

Last night's result was rubbish, there's no two ways about it. But I've said it before and I'll say it again - it does not matter whether we go up via the playoffs or get auto promotion, the key thing is to get promoted. If we do not even reach the playoffs this season then I agree it would be hard to see NA staying on. But who knows? There is so much more football to be played until then, and I personally think we are still in a good position. We can't afford many more nights like last night, that's for sure. But it is all still completely within our hands to get promoted.

Ah yes, Tomasz "The-Master-Of-The-Seventy-Yard-Crossfield-Pass-To-His-Best-Mate-Ever-Kamil-Kosowski" Hajto. Another player who ultimately was crap though!

Yeah, I think we had to have a few dud years to make up for the glory days...! Funny people mention Wotton as he was actually a renowned set-piece specialist in his Plymouth days. As was Idiakez to be fair.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Beattie got a fair bit of advice of Le Tiss regarding pens. His technique was very good, as was Matty's of course! Not sure how many he took competitively for us but I would imagine it's around the 15 mark.

I wish we were beginning to pull away from the rest of the teams around us, but I guess it's just going to be a long, hard run-in. Only time will tell but that 0-0 to Hartlepool might come in handy later on. I am never a fan of having games in hand, but IF we do manage to win them then we should be in second outright. At least it's still well within our hands. We have the goal difference to boot as well and if it is close then we will be very grateful for that. As I have said all along, if we scrape into 6th and win the playoffs then that is all that matters. The end result will be the same even if the journey there is not as simple as we'd have liked.

Very good point. The expectation on Saints to win the league this year has been very high, but to be fair it is not exactly an unwarranted tag with the resources available at the club. As you rightly point out, there needs to be patience. League One footballers are where they are in most cases because they are not quite good enough or consistent enough to play at the very top. Just because we have the money and some of the best players in this division, it doesn't mean that we are guaranteed to perform week in, week out. Overall we are doing OK at the moment; there's still room for improvement of course, but we are well in the mix for promotion. I'd love us to win it this year, but we know that the overall goal of the club is to get back to the Premier League - if we scrape through via the play-offs this year, so be it.

That decision is a joke in my opinion. A £25,000 fine as well - what the hell is the point in that? Just like Wolves last season, Blackpool were fully entitled to put whatever team they wanted out. The reason why managers even think about doing this is down to one single reason - money. If you are a club like Wolves or Blackpool, the threat of relegation is real. Relegation nowadays is no longer simply the result of a poor season; it's also the prelude to financial meltdown in most cases. And for a lot of managers, relegation usually means the sack as well. Managers have to take this into account and work out their priorities, especially when they are in charge of smaller clubs. But the bigger clubs have a similar issue, e.g. if they don't reach the Champions League. Of course they may not necessarily go into freefall down the leagues and go bust, but they're not exactly going to be in a great state either, so it is hardly rocket science when the FA Cup and League Cup do not take precedent over the league and Champions League. Money talks and that sadly is the way it is. The rule needs to be scrapped because it just doesn't work. I can understand that the authorities don't want managers taking the p*** and devaluing competitions, but they need to understand why clubs do it. The fact that Blackpool played so well means that this is a real kick-in-the-teeth for them too. Will Holloway quit? I think he just might actually.

Whatever Delldays' view on our squad (what has that got to do with it anyway?), he makes a valid point. The game against Exeter will be very, very tough indeed. St James' Park is a small, dilapidated ground and mentally it will be hard for our players to get over the high of playing Man U at home and then having to travel down there mid-week, whatever the result. Whether we have a strong enough squad is wholly irrelevant - I personally believe we do, but this game will be hard.

I'd be amazed if he played for us again. However if he does then agree 100% - because that is how football works!

I'd love Bart to be our first choice one day as he has time on his side, but as I said on the similar thread the other days, SIX managers (including GB) have not put their faith in him as the number one. To me that suggests there is something lacking; whether it's mental or physical, I don't know, but when he first joined he showed everyone that he had great ability and yet has only played a handful of times since. I personally believe if he had not got that knee injury back at Newcastle in 05/06 then he would be our number one. All ifs and buts I know, but he showed enough ability back then to make me think we'd struck gold for something like £50k. But somewhere along the line he has been unable to prove that he deserves to be ahead of KD. After five seasons of KD as the number one, you have to wonder when Bart is going to make his move...

I'll tell you one thing - we won't be as s*** and gutless as the last time we played them 2 years ago. That was pure men against boys. I fancy a 1-1 draw actually which would be a nice financial boost for the club.

I think the main problem that we fans have in judging him is he's had so little game time in the last five years. The knee injury he got in that televised Cup match back in 05/06 has clearly ruined his career to date. Whether it's a mental or physical issue, I don't know, but what is clear is that neither Burley (later in his reign), Pearson, Poortvliet, Wotte, Pardew or Adkins have seen him as their first choice. That's six managers in total and IMO that indicates that he yet good enough to be our first choice keeper. When he first joined, I'm sure I wasn't alone in thinking "Who the hell is he?", but his early performances were absolutely terrific; unbelievable actually for an 18-year old lad who was put into a struggling team in a foreign country. The good thing for him is that he's still young, but obviously he needs to be playing games which may or may not be with us.

Nail on the head there. We all know there are certain areas that could be improved, but at the end of the day sometimes you need to have perspective and belief in what you already have. The other question I would put to those who are worried is simply this - which team in League One has a better all-round squad than ours right now? I genuinely believe we have the best all-round squad in this division by a country mile - it's not perfect by any means, but I'd be willing to bet that most managers in League One would LOVE to have the resources that we have. Some clubs barely get a few thousand turning up each week for goodness sake! All we can hope is that the team keeps the momentum going; as mentioned by others on here, winning 4 in a row is not exactly something we are used to. No doubt we'll lose some games before the end of the year that we shouldn't. But we are going places now, make no mistake.

Hope the Northam sings "You've got Brett Ormerod" to the Blackpool fans...