JackanorySFC

Thanks for the advice everyone, seems Trafford Centre could be the best bet, I would rather be trekking on foot and moving than queueing for the Metro, at least at the Trafford Centre they should be able to find somewhere to eat/ drink whilst waiting for us as well. Really looking forward to this, still hold a grudge going back to my first game there, Banger put us 1 nil up but a young lad called Giggs scored 2 late (and suspiciously offside) goals to take all 3 points from us!

Not been to OT for a few years, and when I have previously it's always been by train. This time I'm staying up Fri - Sun and driving back after the game, however I'm going up with the in-laws and my missus. The girls are shopping and us boys are going on the lash then to the game (none of us would have it any other way), my missus is driving us all back to So'ton and given the KO time and a 4.5hr drive home with work in the morning I was wondering if anyone with a decent knowledge of Manchester could recommend a good rendezvous location for us to get away from the game on public transport, meet the car and get on the M6 south as quickly as possible. Cheers!

Agree with Turkish above that his value must be in excess of £15m. The fact he can play (very, very well) at both RB and a holding CM (his performance at Arsenal away was incredible) make him valuable enough not even accounting for his outstanding performances at CB. Seriously, his positioning, calmness on the ball, dominance in the air and strength in the tackle are way beyond what I expected. The main thing I've learned from Lovren/ Toby comparisons is the folly of seeing a CB make (important at times) last minute blocks, sliding tackles and other clearences that look great at the time and get the crowd pumped up leading to Lovren becoming so coveted, and assume that is what makes a defender great. Toby is the absolute opposite of that, going to games and watching his movement off the ball, reading the game so well that he stops the danger before it becomes a real problem. Not great for those that like a highlights reel of big tackles etc but if you love the game and love defenders in the mould (not as good as of course, but a similar style) of Benkenbauer, Beresi, Maldini, Moore et al, he's a joy to watch. Something I've learned this season anyway. Until the deal is done I won't believe it, fingers crossed we can do a good sales job on him and get Atletico to sell him.

As I said here earlier, his corners are as good as any player I've ever seen. Seriously, it's like having a free kick on the edge of the box in terms of creating a goal scorning chance. His technique is unreal, the fact he can do as much damage with an outswinging corner as an inswinger is a huge asset.

Freddie and the Freeloaders are a Southampton Wedding institution - top band! Err, I'm not helping am I?

This. Expect a few renditions of their 12 days of Christmas song in particular... For variety and volume, their away support is unrivalled in England IMO. That said, it helps they win a lot on their travels! No doubt we'll respond with a few rousing renditions of gems like "we support our local team" (sung with gusto by people travelling up from Dorset) and "do you come from Manchester" (which the answer is invariably "yes" when it comes to their away support). Seriously I hope we are up for it tonight, night game under the floodlights against the Mancs should be a cracking atmosphere!

The aforementioned video is now on the Echo site. BW - The mush with the massive beard is at the end of the video, orange jacket.

Just seen a video on Facebook from Tesco in Bursledon this morning, carnage. Poeple ripping stuff off the walls, arguing over kettles and (my favourite bit) some big mush with a trendy beard eventually ripping a Blaupunkt TV off a pair of Doris' half his size after a proper struggle. Seriously, some right old weirdos out there. All that to pay the same as you would have done a few months ago before they whacked the prices up.

Plenty of availability. Just bought and extra near us in block 2, a good 50/ 60 tickets left up there which I find strange? Then again maybe there will be a rush tomorrow as it's pay day for most people?

That has a lot of family in Southampton, all Saints fans, he went to Uni here too. Comes across as very knowledgeable on the Radio I think, along with H&J he's way batter than the shouty morons on there that try and get a reaction for the sake of it. Just because people disagree with his point of view doesn't make it wrong/ bias whatever. He is always open to different views, never shouts down a caller/ guest and always gives unfashionable clubs/ players air time. I like his fine system when guests come on and say cliché football rubbish, a quid every time some says "the" before a plural, for example "the Gerrard's, the Lampards, the Cole's" or "the Arsenals, the Chelseas, the Man U's" sums it up.

Do you think the jury just ignored that and convicted him for a laugh or something? Genuinely interested as it seems you think the only evidence presented is the Pravda stuff on the rapists own site. As a father of a girl yourself, how do you think the victim's family feel about people like yourself ignoring the judge and jury's decisions after being presented with ALL of the evidence and implying their daughter is a liar? I have a good mate that knows rapist Evans very well. No chance I'd let him anywhere near any female member of my family if he has been or is drinking. Beardy is right. Nonces on the register shouldn't be allowed into football.

Brilliant post FF. Genuinely interesting as well as successfully putting another Pompey myth to bed. I truly believe they believe their own lies.

How you can apologise for that disgusting, Nonce, rapist scum astounds me. A truly revolting crime committed by a complete sadistic **** (and I know this for a fact). Our society is genuinely getting ****ed up when people ignore the findings of a jury and judge and instead pick apart dodgy evidence presenting one side of the argument to get a disgusting rapist a job that puts him in contact with kids and women. I genuinely hope you don't have a daughter mush.

So have the diggers started on the new Tesco Hyperstore like matey on the Pompey board said (in between abusing his fellow skates) they would at the start of November? Just wondering...

I would absolutely love it if we did this, however football is now so firmly indebted to the Middle East I can't see it happening. Barca, Citeh & PSG all ME involved, as is Platini. If we did pull out of FIFA, how would that affect the Premier league? Whose rules would they abide by? Genuinely don't know.

I've got some excellent news for you. "Bankers" (not sure exactly what you mean by that term but I'm assuming Fund Managers, Brokers, Traders etc) are all CRB checked before being able to trade. There is no way a convicted nonce like Evans would ever be able to work for a financial institution. Evans is a particularly disgusting, dirty rapist. I know about some of the sort of ****ed up things he thinks are normal from a mate that has spent a lot of time with him on trips. He's a huge wrongun. That aside, he's an unrepentant rapist that still hasn't completed his sentence. Sheffield United are harboring a rapist. BTW some of the comments on here about a 19 year old girl being too drunk to give consent so is that or is that not rape are at best ignorant, at worst down right disturbing. The abuse the poor girl has received from Evans family and friends since the trial is horrendous.

Changes my plans for Manchester, was going to stay Fri and Sat, now I'll take the Monday off and do Sat and Sun come back Monday (Manchester is atop night out, well worth doing 2 nights if possible). Newcastle changes nothing, I booked the late Flybe flight back on Sunday (going up early Sat) just in case it was moved for TV. A 5.30pm KO is brilliant, extra 2.5hrs in the pub watching Soccer Saturday. Bozy.

Do you know how long block 3 has been fully open for? I'm a ST holder at the back of block 2, normally block 3 clearly is taken up mostly by club employees, but has been getting better. When buying tickets for friends/ family usually block 3 hasn't been an option, only really noticed it for City. As Pap says, it's way better for atmosphere than the Northam as you can actually see the away fans and vice versa, leading to some decent too and throughs and the (not tiresome at all) weekly rendition of "have you ever seen your ****" to the token fat Northener near block 1. If block 3 can start filling up with people of a similar mind set to us over in 1&2 it can definitely get back to pre corner closing levels.

The Mail Sports desk is a very good example actually. Paul Dacre runs the news department with an iron fist but leaves Sport to take care of themselves. A few really do cringe when first introduced to someone and telling them they write for the Mail. However they have a really good sports desk and complete autonomy (same as the Sun). The amount of calls agents/ clubs (Man United have certain NW based reporters completely in their pockets for unsettling players for example) put into their press contacts is genuinely shocking! Football Agent regulation seriously needs looking in to, that is a thread for another topic though.

No worries, part of my leaving package was defending Murdoch and his investments at any possible moment via any possile medium . You're absolutely right though, hardly any go though but completing a transfer is an incredibly complicated process (despite how simple 'Arry makes it out to be). The one's which almost never come off are the player swap deals, seriously only a handful have ever happened but get speculated upon all the time. However the amount of time agents spend trying to get their players a pay rise/ move (which ever one is more profitable to them 10% wise) and clubs spend fighting agent's fires is lapped up by the press. Not going to say Sports writers expect the deals to happen, but are within their rights to publish a story linking X player to X club if they've been informed directly by a club, player, agent etc. TBF the public lap it up too, hence the mental exposure transfer deadline day gets these days! I wasn't on the Sports desk (still have mates that are though), but was involved in the page lay out etc, Sport ALWAYS need more space, they have enough stories to take up every page and some, stuff gets dropped every day. Certainly no need for "filler" articles. Only way they get more space is by upping the book by 4 pages, 2 to sport, 1 to news/ features editorial but the extra page must go to advertising and needs a minimum yield of £20k to pay for the PIP "paper, ink and petrol" when printing nearly 3m copies. Not easy to get last minute when Sports are asking for more space! FWIW my take on the Harry Kane link is either the player or his agent using the link to Saints to generate a groundswell of opinion that Kane should stay, should start oh, and get a new, long term and very lucrative contract. If not Saints could be interested thus starting a bidding war for the blue eyed academy boy.

Absolute bo11ocks. I worked there for 9 years, the Sports desk has complete autonomy, no different to the broadsheets. Every transfer rumour story is supplied by an agent, family member, club source or the player themselves. Usually to get a bigger contract, pressure to start more games rather than actually getting a move. However every single transfer story has a source. To say it's made up is bang out of order, the Sports scribes spend decades building the contacts they have. The Sports team have barely any contact with the Main News/ Features teams. The Sports Editor at the Sun is one of the most important people at News UK - as demonstrated when I saw Nicola Cortese visiting Mike Dunn (Sports Editor and Sun worker for about 30 years there, ie before Murdoch rocked up) in his Office to beg him to stop calling us "South Coast Club". Immediately after that meeting the stupid ban on photographers was lifted. You're probably right about the stuff in the front half of the paper tbf.

Ha, they tried to flog him last year when he was coming to the end of his contract and no one was interested. £1m. The same price as we paid for Sir Rickie. Typical P*mpey bull****.

Redslo = Southampton's own Swiss Ramble!

Just logged on to buy an extra ticket for the Man City game and noticed "good availability" for block 3. Clicked on it and saw that for the first time (that I've seen it anyway) it's completely open to buy tickets in. Previously I understand that block 3 has been for club employees only, this effects what is a good atmosphere generated by blocks 1&2 but stops it being as good as it was pre relegation when you had 1-4 all really getting behind the team. Just wondering if this will carry on after the City game or the club will only open it for Cat A games to increase revenue? IMO it would be great to have a fully standing block 3 like before.

To me it seems UK politics is being more and more like the partisan US political system. ie David Cameron could go into a Labour voter's house, wash his car, make his dinner, wash up after and sign a 10 point manifesto on his kids lives but he still wouldn't get his vote as he's a "nasty Tory". Same as Republicans not supporting universal, free at the point of access health care. Anyone that has spent time in the US will have seen how 2 tier that has made the country, I remember seeing an RTA which an ambulance was called to, as well as hoping the victim was OK I was just as much hoping they had healthcare insurance, if not that ambulance call out was going to cost them X thousands of $. What kind of "Leaders of the Free World" allow that kind of ***? Just can't understand the mentality of people opposing free healthcare purely because the bloke tabling the idea is from "the other lot". Mental. I've voted Labour and Tory over the years, I reserve the right to vote for who I want, that doesn't make me "Tory Scum" or a "Scrounger/ benefit apologist". However I really do see a them/ us approach (from both sides) where people denounce good ideas purely because they weren't thought up by "their" party.