Belgiansaint

Like him or not, his professionalism was unquestionable. He did not leave the sinking ship. Good luck to him.

Not my cup of tea in principle, but given the circumstances I guess it must go down as a really good effort. And a good chant for the terraces, too.

Depends. It could have been Geoff Boycott: Benneau (sp?): I think the ball hit him right up his left thigh Boycott: And up the right one as well

There should indeed be some form of recognition for great Saints, like there's the Shankly Gates at Anfield or the Matt Busby Ave near Old Trafford. I never understood why fans never had any say (either on the then S4F or anywhere else as far as I know) on this matter. Ted Bates has got a statue as "Mr. Southampton", why not honour others who graced The Dell or SMS (though "gracing SMS", if we consider Saints' downfall ever since they moved in might not be an appropriate wording).

I was very happy to be able to ring the club on Saturday morning and donate a ticket. I'd gladly do it again if I get the opportunity. I think I even could make it a personal permanent scheme (i.e. foster a kid's Sat afternoon at Saints if the club survive). Thanks to the forum member (name eludes me and I don't really have the time to browse the whole thread) who gave me the phone number.

Yet another reason not to treat football fans as mere "customers". Just once again highlights the difference between a football club and Tesco. If only those who should have been aware had known.

cheers mate. is it a "normal" phone number, otherwise I won't get to speak to anyone.

I'd like to buy and donate a ticket, but the form on the OS says I need a customer number. I'm off for the weekend tomorrow early morning and don't know what I can do to help as I'll have no web connection.

absolute classic!

Perhaps they have donated but wish to remain anonymous (contractual reasons maybe?)

Sorry if I got that wrong. I translated the article without the translation being proofread by a native speaker.

Those translation engines somehow remind me of Lowe's management: not a bad idea, but the end-product is shiite.

Totally agree with Gemmel and Rallyboy.

Here we go for a quick and "unproofread" translation Jan Poortvliet takes a break "VELSEN - It's as though he'd never been away. He recently went for a bit to eat along with Telstar's Burggraaf brothers in Santpoort-Noord. 'Hi lads! Everything's fine' he says in his characteristic way. Jan Poortvliet had just come back to Velsen and looked particularly relaxed. 'After being sacked by Southampton it is now time to pick myself up. Just relax and enjoy doing nothing', smiles the friendly man from Zeland. After a reasonably successful period in Ijmond, he went from Nuenen and Arnemuiden to Helmond Sport where he signed a contract, but couldn't refuse a tempting offer from a country close to his heart in football terms: England. 'I received a fantastic offer from Southampton who had played at the highest level for years, who had had a lovely, new 32,000-capacity stadium built but who had to enter the competition with nippers for financial reasons. We were credited for playing attractive football but couldn't make it pay at home. The kids won 6 games away but very seldom at home. Perhaps the pressure of playing at home was too much for them. It's sad, but I don't think they'll avoid relegation.' Poortvliet underwent the agony of seeing his assistant Mark Wotte take over from him. 'Mark told the board that he could turn things over. Well...', he says without further comment. Yet he enjoyed his stay on the South coast. 'The Championship is packed with teams which have a rich history and play in front of incredibly high attendances. Derby County, Wolves, Reading, Queen's Park Rangers en Sheffield United all play at Championship level. But don't write Southampton off that list. Every away game we had a 2,000-strong support despite our low table position and expensive ticket prices. A few weeks back they had a 27,000 crowd in the relegation clash against Charlton Athletic. True, the ticket prices had been slashed, but it's still impressive. It's a pity we couldn't find an answer to the hoofball game in our division. You wouldn't believe our defenders and forwards get stuck in.' Poortvliet remains vague about his own future. 'I'll just see what comes in. I'm just enjoying a rest at the moment. Something will come up. Everything will be fine..." *** Hope this makes it a wee bit more understable

30 points deducted was always going to kill them. I feel for their fans and I hope LTFC will be back soon. Credit to them for winning a trophy at such a difficult moment. While I can understand the principle of docking points for mismanagement, giving a club an "unclimbable" mountain to climb is beyond me. It's putting someone in no position to compete, which is what sports is all about. Is this totally lawful?

Do you have the points deducted even if you finish in the bottom three?

the guy's dangerously clever. not naming anyone, apportioning blame, not telling obvious lies (e.g. the fact the bank overlent is probably true per se). turning the story in his favour. the guy is dangerous! my fear is he'll be back as quick as a flask to buy the club for a penny. as greasy as some pliticians. b******!

[edit] didn't see stlard's link

Perhaps they normally don't train on the day after a game and have been called to duty as a sanction?

Just had a look at our relegation rivals' fixtures. Their run-in doesn't look comfortable either, especially next week. A Saints win in Blackpool combined with Brum, Wolves and Burnley wins over Norwich, Forest and Plymouth (theoretically very plausible) would constitute a huge motivational boost. Wonder if 49 or 50 points won't be enough, though Saints should aim for higher, of course. Are they capable of doing that? That's another kettle of fish, obviously. Gonna be a nail-biting finish to say the least.

St Feuillien for me (local brewery). Yes it was the score. Hopping on an off from the telly to the pc

you beauty!

effing brilliant, really. btw, I'm also following Exeter v. B'mouth on the Beeb website. Is Exeter keeper our Paul Jones?

11 points would be great indeed.

Let's stick with Wotte and see what happens. If we stay up and MW goes, then I'd have Dave Jones back or perhaps give Sean O'Driscoll a go as he is used to working with little money.