Victor

Was he one of the 257,392 people the Sun claimed was going to be their new manager?

Check your own copy first. Embarrassed, are you?!

I am strongly in favour of Remberance Day being observed, but would also have questioned black armbands being worn by a football team on 6th November. It is something I associate with the death of someone associated with the club. Poppies are the symbol of rememberance. It was a fair question, and anyone deriding it is being over-sensitive, and a little sanctimonious.

Couldn't give a toss about the FA cup? Tosser!

Why don't you spell 'colours' kullers?

Or you can AGREE a pay-off with them.

Preston - 23,408 at start of 2008/09 season. What's happened to the missing 3,883 in the last year - tidal wave?

Championship talent, maybe - but we were in the Premier league then. Presumably a contributory factor in the direction we were headed, then.

What do you mean - has he cancelled his order for the Sun and changed to a newspaper?

I beg your pardon, I thought it just had a lot of pictures and a report of/build up to the 'X Factor'. Unless, of course, you count a footballer's wife having a baby as 'news'.

Bit touchy, aren't you? It's typical Sun scatter-gun approach - mention as many names as they can think of and then when there is an announcement they say: 'You heard it here first, folks' and include a picture of the extract from the one earlier report that happened to mention the right one. No mention of the others they claimed were going there, and didn't, of course. Remember, it's not a newspaper, so don't read it for news.

How do you know he is a one trick pony? - he has been brought on to do that one trick, he has only needed to do that one trick, and it has worked. Worth starting him to see what affect that has and if he can do the rest. Unsettle the opposition from the start - don't give them time to sort themselves out and close down space. If they put two on him it creates space elsewhere. Your thinking is too conservative. Get at them from the start. put them on their backfoot, get them facing their own goal - that's when defences make mistakes.

Yeah, but a fair few teams must have suffered it against us over the last 10 years!

If we were on the verge of breaking a record we would have already equalled the previous record - so not always true what you say! KTF

More likely to work against us with him trying desperately to show he ISN'T biased. As I only have one post left today, may I take this opportunity of congratulating Nigel Pearson in leading his team to the top of the Championship!

Surely this has to be an ironical tale - noone is so stupid to hate their brother because of the team they support? Mind you, some people hate their Jewish neighbour because of the clothes they wear, some people hate their neighbour because they have a different colour skin, some people hate their neighbour because they are Roman Catholic, because they are ginger, because they are short, old. feeble-mided. All You Need is Hate. It's what makes the world go round.

All records are there to be broken - after all, TMc broke one. It was his own, though - 6 the previous season against Oxford City. Presumably he only got 6 as he didn't have PB with him that time!

Surely, though not genius, it is a bit unfair to dismiss it as 'not rocket science' to have brought in the 'good players' he has brought in. Most were released by their clubs or were available because their existing manager did not rate them, Lambert excepted. Pardew deserves credit for identifying them as the players he needed. I like his style - he seems smart, focussed and in control. We may not get many quips from him, but at least we will be spared Dame Alex's embarrassing histrionics (tho' her paddys are very amusing!).

I'm an old git and I don't talk about him much, certainly don't rave about him. His name comes up occasionally in conversation with my sons - he presented cups to them when they played in the Tyro league - but mention his name here in his home town of Eastbourne and you will be met with blank stares. His goals were important in the promotion season but I think he has a cult following of one, Alps!

Captained the England and Sussex cricket teams, played cricket for Hampshire, held the world long jump record, invented Diabolo, was offered the crown of Albania, could stand with his back to the fire and jump onto the mantelpiece, played rugby for Oxford University and Barbarians, started the TS nautical schools becoming a captain in the Royal Navy Reserve, stood (unsuccessfully) as an MP etc. etc. Bit of an all-round show-off really.

I agree we have a huge advantage over most of the other L1 sides, but I think we are really comparing this team with what we have been seeing before at SAINTS. There is a huge difference, maybe not due to 'genius', but certainly not just due to money and mostly down to Pardew and the new attitude and approach of the club. It is a breath of fresh air.

I wonder if we have spent any more money than when we were tumbling out of the Premiership and on a ever faster downward spiral. There is a whole difference between the team I watched yesterday and most of those of the last few seasons. The players in each position were right for that position, they looked pretty fit, knew their jobs, had skill and could read the game, closed the opposition down quickly and looked as though they wanted to play for Saints. How much of that can you say is down to us being 'the Chelsea' of League 1 and how much to Pards and his approach to building a team and going for the right type of player, a player he has researched fully or already knew, instead of some third rate Swede recommended to him as available?

I am quite happy for you to support Portsmouth, unless you are from Southampton. You have my sympathy, but your point...?

So, if they'd been in uniform they'd have got a medal. Funny old world.

Thankyou for your thoughtful and analytical contribution. A pity this is only for Saints-related subjects, otherwise I would have sought your opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict.