Kingsland Red

There were not evidently any programmes for sale at San Siro. My inner nerd likes a programme from every Saints game I attend, so it wasn't for the want of trying to find one...

I tend to just read this forum when there is no football during the summers. The fear of change and the unknown is prevalent with the forum monopolised by those with little trust in LR or the board , despite a decent track record suggesting otherwise.

Stek's not a very good shot stopper from what I saw during his time at Saints

Virgil is potentially better than all those mentioned as a centre back. However, like Bale , I think he could also play further up the pitch. I like the way he brings the ball out of defence and occasionally stays upfield during an attack, if for example we retain possession after a corner set piece has broken down. A beast and technically very strong with a good football brain, I really hope we can keep him for a couple more seasons.

It's been mentioned on here and LR picked up on it at the last Fans Forum: FFP has stymied clubs such as ourselves for the foreseeable future, hence our own way of nurturing academy and little known overseas players and selling for ludicrous profit. I am not sure if any new investment brings anything beneficial to our party on the playing budget, only on the infrastructure of the facilities.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Liebherr era, they have got us back to a very good place. If the Chinese don't just see us as a means of an end to generate their own profits, I think the club need to explore such options, as although being careful as to what we wish for, maybe we are hitting that glass ceiling.

Not sure the club could have anticipated both JRod and Long being out at the same time . With Austin and Redmond that is four strikers. Is it not reasonable to lean on the youth thereafter? I don't think the four incumbents of the striker role, or any addition, would be happy rotating even more than we do at the moment.

Totally agree with all that. I was surprised that so many fans turned their noses up at Puel, just because he has no Premier League experience. He is a football scholar, like Wenger, who looks at each players attributes and has the ability to create a team from the parts. Whilst clubs spend vast amounts on ready made egos who seem incapable of playing together, he seems to be able to improve players and form a balanced hard working team.

Patrick Colleter, a long range effort , can't remember the opposition.

Yep, I concur. Puel appears more of a football technician looking at alternatives and all aspects of a player's game. I also believe he will last more than two seasons. Koeman, like Poch, was in it to enhance his own career path towards Barca.

Wow, he has only just completed on a (rather large ) house in St Cross, Winchester. ( Yes , I know that mean nothing)

Maybe therein lies the issues with restricting the numbers of supporters travelling and the nonsense about not being able to get in without a passport / ID - the Italians treat a law as merely a suggestion, we take them literally.

Back home after a great couple of days in Milan. Nice city, although we stayed around Piazza del Duomo and the canal area. A couple of observations I shall email the club's ticket office about: What was the passport / ID business with tickets all about ? No one checked our name or wanted to see our ID. Tickets were for sale at a kiosk outside the ground for the 'home' stands on the night and we noticed several Saints tops in the stand in front of us , the one opposite the tunnel. Seat numbers were totally irrelevant as we could sit anywhere across the second tier behind the goal. Finally, ( not a ticket office observation ) the ' health and safety' North Car Park type announcement was bizarre as all Saints fans exited,once Jose had run around a bit, via one single stairway which was not healthy or safe.

No probs getting back except M3 roadworks workforce still on strike

On board flight to LGW from Linate. No delays at all. Maybe the Italians should strike more often...

I don't follow the forum enough to pick up on the whys and wherefores of various posters, but I think it would be recognised that a manager takes about ten games to get a feel for what the individual players can do. Puel had a disjointed start, as players gradually came back from the Euros, in reverse order with the best coming back last. He is proving to be a good judge of players and clearly has the ability to put out well balanced teams adequate enough to beat the relevant opponent, whilst rotating every game. His use of our youngsters is a bonus. I am warming to a manager who appears to be about the team / club rather than the fast track progression of his own career.

Yep, we noticed that we could understand the announcements and Benali goings on yesterday. The tannoys aimed at the Kingsland on the half way line actually work for the first time for years.

LGW flight to Linate at 7am

What I always struggle to understand is how one of their own - Francis Benali and his Big Race slowly lumbers past £300,000 in donations whilst all the football clubs Fran visits have many footballers on the same monies as Shane Long. Meanwhile we, the fan, are asked to text a £5 donation. The wealth in Premier League football could give a massive boost to Cancer Research and many other needy causes.....

Arsenal gave away season tickets for the Emirates to anyone buying a flat in the Highbury residential development. A couple of guys I work with are diehard Spuds with season tickets for 'The Lane'. They give their Emirates season tickets away for various to attend games. On another point, I am sure there are away fans from most clubs sitting in seats using season tickets around us in the Kingsland Centre.

Anyone been advised when we can expect to receive Inter away tickets ?

The list is also only top flight clubs, so no Villa or Newcastle

Thank you all. All a bit too far away from the whimsical world of the Kingsland where we just sat waiting for Yoshi to have his one moment . Fortunately he survived it with Big Frazer, like us , expecting it.

Sitting up in the Kingsland last night, whilst Saints were purring through the match, there was the side show in the away end which appeared totally out of context with the mood around the stadium. The Czech away support seemed to be constantly moved around , videoed and invaded by stewards and the police with those black caps on. What was going on - were there suspected neo Nazis, known hooligans, or folk planning annexing the Sudetenland - very bizarre ? I hope this is not what we can expect in Prague / Milan / Israel.

Should the players get despondent with Puel or vice versa, once they step over that white line ….