sadoldgit

I don't believe anything. I make some assumptions but they are only assumptions. I don't sit in the boardroom, I am not privvy to the converations that these people have so I don't know. Good for you, you obviously have a hotline to all of these private discussions so well done. (PS go talk to Throbber about Pearson). Oh yes, and keep on using those rolley eyes things because they work so well in backing up your arguements Steve.

That's the trouble with plans, they don't always go to plan!!! Confidence plays such a huge part in all of this. If some players had stayed fit and if we had won some of the games we played well in, who knows...but as you say, the wheels are falling off big time now and there seem to be precious few answers. We do have some good players and I don't see why things can't be turned around in time, but the defence looks like and area where we have to throw money at, whare is that money going to come from? Not a pretty sight, but I don't think those who feel the need to find scapegoats are helping the situation.

So then that proves that he wanted to stay does it? People say all sorts of things and do the opposite. I don't see anywhere where he says that he actually wanted to stay, do you? I see you are still using the rolley eyes things, yep, really adds to your argument.

We shall never know, but I do think that Pearson would have struggled too with what we have here to work with currently. If you are going with growing your youth team you need someone who buys into that philosophy. I am making an assumption here but I would not be surprised if the strategy was put to him and he decided that he did not want to work under those conditions. We can criticise JPs tactics but if you have good enough players they should be able to make a decent fist of most systems. I haven't seem much football this season but, from the sound of it, we are just too lightweight in too many areas of the pitch. I really doubt that Pearson could have made much of a difference.

Oh dear, the rolley eyes thing again. No Lowe was not soley to blame for relegation (remind me again, how many games did he play?). No Lowe is not soley to blame for the state we are in now (great idea of Wilde and co to blow all that cash wan't it?), but if it makes you feel better to believe that one man is repsonsible for everything (just like it is Gordon Brown' fault that the economy is in a mess) then good for you. {ps, If Lowe gets the blame for relegation how come he does not get the credit for the cup final, our best Prem finish and a taste of European football? Oh yes, that's right, it does not fit in with your flexible aganda does it?} Oh, and if you are going to try and continue to score cheap points, please respond to what I actually said. I actually said in hindsight I would have stuck with Wigley over Redknapp as he could not have done much worse and would probably have spent that cash more wisely/ As for the OS. Did they actually say anything about winning the league? How do you make the leap from revolutionary coaching set up to beating everyone in site (feel free to add rolley eyes here if it helps you understand my point). You and Alpine make great bedfellows. You are both steeped in the blame culture and you are so busy finding fault with others you don't actually know what to do about the problems yourself do you? As for being in a bubble, probably preferable to being wedged up my own back passage. Come on then, I have given up with Alpine coming up with any postive suggestions but how would you take the club forward given the current financial situation? Any fool can critisise, let's hear your master plan Steve. And by the way, I am not excusing any poor performances. But then I have seen them under managers like Bates and McMenemy too, so perhaps I have a bit more patience? The way that you take people's posts apart and try and make out you have a superior grasp on things by the childish insertion of those stupid rolley eyes things, anyone would have thought that you were bright enough to see the situation for what it is. Even under the people you hitched your wagon to (yay, we got our club back) the OS was full of spin. Of have you conveniently forgotten that period? Surely to anyone with an ounce of common sense this season and the next two or three are going to be very tough indeed (no matter what spin the OS gives it). Not because of Lowe, as you would have us believe, but because no one can be found to come in and inject the funds we need to compete at a decent level.

You still don't get it do you? It is not what you say it is the way that you say it that gets up people's noses.

I would imagine that the players mentioned are on far less than the likes of John, BWP excepted, Mike.

I am not going there as I would fall into the same trap as others who repeat 3 hand gossip, but I think Alpine ought to consider that Pearson might have actually jumped rather than have been pushed Wes. And whatever Alpine might want to think, I had no problem with Pearson other then his record was less than brilliant and couldn't understand why he was seen as such a good thing. To be honest, if he was still here, do you think that things would be any better?

What has Wigley got to do with it? But as you have asked, in hindsight I would rather have seen the season out with him. He couldn't have done much worse then Redknapp and you would like to think he would have bought better players than Bernard and Davenport with the money that harry was given. I am not excusing the poor performances but I am pointing out the obvious. The financial constarints have had a huge detrimental effect on this club both on and off the pitch. As for promising so much, what exactly?

Thank God you weren't around in the 70s otherwise you would have had McMenemy out of the door in no time. How do define "lambasted"? Is it, pointed out that the manager who you priased had a worse record than the one you constantly slagged off? Where did I say that I would give him infinite time exactly? You do this all the time don't you. If we are going to have a grown up discussion learn the art of reading what people say and respond to what they say, not what you think they said. And whilst on the subject of Pearson, the manager you hold in such high esteem left? No of course you don't. Have you ever stopped to think that he decided not to hang about because of the financial restraints? Hmmm, that would not fit in with your agenda at all would it? A manager leaving us in the lurch. Blimey, that would make him almost like Burley wouldn't it? Still, you must have such a perfect view of what goes on at SFC tucked away in your Austrian retreat. So then, some homework for you. Go and find example of me "lambasting" Pearson and whilst your at it feel free to find posts where I say that Lowe is the Messiah. And while you are about it, one more for you. The club is skint and can't afford to pay its top earners. What do you do about it?

How old are you Alpine? 13?

I never said Pearson out I just said that his points total didn't make him a fantastic manager. I am sure you will also realise that Pearson had better and more experienced players to pick from. Tell me Alpine, as you are always so quick to rip people to shreds, why aren't you doing it now eh? Got soft spot for the Dutch and no time for the Scots perhaps? Feel free to go and fine posts where I have wanted any manager out. Unilke you I realise that this new set up is not going to happen over night and probably not even over the season. Unlike you I am not going to call for the manager to be sacked, even if we go down. We are a club with huge financial problems and few choices. You can either ignore the facts and keep finding targest to slag or you can get behind the club in its time of need. Your choice.

But I didn't say that did I? Leeds tried the other way and look hat happened to them. Like it of not if you spend what you don't have you are going to end up in trouble at some point. How do you know that he never took a punt on the football case? He took a huge punt on hiring Strachan didn't he? I'd say that signing Delgado was a huge punt too. What you fail to see is that any other CEO would have taken, or not taken, certain decsions based on the business/football needs. To trot out this stuff about running the place as a football club and for footballing ends is very naive. We have never been big spenders because we have never had the money to spend. You could argue that if the people running the club back in the mid 80's had taken a punt we might have won the league rather then come runners up. We had a preety good team but we were still relatively weak in a few areas on the pitch for a team that high in the league. Take a look at Spurs. They have spent shedloads of cash on players and look where they are. Isn't it obvious now that it doesn't matter how much money you spend it doesn't guarentee success? Charlton were held up as a model as where would should be a couple of season ago. Where are they now? Three teams get relegated each year. I can't be bothered to do the maths but dozens have been relegated since the Prem was set up. Guess what, only one was run by Lowe. Doesn't that tell you that dozens of Chairman and CEOs have made mistakes? The way you go on you would think that Lowe was the only person to oversee the relegation of a club. It happens and it happened to us. There is no guarantee that if Lowe had acted any differently that things would have turned out differently.

You seem to have completely missed what has been going on in football for some time now. It is a business and we owe a great deal of money, which, in the current economic climate is not a great position to be in. The last lot who came in on the back of running the place as a football club did well didn't they? Blew a load of cash we couldn't afford and now we are in much deeper poo than we were before. If Lowe goes we will still need someone in who runs this club as a business. We are stuffed financially and that is why tough business decisions are being made. Others will follow John and they are only being loaned because no one is up for buying them. If Skacel had this club at heart he would have taken Ipswich's offer. It is a sad state of affairs but we have no choice. If we don't get shot of the high earners you will have your wish Alpine, we will be a football club and we will be playing the likes of Bromley Town.

Read what I said. He made his announcement about the future of the club long before he left and that is when the damage was done. As for ignoring the defence...where are the problems right now and why aren't you pouring the same level of scorn on JP? Oh yes, that's right, you have decided that he is a decent chap therefore above the famous Alpine scorn.

Which is where we were before the manager you constantly vilify left and we dropped like a stone. And before you counter that we were already dropping we were still closer to the play offs than relagation zone at that point. Even after losing three of our better players last year there was no reason why a mid table finish was not possible (or probable) until Hone made his ill-timed speech and the heart visibley went out of the season. Go and check that date of his announcement and look at the performances before and after. When one of the head honchos announces to the world that any ambition for promotion is effectively over what do you expect to happen?

Surely the question should be why wouldn't Lowe let JP field his best team? As far as I know there is not one shred of evidence to support the notion that Lowe interferes with the team selection but that doesn't stop Alpine dropping it into his posts whenever he can. I seem to remember many posts along the line that a former manager was deliberatley sabataging our promotion attempt too! Hmmmm. What is evident is that the club are trying to build a team for the future and in doing so have been trying to keep the younger players together as much as possible so that in two or three years time they should have progressed to the point that they can mount a promotion push (Wilde has said that there is a 3 year plan to get promotion). Perhaps they have held off using the older players a little too long, but it is also very clear that many players have not been picked because they simply have not been fit. Not Lowe's doing at all. As we know, Lowe has a large backlog of managers. Has any one of them ever stated that Lowe tried to pick the team? We know that he had a hand in signing some players, and which club Chairman doesn't, but inconjunction with his staff rather tha unilaterally. JP might be working to a plan laid down by his bosses, but how many managers are not? Until we have irrefutable profe that Lowe does meddle with the team selections, here's an idea, let's all work on the premise that JP picks the team, sorts out the tactics and is personally responsible for any successes or failures that his team have, ok?

I doubt very much if that is true. Of course the club are going to big up any changes they make but I think most Saints fans knew the score and that this was always going to be a tough season. What should they do? Run a story saying that financial constraints mean that we are going to play kids and bring in a cheap management team so don't expect too much for a year or two? There is nothing wrong with the premise of trying to survive by bringing through your own players. Where is should be tempered though is where the players are not good enough. At some point you have to say enough is enough and bring in the older heads. Hopefully that point was against Watford

I don't quite understand where you get the "winners" from? Surely if we fail everyone fails? I really do not see what Lowe and Wilde gain if the club goes down the pan.

There is still a long way to go. We have some decent players to come back from injury and there are several sides a lot worse than us.

Blimey we have been relegated already? Mystic Alpine strikes again. And the lottery numbers for next week will be???

Here we go again, everything is Burley's is fault. When Higgy was here here was slated for being a hoofer. A number of better players came in under Burley? Better players have come and gone like Davies, remember? Burley's fault? Burley left some time ago, since then we have had two different mangers, why aren't you blaming them for he state of the defence? Doesn't fit your agenda does it? Hasn't JP been here long enough to take the rap for our defensive frailties yet or are you leaving him alone because "he is a decent chap" and you are still blaming our problems on a long departed manager? Higgy chose to leave for more money, I am sure has was really gutted about that.

He wasn't allowed anywhere near the first team, which given the postion we were in, you would have though that @Arry could have done with some advice from a "winner". Like him or not, he was never given a chance to show what he could do at SFC.

If everybody left who ever devided the fan base the club would have collapsed years ago!

He seemed to know more about goalkeepers than WGS! He gave WGS a job when his stock was low, turned out to be a good call. How do you know that he interferes with the team? The only people that divide the fan base is the fan base. Have you not noticed? The fan base are ALWAYS divided about something or someone. he had his moments but would anyone know he was back up the club now? Talk about keeping a low profile.. He is doing a job that if he was not here someone else would have to do, with the same constraints, so why go? At least he knows the club, who is to say someone esle will do any better?