One Year Ago Today...

[70's Mike]

Mike I know what you are trying to say but by the same token our last game last season winning did not necessarily mean safety. We had 3 points to win and no more games and fortunately those above us slipped up so we stayed up. This Saturday we are 5 points off safety with 3 points to play for and still another 13 games and 39 points after that. Even if it goes really t1ts up on Saturday we will be 8 points from safety and still those 39 points. We are still in control of our own destiny and even if we don't get anything at home to Preston or Cardiff (only lost 4 all season) then its still not desperate with massive but winnable games against Watford, Charlton, Forest, Sheff W, Palace, Derby, Blackpool, QPR all looking a lot easier than our next two and points to be picked up at Ipswich and maybe Burnley at home and writing off the games at Wolves and Birmingham.

 

What do you think will be the safety cut off this season? I think it will be a little lower than last year as the teams fighting it out are doing better than those down there last year so less points in theory to go around with no obvious banker games. I reckon between 46 and 48 points so stick with the 6 wins and as many draws as we can get. Surely better than relying on just one win and hoping others do you a favour? Not much btter granted but still in our hands - just!

but that is the issue we now need teams above us to lose more games than we do to stay up , how is it in our hands they have to lose for us to have any chance

[Nineteen Canteen]

but that is the issue we now need teams above us to lose more games than we do to stay up ' date=' how is it in our hands they have to lose for us to have any chance[/quote']

 

Mike the point I'm trying to make admittedly badly but better to be in our position with 14 games to go than where we were with 1 game to go. Yes we need others to slip up but over teh course of 14 games that may be more likely than over just one with some teams having nothing to play for. Not to mention we still have some teams to play who are down there with us.

 

Things have looked better under Wotte and I would even be hopeful of a draw or cheeky 3-2 win come Saturday. You have to remain hopeful or did you give up during previous relegation battles and the great escape?

[obelisk]

What gets me is that should a miracle happen and Saints actually start winning some home games the likes of 19****een will be claiming a massive victory for their lord and master's strategy. Of course it's possible that relegation could be avoided and that is surely what is hoped for, but it does not alter the fact that yet again Lowe brings us 3 managers in a year and a relegation struggle. Nothing changes with the divisive incompetent hated one. I just ask you to see that the bloke is far short of being some sort of a messiah.

[Channon's Sideburns]

Who was it that once said 'Believe it or not, goals change a game'

 

Our problem is that besides Saga, we can't bloody score.

[St Landrew]

What gets me is that should a miracle happen and Saints actually start winning some home games the likes of 19****een will be claiming a massive victory for their lord and master's strategy. Of course it's possible that relegation could be avoided and that is surely what is hoped for, but it does not alter the fact that yet again Lowe brings us 3 managers in a year and a relegation struggle. Nothing changes with the divisive incompetent hated one. I just ask you to see that the bloke is far short of being some sort of a messiah.

 

Just the sort of question that was raised in conversation the other day. If relegation is narrowly avoided, I can see bunting in the streets; a cause for City celebration. Yet realistically, whoever put Saints back another season should clean out his/her/their desk, never to set foot in the club again. They should never get the chance to put the club in so much danger again. Last season was a mistake, caused by initial over-confidence and then a poor/demotivated manager, continuning boardroom instability, ongoing financial screw-ups, etc.. The season kind of ground it's way to inevitable error, before someone took charge of it and appointed Nigel Pearson. He wasn't the biggest success, but he did the necessary. He kept Saints in the Championship when the form was going downhill like an Olympic Champion skier. But more importantly, 95% of Saints fans loved him, and had confidence in him for the next season.

 

This season has been a precise decision to change the way the club operates. Someone had done the methodical research [that's a laugh] and decided that the reserves/academy, and a few select buy-ins and loans were good enough to progress through this league, with a new untried [in this league] playing system. Seemed very interesting, radical and worthy of support, but then you got the realism, and realised there was no fall back position. What is one supposed to say at this point - the rest was history..? Well it's been a shambles so far.

 

The rest will be history - come mid-May.

[um pahars]

Stephen Clemence, Matt Oakley, Steve Howard, Matty Fryett, Bruno N'Gotty, Paul Dickov, Chris Powell, -wonder how their wage bill compares to ours?!

 

Four of those players have got 12 starts between them!!!!!!!

 

Oakley, Howard and Fryatt are regulars, but there's obviously some misinformation doing the rounds if Ponty and you still think they have the Championship squad from last season.

 

That said, even if they did (which they don't), it was a Championship side that wasn't worthy of being a Championship side and as we found out the hard way, getting promoted is not that easy.

 

The three who are regulars above plus Dyer are the stalwarts.

 

Then there are youngsters/loanees such as King, Hobbs, Martin, Gilbert, Morrison, Mattock etc. and a few other decent free transfers such as Dyer.

 

Very often, the majority of the team that Pearson has been playing with have been youngsters brought in on loan, or youngsters from Leicester's Academy, and the team bears little resemblence to the one that got relegated last season.

 

Got to be some of the best players for the 3rd tier ever?

 

And some of them were the same players who were relegated last season, so I'm not sure why you should be wnking your legs off over them.

 

Pearson may not be the next Hot Young British Managerial Prospect, but he has done a mighty fine job rebuilding a new Leicester squad and turning them into promotion favourites.

 

The idea that he has just waltzed in and taken an underperforming Championship team and dusted them down couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

 

Here's something I posted a while back when someone else trotted out the same lazy line without doing any research.

 

 

 

You may want to have a rethink about what Pearson has at his disposal and it is also worth noting that just because a team gets relegated, it doesn't automatically mean they will bounce back (as we found out to our cost!!).

 

Here was his team from recently when people were moaning that he would only play older players who would have cost a fortune.

 

When you consider the number of loanees, frees and youngsters then maybe you might want to reconsider your view that he is using the same players as last season.

 

 

Here's his side today:

 

4 loanees

 

11 of the squad are 23 or under (7 are 20 or under)

 

Martin - 23 (on loan)

Gilbert - 21 (on loan)

Morrison - 20 (new in)

Hobbs - 20 (on loan)

Berner - 31 (new in)

Oakley - 31

Andy King - 20

Cleverley - 19 (on loan)

Dyer - 26 (new in)

Fryatt - 22

Howard - 32

 

Subs:

Pentney - No age or data (but young)

Chambers - 18

Gradel - 21

Mattock - 18

Dickov - 134

[The Godfather]

Who was it that once said 'Believe it or not, goals change a game'

 

Our problem is that besides Saga, we can't bloody score.

 

Remember when Wotte took over, he told us that (as did Wilde) we could get a striker in on loan. What did Wotte say after the Bristol City game last Saturday we're struggling to score goals. Their's still no sign of a striker coming in (of any experience that has a track record of goals) apart from 18yr old trialists from Hoddle's academy. How do we expect to have any chance of winning a match if we've no chance of scoring.

[70's Mike]

Mike the point I'm trying to make admittedly badly but better to be in our position with 14 games to go than where we were with 1 game to go. Yes we need others to slip up but over teh course of 14 games that may be more likely than over just one with some teams having nothing to play for. Not to mention we still have some teams to play who are down there with us.

 

Things have looked better under Wotte and I would even be hopeful of a draw or cheeky 3-2 win come Saturday. You have to remain hopeful or did you give up during previous relegation battles and the great escape?

 

 

the lunatic fringe do not give up , unlike the corporate gods promoted by rupert who deserted the club as soon as the going got tough.

As for things looking better under Wotte , rose coloured specs springs to mind

[dubai_phil]

Yawn another NP thread.

 

We were greatly underwhelmed when he was appointed, MLT was equally outspoken in a tv interview. He did arrest the slide by bringing in good quality loan players and kept us up by the skin of his teeth.

 

I give up counting the number of times we have all said we believe he could have done a better job for us this season, but the point is we won't ever know.

 

I give up counting the number of times we've all said it was a stupid gamble to go with the Dutch AND the kids, but again, the point is we don't know if Pearson would have been better. We all believe he would have been but we don't really KNOW.

 

The fact is it is now IRRELEVANT, because even if an Abramovich came in this week, NP won't be walking out of Leicester for us, so all that matters is getting an average of OVER 1.5 points per game until the end of the season.

 

I've given up believing that Wotte can do that even with some loans coming in, and I sure as sh*t don't believe that Lowe will change Wotte in TIME should we NOT start to win our home games from Saturday onwards.

 

It hurts like hell but the only hope I see is what 19canteen says -

 

Originally Posted by Nineteen Canteen

Mike the point I'm trying to make admittedly badly but better to be in our position with 14 games to go than where we were with 1 game to go. Yes we need others to slip up but over teh course of 14 games that may be more likely than over just one with some teams having nothing to play for. Not to mention we still have some teams to play who are down there with us.

 

Things have looked better under Wotte and I would even be hopeful of a draw or cheeky 3-2 win come Saturday. You have to remain hopeful or did you give up during previous relegation battles and the great escape?

 

 

Trouble is once again, I don't really believe it

[um pahars]

The fact is it is now IRRELEVANT,

 

Of course it's irrelevant Phil. 99% of the stuff on this board is irrelevant and the vast majority of stuff revolves around subjective and hypothetical viewpoints and opinions.

 

"What ifs", "If only" and "I'd play ...." are part and parcel of being a football fan.

 

Thinking of "what might have been" with regards Pearson is obviously something people will be saying, particularly given that the decision was in our hands, he's doing really well and we're doing really sht.

 

You could never prove one way or the other whether under Pearson we would be 24th or 4th, but given the nature of the game and the current scenario, it's always going to be brought up.

 

Chill out fella, at least you don't get to experience all this sht first hand at matches, us poor buggers get to watch it all go tts up right in front of us.

[krissyboy31]

Things have looked better under Wotte.

 

I'm not sure I agree but if there has been an improvement, it has been staggeringly outpaced by the improvement of all the teams around us (Derby, Watford, Forest, Donny Rovers and even Charlton). Some have changed manager, others stuck with theirs but all have managed to string a few results together, whereas we can't buy one win, let alone a string.

[yorkiesaint]

All of you that slate NP are clearly off your somethingorothers. He came into a demoralised squad, galvenised the team and grabbed enough points for survival with only the odd judicious loan signing. Even though it was mathematically out of our hands on the last day, it seemed likely that one of the six teams above us would slip up, which is indeed what happened. Now his leicester side are walking league 1. as we all know , even though he is well resourced this is still a good achievement (ask colin calderwood), they are 10 points clear FFS. basically one of the best young managers dropped in our lap, wanted to stay and anyone with half a brain would have done whatever they could to keep hold of him.

[dubai_phil]

Originally Posted by dubai_phil

Things have looked better under Wotte.

 

 

I'm not sure I agree but if there has been an improvement, it has been staggeringly outpaced by the improvement of all the teams around us (Derby, Watford, Forest, Donny Rovers and even Charlton). Some have changed manager, others stuck with theirs but all have managed to string a few results together, whereas we can't buy one win, let alone a string.

 

 

Eek - I didn't say things look better under Wotte - I have no way of knowing as my trip back last week didn't take in a Saturday! I was quoting a larger piece by 19canteen you're not a journalist are you! :-)

 

And UP yes of course I am with you on the what if side of debate, just we have the same debate on average every week

 

What I was really trying to say is that right now all that should worry us is how on earth we get 21 points to stay up with the current "set up".

 

Things may be bad in Southampton at the moment but by all accounts and even some of the rumours over here, things in general in the world economy may be worse than they seem.

 

Hope we don't come on here in 6 months commenting on how good things seemed right now! Now that WOULD be hard to chill out from...

[Frank's cousin]

All of you that slate NP are clearly off your somethingorothers. He came into a demoralised squad, galvenised the team and grabbed enough points for survival with only the odd judicious loan signing. Even though it was mathematically out of our hands on the last day, it seemed likely that one of the six teams above us would slip up, which is indeed what happened. Now his leicester side are walking league 1. as we all know , even though he is well resourced this is still a good achievement (ask colin calderwood), they are 10 points clear FFS. basically one of the best young managers dropped in our lap, wanted to stay and anyone with half a brain would have done whatever they could to keep hold of him.

 

To be honest, I dont think you will find anyone who judged on his own merits, would think anything other than positives about Pearson, even if some are still unproven, he showedenough potential with us to see he would be worth a good solid go - and for me one of his best assets is one that was realy mentioned, the dignity and intelligent approach with which he conducted himself publically - Lowe, Wilde and Crouch could have learned a thing or two from him.

 

The problem is that Pearson has become a political symbol in the great Lowe v Crouch debate - simple as that really which is unfortunate for NIgel (not that he probably gives a feck right now) but it is a shame that his promise and achievent becomes the battle ground.

 

From my part, hinting that there might have been some logic in the dutch thing when first muted, was smehow perceived as an anti Pearson thing, it was not, it seems everything and anything on here is siezed upon and used in some way - and yes, befor UP accuses me of being a hypocrite (or fool), I have done it myself albeit mostly with tongue firmly in cheek.

[VectisSaint]

I'm pretty sure the day will never come where i brag about winning against Bury

They probably still brag about thumping us in the FA Cup Final 4-1. I don't recall the day personally though...

[NickG]

Four of those players have got 12 starts between them!!!!!!!

 

Oakley, Howard and Fryatt are regulars, but there's obviously some misinformation doing the rounds if Ponty and you still think they have the Championship squad from last season.

 

That said, even if they did (which they don't), it was a Championship side that wasn't worthy of being a Championship side and as we found out the hard way, getting promoted is not that easy.

 

The three who are regulars above plus Dyer are the stalwarts.

 

Then there are youngsters/loanees such as King, Hobbs, Martin, Gilbert, Morrison, Mattock etc. and a few other decent free transfers such as Dyer.

 

Very often, the majority of the team that Pearson has been playing with have been youngsters brought in on loan, or youngsters from Leicester's Academy, and the team bears little resemblence to the one that got relegated last season.

 

 

 

And some of them were the same players who were relegated last season, so I'm not sure why you should be wnking your legs off over them.

 

Pearson may not be the next Hot Young British Managerial Prospect, but he has done a mighty fine job rebuilding a new Leicester squad and turning them into promotion favourites.

 

The idea that he has just waltzed in and taken an underperforming Championship team and dusted them down couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

 

Here's something I posted a while back when someone else trotted out the same lazy line without doing any research.

 

 

 

You may want to have a rethink about what Pearson has at his disposal and it is also worth noting that just because a team gets relegated, it doesn't automatically mean they will bounce back (as we found out to our cost!!).

 

Here was his team from recently when people were moaning that he would only play older players who would have cost a fortune.

 

When you consider the number of loanees, frees and youngsters then maybe you might want to reconsider your view that he is using the same players as last season.

 

 

Here's his side today:

 

4 loanees

 

11 of the squad are 23 or under (7 are 20 or under)

 

Martin - 23 (on loan)

Gilbert - 21 (on loan)

Morrison - 20 (new in)

Hobbs - 20 (on loan)

Berner - 31 (new in)

Oakley - 31

Andy King - 20

Cleverley - 19 (on loan)

Dyer - 26 (new in)

Fryatt - 22

Howard - 32

 

Subs:

Pentney - No age or data (but young)

Chambers - 18

Gradel - 21

Mattock - 18

Dickov - 134

 

you manage to take an off the cuff two line post and reply with insults and an essay! I don't know nor care who they start with, spent 3 mins looking at their squad on website following ponty's comments and saw they have those expensive players on their books

[NickG]

and in your very well researched and interesting reply, you do point out that they are using Oakley, Howard, Dickov - all probably on more money than our team.

[sperm_john]

no point living in the past is there?