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david in sweden

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About david in sweden

  • Birthday 16 May

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  1. Having come this far, of course we want a shot at automatic promotion, but failing that we can still be in a play-off situation and qualify in third place. My earlier comment about " not being in the bottom four " was the feeling after we lost at Middlesboro (their first win of season) ....and we were 15th in the table. I think many of us felt encouraged after we passed 7 unbeaten games ...(that was the 94th minute winner from Fraser) in the away fixture at Millwall . After 20-plus unbeaten, some people seemed to think that we were invinceable, but despite the fact that we scored 5 to win against Huddersfield our frailties became obvious and that gave inspiration to the likes of Bristol City, Hull and even Millwall beat us at SMS. Downes' return and the introduction of Brooks has steadied the ship a little, but clearly KWP's absence has also been crucial at the back, and we may even look back In late May with some satisfaction over Joe Rothwell's " super-sub" contributions to results.
  2. Really ??.........after the way we finished last season, I'm just glad that we aren't in the bottom 4 .
  3. (Trousers) I'm not sure your argument holds so much water. The pre-season games were unconvincing and no real guide as to what was to come after. One of those early games ( L. Cup v Gillingham) was a fiasco from the start with a makeshift defence (Lyanco and Perraud at CB (!) ...and Macca in goal. Despite gaining the points, we made very hard work of beating Sheff. Wed. (Adams goal in 87 min), at Plymouth (Adams 94 mins.) and it took a 97 min. pen to get just one point against Norwich, and we made hard work of beating QPR at SMS. NOTE : None of these teams has made any real progress near the bottom. On the pitch, We lost JWP after the first game, and Tella after the Plymouth match. Neither Downes or Fraser made their debuts until the QPR home game, and Holgate's 2 games in the North East ( Sunderland and Midd.boro') weren't very memorable. Harwood-Bellis' first games (1-4 v. Leicester and Ipswich 0-1 ) saw him partnered with Charles (who really needs to find his proper role in the team), and despite scoring twice, Edozie was first subbed off in 4 of these matches at which point in time, we had already lost 14 points. There was no sign of a revival until the Leeds win, AND .. with all due respect to your 53 K of quite valuable input on here over the years, ( I often agree with your views), I really can't see that having to use 23 different players in the first 9 league matches shows any sign of a " balanced side " until the record run of unbeaten games started. I still think that 9 games into a 46 match season could be considered to be...." the start."
  4. I supposed that this was a thread that was complimentary to Russell Martin?, but now I'm not so sure. OK we lost a few games at the start of the season when - to be fair - we still didn't have a settled starting side, and half-a-dozen new players who'd hardly set foot on the pitch at SMS, although I'm still not sure that we've got one now. It's not only Alzheimer sufferers who have short memories, because * one or two notable critics on this site are always quick to criticise RM even when we win, yet don't score " enough " goals, and that 20+ record run of unbeaten games has suddenly become ancient history. Lawrie McMenemy's now-legendary quote comes to mind, when at the height of our success in the early 1980's he said .. " As a manager you can never win. When we win, the fans say... the team played well ", if we lose ..it's my fault because I picked them ". Those " disappointed fans" are just a couple of posts away from calling for RM's sacking, and it's hard to see the logic in their arguments. Sitting here with 10 games to go.. I think he has already done a remarkable job regardless of our final placing at the end of the season. * ....no names - no pack drill,´....... we all know who you are.
  5. surely the important question is ; How will the long absence ( 20 days ) affect the team performances? Will the lack of games during the long break taken the edge off their recent successes.. OR ..did we have a chance for .. " a sort of pre-season " to rest and recuperate before the mammoth league programme that is upcoming in April?. Several of our " main men " have been away on international duty and will hopefully return uninjured, but the prospect that 3 of our remaining 5 away games are against those teams above us in the league ..it will be vital to win all three. IF ..we finally gain automatic promotion, we can truly say that we will have deserved it, especially with the final game v. Leeds, which is a match I have seen as " a deal-breaker" from the day that the match schedules were released last June. More importantly failing to get wins in the home fixtures (against teams like Boro) may be our downfall if we drop any points.
  6. .....and (sadly) too many are doomed never to return. Biggest problem with loan players is that many managers only see the loanee as just another bottom to sit on their bench .. and only to be used in the case of injury, instead of utilising the player's talents from the start.
  7. Agree with your comments Vectis, but surprised that those two clubs haven't invested a little more in their future talents especially when you consider the enormous sums that (especially Everton) seem to pay out for players who no-one else is seemingly interested in. Man City may have underestimated their situation after Jason Wilcox's departure....or maybe he saw it coming as they don't seem to have many more Foden's on the horizon ....alternatively.. what soccer-mad kid wants to sign for a vastly successful club, knowing he may never even make it to their bench. Saints have a proven success record, and even many of those who are unfortunate enough to " fall through the cracks " often seem to land on their feet and are still good enough to make a League career, albeit at a slightly lower level.
  8. Interesting to see that 5 of the top 6 clubs are London Money clubs who regularly buy expensive and often foreign based players in favour of their own talents. Also that amongst the bottom 6 are a number of clubs whose first teams are relatively successful but they seem to have failed to nurtured very successful youth sides. Where will their future players come from I wonder ?
  9. IT seems that everyone is looking to blame Graham Souness for the whole fiasco. Well ...YES... he was manager at the time, but I saw a longer interview sometime ago when GS explained the circumstances of the entire situation in some more detail. YES - he did get a " fake call from someone claiming to be " nephew / cousin of George Whea ( a great player in his time) which meant you should at least meet / take a look at the fella, and so Dia was invited to come along and train, where GS said " he ran around a lot ". GS said that there was a long injury list at the time, and by Tuesday we still didn't have a complete team fit enough to train for the weekend game. By Saturday Dia was the only fit forward available to sit on the bench, and the rest of them were nearly all defenders. 20 minutes into the game Matt le Tissier pulled a muscle, went off injured and was replaced by ...Ali Dia. The rest - as the saying goes - is a well-documented history , which brings " humour / shame " on Souness as a manager, and something he will live for the rest of his time. He wasn't holding a Bible in his hand whilst telling his side of the tale, but he looked suitably embarrassed at having to re-tell (yet again) how the situation was on the day. I thought him to be honest and straightforward in the telling of his side of the story, others will doubtless continue to ridicule him. I didn't like GS so much as a player, but thought him to be a more than competent TV analyst with a very good knowledge of the game.
  10. One can hope, as it would be an historical moment for someone who survived as our manager for a longer time than many others who fell by the wayside and he succeeded despite playing with a disfunctional squad, at a time when there was very little money available to rebuild the side.
  11. I go along with Vectis' rational. Clearly THB and Jan B. are the first choice CB's , but aside from Jack there are no other established CB's in the squad. There are advantages to having Jack on the pitch (whether starting or as a sub). He is the longest serving player at the club, and is a voice on the pitch. As a former player himself, RM clearly recognises the influence that such a player has on a side that is still without a cast iron starting line-up, and Jack has shown that he can play in either FB roles in emergencies, and is important for that reason alone and rarely give less than 100%. I see " a sort of parallel " with Gareth Southgate's continued insistence in having Jordan Henderson in the England squad - another contentious choice to many of us - and even though JH seldom got much match time, his influence in the dressing room and especially around the newer players coming into national squad was seen as invaluable. At 30, Jack is hardly likely to get a long extension to his contract, but he has been with Saints since age 16 and has been good captain / role model at all levels since then, and although he may never rank with a Fonte or VvD - right now Jack is invaluable.
  12. "struggling " Charlie ?. I think one might say " comfortable mid table" in today's reckoning. I'd say Forest, Everton and Luton were " struggling" just now. However, I agree with you that he'd be a benefit to our squad from several aspects. Certainly think he'd be worth a good deal for 2-3 years.
  13. he's nothing like we seen before, but is someone with experience, height and a bit of muscle and that has been missing in midfield since Romeu left. Exactly which role might suit him?.... is probably best left to the coaches to sort out, but aside from his goal-scoring forays so far , he does seem to "be able to look after himself " and is not afraid of a tackle.
  14. Joe is never on the pitch long enough to be able to claim a particular role, but IMHO he's an ideal type of Romeu replacement in midfield although at this rate he's likely to pass Romeu's goal tally quite soon now. He has got some height and can put himself about and needless to say his goal-scoring sprees came in two vital games where we were trailing.
  15. Granted that Jan. B and THB are first choice CB's, things happen ...and with KWP out injured it's important to get the balance correct and Jack is essentially a right-sided player. At this stage of the season, we don't have to play everyone for 95 mins. and having him around either a first choice or sub, is very useful. Jack is also our longest-serving player having signed at age 16, and his experience and spirit makes up for other shortcomings that are frequently pointed out. RM praises his place in the dressing room and he is a good role model for younger players. The average age in the squad is (apparently) under 24 - even with players like; Jack, Fraser, Stuart A. Adam. A and Rothwell on the books. What Ted Bates always called " the right balance of youth and experience ". With an eventual promotion ...I wouldn't expect to see them all as first-choice players next season, but recalling that both Steven Davis and Shane Long could still put in a shift at 34 /35....we might still have one or two of the names here in a few year or two.
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