LaptopSaint

They're not Pardew's boys but they are Pardew's buys. Would Coppell for instance want Seaborne? Would he want Barnard? I dunno - maybe he would maybe he wouldn't. Point is a new manager always wants to change a few things, and I think it's something we could do without in the coming summer.

I agree. If we change manager at the end of this season then some other poor sap is stuck with all Pardew's buys and we have another summer of upheaval (not nearly as bad as last year but you know what I mean) and another new team starting again. Pardew has to be given until this time next year. If we're not in the top two or three by then I could understand action being taken. Any time before that would be folly in my opinion. We've done the new manager every year thing, we've seen the comedy at QPR and elsewhere, and now for the first time in years we have a settled set-up with everyone pushing in the same direction. If Nicola is saying to AP come on need to do better that's fine... a little bit of pressure. But let's leave it at that for now.

I may be mistaken but isn't the second goal shown on the OP part of Matty's incredible hat-trick against Norwich? Still one of my strongest football memories... I've been looking for video of it for ages, can anyone tell me where the other two goals are?!?!?

Haven't bought a copy since about 1985. But i think the Echo needs to know that if it ends up as a big fight between the club and paper then there's only one side fans are going to support at the moment.

True - but if we'd held on to leads we threw away at Millwall and Brentford we'd be just 8 points off the play-offs and pretty well set. And when you look at our team sheet against all but a small handful of teams in this league you think 'we should win this'. Very few saw the play-offs as a given (I've been predicting 8th) but there's no harm in aiming high.

Point away from home, tough place to go, new players bedding in, blah blah blah... Play-off dreams are starting to slip away I fear. Too much ground to make up.

Have to win. Nine points from next three is essential, otherwise we're too far behind. Have a mate who went to Brentford earlier in the season who says the pitch was a shocker. So could be hoofball and win ugly

Barcelona in the QF perhaps?

Damn you. Spilt coffee all over the ****ing keyboard.

One game at a time. We really really need to win this one. In fact we need another run of league wins and I hope pompey, wembley etc don't make the team lose sight of that. Brentford are in that group we need to catch up and overtake in the next six weeks if we're going to get to the play-offs. And it's time we have to start beating teams in the top half of the table consistently. I reckon Rickie and Barnard up top and then maybe rest Rickie against Stockport.

I think Murty Connolly and Perry can all DAJFU this season. But you have to wonder whether they'll be around much after that. Fair play to DC though he's come back from a career threatening injury and been brilliant for us when fit. Really hope to see a lot more of him but have to be realistic.

And with Otsemobor, Fonte & Seaborne watching from the stands, and Harding on the bench, and Murty hopefully back soon, we've really got the defence sorted. Well done AP and thanks very much Markus!!

And when Lee has a couple more games under his belt and is fully match fit Morgan will be back from suspension. The couple of times I've seen them play together they've always looked great because Holmes hugs the touchline and gives Spiderman an outlet for his vision. Holmes isn't the faster winger ever but he's hardly a tortoise either.

I'm just reminded of the regular abuse dished out on here to Kenwyne Jones when he was young, raw and not always properly coordinated. I wonder what ever happened to him?

Beatts didnt have a free kick on him? I beg to differ...

25000 would be very decent indeed. Whatever the number I hope there's a result on the day, that we really go for it and either we win or we go down fighting. The games are coming thick and fast and if we're going to have any chance of the play-offs we need to go on another run of wins. The next four 'relatively' easy games before Norwich away for example. Don't want a cup replay in the middle of it all. Come on!!!

Most people won't give a **** about this but I think all football fans should care. Could the title of this thread be changed to Franchise 0 Saints 1. They're not really the Dons - that's AFC Wimbledon. They may have a nice stadium, but they're a pretend football club from a town where everyone supports Chelsea or Arsenal.

I for one would be both gutted and amazed if Cortese gave Pardew the boot in the summer, even if we end up outside the top ten let alone the top six. If there's one thing we've learnt during the Lowetastrophe it is that continuity is the key. Really looking forward to Ipswich by the way. Gives us a chance to see how we measure up against what is (after their bad start) a typical mid-table CCC team.

I think we'll finish 8th, lose to Ipswich in a replay, and - IF we get past MK Franchise FC which will be tricky - beat Leeds at Wembley in the Paint Pot.

We may have dropped 7 of the last twelve points but the fact is that over the last 21 games our win-draw-loss ratio is pretty bloody good. Which gives me some grounds for optimism for the next 21 games, especially now that we are strengthening the squad. Does it mean we'll get promoted? No. But I disagree with you - I think we'll finish nearer the top than the bottom.

Absolutely true. I travelled back from Singapore to watch Van Horseface relegate us from the Premiership. It cost me an arm and a leg, we lost, and we went down. But at least I was there. And we had a few beers at The Eagle afterwards and then a curry at Kutis and somehow it all seemed survivable. If I'd have stayed in Singapore I'd have cried like a baby and been arrested for spitting on the streets.

Well let's take the last three months then. Since the beginning of October in all competitions our record is 15-3-3 (or 13-5-3 if you count the two JPT wins on penalties as draws). Pretty bloody good - and certainly good enough to make Pardew's 14 wins from 21 a realistic target. So it depends on how you define 'not playing well'. Are we winning a hell of a lot more than we're drawing and losing? Yes. Do we look like Arsenal? Er, no. This is League One - and you often have to play and win in a League One kind of way. I've got a mate who's a Leeds fan who says their problem for at least a season and a half is that they were trying to get out of League One by playing the wrong kind of football. It's not always pretty. But if people continue to moan about our performances and if we continue to win about seventy per cent of our games -- well, moan away. See if I care.

Three wins and two draws from those five would do me. But if we strengthen in January and keep up current form (including getting three points when not playing all that well) then we should be winning four of those. Colch and Millwall away are both tough but IMO winnable if we have good days. We're seven points of the playoffs and seven points off relegation now. It wasn't that long ago that we were in the bottom four. Gaining seven on the top six is obviously harder than gaining seven on the bottom four. So as OP says January will be critical. But anyone who thinks we don't have a decent shout at the playoffs is either daft or manically depressed. Come.On.You.Saints.

I used to worship Stevie Williams. ******* magic.

Never mind the last 15 games - it's now 19 games and 14 weeks since we last failed to score (Colchester at home 0-0). When does that run start to get us towards record-breaking territory? Stattos?