Nordic Saint

The poor bloke is going to risk ending up in a wheelchair if he carries on trying to play football. The long-term effects of all those injuries must already severely limit what he can do. It will be a miracle if he manages to limp out on to the pitch for even a handful of games. Season..Days..Injuries..Games missed 23/24.. 121 days.. 2.. 27 22/23.. 68 days.. 1.. 16 21/22.. 108 days.. 5.. 27 20/21.. 144 days.. 6.. 34 19/20.. 35 days.. 2.. 20 18/19.. 228 days.. 2.. 65

McCarthy isn't going to kick up a fuss, even if he never plays another game, because he's getting paid far more than he's worth and no other club would have him. If he's more sensible with money than he is with a football, he'll already have so many millions in the bank that he'll never need to work again. But, somehow, I suspect Saints are going to pay him to do something or other - hospitality, God forbid it's goalkeeper coaching - for the rest of his life.

I saw Lis play for Saints in a pre-season game. He was terrible. That explains why Göztepe are signing Rui Patricio. If he's still fit, he should be a massive improvement.

It's all very well saying 2-1 but what happens if Forest get more than 1 shot on target? Not every team we play will be reduced to 10 men.

We still need a centre forward. Che Adams wasn't a very good one, admittedly, but now we've got no one. Archer is a left winger/inside forward, not a striker. Definition of a striker: "A striker is the furthermost attacker on the field. Their main task is to score goals." We seem to be collecting more and more midfielders and inside forwards with very poor goalscoring records. All that will do is block the path of good players we already have like Tyler Dibling and Sam Amo-Ameyaw. The 2 most important positions on the pitch for stopping goals and scoring them and so determining the results of matches are goalkeeper and centre forward, and those are the players we should have bought in this transfer window. Although Brereton-Diaz is another winger/inside forward, at least he looks like he could score some goals.

The result will be very much influenced by whether we get a new goalkeeper in time to start against Forest. Of course, a centre forward would help too, but that's probably too much to expect. Relegation may very well be determined by just 1 or 2 points, so playing these early games without a decent goalkeeper or striker, just because the end of the season seems a long way away is not very smart.

Hopefully, the ruling that the transfer is illegal means we can send him back now and use the money to buy a goalkeeper or a proper centre forward.

McCarthy has slow reactions for a goalkeeper and can't make quick decisions. He dithers. It's the reason why he lets in such a high percentage of shots on target.

Well that was inevitable.

Until we get a new goalkeeper, it looks like it's going to be about outscoring the opposition, 3-2 or 4-3, but to do that we need a new striker. On a more positive note, the transfer window's not closed yet and Brereton-Diaz looks like he's got a few goals in him so maybe he'll score today. Then, if Dibling comes on as a sub, he could score another one. So, then the result would depend on how many shots on target Newcastle get. If we can keep them down to 2 or 3, we just might get a 2-2 draw; probably not though. Later in this thread, I'm expecting the inevitable, "Oh no, McCarthy" and "passing around at the back again."

You could hardly call Archer a striker. He's only scored 4 goals in 39 Premier League games.

He could be the 4 goal a season striker we've been waiting for.

Good news as that might have been, it never would have happened. No other club would take him. Look at how difficult Reading found it to get rid of him. About the only place where he found his level as a first choice goalkeeper was Yeovil and they couldn't afford his wages now, so we'd still have to pay most of them: Alex McCarthy's career before he ended up here: Senior career Years Team Apps 2007–2014 Reading 70 2007 → Woking (loan) 1 2008 → Cambridge United (loan) 1 2008 → Team Bath (loan) 2 2009 → Aldershot Town (loan) 4 2009–2010 → Yeovil Town (loan) 44 2010 → Brentford (loan) 3 2011–2012 → Leeds United (loan) 6 2012 → Ipswich Town (loan) 10 2014–2015 Queens Park Rangers 3 2015–2016 Crystal Palace 7

We just have to find the right heart surgeon.

They said he had 'external people' working on him, but I didn't realize they were on another planet.

And by just 302 votes Only one single football league club now exists in a Conservative constituency following the 2024 general election results | FourFourTwo

I've been reading Dave Roberts' books, including his wonderful The Bromley Boys, so I was pleased to see that Bromley FC, founded in 1892, played the first Football League game in their long history yesterday and won it 2-0. It's just a shame that Dave Roberts wasn't still alive to see it. The Bromley Boys: The True Story of Supporting the Worst Football Team in Britain "In the late 1960s, in the warm glow of England winning the World Cup, Dave Roberts, like most teenage boys his age, was football mad. There was just one difference: rather than supporting the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United, Dave’s team of choice was the ever so slightly less glamorous Bromley FC" Dave Roberts: Remembering a Bromley legend - Ronin Marketing

That No.6, the Nigerian, Christantus Uche, was the most prolific diver and moaner I've ever seen at St Mary's, and there have been a few. He should have received several yellow cards for simulation and several more for constantly complaining to the referee about non-existent fouls. It's a pity the new Premier League rule that only the captain can speak to the referee wasn't enforced or half the Getafe team would have been sent off, with Uche leading the way. It was hilarious watching Getafe players dive, anticipating a Saints player making contact, when the nearest Saints player was more than a yard away from them. They'd lie down, holding their leg for a while and then realize that everybody else was getting on with the game, and shamefacedly, get up, except for Uche, who would still go and complain to the ref.

In fact, it's how they got their nickname. Their traditional colours were Pompadour Pink, which was abbreviated to Pompey. But, they weren't the first organisation in Portsmouth to get this nickname. The 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot, who were at one time stationed in Portsmouth, had Pompadour Pink facings on their uniforms, so they were nicknamed the Pompadours and then the Saucy Pompeys before PFC adopted the colour and nickname. PS Modern Pompey fans prefer people not to know the real origin of their nickname so they've invented all sorts of legends, including one about heroic soldiers from Portsmouth climbing Pompey's Pillar in Egypt, all of which are, of course, bullsh!t. Regimental Nicknames (old-merseytimes.co.uk)

The demonstration and counter-demonstration will certainly go ahead. The only question is whether tonight's game will. Surely, no police will be available for it, but, as it's a friendly, maybe they feel that none are necessary. It would be good if the Club made an official statement well before we travel in. There will be some disruption to travel plans too. My usual car park in SO15 will probably be off limits, with police cordons and road closures.

But is he as good as Dibling?

Put Dibling and Amo-Ameyaw on together and we'll have a real attacking threat. We've only looked exciting in this pre-season when Dibling and Amo-Ameyaw have been on the pitch together.

He is very good: one of the few in the squad who is truly a Premier League class player. He should be our regular set piece taker, as he is better at them than any of the others.

They'd have been relegated by now if they'd had our goalkeepers, and we'd probably be in their position if we'd had theirs. They got Neto on a free while we paid £12 million for Bazunu. Neto made almost twice as many saves per season as Bazunu. Most Saves - Premier League Goalkeeper Stats

It's a pity we can't start with Dibling and Amo-Ameyaw instead of Aribo and Smallbone, but you are probably right.