The9

How the hell did you get Cranie and Best in that list ?!?! There's "playing Premier League football" and "happening to be at a Premier League club".

You can't argue with his success rate there.

Beattie so far has played approximately ten times more Premier League matches than Lambert, and Lambert is also unlikely to get another 300 Prem appearances to ever match Beattie's total, so I'm struggling to see how Lambert is coming out of this looking the better player. In terms of their relative skills, I'd give the edge on touch and overall attitude to Lambert, and the edge on mobility and pace (due to his relative youth) to Beattie. There's not much in it regarding finishing ability, long range shooting, free-kicks or heading, and I disagree that Lambert is "more professional" than Beattie was once he'd matured and got to his peak fitness under Strachan - at least directly relating to football, you're always more likely to get people in their early/mid 20s being more "socially active" than 30-somethings. They also have similar styles with the exception of Beattie's ability to get in the box more and Lambert's superiority in holding the ball up, and I don't think there's much in it regarding football brain. But then with the exception of the period when he was superfit and was always where he was meant to be and working his guts out to close down up front with Ormerod, Beattie was mostly a useless donkey anyway. Saints under Strachan was the full court press ten years before its time.

I don't see why HE should get a special kit, so... no.

Wibble.

Schneiderlin should be much nearer a cap than either Lambert or Lallana on current form, he's been holding us together. Shaw has the little matter of Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines and then (maybe) Ryan Bertrand to contend with. Clyne is decent but not more than an England squad fringe player at best at the moment. Cork isn't even close, and I don't think he's near a call up though he does have the U-21 experience Bertrand has which Lallana is missing. Lambert is worth considering for England when you all think Le Fondre, who has a much better Prem scoring rate and is a lot younger and more likely to improve, is worth a game. I don't think England are likely to rebuild the entire team around Lambert to play to his strengths as Saints have. Michu is far and away the best uncapped player currently playing in the Premier League.

Submission of Club Accounts E.3. Each Club shall by 1st March in each Season submit to the Secretary a copy of its annual accounts in respect of its most recent financial year or if the Club considers it appropriate or the Secretary so requests the Group Accounts of the Group of which it is a member (in either case such accounts to be prepared and audited in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements) together with a copy of the directors’ report for that year and a copy of the auditors’ report on those accounts. E.4. The accounts referred to in Rule E.3 shall: E.4.1. include separate disclosure within the balance sheet or notes to the accounts, or by way of supplementary information separately reported on by its auditors by way of procedures specified by the Board, of the totalsums payable and receivable in respect of Compensation Fees, Contingent Sums and Loan Fees; E.4.2. include a breakdown within the profit and loss account or the notes to the accounts, or by way of supplementary information separately reported on by its auditors by way of procedures specified by the Board, of revenue in appropriate categories such as gate receipts, sponsorship and advertising, broadcasting rights, commercial income and other income. E.5. If the auditors’ report on the accounts submitted pursuant to Rule E.3 contains anything other than an unqualified opinion without modification, the Club shall atthe Board’s request submit such further documentary evidence as the Board shall require (including but not limited to Future Financial Information). E.6. If the annual accounts of a Club or Group Accounts submitted pursuant to Rule E.3 are prepared to a date prior to 30th November in the Season of submission, such Club or Group shall by the following 31st March submit to the Secretary interim accounts covering the period commencing from its accounting reference date and ending on a date between the following 30th November and 1st March. Page 100 of the Premier League Handbook : http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2012-2013.pdf

Clearly they are an u-21 member then... glad I'm not going tbh.

Seems a lot, I know of a Reading fan who's got a £30 ticket... though admittedly this is one of those third-hand rumours.

Interesting Estudiantes kit for 2013/14.

Saturday 6 April 7:45am EST.

No, that's real. And he is an utter cockend, he made up having a gran dying to get out of playing for his country, FFS.

Classy compared to Balotelli's camouflage version of the same car. Please do not say "I haven't seen it".

Well this is nice. I'm on leave the week the court case finally comes around and won't be doing anything else that week after Wednesday. .

IMO it's precisely what we don't want him to be doing, his reading of balls over his head in behind him is one of his weaknesses.

Yes, they are easy to counter. Next.

He has 3 songs already that I know of that actually get sung.

Portland Timbers' 2013/14 shirt shows what Saints might get from a new template using the old school Patrick-like kit (I think their away is actually red and white as well). This is actually the mid-season "big V collar" template first seen with the Spain kit, with the sleeve panels as with the 2012/13 WBA/Stoke/Sunderland templates, but with the massive ugly V collar. Wouldn't look bad if they got rid of the weird "sawtooth/stitching" effect on the edge of stripes. Updated - yes the away is red/white. This reversed with some black on it and no "sawtooth" would look quite decent.

Thanks to this quiz, I can genuinely add another 19 players (even though their nationality, position and former club is listed) : http://www.sporcle.com/games/Ellz99/southampton-in-the-football-league As I don't want to spoil the quiz for you, don't scroll down... Cos I forgot.... Darren Powell Dany N'Guessan Vincent Pericard Callum McNish Simon Gillett Nicholas Bignall Marcelo Sarmiento Phil Ifil Neal Trotman Dennis Wise Adam Hammill David McGoldrick (wishful thinking that one) Sam Hoskins (more didn't know he played last season that "forgot", I was talking about him today) Jon Otsemobor Danny Higginbotham Michael Poke Cedric Baseya and to my eternal shame... Brett Ormerod and Chris Baird.

I got 110. On the bright side I now have 19 more to add to the "Players You'd Forgotten Played For Saints" thread...

Wow, welcome to 1994. Man Utd clearly do NOT play their "best XI" (as in their best eleven overall players) in around half of their Prem matches, they play "the best XI for that specific match" considering the proximity and importance of matches before and after, the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition, and quite often, how likely it is they'll get away with giving lesser players valuable experience. FWIW they've only lost 2 matches Van Persie has started this season, but they've still chosen to leave him out of the starting line up 12 times. Reading, Fulham, West Ham twice, West Brom, CFR Cluj, Galatasaray, Braga, Chelsea (Lge Cup), Newcastle, Wigan and Everton have all been deemed "not worthy" of RVP this season. They are clearly not just picking their best eleven players all the time. Ramirez is one of our most talented players, but if he doesn't suit a successful system then he can't expect to start. What I'D like to see is him bust a gut in training to show he can close down like Davis - that still might not solve the problem of who he passes to, though we have other midfielders who break through, and if he ups his workrate he can play alongside 3 from Rodriguez/Puncheon/Lallana/Lambert.

As well as what or whom ? I didn't even do it last season when I saw a photo of a bit of the kit in March...

Umbro kits are only being made for the teams who have deals still in place as far as I can tell, which seems to be most of the Republic of Ireland's top division and a chunk of random south american clubs. Nike are almost certainly behind that fulfilment as they'd have taken on the existing contracts in 2007 (and even took over England and Man City's deals entirely as Nike). However, as Nike don't own the Umbro name any more I'd be surprised if they can still produce Umbro Teamwear. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20075681