The9

Long and short of it is he didn't save it and was stood on his line, which pretty much goes against every bit of goalkeeping coaching I've ever heard. Of course it's only one incident, but it's not me saying he's amazing.

He stood on his goal-line and was easily beaten. Bad goalkeeping.

We don't need "back up" for anyone, FFS. Also, I am no Jack Cork. Billy Sharp, I'd take that.

Watch Gilks hesitate on his goal-line and actually take a step back into his goal as Cole is waiting for the ball to drop. Any kind of forward progress towards the ball from where he was would have closed down the entire goal and given Cole no option other than a very fine tightly angled lob. As it was, he managed a scuffed clip into the huge space which Gilks left by staying put which Gilks got nowhere near. And yes, you'd expect Green to be better. Which he was.

The common use of "average" is mean, as I'm sure you are well aware. Also, £104 isn't £100, if you're being "pernickety".

Adkins deserves a chance because he's already got a contract to do the job and has overseen two seasons finishing above 22/23 rivals, he's not a caretaker manager whose role was intended to only last a few months.

This bloke : who was Blackpool's goalkeeper in the Play-Off Final, who decided to stay on his line rather than narrow the angle for West Ham's first goal, when he easily could have come out and given Cole nothing to aim at. Also hasn't particularly impressed me in most other games I've seen him play in this season, and wasn't even the best goalkeeper on the pitch on Saturday, as Rob Green was clearly better than him, making a vital early save and a few improtant blocks later on. Anyone else want that clarified ?

Di Matteo's just won the European Cup and is on a hiding to nothing if he stays, inheriting the same over the hill side which only came 6th in the Prem. Instead of being the figurehead who replaced the bloke trying to get rid of the senior pros and being a manager who had the loyalty of the senior pros because he gave them one last chance to prove themselves, he'll very quickly become the bloke who realises he is the one who now needs to get rid of the senior pros. He'll be in the no-win situation of Villas-Boas, except 12 months down the road, and with the massive expectation of being holders of the European Cup, even though they fluked their way to it. There's every possibility he won't even want the job, how's he going to top that (other than the World Club Championship) ?

Nice to know that what I said when we appointed Adkins is now Cortese's biggest problem with him - basically that we've run out of "good enough" players who've already played for him to sign.

Yes we get a trophy. I seriously doubt there would have been any major "presentation" planned for it anyway.

Based on his terrible decision making for Cole's first goal in the Play-Off Final, I'd say no. I wasn't impressed with Gilks at all on Saturday and Green totally outshone him.

I hardly think the bloke who scored the winning goal in the nations cup of the most populous continent in the world is "unknown", even if we hadn't heard of him. Equally, I couldn't tell you who 95% of the Bundesliga keepers are, but they're not "unknown" and I'm fairly comfortable at least half of them are better than Kelvin.

You mean like we have over the past 2 seasons since Pardew left in League One? If we can sign a better keeper than Kelvin, we should. That's really the end of the argument as far as I can tell.

No room for sentiment in football.

Hahnemann and Craig Gordon have both been released, Fabianski is second choice at Arsenal (though I should think wages would be an issue) and Scott Carson (?) is playing in Turkey and might possibly be interested.

COYR - to be accurately used next season for the first time in a while. COYS - always correct no matter what the shirt colour.

In other news, Jelle Van Damme left Wolves in 2011. Why isn't Joseph Mills on that list of ex-Saints in the Prem ?

You'll be lucky to get to boo or cheer Ricardo Fuller or Andrew Davies. Both have had their Stoke contract expire and neither is likely to feature in the Prem next season, Davies has just played nearly 30 games for Bradford City in League Two ! Redknapp's reception will dwarf anything anyone else gets.

And look what it does to our chances of keeping hold of players who've decided to take the shortcut to more money and sitting on a "big club"'s bench...

Yeah sure, that's why he was the only kid in the squad making his debut on the bench at Exeter near the end of the 2009/10 season and had just given him a squad number... "because we were going to ditch him".

Retired in 2010 to run his home-town club.

I don't think it will. There are plenty of players outside the Prem with the right attitude and ability to prove themselves. Look at Pilkington and Bennett for Norwich. Besides, Sharp's got all the tools already, Lee can develop himself physically with a Saints preseason, and who knows how Guly might fare...

What if he fancies some sustainable food ?

He managed to go round the keeper without putting himself out for 6 months so there's no way it was from after he left Liverpool.

A Football Ramble classic. "Game, Set, and Match, Owen".