Chez

Absolutely. How will that figure ever rise? From what I can see, over the years the ticket office has failed to take into account factors such as day of the week and whether we have played the opponent for a while. First away of the season and last for example are going to be far more popular than a game taking place a week or two before Christmas. You can add form and general feeling around the club into to the mix too.

what is the next size allocation?

who the **** wants more high rise? It will end up being nothing more than cheaply made, **** ugly student accommodation for the poly.

Pompey the movie coming to a screen near you soon...

If he was aiming to take them up within 3 years, why sign a one year deal?

pay him roughly market value and the only thing missing will be medals. We are going to struggle to give him those, but we need to at least try and convince him, with signings etc. that we are going to be the best of the rest and will continue to really attempt to challenge for a European spot. If he feels we are `settling' for mediocrity then he will look at his options.

who the **** wears a footie shirt to a music festival?

Which would still leave McQueen...

back to Romania maybe, with us paying the vast majority of his wages?

have to say, someone at the club has done a decent evaluation of the players we had and got rid of those they should/could and loaned out those that needed to be. Not all of them (Gardos for example), but in Targett's case this is a good move for/by Saints if it happens.

agreed. Its like he has a mental block, sight issues or maybe colour blindness...who knows, but he's a chocolate fireguard unless he can stop passing to opponents. There is still room for an upgrade in central midfielder IMO

I don't subscribe to the lack of a fair crack. These guys play so much football that we never see. The managers know what they offer and clearly he wasn't offering enough in training and then in games to justify a long run in the team. Almost every time he played he was bang average, or worse. He was a passenger with the game going on around him. What do you do, keep playing him in the hope something changes? He's 26, not 22. I've seen less of Hojbjerg than Clasie, but his biggest problem is the complete opposite of Clasie in that he gives the ball away time after time after time. You can't do that at this level. Passes need to go to fellow players. I missed the first couple of games of last season when Hoj apparently looked good, so don't even subscribe to thought that he started well and faded badly. In all the games I saw, I saw someone that looked very comfortable on the ball, but then passed straight to an opponent. Stop doing that and there might be a player there... Pointing to other player failings isn't a reason to retain his services. I'll pass on the JWP and Davis discussion. I've gone off thread enough as it is.

its a risky business criticising goal-scoring strikers - they score, you look a plumb. You do need players that put the ball in the back of the net, its just that we want them to do that, AND terrorise opponents with pace or ability in the air. I used to dislike Stern John. Plenty of goals, but with his zero work-rate, at what cost to the effectiveness of the side as a whole? Seeing as we were almost relegated with him in the team, perhaps not AS effective as we could have been. Can we afford to have Austin in the side jogging around waiting to gobble up the chance that comes his way? Maybe we can. Do we create enough proper chances that we could sacrifice a few (assuming less would be created if he played) knowing that his conversion rate is higher than others like Long? Tough one. Off the bench when we are chasing a game he seems like the ideal man to thrown up front to me. But lead the attack from the off? Not so sure.

He is a really average player (relatively speaking) who was given plenty of chances since he joined. In all those opportunities, he didn't do enough for me. He was slow, didn't cover nearly enough ground or put pressure on opponents, get goal side enough even, he was lightweight, didn't win any headers, dominate the centre in any way or indeed do a great deal with the ball. He has the first touch to play at a decent level, no doubt about that, but the game went on around him far too much. He scored a couple of times, but I feel that he would never be a key player, so good news that we are parting ways. Hopefully whoever gets his squad place is better. No certainties of course. I do have a heart, but if we are simply evaluating the player on his performance, this is my assessment.

but about five times slower and a hundred times less effective. Poor signing and although it will sound harsh, I am bloody pleased we have finally seen that and attempted to upgrade. It's far better that than just keeping him here and waiting for his contract to run out before bringing someone new in.

it certainly does. Maybe the whole thing was base don him managing to keep the grade 2 in check throughout the entire contract period?

snakes on a plane gag anyone?

brilliant post. Love ideas like that.

Just to add to the shoegazing theme I saw Is Bliss last night. Best band I've heard live in yonks. A bit of Adorable oand some Verve storm in heaven in there too.

mostly the same players, with some similar coaches...radical change would be unexpected...

Nice post. Like your thinking. Might work, might not but good logic behind it...

aye men

can we get a Bale-esq talent back the other way too then?

if true, then I wonder what promises we have made him?