Chez

I watched Swansea against Liverpool and Valencia and they looked the dogs nuts in both games. As you would expect, they keep them ball very well, going backwards and square when needed to keep the ball, not too dissimilar to ourselves. But they also move it about very quickly (quicker than we have managed to this season) which has caused their opponents no end of problems. The two games I watched might not be indicative of how good Swansea really are, but on those showings I'd have them down as a really top side and one that will need to be pressed hard. I recall we gave them a good going over in the game at SMS and but for the poor goal we gave away we would have been worthy winners. Whatever we did in that game we need to repeat it. Pressing high up the pitch and putting some distance between Michu and their midfield seemed to be the tactic. At their place they took us apart for ten minutes at the start of the game and I really thought they were on a different level to us. We clawed our way back into the game and they gradually ran out of steam, before we eventually started to cause them a few problems right at the end of the game. Patience and lots of hard work were the order of the day and just a tadd of fortune that Michu was a little below par.

You are right, he effectively put him on gardening leave. Whether that is morally or legally sound I don't know. It all goes back to the managers contract. If sacked he should get what the contract says.

how about compared to West Ham's?

I don't think he `deserves a lot', I think he deserves what he is contractually obliged to. If in his contract he is entitled to all the wages to the end of his contract if sacked, then he should get that, paid in full, immediately, without the need for a lawyer to get involved. I don't know what was in the contract, but the fact a lawyer did get involved suggests Cortese didn't pay up immediately. He owes us nothing. You seem to have a very short memory. We were in the **** when we sacked Pardew. Adkins didn't apply for the job, he was head hunted by us. SFC wanted and needed him. SFC benefited a great deal from his hard work, skill and decisions. Yes he won too, but to suggest he should run along and take whatever Cortese chooses because he got to play with the big boys is wrong. We are playing with the big boys because of him. I wasn't actually Adkins biggest fan. I was never 100% convinced, but in a results driven business he got the job done. Getting that second promotion was unbelievable. I have to laugh at people moaning that he nearly ****ed it up. Results did falter a bit, but it was him that got us into that position in the first place, so it was for him to lose - which he didn't.

You can loan players between Prem clubs, so I'm not sure what the difference would be in this circumstance. The alternative would be to sign some sort of deal where the transfer goes through when the next window opens in the summer.

This. Arguing your case won't work. You will have to make a decision. Do you want to see the football or do you want to bang your head against a brick wall because you feel you are in the right (or maybe not in the wrong). If your season ticket is confiscated for the rest of the season do they give you any sort of refund? Is there any way of appealing? I guess the football supporters federation will know.

I think its a real shame that it has taken this long to sort out an agreeable compensation package for Adkins. Do all clubs handle it this way or just Saints? For a fella that did such a cracking job for us, you'd think it would have been settled almost immediately and without question. Perhaps these contracts need to be written a little better to avoid any ambiguity.

that `short list' of Spurs was pretty long seeing as they signed Fryers, Paulinho, Chadli, Soldado, Capoue, Chiriches, Eriksen and Lamela, spending over £105m in the process. One can only imagine the response to any enquiry was "on your bike" or "yes, but I woudn't advise spending any of the Bale money elsewhere as you'll need most of it." I'd guess the same response will be offered to any further enquiries in January.

or at home on the interweb. Also, with the atmosphere at games almost completely sucked out of the English game, watching it live is far less appealing than it used to be. My argument always used to be that the atmosphere of a live game is everything, but with all-seating and so many rules and regulations sanitising the whole affair and ridiculous ticket prices, it has had a major impact on the number of `blokes' going to games, who, let's be honest, tend to have a few beers and then help create much of the atmosphere at games. The middle class family fans may fill seats, but they haven't filled the atmosphere void. With no atmosphere, all that is left is the actual football game, which as we all know is often crap. Too many of those crap games and the £40-50 a pop ticket price starts to look steep and people will stop coming. I'd argue that many already have, although the stats say otherwise. I struggle to get my head round the `growing attendance figures', but then again the counting of season ticket holders whether they turn up or not suggests the figures are worthless. Personally I wonder how football is going to survive as a spectator sport in England long term if the prices continue to increase. We seriously need to take a leaf out of Germany's book on ticket prices and safe standing to bring back the atmosphere at games otherwise grounds are going to be half empty almost everywhere. Pretty soon the Premierships `best league in the world' tag is going to be questioned. Empty grounds look bad.

Goodfellas immediately came to mind When we were kids, the compares used to visit each other. There was this man. He would never talk. He'd just sit there all night. They would say to him, "What's the matter? Don't you say anything?" He says, "What am I going to say, that my wife two-times me?" So she says, "Shut up! You're always talking!"

ticket prices went up yet again, access to live games on illegal streams increased, access to games on BT Sports...

they looked pretty good when dismantling Sunderland, something we failed to do.

If he scores the goals to get them promoted back into the Prem I wonder if Adkins will sign him?

did he go to lots of games in his youth (what am I saying, he is still in his youth) home and especially away? I think without those kind of experiences your draw to a club isn't anywhere near as strong.

If we want to challenge at the top end of the table then we need to keep his quality. If you could guarantee that his replacement would be pretty much as good then no problem, but finding that player and getting him is a different matter.

It's difficult to know what might have happened if we hadn't got successive promotions, but we'd of lost the likes of Morgan, Lallana and Shaw for sure and perhaps instead of moaning about under-performing multi million pound signings there would be moans about under-performing million pound players or maybe lack of spending altogether. There is no use getting all nostalgic about Championship football. It was great when we were winning, but when we were woeful I often had whole rows of seats to choose from. If it was still £20 a ticket then I'd be as happy, but paying £40+ a pop for a ticket really takes the shine off being in the top flight. Beating the big clubs last season was great, but overall I found the top flight far less exciting than the Championship. Overall though football is losing its attraction as every years passes for me. Over the years I have I loved going to the away games especially, but the cost is getting stupid. To be honest going to new grounds and hopefully at some point witnessing a once in a lifetime come back from 3-0 down to win 4-3 is all that interests me.

Wouldn't it be great if several of the big 4 or 5 had bad seasons and we ended up with a couple of new teams filling the top slots?

not much for rankings, but Qatar are currently 108 in FIFA's own and 11th in their region. Obviously they can rise between now and 2022, but I'd of thought having a half decent side would be a prerequisite for taking the tournament? No issue with it being in the Winter. It will make a nice change for our season to run to a different calendar. Wonder what effect it might have on summer sports like Cricket?

£25m to United in the star today http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/339818/EXCLUSIVE-Manchester-United-s-plot-for-25m-Luke-Shaw

hard to assess him in that game as there were so many great performances from Swansea that caught the eye instead. He seemed to play pretty deep, but didn't get hold of the game in any way. They (Swansea) are a hell of a team considering the money spent. I really enjoy watching them play - all that possession, but with fast no nonsense forward passing when they get the chance to break.

I love the tannoy fella, having no scoreboard, the walk alone, the noise and atmosphere, no stupid half time ****, no goal music, no raring the crowd up before the game starts by a **** with a mic, the feel of the place. I'm interested to know what your ground/match day experience selection be?

he offers nothing at right midfield IMO. At WBA he was totally ineffective and should have been subbed at half time. Set pieces are important, but his aren't all that great. Certainly not good enough to justify a place in the starting line up. Right midfield has been a position that we have failed to fill since Chamberlain left. Puncheon made it his own for a while, but if Ramirez is not going to be played there we should have signed a replacement for Puncheon in the summer. We look short there. JWP is certainly not the answer.

stop lurking, your post describes the current situation extremely well.

I went to the 2003 game. Was a season that was. I really don't want to think of all the other matchs at Anfield. Nothing but pain there. I really don't like Liverpool. Hansen (caught on his heels) quite literally catching a ball above his head to stop Wallace running on to a chipped pass left a lasting memory on a small lad, but I have to say it's the best match day experience of any ground in England IMO. Lots of tradition and a noticeable lack of americanised gimicks. Shame about the match day prices these days.