Chez

he'll have to bide his time and force his way into the side. Lots of games. He'll get his chance eventually.

I'd agree with that. It was a poor quality game and we didn't play that much football until we had scored the third. Stranhe to win 4-0 without playing all that well. Just a solid display from better quality players than Rovers have.

Spot on. I thought he was a brilliant signing and was slightly dissapointed to see in the Plymoiuth game that he doesn't have genune pace. But he has everything else and was amazed to see some had written him off after the Orient game. Genuine player.

I rate people on the basis that 5 is the starting point and anything above it is a positive and below and negative. I've only rated him because everyone will want to know how he especially fared, but in all honesty I didn't see anything much so haven't marked him up or down. By the way who said there is a rule that posters have to follow about whether they rate subs or not?

apologies, that was decent, I was unsighted and wasn't even sure if it required a defender to help him out. I think 7 is still fair though. I'd add that his distribution was again solid.

no criticism from me (except that Pardew should have given him 5 minutes more) it was just funny. I'll go out on a limb, he will be an asset. Shame he was unabloe to play midweek. Would have been perfect for him.

nah, a few passes, one decent out wide but nothing much to hang your hat on. Still excited to see what he can do as he looks fast across the ground and is an athlete for sure.

he collected the ball, he didn't lift his head, dilly-dallied when an easy 5 yard square pass was on, then once he made his mind up he scuffed his pass. The whole terrace had a little chuckle as it had been calling for him to be brought on and then gave him a great ovation when he did. He made a decent tackle and then a couple of shirt passes. That was it.

nothing to do with risk. He has extremely tight budget constraints that means he has to look at players down the pryramid. Good luck to him. Last thing the game needs is yet another side going up and saddling itself with rediculous wages like Hull have donw with Bullard. SHame half the players are potentially our targets.

Just back after a leisurely drive back. What an easy win it turned out to be although there were one or two opportunities for Rovers notably the excellent half valley fron their left sided player that hit the woodwork and some very difficult corners, but overall their forays forward were few and far between. Quite simply we were better in every area of the pitch, and in the end we started to carve them open. There will be much harder tests than this, but it feels good t get the promotion drive moving. Davis 7 don't remember a save made, but commanded his area pretty well and caught a couple of corners. Butterfield 7 solid enough and pretty composed. Went to sleep totally and waved the winger through when they hit the bar Fonte 7 Just a little worried that he dives in thinking he can win every single ball, needs to jockey the striker now and then but then again I want a defender that is nasty and strong too. Martin 7 Like how he made things his whilst others stood around, communication was good too. Some good passing some sliced clearances. A little worried about his lack of pace but when megged by Kaffour he recovered just enough to stop him. Harding 6 Sone dreadful passing early doors, overhitting everything. Never beaten though and improved as the game went on. Puncheon 7 May be accused of being greedy as he got caught in two minds in the first half, but then the next time he passed when he should have just gone on his own. I thought he had his best game for a while, Heavily involved throughout. Even his corners we bloody good in the first half, Poor in the second mind! Hammond 7 Nothing outstanding but didn't do anything wrong. Morgan 7 Decent. Never gave anything away and kept us moving. Lallana 7 some nice touches before the injury. Not sure what happened as it was straight from the kick off and he wasn't involved in the kick to touch. Composed finsh from Hammonds mis**** shot. Barnard 9 Worked his socks off offering himself to midfielders and fullbacks all the time. Deserved his goal. Lambert 5 Missed two great chances in the first half and two half chance headers from corners. Didn't win anything in the air either. Nice pen, but not his best day - it just didn't need to be. Dickson 7 lots and lots of runs, tackles and effort down that left hand side. Thought he drove us on excellently and pinned them back. Great asset. Guly 5 woeful first second and third touches that had the terrace laughing at him, but he made a few tackles that calmed him down and he looked a realathlete to me. Pacey and big. Learned nothing here really as Pardew gave him 5 minutes including the injuyr time. Connely 6 lots of great runs and should have scored when through and could have had two. Great to see him looking sharp and bright, brilliant sub to have.

Do I really need to go over this again, sigh. For starters I'm still not sure what you mean about scratching around. We have certainly been unsucessful with one or two, but scratching around suggests as though they have have not been making enough effort, which is ********. I've said it before and I will say it again. Pardew's neck is on the line. Do you seriously think he's twiddling his thums? Anyone that thinks that is a deluded fool. If its a case of lack of funds, then who are we to complain? Do we want us to spend what is not there. Our lesson has to have been learnt, surely? Obviously I don't know for certain, as transfer dealings are kept very quiet, but I think it is fair to say we have tried to sign all the best free contract players (that reach our required standard) including Inigo Calderon from Brighton, who turned out to be injured, and Albert Adomah, who joined Brizzol City in the NPC. We have also gone for Antonio, who stayed with Reading in the NPC and perhaps Brian Stock, who stayed with Donny, again in the NPC. The trouble we have is we are looking for NPC standard players, and if they are of the quality they tend to play in the NPC. Going back to the finances, I hope we are not spending more than we have, and there is no proof to suggest otherwise, so that further restricts transfer dealings. We can't outbid NPC clubs, so what attraction is there for the likes of Stock? Fonte came here because we were the only option at the time. I know you won't want to hear it again, but the final reason is that by waiting for the transfer window to start to unwind the right quality will hopefully come available ie NPC players. The Jacob Mellis', Antonio's, Jaidi's and Waigo's of this world become possible as the window closes. I remember us signing 6 players in the summer of 1998, all in good time (as you seem so desperate for us to do) and we took 12 games to get our first win that season. It's about signing quality not quantity, and if it takes time then so be it.

who gives a **** if YOU don't like loans? They work for the rest of the football community and their usefulness is well proven by the fact that half the sides that have been promoted in recent years have featured one or more who have been fundamental to their promotion campaigns.

we were talking about how a player performed for us.

why is there a hold up? How long does it take to fill in a form and fax/email it across FFS?

no way it will be Harte. Slow, short and crap in that position. Look at the massive progression we made defensively as soon as we got a unit in at centre back. We won't ever have a small centre back whilst AP is here and thank god for that.

maybe we will witness the holy grail, 3-0 down at half time, only to come back and win 3-4?

and no rain predicted so we won't get wet. It will be interesting to watch Lines this time round as I didn't notice him previously and obviously there has been a lot of speculation surrounding him and Saints over the last 6 months. Hopeful of a win, but won't take it for granted. 0-1.

one of my happiest days as a Saints supporter was the realisation that Perry was to be replaced by a defender that could actually win headers without a four day run up. I treasure Jardi. . He's a monster and was immense last season in all but one game. I hope his legs haven't gone, but if Martin squeezes him out if the side...blimey, we will have a hell of a defence on our hands for this level.

behave, ignoring the fact he played in the Prem whilst other players were never good enough for that level, and he was playing with no knees, there have been countless players much worse than him such as Romain Gasmi, Thomas Pekhard, Antony Pulis, Darren Powell, Lee Molyneux, Stephen O'Halloran...and many many more than we could argue about all night.

the point is that Reading don't want to sell as he is playing for them and not rotting in the reserves. Hence they can ask for a wedge.

I'd of thought mroe like Martin or Jaidi as Seaborne isn't slow, for a centre back.

Perhaps its £30 to print a new Season ticket book if you have lost it?

cos they get to call people happy clappy, which makes them think they are superior.

you might want to change that broken record as its simply not true. We signed Jardi on September 3rd, Waigo on September 1st and Antonio on the 5th October.

how long did it take when we signed Waigo?