CB Fry

Do tell us another fairy story about Brave Mauricio and how he took such a chance on unknown whey-faced youngsters like Adam Lallana (first team regular under four previous managers) Morgan Schneiderlin (first team regular under four previous managers), Jay Rodriguez (record signing, regular under previous manager) and Luke Shaw (wonder kid handed debut and already a regular under previous manager). Such bravery. Such belief.

Suggest you listen to it again where you'll see he says nothing like that, basically he says the opposite to that. The guy says are you a project manager Ron says no he isn't, then says, dismissively "what, you mean 'judge me at the end of my contract?' No, you have to win now." He talks about "project" being something used when managers like to have an excuse.

We finished eighth and then we finished seventh - if that's slightly disappointing fair enough. This year I thought we'd be about tenth but was actually expecting Europa fixtures. I am more than slightly disappointed about our cup failures, this and last December especially and our Europa failure was frankly a disgrace. That's where this season is a waste and I don't think we've quite recovered from it. Ronald needed a Europa run to build his reputation a little more and we needed it because we might not get another one for a while. I think it has winded us and here we are. We may well have a squibby season finishing mid table but that ain't beneath us and the petulant griping already apparent on this forum will, I'm sure, evolve into full-on toddler tantrums if we dare to look like we might end up thirteenth. Oh, the shame of it.

You might want to listen to it. Basically he intimated that the concept of "projects" is nonsense. And he's 100% correct. Just win on Saturday. You'll remember the commitment our previous "project" manager, right? I believe he f# $ked off at the earliest possible opportunity.

The idea we had some magic formula has been massively over-egged on here, you're quite right. I like our strategy and ethos - not because it is unique or unrepeatable anywhere else but it is sensible. Beyond that, we've signed some players that might not be quite good enough and we might have a gap or two in the squad. Gosh. Guess what, that ain't unique to us either. I mean, I can't be too sure but I think there are maybe three or four clubs over the last twenty years who have probably done that too. If nothing else if the last few weeks has started to rebase some of the more ridiculous expectations of the fanbase then great.

It definitely was. It was "traditionally" on Monday lunchtimes until the advent of regular TV matches then it was moved to being tacked on to the end of the Sunday live match. Then for about three or four years the BBC moved it back to its traditional home of Monday lunchtime then they lost the coverage to ITV where it went back to after the Sunday match. The current idea I think works pretty well and I'll be listening as I make the tea tomorrow.

One assist.

And he's still going.

You really don't do yourself any favours with drivel like that.

No interest in playing Pompey at all for least the next decade. They need it infinitely more than we do. I want a League 2 side at home, failing that Forest or Derby or Chesterfield or Mansfield or Burton away. No idea if all of them are still in it.

There are some loons on here.

That looks like your own interpretation rather than what was actually said. Well done though.

The manager hasn't been critical of the board, but you knew that already.

This reads like a headline, but from where?

Nice try.

He wasn't a marquee signing.

No he wouldn't. He's sh it and will more than likely never ever play for us again.

Let's all have a meltdown.

We are never ever ever going to score.

They've all given up because they know that Koeman hates young players and will only play wizened old shrivelled up old timers like Virgil, Clasie, and James Ward Prowse.

I would think our wage bill is about £70m this season too. I'm delighted we are not signing the likes of Shaquiri who virtually had to be drugged like Mr T to get on a plane to Stoke.

Exactly this. If we steamed in an offered Vardy five years at £90k (plus £15m) I'd think we were lunatics. The new TV deal really means the differences between us and Leicester and the Villas and Newcastles is much smaller. The top six won't want Vardy and the top 10 are unlikely to want to spend that much on him.

Any commentator expecting anything other than a Labour win was a fool. What can't be avoided is the fact that he did not visit the constituency before and was not featured on the literature and reports from the door step suggested very little swing to Corbyn, mire likely the opposite. But as I said I am happy to give him all the credit for him smashing the back of the net. He will have bigger challenges to come. Let's see if the Corbynistas ever view a set back for the party as being ever anything to do with their leader.

You'd know about being obvious.

If Corbyn had managed to lose a copper bottomed safe Labour seat then it would have been a man-bites-dog level of news story, so it would have been right for him to be slaughtered if that had happened. It was a mistake for any commentators to predict defeat because it obviously wasn't going to happen, as constituencies go it was a tap in. He tapped it in.