CB Fry

LOL. Okay then. Saints 100% rags to riches then. Help me out and define "rags" for me. And, err, just so we're clear - we'd be better off if the council owned our ground yes? I mean Swansea have such an advantage over poor old rag-ridden paupers Saints, yes?

That's right. The Swansea City story would be told entirely through the perspective of a Southampton fan. Love the breathtaking myopia on this forum. Face facts, Swansea have a true rags to riches story. We don't. Get over it.

Me neither, and he could well be a Steve Bull/Billy Sharp style lower division goal machine unsuited to the top flight. But he represents the kind of player were going to be looking at is all. Youngish, not finished articles. I think the lack of current Prem interest could be as much to do with his big contract and previous fee - he probably hasn't exceeded his worth/value yet, making him an expensive gamble.

It's arguable that, overall, the Championship is a higher standard than, say, the Dutch league. If he was called Giodan Van Rodes it would be fever pitch on here.

Swansea have a far more phenomenal story than we do. They've got silverware to their name which kinda outranks "look, we're doing well halfway through a season". Clear the fu cking schedules. Football team on same number of points as Arsenal after half the games have been played. It's up there with My Left Foot as the feelgood story of the year. We've done great but it is not rags to riches and it isn't phenomenal. Who are the "kids that became world stars?" Bale (several years at Spurs pre world stardom)? Walcott? (when are you starting this story?) The world stars Shaw and Lallana? Our they've-sold-everyone-but-it's-turned-out-okay-after-all has been flogged to death in every media outlet in the country. Almost to a sickening amount. But sure, lets pretend Football Focus have ignored it. Boo hoo.

It's really not that much of an "amazing rags to riches story" is it? We didn't start with rags, we started with a Premier league stadium and already strong academy/training facilities. And we got bought by a billionaire and shot up two divisions like Norwich did the season before. And then we finished in eighth place in the league like WBA did the season before. If you want rags to riches try Swansea City.

He's no Mayuka, I grant you.

Don't ask if Morgan would have definitely stayed, ask how.

Is the correct answer.

I agree. We should only sign sh it players we know that no other club would ever want to sign.

Looks like there's a job going at WBA now too.

Looks like it's on then. Good luck Pards - did a good job at Newcastle and can walk away from those ungrateful, deluded sense-of-entitlement northern tw ats with his head held high. Let's hope they get someone who has "affinity with the fans" and they fu ck it up royally.

Bournemouth coming up would be brilliant. As would, for purely selfish reasons, Derby. The other team not really fussed about. Ipswich and Boro both due another crack at it.

I said we'd be about eighth on your points tally. I quoted it above. I was right. You were spectacularly wrong on all counts. Happy to help.

I think it is wishful betting patterns in the north east. Seems very unlikely. Stranger things have happened though.

Do Groundhog Day.

Just for completeness, I know no one cares and NickG will do his usual of denying he ever posted things even when they are posted back at him. Anyway - was 9 points from these ten games "the level required for 5th/6th" as it was according to our expert? Well, we actually got 14 points to land fourth. 9 points would have got us 28 points and we'd be level with Swansea now in eighth. Kinda like I said it would all those weeks ago. I know, give me a medal. But really, don't. Because that was fuc king pi ss easy for any idiot to foresee. Anyway, like I said NickG will pretend he never posted any of this so it's almost like it's all pointless. Happy new year.

We also had a load of horsesh it from forum fuc kwits about how putting out decent squads in the league cup would cripple our league campaign but it hasn't. We're fourth having played the maximum number of LC games this half season. Fancy that. So, how is resting players in a tournament that is played on the weekends going to help our CL push? It will make fu ck all difference. We should go for silverware. CL qualification is pretty remote, as is winning the FA Cup, but we should be going for it in both. Thankfully, whatever you think or say, that's precisely what Koeman will do.

What point are you making here? We gave the cup a good go, playing more than decent teams in all rounds and we are still fourth despite the supposed crippling effect league cup football was supposed to have on our season. It can be done, we're fourth.

Pretty sure he was sacked after losing a tyne/wear derby for which he dropped Alan Shearer to much Geordie outrage.

Trevor Brooking said something about them but frankly he was nothing more than an employee of West Ham who was paid for his services at the time so really he should shut the fu ck up and not be allowed to buy tickets or something.

I thought being an utter pr ick to everyone you encounter was the only way to succeed in business. I learnt that somewhere once. I know it is the fast track way to get the chief exec role at AC Milan anyway. Gold and Sullivan are bastards but they are West Ham's bastards.

He's okay, thanks to the power of prayer.

That's all jolly nice, but nothing "finally ended" yesterday, did it?

If its "still early days" then how did our top 6 chances "finally end" according to you yesterday then? You're a pointless troll and most people here know it.