CB Fry

What a load of ********. Oh dear me, we're doomed, how can we ever expect to compete with Carlisle and their mega spending spree The footballing giants of Oldham and Exeter are going to grind us into League 2 where we will finish bottom in our first season. Absolutely any acheivement above this would constitute a bonus that must not be expected in any way just in case it creates pressure for the poor old players. Are my expectations "realistic" enough for you? There's some divs on here.

Err - this is a Southampton Football Club forum. We are allowed to have a laugh about the European Mega Club on our doorstep with the biggest and most passionate fanbase in the world. When you're a tiny lower league nothing club living in the shadow of a global giant you're allowed to poke a bit of fun. It helps us forget how tiny and insignificant we are. You've registered and post constantly on a Southampton Football Club forum. You're obsessed with us, you nutjob.

Oh do shut up you dopey old slag.

At the end of the day Wilde/Crouch/Hone combined to give Burley the funds and support to achieve automatic promotion easily - a hell of a lot more resource than Burnley, Hull, Stoke and even Wolves and West Brom had in their promotion seasons. Go back over the yards of newsprint on this campaign - Hone and co wanted promotion and budgeted for it. Seven million quid in CCC should give you the "outstanding players" you mention. So its not about fans having unrealistic expectations. Its about Burley taking an automatic promotion set-up and turning into a last-day scrape into the play offs - he blew it. Sick to death at people whining about fans. It isn't the fans fault if the manager fails.

Nice one Pards. Bit sick of reading on here how we should be thankful if we "just stay up" this season in a league with Oldham, Gillingham, Exeter and Yeovil. Pardew will expect bare minimum Play off form (which would see us probably ninth or tenth) and hope for championship form (which would see us in the play offs). Top two (record-breaking form) is a hell of a stretch but fair play if that is his benchmark. Our new manager and our new owners have bigger ambitions than many of the fans.

LOL at Pomey fan on a Southampton FC message board arguing with Saints fans "line by line". Thanks for taking the trouble Absolutely besotted with us, and you're two divisions higher. I know there aren't that many of you, but why not talk to some of your own fans on your own forum?

Amen to that. One of the nicest little sidelines to the ML takeover is the cutting off at the knees (hopefully terminally) of any prospect of a ruddy "fan owned" club. Anything that keeps the anorak mafia away from the levers "of power" is nothing but the best thing for the club for the next fifty years. And, thank flid, it's all gone quiet on the "if we all put £500 in we'd be just like Barcelona" guffmound. Phew.

Any fule kno what this thread is about. Stop making sense people. Cont. page 94. (that's enough Eye and Talking Heads references now - mods).

Can I take this opportunity to make a hilarious remark about Tommy Widdrington. Thank you.

I worry about Paul Harts ability to manage a squad of 32 £60m galacticos. What experience does he have of managing the likes of Messi, Riquelme, Iniesta, Et'o, Ribery and Hayden Mullins? Good luck to him and Pompey.

There's only one Johnny Hartson.

So how long did the chanting go on for?

I didn't say you did mention Strachan. If Pardew is "very weak" which is a pretty damning attack, who wouldn't be "very weak" in your opinion. I notice you offered no suggestion first time out. And where have I "slagged off" anyone?

A "very weak" appointment? Could you give me a name of an appointment that would just be a "weak" appointment. And then the name of someone that would be a "good" appointment. And then, what the hell, a "very good" appointment. And try and keep out of la-la land with your suggestions. Gordon Strachan was never, ever going to be our manager.

LOL at someone with 500 odd posts on a Southampton Football Club forum. Not sure you can accuse any Saints fans as being focused on your shower because you are besotted with us.

I think we are all dying to hear what "your expectations" are/were. Come on, give us a name....

If Pardew gets us into the CCC I'm not sure who you think would poach him to be honest. I can't see any Prem clubs taking him on and his "spiritual home" is Palace and they're not a fantastic draw at present either. A wealthy Southampton in the CCC is a pretty strong proposition. It's certainly possible, but not sure you can compare us to MK Dons who have appointed and lost managers "on the up" (Martin Allen, Ince, Di Matteo - you could add Swansea's Martinez to that list as well) as opposed to a manager on a comeback. I can see what you're saying but Pardew promoting us in two seasons won't make him some red hot managerial prospect coveted by the big clubs. He'll still be on the comeback trial clawing back to where he once was.

I don't think we'll ever forget that this is simply not true. Wally.

The jist of it is "good luck Alan, hope you do well down there, what a guy". Or not.

Dowie had a handful of games. He did spend a lot of money but given a full season he would probably have kept them up. Les Reed was the disaster, their in house Wigley appointment.

So just to confirm you are happy if a football club board interferes in player recruitment and happy if the chief exec forces players on the manager. And it is the manager in the wrong if he decides not to play said players. So if a chief exec says "we're buying so and so and you are playing him" that is a scenario you are perfectly happy with? I do hope you have remained consistent in those opinions over the years regardless of the clubs or chairmen involved.

Don't worry about a thread on a forum FC. If you feel that strongly about the stadium chanting the name of a retired player with no affinity to us whatsoever, stand up and start singing tomorrow afternoon.

Not sure we'll fit any Pardew songs in around the chanting about John Hartson and respect for our Armed Forces