SW11_Saint

Now you have me thinking... how about our next manager is appointed via an "It's a Knockout" type game! Rupert has to cycle - wearing flippers and a snorkel - with a huge effigy of McMenemy (holding the FA Cup) on his shoulders to a circular swimming pool. He then swims out to a greased platform in the middle and Wilde, Askham, Cowan etc. (all blindfolded) throw beach balls to him with pictures of various managerial candidates on them. Which ever one he is able to catch and hold on to (without slipping off the platform) by the time Stuart Hall blows the whistle is the winner, and is appointed our next coach. They then all troop off to a press conference to talk about our new winning "strategy".

But that's the 'genius' of Rupert! It's truly astounding the scenarios his devotees will dream up in a desperate attempt to put him in a better light...

Sorry, too many words - you're losing me again... There are pro's and con's to all of our players - the key thing is understanding the value of them, rather than just pushing them off the wage bill (ref. Saga, John etc.) - and as any layman will tell you, having a blend of youth and experience will always outweigh just throwing a bunch of kids in (because they're cheap) and hoping for the best. Me and my quotes again - "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing", Oscar Wilde. Cynical old Rupert...

Merely trying to provide some balance to your very one sided view of the statistics dear boy. I'm reminded of the Prodi quote - "He uses statistics like a drunk uses lamp-posts, more for support than illumination."

Ah stats, don't you love em! Still leaves the obvious point though, that under Crouch (using your figures) we were getting 20k+ gates, while under Lowe we're down at 17k or less. In absolute terms - given our league positions are similar - we were 17.6% better off gate-wise under Crouch. Agreed?

Appointing a "back room boy" is hardly a revolutionary fall-back plan now is it?! Start Gray? Steve Wigley? Been done before - you seem to be dressing up the appointment of Wotte as some incredible feat of strategic planning. Where else was he going to turn?? All we have done now is do what the fans were screaming out for in the first place - play the better experienced players (including those immediately farmed out on loan by Lowe) and blend in the youth. It was hardly rocket science if you know football, but that was never part of Rupert's strategy. PS "spin it" - you said it, not me

Lordy... I've never seen so many words used to make such a minor point. All this proves to me is that we have some of the most loyal fans in the country - still turning up week on week, despite the dross we have been served up and the calamatous stewardship of the club by sucessive boards. Nothing more than that. As for the point about supporting Lowe as a way of ridding the club of him... "Born and bred in the briar patch. I was born and bred in the briar patch!"

In fact, how do we know that Lowe didn't actually insist that we appoint Guus Hiddink, and wanted to play a mixture of world superstars, experienced pro's and youth players. It was the Bank that forced him down a different route using alternate Dutch resources. My God... I'm starting to see Lowe in a (hypothetical) new light too - he's a genius!!!

I think this lauding of Lowe as some sort of strategic genius for simply replacing a (yet another) failed manager with one of the backroom staff is ludicrous. It happens often in football, rarely with much success - certainly not where Saints are concerned. Let's hope Wotte can be the exception to the rule, but let's not attempt to turn this into some form of strategic work of wonder by Lowe - he simply turned to the only other internal option open to him. If we stay up, we'll be happy - but Lowe will still be judged on his appointment of Poortvliet, and failure to act sooner when things were going so badly awry.

Exactly. IF, and it's a big IF, we do stay up - then fair play to Wotte, but it will only be redressing the ridiculous first 2/3's of the season, and Lowe's flawed plan. I just wonder what would have happened if Lowe had put some faith in Nigel Pearson and let him carry on his work this season, playing the more experienced guys, and blending in the younger ones (as Wotte is now doing)...?

We'll need them all right! COYS - Pride of the South, ALWAYS!

Yawn.

I don't think anyone sees him as a "lost genius" - just a genuine, hard working coach with good experience of the English leagues and who, however close, kept us up last year and seemed to have won the fans over and had built the foundation of something potentially promising. Of course, then along comes dear old Rupert - kicks it all away, and inflicts yet another "revolutionary" scheme on us. Ho hum.

It will indeed. If I was a betting man I'd put money on them making it back to the Prem before us...

Yes! You've lost me on the McMenemy point. Good luck to him indeed. Shame to let him slip through our fingers, and embark on another bizarre gamble, still what's another couple of managers paid off eh? I will get behind the team, but reserve judgement on Wotte. From what I have seen has little of the gravitas of Pearson, and none of the humility. We'll see...

Is that next years Pompey kit he's sporting? It gets gaudier every year... (mind, it needs those CCC badges on the shirt-sleeves).

Interesting piece on Leicester City's resurgence under Nigel Pearson. Couple of quotes really stood out (paraphrased from memory): Alan Birchenall (ex-player and club ambassador) - "He has the same presence as Martin O'Neill had here... when he walks in a room he commands respect". Lee Dixon - "interesting what they were saying about him in the dressing room... he's like that when you meet him... he has something about him". What a great appointment for them. Well worth the 'extortionate' wages I am sure.

Nice one - dredging from my memory (from the Chocolate Boxes) I had the following: Take a two penny ticket to the Arsenal kop, He walks with a wiggle and he walks with a hop, With a walking stick and a hand grenade, We are the Milton, boot boys! Lots would have got lost in translation I am sure - and I had never quite understood the "Arsenal kop" bit, so yours makes more sense. Perhaps Duncan can provide the definitive rendition???

Anyone remember the song that included mention of "a walking stick and a hand grenade" (?!) - I think I remember it but wanted to check it isn't just a figment of my (then) young imagination... ended with the line "... we are the Milton, aggro!".

As something of an 'outsider' these days, it seems to me that their council has done a much better job of promoting commerce and tourism in their City - attracting businesses, investing in Gun Wharf, Spinnaker Tower etc. (whatever you think of it!) and taking major events like the Whitbread Round the World Race etc. What a terrible shame, as Southampton as a City has so much to offer, just seems to be little vision among the City Fathers (unless you cound more shopping centres...). Part of the higher profile of course comes from being a "Premier League" City - note they even replaced us on the BBC Weather map as soon as we went down (previously Southampton was, and should be, the major City on the South Coast and was always the main City represented). This still irks me every time I see it!! Hopefully one day we'll be back, but it won't be too soon I fear...

Actually, quite a humerous comment from one of them below that article: "We beat a load of 16 year old from Southampton. That'll be their first team then!!!!!!!!!!"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1156128/Two-British-tourists-die-taking-heroin-thought-cocaine.html This on the Mail website.

Everyone who was here before is still here. Best not to start mouthing after too much, we don't want this first win to be a flash in the pan... lest you fall into the trap of those who jumped up and down shouting "Rupert's right, Rupert's right!" every time JP got an away result... Let's hope this is the start of a run of wins. One on it's own won't be enough.

Poor attempt, just doesn't work mate. Sorry, Luvvie.

Thank God for that. 3 absolutely critical points, and more importantly a home win. Got to follow it up now though. Oh to have had Saga here all season...