SW11_Saint

I'd go for Dowie - let's have some of that Bouncebackability!!!

I thought exactly the same thing. I read it twice and couldn't believe the lack of fight, and, more worrying, the patent lack of a clue what to do to turn things around (other than just hope things get better and we 'make a goal'). A nice guy, with best intentions, but hopelessly out of his depth. His language lacks spirit and motivation (mirrored in the team). While pretty much every other club around us has now changed manager with a positive result (bar Charlton who seem to have "done a Wigley"), Lowe continues to fiddle while SMS burns. We have an impotent, clueless boardroom leading a hopelessly floundering coaching setup directing a bunch of talented yet dispirited, disorganised unmotivated kids. A "masterplan" indeed...

"We" didn't. Rupert Lowe did. Because he knows better than us...

He's in denial - refusing to even admit there's a problem. Lowe and the board are doing exactly the same. It's like being an alcoholic - until they understand and admit they have problem, and decide to do something about it, nothing will change. With Lowe, Portvliet & co. we are f*cked.

Short answer: they won't.

Actually, mention of Lordswood and buses reminds me of similar story - I used to get the 2A to school in the mornings and Danny Wallace used to get the same bus. He was about my age - I knew well who he was (when I first saw him it was before his first team debut), but never quite plucked up the courage to chat to him. Many many years later met his brother Rodney in a bar in Leeds (with Brian Deane, Chirs Fairclough and possibly Noel Whelan - memory fades!). Had a quick chat, nice guy - good memories of Saints (although said he'd never come back when I posed that question). Also distinctly remember him calling Barry Fry a w*nker when I asked how Danny was doing (this was pre his MS diagnosis and he'd just had his s/t contract cancelled by Fry at Birmingham (again if memory serves)). Also helped interview a few players for Redstrip Fanzine which a mate ran - interviewed Jeff Kenna and Jim Magilton in Greensleeves Cafe in Bedford Place (presume that's gone too Duncan??); Bally in his office at The Dell (made us feel like kings, inviting us into his office and "holding all calls") and Glen ****erill at Brisbane Road when he played for Orient. All of them were absolute gents. The only less than savoury player experience I can remember is (trying to) talk to Terry Hurlock at a London Saints Xmas Do - he was with a bunch of dodgy South London mates, and really wasn't all that pleasant...

Absolutely right - although Jim McGowan was an inside right I think, not a goalie.

Funny how so many of these stories involve the same old characters. Mine does too. A very close friend of the family (an "uncle" in the way you called people Uncle/Auntie in those days - does that still happen??) ran a pub in Portswood. Dare say many of you from that era will know the one I am talking about. Jim Steele, somewhat famously, lived there for a while, and many of the Saints team were regulars for early or late drinks. My mum worked there too. Jim Steele, Gerry O'Brien, Eric Martin, Jim McCalliog etc. etc. were regulars at the pub and often would come back to parties at our house. We were pretty close to Jim S, Eric and Jim McC and their families. My best memory has to be the day after the semi-final v. Palace - Sunday in this aforementioned pub with Steely, Jim McCalliog, Mick Channon, Peter Osgood and little Bobby - in for a day long session and all singing "Yesterday" at the top of their voices. I can still hear Mick's Wiltshire burr now... Happy days. PS Also grew up on the same estate as Franny and my family knew his well.

What a little ray of sunshine you are... Best wishes for 2009.

Bingo night at the Cotswolds Branch of the Referendum Party...

The Saints Trust meet in Room 101.

With due respect (and welcome to the board by the way), absolute codswallop... Not every regime faced such derision - I am one of Crouch's bigger critics, and DO NOT think he is the right long term Chairman for SFC (to be fair, I don't even think Leon thinks he is) but the vast majority of fans were behind that regime, and what they were at least trying to achieve. The club definitely pulled together last year - culminating in the last day nailbiting win of Sheff Utd. I remember feeling positive then, for the first time in years... until of course you know who came along and decided to inflict another of his bizarre experiments on the club. No one will ever convince me that the Dutch duo were so signficantly cheaper than Pearson to make a material difference (and even if they were, what a ridiculous false economy that has turned out to be!). With regard to Wilde, I don't think anyone who had faith in him retains it now - he has proved himself to be spineless and ineffective (other than throwing his shares behind whoever pats him on the head and throws him a biscuit). I do agree that our problems are greater than any of the clowns we have now, or have had in the recent past, can deal with, and that a cash injection (and change of leadership) is required. If only the board had realised the scale of our potential problems while we were still in the Premiership and had a chance to save ourselves (ref. Steve "1 win in 14" Wigley) - oops there I go again - another "if"... what an awful backward-looking lot we fans are!

Would be nice to have a chairman who didn't make critical strategic decisions by "guessing"...!

Sounds like daylight robbery, but who gives a f**k - 3 very very valuable points. Need to follow it up with another win now! COYS!

Because of who we have doing the appointing... (and the last guy we replaced was perfectly adequte!)

That's right, that's right, keep repeating, it's all just down to luck, it'll all come good, that's the ticket, good, good... See you in League 1...

and you think Jan is the man to do that do you?

So... a struggling Championship side could never beat Man Utd?? Fight, grit, spirit, passion, determination - and a bit of sublime skill - and there you have it, struggling Derby beat the mighty Man United. Well I never... Mind, must have helped with the feelgood factor of the new manager looking on, as well as of course trying to impress him (oh, and a board who clearly have a bit of a vision and the balls to act when needed). Rupert, Jan... were you watching? (cue the apologists again - lucky Derby, United tired, waiting for 2nd leg etc. etc.).

Sad, but true. Well put.

Exactly.

I don't expect miracles, and good God, don't we know we're not a Premiership club - we're so far from it it's stratospheric (as yesterday helped prove). All I wanted was sensible tactics and bit of fight and spirit. We got little of the former, and the latter only in patches. Of course being down to 10 men and some suspect decisions against us didn't help - but I also think they're being used by some as an excuse for the more worrying aspects of our performance.

Not really, well, not intended that way - more amazement that someone could see the same game I was at in such a light. There's being 'upbeat' and then there's kidding yourself (and there's far too much of that going on at the club for my liking anyway...). I think United coasted it - and from what I saw, hardly broke sweat. You can make all of the excuses you want - and believe me NO ONE expected us to win, me included - but we were outclassed AND outfought with ease. Believe McManaman said something in his commentary along the lines of "... [we] offered less in all departments than any other lower league team who played this weekend.". I hate to say it, but I agree with him, and I think the scoreline flattered us.

I hate to criticise anyone for being 'glass half full', but this either has to be tongue in cheek or you're one of Rupes PR moles...!

The blind leading the blind...

Most of my views already represented on here, but some observations: We were never going to win, and I truly feared an embarrasing drubbing, so on paper (and I do hate to admit this) I am actually reasonably 'happy' with a 0-3 result. Thought the red card was harsh at the time, but having now seen in on TV, it wasn't. The penalty - opinion seems split (Davis clearly thinks it was a pen, but most pundits don't), and I do think it hit his head, although a difficult decision for Riley I think he was rash to award a pen. The first goal offside? Yes, but you see tons of goals in that area given. Basically, if they hadn't have scored those three, they'd have stepped up a gear and scored 3 or 4 more. United really didn't get out of 2nd gear. As someone commented to me at half-time - it looked like Berbatov was an adult playing in a school playground game... What worried me most was the total lack of opportunities we created. Okay, we're going to get beaten, but give it a go for goodness sake. I thought JP might have played an older head like Euell (whatever you think of him, he does have experience), and his team selection as again somewhat 'odd'. Also, once we were down to 10, and had used our subs, I couldn't work out what system we were playing at all (or if we were). Ian Holloway on R5L made a similar point - even down to 10, keep your shape "two rows of 4, and 1 up front". At times we seemed to have all of the foward players bunched together - again like a schools game. This is concerning, as I am really starting to lose faith in JP's ability to change formations and issue clear instructions to his players. I also suspect he is deficient in that other key facet of any successful manager - being able to motivate and gee up his players. This is absolutely critical in a relegation battle. If he can't rally the troops we have no hope. I don't give a f*ck about the FA Cup this year, but if we (he) cannot turn things around ASAP (and I have question his ability to do so), then we MUST move to a plan B. By the way, what is 'Plan B' Rupert?