ulstersaint

Spot on. Let's just remember him as a great player. The Club stood by him when he was injured and gave him every chance to get fit. But now it's time for a clean sheet and new start under a new owner and new manager.

Fitness - or lack of it - has been a problem since Strachan left. That's why we have let in so many late goals and very rarely score late on in the game.

The only Saints youth player to come anywhere near the talent and power of Wayne Rooney when he was aged 17 years was Theo Walcott. The rest of our youth players - with due respect to them - are miles off a comparison with Rooney.

Fully agree .... no more Lowe, no more dutch total football, Saints saved from closure by a new Billionaire owner,a new experienced and proven English manager, a new season and a new start for our club - and all some can do is post negative rubbish! Unbelievable.

I doubt we could find anyone worse! For a striker and appalling record (1 goal in every 6 games), countless times caught offside, brought the name of the club into disrepute by antics in Portsmouth night club ..... a total waste of money and space.

Flybe offering Belfast City to Southampton at £0 + charges & taxes. Works out around £65 return. Arrives 11.30am Saturday and return Sunday morning.

St Mary's (and this forum) should be declared a Lowe-free zone. Let us all exorcise our personal and collective memories of every recollection of this arrogant waste of space and move on. New (wealthy) owner, soon to be a new managerial regime, and new hope for the new season.

Still here (Moira, Craiagavon) ..... still supporting the Saints.

Strengths: - brought in Size (sp) - showed some loyalty and dignity during adminstration period Weaknesses: - appointed by Lowe and showed this by criticising fans soon after he took over as manager (reminded me of Lowe's 'lunatic fringe' jibe) - worked alongside Portvliet and couldn't or wouldn't persuade him to change hopeless team selections and tactics - only 4 wins as manager and led us to relegation Time for a clean break with the past and a totally new regime. Thanks Mark, you seem a decent guy who tried hard. Best wishes.

MLT is undoubtedly a Saints legend (with Bates, Paine and Channon). But Matt must regret getting caught up with the Pinnacle bid; well intentioned he may be, but his judgment was faulty on that one.

With the German influence we should be OK in penalty shoot-outs!

..... and statements and deadlines.

I fly Belfast-Southampton with Flybe and the flights and service are good. Only problem is how they advertise their fares. I recently booked a return flight for around £45 but end up paying £124 with all the add-ons. £62 each way is still good value but it would be better if the fare structure was simpler. I also fly Belfast-Gatwick with Easyjet and they are usually cheaper; I have hired an Easyjet car from Gatwick and their flight/car price has been less than flight only with Flybe.

Anyone charged with this kind of offence would be suspended by their employer, especially if their job involved working with children and young people - as is the case with a football manager. Yes, 'innocent until proved guilty' but when charged with this offence it is suspended until a not guilty verdict. So Rupert did the right thing. Very hard on anyone falsely accused, but just the way it is. Dave Jones conducted himself with enormous dignity and has rebuilt his life and career. Pity Cardiff didn't win the FA Cup and I wish him well.

Top post! BTW, I'm tired of hearing it said of our poor players from the Championship (BWP, Euell etc) that 'they will do a job for us in League 1'. If they were any good we would not in League 1! And let's not kid ourselves - League 1 is a battleground and it will not be an easy League to get out of it. Ask Leeds Utd.

Let's hope and pray.

Seems that: 1. Pinnacle got Crouch to put up the £500k for exclusivity, probably for a place on board. 2. Pinnacle got Matt involved to attract money men but that failed. 3. Matt got sucked in with the promise of being chairman but failed to do his due diligence on Lynam and co. 4. Fry backed the wrong group for exclusivity period. 5. Fry pressed for a money man to go public last week (Fialko - joke!) to put pressure on Pinnacle to put up or shut up. 5. Wasted weeks of exclusivity for Pinnacle have left us in dire straits. 6. Only hope is Fry has been working with the Swiss group since exclusivity expired.

You're on the right track. We need Kelvin in goal and some experienced big players at CB and Striker (the likes of Sodje, Duberry, Scowcroft, Howard etc) plus some good young, pacey, keen talent from the lower leagues. Wolves and Cardiff have done well with that strategy -one got back to the premiership and the other came close.

A bus setting sail?

Think of it like this. If Surman was player for Charlton and just got relegated to League 1, and if you were Saints Manager, would you pay £1m for him?

Let's learn from Newcastle. They clamoured for a messiah (Keegan, Shearer) rather than a manager (Robson, Allardyce) and are in deep trouble.

inciteful (stir up) insightful (understand hidden truth) Which one?

Either would do for me. But no more Dutch nonsense.

Sound thinking.

It was the gunman on the grassy knoll who killed JFK ..... the moon landing was filmed in a studio ..... Hitler survived and lived in South America ..... Elvis is alive and working in a burger bar ..... the Twin Towers were not collapsed by the planes ..... another conspiracy theory and not a very good one.