ulstersaint

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 and not a very good one.

Is this the same David McGoldrick who could not score from the penalty spot versus Burnley when he had the opportunity to take a free kick at goal with a stationery ball from 12 yards in his own time and without any defenders allowed to challenge him ..... and missed with a quite pathetic weak shot much too close to the keeper?

Good question. Not a lot of answers so far. For me, Surman started well and showed a lot of promise. Then he got a fairly regular place in the team this season and had a great opportunity to influence games - but he hasn't delivered. Talented but lightweight. Goes missing in games. Probably thinks he is better than he is. Some would blame this on him playing in a poor team having a tough time, but this season was his chance to shine and he has not taken it. Take the money from Reading. We need it.

What he said. That hit the greedy, arrogant sods in the only place where they have any feelings - their bank balances.

I agree with the opinion regarding Pearson and think we would have done better under him this season. But just a thought: if you were Pearson would you rather work for Lowe-life or Madric? No brainer, really.

McG penalty miss looks to have cost us -10 pts in L1. Kind of sums him up and also the season. Both absolute, utter, total dross.

Sorry, it was Barnsley. Just shows how memorable the game was.

Agree - only Davis is worth anything. £10.7m? The Fat Controller can't have been watching them this season. A team worth £10.7m would not be second bottom of the division waiting for the trap door to open and the drop to League 1.

Some weeks ago I thought of flying over from Belfast for the last home game v Burnley in the vain hope that it might be part of another great escape. Now I'm glad I didn't bother - it would have been a waste of money. I managed to get to 2 home games this season: 0-0 v Charlton and 0-0 v QPR. Kind of sums up a dreadful season. Now I'm resigned to League 1 and a new start for the club under new owners.

Yes possible but highly improbable. And to even entertain the possibility that relegation can be avoided requires ignoring all the evidence of the 44 games Saints have played this season. Utter dross and downhill all the way since Judas Wilde brought Lowe back, showed Pearson the door, got in the two dutch numpties, loaned out all our decent forwards and brought in Robertson, Peckart, Sneiderlin, Wotton, Molynuex, Gasmi, Pulis and the 'world class' Smith.

Paul Dickov

Have to agree with Alpine. The league table does not lie and we are where we deserve to be. Shame on Lowe, Wilde, JP, Wotte and those who have worn the short this season - except Davis, Perry & Size.

Bobby Stokes v Alex Stepney & ManUre 1976

Undertakers like Private Fraser in Dad's Army. "We're doomed!"

It's the biggest 'must win' home game since the last 'must win' home games against our fellow-strugglers: Home to Barnsley - we drew 1-1 Home to Watford - we lost 0-3 Home to Plymouth - we drew 0-0 Home to Notts Forest - we lost 0-2 (in front of huge crowd) Home to Doncaster - we lost 1-2 Home to Charlton - we lost 2-3 (in front of a huge crowd and no Lowe and Wilde) Not really the foundation for high hopes for this 'must win' game.

Not including the players sold for big money transfers (ie Beattie, Theo, Crouch, Bale, Jones - and where did the money go?) there are several ex-Saints players doing well at other clubs: Blackstock (QPR and Forest) Kevin Davies (Bolton) Oakley (Derby & Leicester) Delap, Higginbotham & Fuller (Stoke) Miek Taylor (Birmingham) Monk (Swansea) And some loanees: Dyer (Swansea) Rasiak (Watford) John (Bristol City) And we are stuck with dross like BWP, Smith, McGoldrick, Wotton, Gasmi, Pulis, Molyneaux etc. Makes me think there is something deeply wrong at our club because we consistently get rid of decent players and then sign inferior replacements.

I said that I hope. Belief and even expectation are gone - hope is all I have left.

Four games to go but I doubt we will pick up more than 2 or 3 points - if that. So it will be League 1 next season, perhaps starting on -10 points. And if anyone thinks we will walk that League, remember Leeds Utd. With this set-up and this bunch of players we would struggle in the Conference. I hope: No more Lowe & Wilde (may they rot for what they did to our club) No more Portvliet, Wotte, Gore and total Dutch football (what a joke that was!) No more selling our best players, eg Walcott, Bale, Jones (sorry, I forgot, we have none left). No more over-hyped and over-paid players like Surman, Lallana, Wootton, Euell and BWP. No more crap loan signings like Robertson, Pekhart, Gasmi and Pullis. No more corner kicks that don't clear the first defender. No more conceding goals just before HT and FT. No more playing left foot players on the right side and vice versa. No more spin and bull**** from the club's website. No more rallying calls from players after another dismal performance. No more players stealing from handbags or scuffling with fans on drunken nights out. No more calls from the manager / players for the fans to turn up when the team fails to do so. No more pundits describing our beloved club as "struggling" Saints.

Amen to that. Total and utter rubbish. Wotten, Surman and McGoldrick are absolute dross and apart from one cross field pass I hardly realised Schniederlin was playing. After today I am resigned to league 1 and hope that will lead to a total clear out; please no more Lowe, Wilde, Portvliet, Wotte, Gore, Wotten, McGoldrick, Surman, Lallana (and if Fulham do want him take the cheque and cash it quickly), Smith, Scheiderlin, BWP, Euell, Skacel, Pulis, Robertson, Molyneux, Gasmi, Pekhart, Bialkowski. All total failures. They have taken their wages under false pretenses and should hang their heads in shame.

Just back to N Ireland after a few days in Southampton when I managed to get to the QPR game. Only the second time I have been to SMS this season (the first was Coventry 1-1), and it was the worst game I have seen for a very long time. The intricate slow build up passing game of JP has clearly gone and has been replaced by 'kick it high and long at every opportunity'. The two CBs for QPR coped well with every high and long ball yet the Saints persisted. (A tip to MW - don't keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.) And if Lallana, Surman and McGoldrick are the latest bright talents from our academy, then the club really is in dire straits. They were all poor but Surman in particular was truly awful - he missed some good chances and when opposition players went past him he merely trotted after them! Gillett tried hard but in the late stages of the game when Saints desperately needed a goal for 3 points, he wandered slowly over to take corner kicks and took even more time placing the ball - like we were a goal up and playing for time! The only bright note, Kelvin did not have much to do but kept us in it with some good saves late on, and Perry and JPS were an excellent centre back pairing. It was great to see Saius attacking the ball, getting tackles in, putting it in row Z when there was danger, and getting back on his feet after taking a clattering. He looks like a proper CB and he was my MOM. MW? Should have made changes earlier and taken off Lallana & Surman and got BWP on much sooner - he made a difference. Survival? Not if they play like this in the remaining games.

Postponement of the Watford game could be helpful; we were poor at the beginning of February and will be in better shape for the rearranged match. Last game of the season at Forest - hope we are safe before we kick-off 3 May.

Apline, you have not got a monopoly on foresight. At the start of the season most of us realised that the new set-up would likely fail. We could see, and many of us said, that the youngsters would not have the stature, strength or experience to complete in this physical league; that a few bad results would destroy their fragile confidence; that it was false economy to loan out our three experienced strikers; that Jan was Lowe's puppet etc). But there was nothing we (the fans) could do about except hope and pray that we could gather enough points to reach mid table. Only Lowe could have "been less stupid" and done something different; and you know his track record for humbling admitting that he has made a gross error of judgment and changing course.

There were plenty of bad Burley signings.

Wotte should shut up and let his team and tactics do the talking. It was Lowe who labelled us the lunatic fringe and this swipe from Wotte at the people who pay his wages just shows how much he is in Lowe's pocket. What are the chances that the fans will vent their anger at Wotte tomorrow after a probable home defeat to PNE?