Fitzhugh Fella

Yea completely blaming an intern is unacceptable but my remark - although slightly tongue in cheek - has some validity. I would have a bit more admiration if he had challenged (or at least questioned) what he was being asked to do. The whole intern thing is morally wrong anyway. Slave labour. My neighbour's son is an intern at Ipswich and apparently he too is treated like shit.

I assume the intern has a pair of balls and a mouth?

Is it too early to start a Simon Jordan appreciation thread?

But my point is that back before the first Boro game it was considered to be a storm in a teacup by everyone, worthy of a genuine apology. Boro/Gibson chose the escalation route. I don't think PP was blabbing, just offered a sincere apology. Wrong call in hindsight but as we all know that is a wonderful thing. Not many have never made a wrong call in their lives. I have made plenty.

Trousers he has a young family who he hardly ever sees - yes he has an obligation to the club but nothing is going to happen this week and everyone needs downtime. Yes us football fans are an impatient bunch and I understand the heartache, but lets not burn our bridges. Good managers don't grow on tress and like I said I have met many CEOs in my dealings with the club and PP comes out as the most committed and fan friendly.

I think when PP went up for the first leg he was under the impression that the crime was silly but hardly consequential and that an apology to Gibson would be the end of the matter. Many other owners/chairmen would have accepted the apology and moved on but Gibson sensed his chance to ensure his club now had two bites at the cherry. Now if PP had decided to ignore "the issue" he risked upsetting Gibson so he (rightly imo) chose the apology path. From what I have heard of the 3 instances (and I gather there are only 3) they have been very much embellished by the media and Middlesbrough. TE is not the machiavellian character that is being portrayed and neither is he a bully. The intern probably did feel pressurised but again the story is not as bad as some would like to make out. I am sure the club will give a thorough report back of exactly what happened when they all have a chance to get under one roof. It would be a grave mistake if fan power drove out a manager who proved his worth and a CEO who was placed between a rock and a hard place. I know its human nature to seek scapegoats and we are still in various stages of shock, but lets condemn (or not) when we hear the club's version.

Maybe people should hold fire until PP, TE and the club give a full nuts and bolts explanation of what actually happened. I genuinely think fans will be less inclined to throw everyone under the bus when hearing how it all unravelled and how events have been blown out of all proportion. Yes communication has been wat too slow slow. PP is on leave this week as are a lot of people connected with the club as its half-term and traditionally a quiet week for football at the season's end. I hold my hands up I know PP and like him. He is fanatically committed and has done many good things off the pitch as well as becoming a fervent fan. You should see how nervous he gets before a match. Yes he has made mistakes and has admitted them, but my overriding message is castigating the manager and the CEO based solely on what the media and the EFL hearing have alleged reported is premature. PP and TE were integral to last season's success - let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Without wanting to sound like a smart Alec, having "global reputation" doesn't put silverware in the cabinet. We've blown our image for decades so we might as well draw up the drawbridge and do what is best for us and that involves keeping a manager who yes made a mistake, but did something which is completely legal in his homeland.

No I wouldn't sack him. We've been punished enough by expulsion so let's not make things even worse for ourselves by getting rid of a bloody good manager who has made a mistake. Couldn't give a monkey's what everyone else in football thinks, they have all been kicking us this week (with the odd exception) and taking great pleasure while doing so f@@k them all. And another controversial view ... I wouldn't sack PP either. I've got to know him well over the last two years (long story) and while he has undoubtedly made mistakes he has also done a helluva lot to increase our revenue. He is also very committed to the club, he literally has become a huge fan (as has his family) and I still believe him to be an asset despite recent events.

My neighbour's son is an intern with a Premier League team and he was telling me he is treated like shit by the club, so let's not pretend we are the only ones who "abuse" youngsters who are desperate to get into the game. I think it's way too easy to just sack TE and think that it is all sorted. What was happening must have been known higher up the food chain which is why I think there hasn't been any swift executions. There is no doubt TE is a very good manager, albeit a ruthless one, and we have got to be careful we don't throw the baby out with the bath water. I know there will be outraged howls from the media and other clubs if he stays and the hate will continue for a long time, but we've been appropriately punished so the rest of football can do one as far as I am concerned.

Morning Everybody. If the Echo had anyone with the finger on the pulse today's headline would be ...A CITY HOLDS IT BREATH I think the announcement will come today and although i have no inside info I think you can start planning for Saturday.

Trevor Birch is friendly with Phil Parsons and I sat next to him at the Pompey home game this season. He was a really nice bloke, level-headed friendly and of course an ex-player himself. I wouldn't worry too much about his presence on the EFL Board.

It goes quickly apparently

I have followed BR's fortunes since my son in law played for them and I feel sorry for their fans who are right up there in loyalty terms. Their owners have not invested, they penny pinch and have little respect for the fans. Deep down its an old fashioned, lovely club with good people doing their best to keep their heads above water. I've sat in their away end many times and seen their passion despite getting nothing back from their owners.

But this was March 1972 and Davies had scored only four goals all season. True, the arrival of Gilchrist appeared to galvanise Ron, who scored another seven in April. Even so, he finished behind Mick Channon in the scoring charts for the third consecutive season. Indeed, Ron’s dominant role had become one of “putting Channon in”. Gilchrist’s subtlety of touch equipped him well for this part. This attribute also meant that he was comfortable, playing deeper, as he most productively demonstrated in his fourth full season of 1975-76. In the FA Cup Fifth Round v West Brom, he came in for Peter Osgood, who had been playing behind Channon and Bobby Stokes. Having scored a spectacular goal when the tie went to a Dell replay, he became a midfielder upon Osgood’s return, replacing Nick Holmes in the Sixth Round and then Fisher, all the way to Wembley, contributing another goal in the semi-final. He had played a one-two with Osgood, 25 yards out, and when “no one challenged”, he “decided to have a shot.” The break-up of the Cup-Final team, the next season, came quickly. Paul was among those dropped after the opening-day defeat at home to Carlisle. He would make only two more appearances for the Saints, both of them – in the League and League Cup – back at The Valley, before he made a couple of unwise career-choices. First, he opted for a one-year contract on loan to Alahfi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Both on and off the pitch, this proved a “disaster”. He returned after three months and soon moved to Third Division Portsmouth – an even bigger mistake, he reckons. He remained in the lower divisions with Swindon, where being signed over the manager’s head by Danny Williams the Director of Football he was never really accepted by the manager, Bob Smith despite scoring six goals in ten games. This lead him to Hereford where he was ever-present in their 1979-80 run-in, scoring in their last-day win that was not enough to spare them having to seek re-election. They were voted back, but Paul had played his last game in competitive football. During a pre-season friendly behind closed doors against Wolves, he suffered a snapped cruciate ligament in a less-than-friendly tackle. It rankles to this day that not one Wolves player came to see how he was after game. although it took a year of unsuccessful treatment before it was decided that he was finished before he was 30. There was talk of Southampton arranging a testimonial for him with a present Saints side taking on the FA Cup team which would have been raised a nice sum to retire on, but Lawrie McMenemy ruled that there was no dates available in a busy schedule and so it was Paul had to make do with a “pitiful” £750 payment from the PFA. With bills to pay, he and a partner opened a fitness centre, catering for businesses in Swindon. The first of its type, it was widely copied – so much so that Paul sold up after seven years and moved near to Tunbridge Wells. although he worked for BMW in Redhill, where he was an after-sales/service adviser. He then worked for Caterham Cars for a few years but has now retired and found the time to have a full knee replacement. Lifted from my website - don't mind but could use the plug saintsplayers.co.uk

I was there cowering in the North Bank, afraid of getting a beating. When Jenkins shot I couldn't actually see the ball cross the line and when all the West Ham fans went up in the air applauding I thought their 'keeper had made a great save and then I realised they were applauding Jenkins goal. Wouldn't happen today.

We have a significant sell on clause. I hear he would be keen on a return to St Mary's but there are one or two European clubs sniffing around at present.

The 5-3 at home v Huddersfield was the first time

Slightly more trivial it was also the first time three subs scored in an away match.

I didn't realise it was the last kick.

Hopefully this is considered worthy of a new thread. With help from Keith Fray who has digitalised all Southampton's results since 1885 in preperation of the forthcoming Official History book, I have checked to see if Saints have ever overturned a three goal deficit to win a competitive football match. The answer is never have we managed it - either home or away. We have come back from being 3-0 down at home to draw 3-3 a few times, eg Liverpool (Pahars), West Ham (Paine) and Forest in the Cup (1963) but never won a three goal comeback and certainly not away. What is it about our manager? Never before have we scored 5 goals away in a either half of a game and yet we did it at Charlton under his stewardship. Two records in one season.

Yes we are all frustrated and yes the standard of players willing to come here is diminishing, but calling a bloke a joke before actually seeing him play is premature. Spors made some errors last summer, signing Downs and letting Ballard go was just one, and its not surprising confidence in him is low. But I was at Stoke on Saturday and for the first time this season we had round pegs in round holes and boy did it show. Immediately Azaz looked a better player than some on here were giving him credit for, and in Harwood Bellis and Stephens we also had two maligned players suddenly looking like strong central defenders. Good managers and tactics can improve players, I'm going to give this guy the benefit of the doubt although I do agree SR and Spors are dining in the last chance saloon. There is no more room for errors.

Unlike you I place less emphasis on stats when forming an opinion. His minuses have overtaken his pluses this season. We need a complete rebuild and if we can get 15m for him now then that would be a good bit of business as Archer is an adequate replacement for now. What a shame we let Ballard go.

Define prolific and even if he once was he aint now

Because he's not very good, seems to have lost his interest in us and he's a useless captain. And that's just off the tip of my tongue. Hope it helps.