suewhistle

Wey hey. That shoould do wonders for personal and team confidence. Watford crowd getting unhappy...

Saints fans sounding in good voice on the radio.

Barolo, Nebbiolo d'Alba, beef casserole with penny buns (porcini/ceps) and not a trace...

Good grief, I thought you were all joking! https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jan/09/liverpool-mayor-joe-anderson-police-ross-barkley-everton-chelsea

I once did some part-time relief work at the Portsmouth Foyer: we had a number of residents with those during my time there.

Has he surfaced yet?

Yep, that's about it I reckon. Davis put the effort in and was playing more advanced but he seems to have lost a bit of pace and sharpness and yesterday gave weight to my thoughts that he's been in decline recently. Doesn't anybody else on the managerial bench have any input - "Looks like Long is knacked, boss .."? Gabbiadini should at least have been warming up ready some time before. Good shout to have a look at Sims as well. Another here who thinks Bertrand is not putting the effort in. Oh well, we're in the draw, and I'm not too bothered about round 4 as long as we get through as I'm on holiday.

cackle

We were talking about footballers... I've only just risked coming on here. I'm not generally too much of a moaner but that was awful on Tuesday, compounded by the last train being cancelled _again_. What was he doing with those substitutions? Bertrand made about one run, towards the end as if to give us a reminder he was there. Lemina must be carrying an injury not to get on in those conditions which cried out for his physicality. Davis for JWP was just a swap and not for the better, in my opinion. And so on and so forth. A friend couldn't make it and I told her that there was a terrible feeling of inevitability about the whole sorry affair.

MLG - I think in the case of mack rill he's the one who has caught you. Plays to the image, does our mack. Plus in terms of content, he's right, chuckle.

He didn't bloomin' turn up to my coaching course. That reminds me, I think Hants FA still owe me a refund!

That all adds up. Also concussion and the damaged caused is a cumulative thing, so after the clash with Lukaku it seems a wise move.

Apparently Liverpool fans are already dissatisfied with his anonymity on the pitch and tried to torch his car, but unfortunately got the wrong ones..

Wasn't anybody on earlobe watch in the directors box or did they sneak them into the family centre?

Oh sod me, so it is. Thank you. Mind you, using Southern Railways for an evening match is equally risking it. They have a habit (a regular habit) of not running the last direct Littlehampton train and you risk going via Fratton, or they start the train from Fareham but don't tell anyone that they may be able to get there in time via Eastleigh/Botley.

My usual pub don't have BT Sport - I hadn't checked who was showing it so had to jog to the next village and pub and got there in time to see Lukaku on a stretcher. "Shame", I thought... Anyway, different pub, different anaesthetic beers and different performance too. Even the away Saints fans came over well with the sound turned down (so I didn't get to hear Scholes -more shame, it would appear..). With the New Year's Day railway schedules as they are I'm going to have to drive and won't have my mild pre-match sedative, but I'm feeling a lot more optimistic about the game. No bad performances, a few decisions could have been better but hey, and there was certainly no lacking in heart. What has Shane Long got to do to a) get a foul in his favour b) a goal? His honest running kept Phil Jones on his toes at least.

It's only just this morning that I've noticed it's a 5.30 KO. S0d, means I have to endure it on the telly down the pub.

People are making an awful lot of assumptions on this thread; even more than normal and that's saying something, about his role and function, skill levels, what the club intend to do. Setting up and knocking down strawman arguments. I was going to ask whether he was appointed as THE first team coach or as A first team coach. A quick look at the OS says he's been appointed as an assistant coach, so not quite as shock horror as some of you are making out. He's done his coaching badges and this is an opportunity to continue learning, I'm certainly not going to make any guesses about the club's future intentions.

Yeah, let's hope they put it on again and I'll sneakily get two halves...

Nah, b*ll*cks, any coach (specialist or not) will tell you to make the area yours and have words when you don't, and nothing to do with their own stature and that's down to some very low levels, I can assure you! Having said that, in the pub I was also shouting at Romeu who should have got in front of the player.

Yeah, my feelings to, and you can't _make_ players play well and concentrate or put the effort in, which a lot of the people who say we should have forced him to stay forget. So you can lead a horse to water, or the equivalent in Italian 'se il bue non vuole arare, c'è poco da fischiare', - there's little you can do, although I think VVD was more a donkey in his attitude.

Well, I didn't bother going for a post match celebratory pint and got the train straight home, and listened and contributed to a group of Saints fans commenting on the match. I know their scorer was atrociously unmarked but when is Forster going to use his height and reach in the 6 yard box? With a single striker he only has to barely touch the ball away from its trajectory. Even at the bottom of the football pyramid the coaches tell us to make that area our own, which is only difficult when it's crowded. I thought Redmond was trying hard today and made some good runs, but he's still lacking confidence and his final decision making could be better. There is hope there, as there is with Boufal. But the support was so obviously lacking. Due to his rustiness I suspect Targett was told not to be too ambitious but he was never a source of worry and he keeps control of the ball well. Davis unfortunately is definitely slowing down, and from comments here it's not only an impression he gives me. There was just a lack of movement in the team, and I don't know whether they lack confidence in the manager but they certainly do as a team.

Gawd, I don't remember specific beers, more likely ones to avoid. I've been to quite a few of the ones you mention... The Platform (and Dancing Man) are rather expensive so I tend to have a couple of 'spoons pints on the way there! There's a new hole-in-the-wall type pub in Freemantle, in basically a terrace house with beer on stillage in what would normally be the kitchen. Can't remember the name, it was at the end of a long day (Arsenal at home) but the beer was excellent. The Wellington Arms (where we then moved on to..) is decent but maybe not as interesting a range as the previous landlord's. If we win well today you might find me at The Guide Dog afterwards with friends and the 4 pint jugs. The Imperial Russian Stout at The Platform, when they do it, is worth a (12%) half-pint. Tremendous depth and complexity of flavour; the opposite of a session beer! I can't remember which game _that_ was. :-)

Well, I didn't bother with the stadium beer on my visit there this year, but found plenty of decent stuff in a local brew-pub and then the station bar. Nicely mellow by the time the game came along. I thing I may well do the same this Saturday, it might be necessary..

That's a bit worrying: did you have cheese last night? Might have cheese myself tonight, as tomorrow could be a long nightmare..