suewhistle

Well, we're lucky there's no danger of you having any virtue to signal. I find it a rare event you making a post that isn't deeply unpleasant or offensive. Anyway, no grassroots or kids football tomorrow. I'll go and find a game of rugby or cricket for some sport and a minute's silence to show my respect.

All football down to tier 7 and grassroots. I presume we'll be allowed to go for a run in the local park... Will it apply to next weekend too? The thing about low level football is you can't reschedule midweek as pitches and players just aren't available.

So what is an appropriate response? Ignore it or as far as an ostenatious year of wearing black as in the Victorian era? Next weekend I'd agree with, and gives more time for arrangements to be made for many things, but this weekend go ahead with appropriate opportunities for the fans to pay their respects. The BBC last night was like some totalitarian state: Radio 4, 3, 2 and Solent all with the same broadcast: goodness knows what the TV was like. Having rolling coverage with commentators trying to fill the gaps is one thing, but on _all_ channels? Nicholas Witchell is oleaginously obsequious at the best of times, but luckily my mum turned her telly off before it got too much. Let people decide how and to what extent they pay their respects, but ultimately life goes on. I've been to far too many funerals in the last couple of years so I'm very familiar with those words from Ecclesiastes - "There is a time for everything". The funerals have ended up being celebrations of lives, whereas at the moment there seems to be a competition as to who can be the most sombre and respectful.

Read this in one paper: The new owner apparently wanted Ronaldo as well!

A few years ago I was staying with a friend in the Dales and she took me to the station at Darlo to get the train to see Saints at Newcastle. There were a surprising number with Saints colours on the platform, and I don't think Sunderland were at home!

I know! Me agreeing with Charlie Wayman! 🙂 Why do some people need someone to blame all the time, and concentrate on a few specific incidents. It's sport by humans, not a mechanistic game of numbers by automatons. Bazunu was fooled by what looked like a mishit, but people would be complaining if he was static and not anticipating, which you just have to in goal. His distribution has really aided getting us up the pitch, and we all know what happens to McCarthy's clearances. Similarly with Adams: the amount of work he puts in really helps us as a team, but some have to concentrate on moments where he should have done better. It's where we are and I'd still prefer him to an uncrocked Kaladjzic. There's plenty of legitimate points to make: lack of goals from set pieces for example, but they will come, I feel. In his cameos Elodozie has shown excitingly quick feet as well as pace, and looks a definite upgrade on Redmond, with a greater potential for getting free kicks in dangerous places. All the new players look decent, but most are young and inexperienced at this level and playing alongside each other for the first time. As they gain more confidence in each other's abilities and limitations I hope to see better performances. After all, we could have been in Leicester's position..

It's alright for you. I'm retired and need to go down the allotment to get some seedlings in, paint the back gate before tomorrow's rain, do my aged parent's daily morale visit, get some food in, cook it, check Saintsweb, go for a run as it's our first game on Sunday, check Saintsweb, peel and freeze some apples, check Saintsweb. Work? Pah! 😉

I hope you've copyrighted that idea..

Looks like late Beethoven... Anyway, that's the last of my three posts, so I'll wait for us finally spending our war chest and the transfer window slamming shut before I comment again..

On the platform at Southampton station and very happy. Nobody had a bad game and I was finally impressed with Mo and Diallo who both worked their socks off. Bollocks to the Mail who said the team weren't playing for the manager. I haven't checked the table yet but the announcer at the stadium said we were 7th!

I was very underwhelmed by his half arsed performances before he moved to Liverpool...

I haven't read the other comments but just to say how Manchester United have come down in the world, having to grind out an away win based on a single breakaway goal and deliberate fouling to stop any Saints attacks developing, but not around the box within JWP range. Perhaps they can't afford decent players anymore? OK, so tongue in cheek but a fair bit of truth in there too. As to Saints, I was pleased enough with their performance. Lavia and ABK look real assets, but nobody had a bad game. My impression is that Armstrong is playing better and more involved so perhaps he'll start to get a better return this season, perhaps more on the assist front. I predicted SA would come on for Elyounoussi but the latter was solid enough. Che was making a real nuisance of himself, but when all is said and done I think we need a new striker, even if they work in tandem. The result was a bit deflating, the performance less so.

Not too bad, dropped off some friends at 102. The South Western is busy..

To what extent is his absence due to a lack of pre-season through injury and how much through other causes (out of favour/due to move/can't be arsed/not training hard enough etc.)? Walcott is just taking up a squad space, Elyounoussi is more of a footballer but has always lacked pace, Djenepo can surprise us, the opposition and himself and seems to have buckled down this season. I'd certainly keep Redmond over Walcott, obviously, keep Djenepo who has shown surprising versatility and then the final decision based on if we bring anybody in.

Aaargh! That was just to waste one of my three daily posts. Keep it all in one thread, as I'm able to scroll and the number of pages tends to give an indication of how matters have progressed. If the mods are around perhaps they could update the thread title with the score so I can get my 'oh sh*t' or my little dance round the room over with quickly before doing a quick check of Convict Colony's Theory..

ooo Diamond Edwards coming on..

The Geldart rings a bell; a back street pub with a regular Irish music session in the past?

Interesting season so far. I see Liverpool currently have Merseyside bragging rights with twice as many points as Everton.. Didn't see much of tonight's game but VVD seemed really out of sorts in the last 20. Was he like that all game? At least Manchester Utd won't be getting their first win against us.

The only problem with Manchester Utd being tonked tonight is that it sets up Saints for their role as the team you want to meet when on a bad run. If we could win well it would be a very interesting table!

Payne, Vokins and Simeu (FWIW) played tonight. 3-0 to Saints, Bellis 2, Pearce, unless Stoke score in the last few seconds..

Are @DT and @Chris cooper in some sort of competition?

Alternative analysis, given that as a top level club we have a whole fitness and conditioning department, that it was better to bring them on as subs - the ol' impact sub thing from years ago. Given the reservations many people expressed about players from Ligue1 and the Scottish league is this way of introducing them to a new club and a new league so radical? Ralph having a fit of pique; really? Now many of us would prefer he introduced subs earlier, and not just these new players, but however it was done last Saturday had an impact. If only our defenders could defend aerial set pieces, and Bednarek be a bit more awake we might have got three points.

Steady on, let's not go overboard and throw the baby out with the bath water, even if you do have a point..

As pointed out all the new signings look like an improvement on what we've got, although it wouldn't be too cynical to say that most of us would say that's not too difficult! For all the talk about 3 CBs not working, and I'd prefer 4 at the back myself when Perraud/Tino are available, both of their goals seemed fairly straightforward bad individual marking and general sloppiness. Some would argue that that was due to a confusion in roles but marking in the box is basic technique not strategy. If Bednarek really did have a strop after being taken off as I couldn't see it from my seat, he really needs to have a look at his own performances. I'd be happier with ABK and Salisu, and allow for the occasional ricket their inexperience might produce. Lets hope the players take on board that St Marys really can rock if they give us something to cheer about.

Well, I'll be taking a sports water bottle and would be prepared to escalate it, in a polite middle class way :-), if they try to prevent entry with it, but I'm sure they wont. I shall just claim a medical issue (which is true) and Elf and Safety, with the accent on my health!