John Boy Saint

Because Virgin Media are digging up just about every town and village in Hampshire, and they are fearful of losing heaps of Infinity customers who have their crap series 6 home hub? oops did that get a bit too personal?

That just made me think of the night we played Wolves in the Milk Cup at the Dell, being the Milk Cup Unigate were out in force promoting themselves off the back of it. Half time pretty ladies appeared in front of the Milton Road end and threw promotional mini cartons of Milk to the fans (who has these brain farts??!!). Trolleys emptied they disappeared. Just before the players came back out 2 coppers came along the cinder track in front of the Milton, one a normal Bobby the other a more senior rank as they got towards the goal it started raining mini milk cartons.... all open obviously! As the goal approached the Bobby saw what what coming and walked across the penalty box, the Boss walked between the net and the crowd at which point the milk shower got a bit heavier, milk cartons hitting the net and spinning their contents over the Copper. Fair play to him he didn't quicken his pace and was grinning as he approached the West Stand corner.

The same Alan Pardew who was given his first managerial chance at Reading, signed a new contract with them and "ten minutes later" when Reading refused to let him go to West Ham (then in the same division) so resigned from Reading to join them. Should have had John Madejski on there for the view of the club owners. When Pardew pulled his stunt at Reading Madejski didn't hold back on letting his feelings be known on Pardews behaviour.

Next draw should be fun live from Beijing, they say everything comes in 3s, so they will probably make a pigs ear of that one too.

I would hope that we get more bodies in and around the box than we had last season, and a bit more snap in our play rather than the ponderous ambling attack where we waited for the oppos to get themselves into defensive positions before we decided to attack.

I have to say it is the first away shirt of ours I have looked at in the shop and on quite a few folks at the pre season games, and given serious thought to when given the choice for a birthday present.

Can't see the point in singing Primary school level playground name calling songs about him while he is here and acting a prize pillock.................... or should that be Richard Cranium?

Blimey and we thought Ali Dia was bad!!

So as predicted in some quarters, this thread hits 120 pages before the season starts.

Is that the new one from Kylie Minogue?

Postie hasn't been to me yet

Well he set his stall out on Saturday with the brief chance that he had, having seen Jay Rod come back from one ACL for a lad coming back from 2 and given a 6 month chance he certainly threw the kitchen sink at the opportunity, just a shame Sevillas stupid keeper got in the way.

On Wednesday night getting a first viewing of the kit in the flesh gave a familiar feeling, then seeing Gabbi with his longer hair than the others and the kit whoosh instantly taken back to the days of Keegan, Watson, Golac, Jordan, and a nice warm feeling.

I noted on the Electronic board outside the ticket office that this game had sold out, not sure how far it got into normal souls, I know when I bought on Thursday morning very few seats left. Surely the ticket office need to be a bit more ambitious, with the £30 ceiling there has to be less likelihood of being left holding the baby. Chelsea tickets for example at £50 is a bit of a considered purchase compared to £30.

Redmond was pretty poor, for a friendly getting too heated shoving Sevilla players out of the way, then he had a moment where he wound himself right up and went hunting the man with the ball you could see him getting madder and madder think the Sevilla players could see this too so saved him and sent the ball away, if the game had meaning think one of them might have taken the hit and waved cheerio as he headed off for an early shower. He does seemto get a little narky and a bit gobby at times very quickly. But something that he showed last season, he goes looking at the imaginary butterflies, he did it last year a couple of times where the ball went spinning up in the air off an oppo player looking like it has gone out when it's hit the ground it is still in by the touch line, but he has already given up on it and is walking away in his lassez faire style not even looking at the ball he is the closest, his team mates were screaming at him the fans in the stands were screaming at him he just looked at his team mates and goes "what?" happened twice last year where he just gave up on watching the ball. Yesterday Fraser takes a free kick in our half, he can see Redmond in acres of space in front of the Northam and for once sends a pin point pass up to him, what's Redmond doing, back to the game looking at all the pretty people in the Northam and the wonderful butterflies fluttering amongst them, ball bounces he wakes up too late out for a goal kick. Fraser (probably impressed at a straight kick for once), when Redmond eventually looks at Fraser, and gets the message what were you doing it was right at you in space, to which Redmond goes "who me, why what have I done, it's not my fault!". Iron that little trait out of him and he will improve, but think he has the mentality to think because someone has told him he is the next Henry he already is. Unfortunately he isn't intelligent enough to be the next Henry. But harsh I know because he without doubt has ability but doesn't get all the dots joined up, if he did he would be a frightening player. One observation from yesterday when Boufal came on, ok it wasnt a long stint, he looked much more defensively minded when he needed to track back and help out last season he seemed a bit reluctant in that duty.

That was better than Wednesday a bit more joined up.......... Nearly forgot what to do when we scored! Heard probably the the stupidest comment ever at a football match, gob$ho1te behind not been to many games, ball comes to Yoshida "ah Maya Yoshida always good for a mistake whenever I have seen him play" 2 seconds later ball gets under his feet makes a bit of a hash "see that's what I mean accident prone everytime he touches the ball" oh that's not it though, second half Maya and a Sevilla player meet at speed, for a friendly it was a bit of a meaty coming together. Maya is down obviously hurt the magic sponge boys come on....... From behind matey pipes up "good lets hope he is injured and out for a couple of months..." WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mrs JBS thought for moment that she was going to have to sit on me to stop me letting rip!!!! Absolutely stunning!!

Is my memory playing tricks on me, but in the 10 man meltdown disputing the decision didn't one of their players get to enjoy all the hot water in the shower on his own just to compound their misery.? I remember dear old Peter Walton pointing to the spot when Fonte(?) was wiped out 6 yards outside the box, the lino who was even closer concurred !!!!!!!!!!!!!! and everyone sat in the Chapel Kingsland corner just looked at each other open mouthed eyebrows raised and just laughed. Head of referees in the MLS did someone say? Blimey Charlie!!

Well we know a heap of keyboard managers on here who would sell their Granny to get him in their Saints XI. So that makes Hellas Verona and them liking him, which ain't all bad for the lad.

A Goal would be a treat!

Every game where Davis or VVD didn't recently start Maya has been given thd armband so I would figure him. Pretty sure I saw Charlie Austin pass it on the other evening when he was subbed in the second half. So that sticks a real left field one in there.

Apologies for not answering your question before, must have missed it. My "mate" is quite an articulate intelligent analytical chap, but weird round the edges to some who don't know him. He was on the books at Bristol City, played academy games against the Wallace's and Shearer, doesn't remember playing against Matty. He was then transferred to Aston Villa as I guess a scholar we call it at Saints, he was going the right way seeing friends fall away through not making the grade. Then he made a mistake girls appeared on the scene, one day him and another lad took the decision to meet a couple of girls, who never turned up, they hung around and as a result missed the team bus to a game. That was it, he remembers being sat on the stairs as the Villa youth coach told his parents that the game was up his chance had gone and they were letting him go because he obviously wasn't taking it serious enough. Obviously in those days you didn't get cut the slack players like Ravel Morrison and Nile Ranger seem to have been given. He says that some mornings less so now when he is having a shave, he asks himself "why did you you do it?". I guess when you have been in a footballing environment since 8/9 into your late teens and on course for the big time. Football is in your brain, all of us clowns on here interpret what we see on the pitch, some better than others but having never played the game towards or at the highest level most of us don't even get close to the finite detail. Some "commentators" on here claim players like Matty Targett, Jack Stephens, are pretty crap cant run kick a ball blah blah blah. What some of you need to remember is these lads have been through the longest and hardest job interview process in the world, yes the interview for being an Astronaut is probably pretty bloody hard, but their interview process didn't start at the age of 8. For those that actually go to games and see the bigger picture, I think the Stoke game at half time the intake of 8 year-olds into the academy were introduced onto the pitch, there were about 20 small lads on the pitch playing a mini game, of those 20 lads one possibly 2 might just make it to near the first team in TEN years time. If you have ever played against a lad who might "have it" their playing skills are on another level far beyond what us hopefuls could dream of. A school mates brother 3 years younger than us would make us look a right bunch of chumps, a few twisted boys would try to go full Norman Hunter on him: they were just a heap on the ground in his wake as he went up the pitch. A Nottingham Forest scout came all the way down to Hampshire to see him one afternoon, the nipper ended up on the books at Portsmouth but he never made it to the big time. (Yes ha ha). The further these lads go up the tree the deeper football is burned into their heads, not just kicking a bag of air. They process positions of team mates the opposition, they know the weakness of opposition players and aim to exploit it, we all watch the game from up in the stands or on TV from camera positions up in the stands we get the perfect view, next time you are at SMS just walk around the bottom of the stands, if you go into the Chapel you can walk right round to the dugouts look at the pitch the view is totally different you have to a degree the view of the players: totally different to being up in the stands, watching a screen or playing play station. Southampton don't just chuck anyone out on the pitch they only put players out on the pitch who can process the information. which takes me back to my "mate" football is still burned into his brain, we went to Old Trafford to see Saints play in the relegation season it was the only time I have been to game with him, he called their goals before the ball was even kicked. I asked why United scored he just rattled off, x y and z were pulled out of position by 1 2 & possibly 3 creating a gap for 4 to shoot 5 was positioned to clean up if it was parried. Away from that game, his analysis of players flaws have been 99% spot on. Danny Welbeck was playing well for United, and he came up in conversation, he straight away said but he could score so many more goals simply but because his default strike of the ball is with the outside of his boot, if he actually used his laces or inside he would score most of the ones he misses, he won't stay at United because he does not convert enough of the chances that the system Ferguson has them playing in creates. Obviously with United being on the box so much, watching the next few games sure enough Welbecks default strike of the ball was the outside of his boot. I could go on with examples that made me watch x player and make me go, blimey how about that. He isn't a Saints fan, he has other interests and makes his money away from football, but just on a whim he will leave work and go and see a lower league game or youth match, and on the odd occasion we speak, he will say keep an ear out for this lad. He obviously knows I am a Saints fan and will sometimes comment about players. But going back to Matt Targett, he is still a youngster with plenty to learn, the way him and Jack get slagged on here from some quarters beggars belief, it's almost like Saints players are only any good if we have spent millions on them and with regard to experience about 30 and heading to the twilight of their career, guess what when they were 21 playing elsewhere, un seen by the experts on here, they were also a little green and developed into the players people want Saints to splash the cash on. If Matty Targett was as rubbish as made out Koeman wouldn't have allowed him to deputise for Bertrand when he was injured, he also wouldn't have played him in the system that stopped the rot that we experienced mid winter the season before last. Finally: "doesn't have that great a cross" you really need to get you prescription checked. Dušan Tadic can't score a penalty, and takes a corner.........sorry... passes from a corner straight into the goalkeepers arms 90% of the time. But for some reason folks still sing his name and think the sun shines out of his backside but receives no where near the critism some other players in our team get????????!!!!!

That is a definite hangover from last year, pretty sure it was in one of the games at the start of the run where we decided not to score at home, The crowd had just started getting restless towards what we were being served up on the pitch, I turned to my mate and said "blimey this lot are playing like they met for the first time in the dressing room today!". Makes you wonder if the thought process is I am on the stepping stone, do my thing and someone will be along to get me in the summer to dosh me up regardless.

I think despite what all the football manager playing experts know on here, people actually at the coal face of the game know he is better than most folks assume he is. It's whether in the next 5 years he can develop to a level that football people foresaw in him many years ago. Someone I know with personal knowledge of the game from being in the game, with no affiliation to Saints said who's the left back blonde lad in your academy, I could only think of Luke Shaw as he was our starlet at the time. "No not him, he's rubbish! Tall lad a bit gangly still needs to grow into his body" Matt Targett? "Yup he's the one - just watch him and give him time". At the time I don't think Matt had played a first team game. Personally regardless of his comments I have never had worries when Matt is on the pitch, he is nowhere near as bad as some winkles on here like to make out.

Maybe his contract isn't as lucrative as Frasers to personally refund all those with a new shirt with number 20 on the back, that said I would imagine Gabbi V Fraser shirt sales are significantly larger. Just waiting for the SW resident numpties meltdown at young Jack getting a proper single number on his back confirming him as a regular starting fixture.

I always thought the best one was the design they did for the last game of the season v Newcastle first season at SMS stood about 4 rows from the back of the Chapel dead centre, the centre circle was checkerboard, but the cut outside was a straight line then round the centre circle, with each other cut straight then following the curve of the centre circle and straight again I think the same cut ran side to side. Standing so high up gave you the best view of it, it also puddled your brain, as with no effort the optical illusion it created was like the pitch had a massive dip across the middle of it.