John Boy Saint

I don't think Mr Cortese will be rushing into that descision in a hurry. Things surrounding his going to Arsenal are looking like an example to other Academy players and in particular their parents and their saucer eyed dreams of cashing in on their nipper at the first opportunity. Especially as Mr & Mrs Chamberlain thought that they had managed to sneak young Alex up to Arsenal for a medical without Saints knowing, add to this (if true) the recent revelation that we get £10k everytime Alex plays more than 20 minutes, that is a real sting in the tail of what looks to have been a shrewd bit of business.

I have to say that I have seen the thread many times and for some unknown reason I have failed to open it (sorry). However today a friend posted a link on Facebook just as I stopped for a spot of lunch. Now I have a tome to plough through that comes from the tongue in cheek parallel universe to the Hagiology products. This should keep me going for ages Thank you............... and sorry!

I know Dave Merrington isn't quite as in touch with management as he once was, or everyone's cup of tea, (however he did pull the Rabbit out of the hat with us) but listening on Saturday he did seem to think that Pochettino was changing the play and players at the right time sometimes before DM had seen it, whereas in the past DM has been calling for a tactical or player change during the commentary and it has not happened for a good 5 minutes after his comment. So maybe MP does have that ability or it is coming more to the fore.

The Apprentices Sorcerer ................... If I recall correctly.

Shocking, and for a minority probably true!!!! i thought I would be copping it for talking food again

Saturday evening live on Sky convenience over v anti-social kick off scheduling, ticket prices in general have made football a considered purchase especially for families. Hardworking folks just wanting to take the lazy option and not copping it in the ear off the other half.............. Strictly and X-Factor on the TV the reasons all rack up. I expect if this game was 3pm on Saturday afternoon there would be a healthy queue at the ticket office to snap up the last few tickets. The only downside to 5:30 kick off is: Coming down from the north of the county leaving home around 3:30pm my only dilemma is Do we eat out en route home, get a Chinese take out going home, prepare something for warming up when we get home, or raid M&S for something nice and easy to cook when we get home? Should ask the MODs to insert a Poll so everyone can vote and give me one less thing to think about!!

Still a pants player though

Of course like the World a Championship Chinese whispers that goes on across this forum, he could have said that he misses Italy whilst on the International break in the sense of weather, eating out, ugly people etc. next thing you know it's snowballed into he hates it here and wants away as soon as possible. Ho hum best get use to this nonsense.

Some funny reading on here, Ashley Young comes up twice, no thanks looked good in a poor Villa side looking poor in a waning Man U side. Kagawa had a purple patch last season but has fizzled out Replacement for Fonte, we already have him in First choice Japanese Centre back Yoshida who is being kept out by the successful partnership of Jose and Dejan. Then playing Yoshida on the left as back up to Shaw when Yoshidas natural position is on the right so put Yoshida at right back and Clyne at left as we know they can both do that, but then Cork can fill in at right back too. If the tale about Dani is true then I think we might be a little cautious about bringing in another player from Italy. January will have speculation about various players of ours without doubt. We will have a HCDAJFU thread that will have Jonathan Woodgate, Robert Huth, Sideshow Bob, Jermaine Pennant, Charlie Austin, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles all being suggested as blinding buys. What will be really interesting is if we find ourselves finishing in the CL positions in May how many names linked to us will all of a sudden have our heads spinning.

There was something on here over the weekend about Cortese speaking at a football meeting last week and he said that basically the 1st Team Manager/coach was a department head and the infrastructure behind the Southampton way remains continuous just like in mainstream business, the example was given that when Adkins left only 3 people went with him whereas at other teams the personnel change when a manager departs is invariably quite large and disruptive. Someone I know went to one of those informal small meals that about 15 Season Ticket holders were drawn out of the hat to attend for a chat with Nicola. The meeting my friend went to was just after Adam Lallana had signed a new contract, the rational that Cortese had applied to the deal was that to replace Adam with someone of his calibre would cost the club well north of £5m plus all the ongoing monies etc, so to keep him with us and happy it was a far better to use the money that would have been spent replacing him to keep him with us. Adkins after the Coventry game when we were all dancing round the pitch like loons celebrating our return to the Prem, gave Solent a very strange interview almost hinting that he might or might not be the manager the following season, which in hindsight makes sense of the opening paragraph and comments made when justifying the appointment of Pochettino. Nigel had succeeded in his mission to ultimately get Southampton back into the Premiership. His comments in the post match interview just let slip that he knew he had do too well and might cost him. Cortese probably thought over the summer, ok let's stick with him and see where it takes us, as has been rumoured WBA away apparently was the end of the "experiment". I think if MP is delivering and someone comes knocking for his services, as we saw with Oxo Cortese is not going to lay down and have his tummy tickled, if MP is in a popular position like Lallana is to the team then possibly things will be done to keep him, but if Pochettino's sole mission is to get us into the Champions League, then like Adkins we as fans might be presented with an Alien scenario again. At the end of the day who knows? Right now just enjoy the rarefied atmosphere, having sunshine blown up our backsides, and the view across the leagues beneath our feet, if someone comes sniffing around MP as someone said above each change of manager under Cortese has seen an improvement in his replacement, I would imagine that there is already a blueprint of a plan locked safely away. Sorry to ramble on.

Youngster have no staying power these days, We are going go get cobblers like this if we keep going like we are. We are seen to be punching above our weight so the parasites will do what they can to pull the rug out from under our feet to test our resilience. I was under the impression that after scoring his first goal and dedicating it to the fans for making him so welcome there was no issue.

Didn't Adkins get one agreed in the February but not announced until late March April when we were in League one kept it under wraps as a motivational tool for the players to keep them going

First viewing of him was in Spain pre season where the first impression was blimey the bloke is built like a brick outhouse. I was surprised though when looking through the photos taken with the players post match in one Rickie and Victor are stood with us and Victor looks so much smaller next to Rickie. I think the fact that he is still only 22 so still able to learn easily will see him getting better and better under a coach like MP, as others have said the guy is a blunt instrument and tenacious with it. I have said it many times before Lawrie Mac always said the best teams are made up of Violinists and Roadsweepers, in Victor and Morgan that analogy seems to be surfacing (although Morgan does have a sprinkling of Nigel Kennedy devilment). Overall I am surprised at the battering Victor and Dani are getting from some quarters, god help Dejan if he has a couple of off colour games.

I would say the same, Trouble is the majority of his observations are pretty much spot on, backed up by his winnings down the bookies, not talking about a flutter here and there, serious money, providing a primary income more often than not.

I have a customer, and friend, who when he was a nipper was on the books initially at Bristol City then was picked up by Villa, he recalls playing against Shearer and the Wallace's at academy level, sadly he dropped what some would consider a minor clanger at Villa and was shown the door to the end of his football career. Even though the years have passed watching football with him is an education as he will point out various things the average Footie fan just would not see. He is also a Man United fan, and noticed the disciplined system that Fergie had in place in so much that if everyone does what job Fergie had told them to do that even he could score for Man U in his 40s. He could point out players that would be dropped for not adhering to the system and those new players who hadn't quite got the system into their game, so would be only used from the bench if at all, he always backed it up by pointing out that academy products would invariably slot into the first team on their debut and look very comfortable straight away. I saw him on Friday and he said straight away the Moyes hasn't quite worked out how to tighten up the system which has had the tension loosened on it, he isn't far away from unlocking the door but he could take a little time to find the right door with the tightening mechanism behind it.

Who cares as long as we keep the tally ticking along every week.

Oh do keep up!! Watch Saints on the telly and you can keep up with Strictly and X-Factor too: simples!!

See if you put your left leg in when doing the Hokey Cokey, you will always fall over: watch and learn!!

That was something else, the whole stadium (apart from one corner obviously) just exploded into unreserved euphoria.

What a great read cheers Gemmel. If the answer to point 2 can be found the world could well be our Oyster.

Without doubt the pairing of Morgan and Victor has made our midfield hard as nails a bit of Beauty and the Beast, or even Velvet Glove in Morgan and Iron Fist in Victor (not that Morgan is shy of being a bit nasty). for a while I have often thought that with Morgan in midfield he gives the team a good tempo. That precision tackle on Wellbeck when you consider that Morgan already had a yellow card was akin to the work of a brain surgeon.

Ref has the Fergie clock on his wrist 5 chuffin minutes where they come from

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yesssssssssss!!

Woo hoo Guly o'clock

Swansea just opening up Sunderland with 2 in 2 minutes.