John Boy Saint

He just lacks finesse for me, whereas Rickie has been maturing into a rather pleasant full bodied wine (he says searching for a better analogy) over the past couple of seasons, his contract extension length must also point to the fact that the club also believe Rickie has the attributes to make it in the top flight.

People offer Grant Holt as the example when the question in the original post is asked, the one thing that stands out for me in this comparison is that Grant Holt is the same blunt instrument at the end of the day. Whereas if you look at Rickie by comparison he is a razor sharp Rapier. The Adkins effect on the teams fitness has been demonstrated well in Rickie and he by own admission has never been fitter, which in return if you saw the second half of the season made him not only a bigger goal threat, but also a goal creator and game chaser. I think he will be fine in the Premiership as without doubt Adkins will have him and any other member of the squad who has been playing under Adkins at Saints even more finely tuned, by way of evolution.

Few extra bits I had missed too despite reading a fair few of the Saints books. There is a great photo in one of the books with the Dell as it was when it was just a Woodland Dell. A little Macabre I know, it would be interesting to see the same photo taken in 1945, to see what was left after the war. The reason for this curiosity is due to 2 postcards on sale in Frankfurt one was dated 1938 the other 1946 quite astonishing. And we all know Southampton was battered from the air.

I always felt Drew Surman was in a similar mould to Anders Svensson: Bilnding one week Invisable the next.

Years ago when we were still at the Dell and I was 14 - 15, me and a mate use to make our way to Southampton every home game from Tadley and Silchester, the added bonus of the trip was to meet 2 girls who stood with us in the Milton Road end who claimed to be Sisters of Trevor Hebberd and Austin Hayes! We were not the gullible hicks from out in the sticks they thought we were and went along with their wheeze, if it meant being in the company of a couple of pretty girls every other Saturday afternoon. My wife comes to football every week which is nice, she also knows her football having been banned from playing football when she was 11 prompting an article in the Basingstoke Gazette report the travesty that her only crime was being a girl. She grew up in the house of Chelsea but saw the light when she started coming to Saints with me, the day of knowing conversion was complete came when buying a replica shirt she pipes up and says why don't I have one too. Her moment of acceptance amongst the lads was when folks were blowing sunshine up Nigel Quashies backside, she told them the errors of his play and the negative effect it had on the team after watching the next game they could not argue with any of the points she had made. I had have no pressures re going to away games with the lads, having a beer etc etc. Football on the TV, she's the first one to put it on. Football has an access all areas pass. Trying to get a pass to play Golf though, is harder work than the 4 hours begging when the bedroom light goes out.

Just hope v the "Macaronis", Rooney remembers he is playing for England not Manchester United, and looks to pass to someone other than Welbeck when on the attack. Still job done, so far.

I always feel that with Morgan in the team we have a good tempo. He has also matured in respect of his reactions to getting roughed up, he now just gives a shrug and walks away. Get his shooting boots calibrated and he will be viewed as a bit special.

Something I forgot to comment on was when linking my Wife's account there was a box to state relationship to you, it gave every chuffin relative except Wife.............. Surely I am not the only person to enjoy going to footy with ones Wife?!

You could certainly hear his 'Ampshire Burr in his interview tonight..................... That must be worth another quid!!

Booked for Mrs JBS landmark Birthday in November, staying just off 6th avenue a block away from Times Square. There for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Any tips and recommendations greatly received.

David Peach & Nick Holmes were the only players left in the team from the FA Cup winning team to play in the League Cup final v Forest in 1979. They were both on the scoresheet in the 3-2 defeat. David Peach shocked me by asking for a light for his cigarette outside Elm Park after our 0-0 draw in the League Cup run!!

I think just central Southern England and the South East, is still under drought restrictions where hosepipes are concerned, all the other areas under restriction had them lifted recently. I want to give the Patio a blast but can't. I played Golf this morning on a course which drains really well, and remains open all year, Snow aside, I have never seen standing water there in places or the greens being so lush and soft almost wooly which just shows how much rain has fallen just in recent days.

Agreed!

From about 20 mins after they come out then for the following 11 months. Having renewed I then realised that potentially with various pre booked doings outside Footie I could miss 7 games so praying for a good wind and fair tide on the fixtures and plenty of Sunday and Monday flavoured tinkering to those fixtures not going my way on paper. .................. Oh Saturdays lottery numbers would be nice whilst I am making selfish demands!!

Stevie Wonder?!

I know someone who works in a non playing staff role at SMS, they say he is the rudest most up themselves person involved in the club, all the other players are very nice and polite and see them as a work colleague. Forecast sees them as........... Well he doesn't ! Spurs must have been rolling about on the floor when they off loaded him, his agent must rub his hands together giggling whenever his percentage comes through and Tommy must cry his eyes out laughing for hours everytime he opens his pay packet............................. Probably him and Puncheon alternate visits to each others homes on payday just in case one or the others sides split!!! Still nowhere near the Ali Dia fiasco where a supposed Senegalese International actually came on as a sub for probably the most famous player in our history.............. Still we got shot of him quick smart though!

I would like to see the miserable buggers slagging him off on here putting together the show tonight outside Buck House, it's not all drum and bass when you have you 86 year old Granny at the gig, nice show spanning sixty years ish. Given the choice in a race to a gong Gary Barlow or David Beckham, ( poll please MODs)

So why did you watch it and not Quantum of Solace on ITV. The Royal family are the punctuation mark of being British. Don't fly your nations flag: it's embarrassing. Don't put up your Christmas Tree it might upset non Christians amongst us. Just make out to be hard and obnoxious, with a dash of militancy. Every Fecker will know we are British: "Oi take that flag down!!".

So many folks didn't quite get Telfer, the fittest fastest player at the club at the time, who was a good example of the Lawrie Mac analogy of what makes a good team, Roadsweepers and Violinists: Telfer was a Roadsweeper! Lovely goal against the Toon too!

Objected to paying the Severn Bridge toll, and didn't fancy having to meet that whinging Frog Wenger! Still marvellous, the last time she handed over the cup was to the Mighty Saints!

Hmmmm not getting excited about this simply because Neil Moss, Paul Smith, Bart, even Tommy Forecast, were all touted as the next great thing between the sticks. This lad has hardly played any first team football and that was not I front of a 30k plus stadium crowd, could all be a bit of clever marketing by Brum. "impressed in training!". By all accounts Stuart Downing is stunning in training, however come match day and the heat of battle he can't hit a cows ar$e with a Banjo.

Thing is though if I read that right, Prawn Sandwiches and Chardonnay, Ruby and a Pint, are all on top of the £975 plus Vat "Club Lounge Members will have exclusive access to a cash bar facility, with food and matchday programmes also available to purchase" So you get to sit on padded seats, just like at MK Dons and have to squint into a setting winter sun to watch the game. The upside is at last there is a specific Season ticket for the Southampton supporting fashion Police, who abhor rubbing shoulders with the Replica shirt wearing hoi polloi!

Short programme that just one minute, must be some clever technology on the horizon for us to extract it and slow it down in our heads........... Has to be an Apple thing.

Another dumb ar$ed thread started by someone who just does not get it! We are Swiss owned, Swiss owned means we just get on with it without entering the let's see who can piddle highest up the wall contest. The media mither that we are difficult to deal with, look at every other team that allows access all areas to the media, it allows the media to get a fingernail under the edge of the wallpaper. Nicola has employed a Man to do a job, Nicola has underwritten the signing of players to get the job done, we have gotten the job done, no need to blow sunshine up anyone's backside in public, in business no one has a street party for getting the job done, they just get on an persue the next target: if the next target is Lisbon May 2014, I for one am buying a ticket for that ride regardless of whether the man at the top has anything to say. People have bank accounts in Switzerland because it is just a number no identity everything is PRIVATE. if the product or "The Southampton Way" as it is called is successful why do we need to hear from the man at the top. His main conduit to the masses, Nigel, plays the game very well. Nicola speaks when he needs to, get use to it. The Leeds programme cover when you saw what transpired re the Oxo deal a matter of days later was inspired: but only if you get it.

We are the Millwall of Eurovision................... No one likes us but we don't care!! Although we can't pull up the drawbridge and give the Archers 2 fingers to the lot of them................ Is does smart a little that our licence money goes towards propping up this eastern bloc love in! Hump's song was not too bad v recent entries, just a shame we got the number 1 draw................. Looks like the formulaic Ibiza backing track is just catching on in Europe.