John Boy Saint

Amazingly the Guardian was all about OGS and him trying to get things working. As for winkle Crooks comment about Vestergaard wouldn’t have having the same luck against Smalling - is probably bang on the money as Smalling would have had hold of big Jans shirt and VAR would have delivered a penalty for us.

In fairness to Cedric and with the benefit of my elevated view and play right in front of me, we got a bit narrow and sucked over to the ball, when the ball moved quickly over to our right, you could see we were in trouble the ball was moving faster than we could move into acres of space, James showed why Man U took a punt on a Championship player, we were spread so thin on our right. For much of the first half Young and James were sliding over to the Itchen touchline as everyone else followed the ball down the Kingsland touchline.

Watching the Arsenal game yesterday when they scored the “3rd” goal which was easily offside in the build up and was clear as day instantly with all the lines we watching on TV got to see. It seemed because it was the main game on TV the point was being reiterated for those of us sat at home to be sure why the goal was rubbed out seemed to hold up the game longer than was necessary. In our game when Greenwood tried to do a Rashford and collapse in the box, and on pitch Dean decided to deny United their continued run of a penalty per game, when the ball went out for our throw in, Dean touched his ear and waved for the throw in, and game, to continue pretty quickly with mere seconds spent: of course that might have been down to Michael Oliver (one of the sharper refs to my mind) confirming the decision correct pretty quickly, that no one noticed. Being at the game I have no idea how it played out on BT but didn’t seem to hold up the game at all. I also spotted the flaw that Whitey mentioned with Rashford ending up in a Utd corner, from behind the goal he looked offside the noise from those in line, both the Kingsland and Itchen pretty much qualified my thought, and then our players gesticulations to the Lino confirmed it. Had Utd scored from the corner I guess it wouldn’t be rubbed out for the offside, as like the Liverpool goal last season where Salah received the ball offside, by the time the ball hit the back of our net the Salah offside was commented on to have been deemed to far back in the phase of play to considered for chalking their goal off. In a couple of seasons time I doubt VAR decisions will be much of a topic of conversation. Aside from VAR, I noticed we have become much more active as a team in questioning the decision of the referee. Not in the Roy Keane style, but it seemed when a rum decision had gone against us the players were Asking the ref why? For quite a few seasons I thought we have been soft in this department and just rolled on our backs instead of planting seeds in the refs head for the next 50/50. Of course by questioning the ref it does prevent the oppos from being able to take a quick free kick and buys a few more seconds to us to get into better defensive positions.

What a cracking bit of business for Leganes - £20m striker for buttons!

My Daughter has forgone her membership this year, when the email came that Season Ticket holders could buy more tickets she said stuff that at £50 to sit next to me. ....oh and for those of you thinking to slag a woman going to football just don’t say it in her earshot ...........trust me she’ll spark you out!

My Friend/customers Son was on it and less than impressed, down the station at 4:30 this morning then a few numpties who have had the 3rd can of top deck shandy kick off! Expected Manchester 21:30........that’s a long day.

Highlight has to be the defending under immense pressure when down to 10, that actually put a bit extra in the Utd tank. I thought Utd actually looked tired towards the end of the first half. They came out looking to put the game to bed, when we scored amazingly it knocked a bit of stuffing out of them until the sending off. After we scored JWP was signalling to pretty much keep the foot down. Mrs JBS had Gunn as her man of the match, no doubt impressed at the series of good saves he made under the cosh. Like others I thought Romeu had a cracking game, Maguire knew he was trouble and left something a bit naughty on him in a challenge, I was amazed to see Mike “look at me”Dean book him when the ball went out, that was a yellow possibly worth looking at for more. By contrast I thought Dansos first booking was more clumsiness as opposed to malice. The worst player on the pitch regardless of all his running about was Hojbjerg, the vast percentage of his passing was bloody woeful and snuffed out so many chances to get at Utd. Thought Vestergaard and Bednarek had a good game, they seem to have realised that the apron strings connected to Maya have been cut and they have to do it themselves. I like the look of Danso - shame and a bit silly to be sent off but he left Dean no choice after the harsh yellow in the 1st half. What a lovely intelligent ball he hoisted into the box for Vestergaards goal, so often we have either smashed in a cross or played pass the parcel, to just drop one right in the mixer was very nice. Also at long last we have a player who can Delap one into the penalty box from a throw in! Considering the players out, I thought we look like we might well click pretty soon. They can poke 12:30 kick offs up their backside - buggers up the day - and, for me, too early for a pint.

Amazingly not particularly shocked at that result. I went to the Hampshire Cup game at Basingstoke Town towards the end of last season. When you consider that all our lads are full time footballers, they were often outplayed by a bunch of part timers (being harsh) playing (and soon to depart) in a league 6 divisions below the one most of our lads were being prepared for. No one except maybe Will Ferry actually stood out for Saints.

Well one thing is for certain - he’s much closer to home up there!

I think the penny might have dropped with the team by the time the game rolls round that this is the game you do not lose.

Why do you know something sinister about the new Bolton owners that is going to bite them on the bum in a couple of months?

Looking at that photo you would be forgiven for thinking that the game was played in Beirut or the Luftwaffe had paid a visit the night before!

£3 is half a London beer or 3/4's of a Programme, better still 30% of a Half & Half scarf!

How delightful we have Mike "look at me" Dean on the whistle for this one - and Michael Oliver is the VAR official.

Looking at the training photos N'Lundulu was with the first team yesterday, wonder if he will get a seat on the bench with Redmond, Djenepo, and Obafemi missing. In the U23 games I have seen with him playing he looks a tricky customer, quick with it. Looks like Elyounoussi was in the training photos too, from what I have seen of him so far, if both are on the bench I would hope N'Lundulu is higher up Ralphs rankings.

That "International consortium" have been there for a little while, but by all accounts Dale has been playing silly buggers and siding with that company who pulled out at the 11th hour last night - Bit like us and that Mickey Fialka (?) bloke who nearly saw Markus walk away. It is a situation that shouldn't have happened, and makes an absolute farce of the EFL claiming they do due diligence own ownership.

its under the EFL jurisdiction for away fans, which is 2000 guaranteed tickets, if the capacity is below 20,000 then 10% - 19.669 gives us just under the 2000 I guess that will be influenced further by the capacity of the Milton End of the ground and what the OB tell them. If this was an FA Cup tie then the allocation would be 15% of the capacity.

Its was signed over to a bridging loan company who are on the side of the club continuing to exist.

Well he sure ain't going to tell a hack asking him the question what his strategy is for playing Man United, got to keep some secrets in these cameras/devices up every orifice world we live in. "Well I plan to play 4-5-1 with Yoshida protecting the back line, and I will be asking the groundsman to not make his planned last cut of the grass and definitely not to water it". Be like Christmas - "you see that present under the tree in the Holly paper - that's from me to you - its a Jagsaw puzzle". Or June 1944 "Field Marshall?! - Robert Smithers Daily Mail sir" "word is that you will be invading Europe on Monday from somewhere along the East coast landing in Calais Dunkirk and into Belgium is that correct?". "No Smithers - we shall be landing on the beaches of Normandy early Monday morning - weather permitting along a 50 mile front".

Well that’s a shame - having dodged the bullet before some years back thanks to the Fans Trust that pulled them out of the fire. Having not been as fortunate as our blue friends down the road who picked up Eisner, they ended up down the same street in the dodgy part of town so to speak and not been so lucky. My lifelong Bury supporting cousin was heavily involved in crunching the numbers for fans trust that saved them before, when some money walked through the door he ended up walking away as the money decided it knew better, and the Fans Trust was increasingly edged out of the picture. They had a Fan from the trust on the board but he ended up being there as a token gesture. It always made me smile when there was talk from Saints to ultimately have a fan on the board, I guess in Leon Crouch we did, and through his personal wealth we were able to hang on until Markus turned up. Roughly speaking we had a similar bunch of chancers to what Bury ended up taking trying to own our club. My cousin was asked for his help again as this final situation unfolded, his wife didn’t give much detail but what she did, it was obviously a much bigger mountain to climb compared to when the fans trust saved them before. There has not been much love for Mr Dale throughout his ownership. There has often been talk about the obscenity of money in the Premier League needing to filter down to the lower reaches of the football pyramid. You could say it has, but the water these lower clubs are swimming in is polluted with the sewerage from the clubs at the top, in that as teams have spent increasing amounts on ordinary players and Mickey Mouse salaries at the top, so the costs of running a football club in all divisions has followed the upwards trend except with very little actual money filtering from the top. Players and more likely their agents have pushed the price and wages of the key component of a football club up, beyond the actual financial means of the club. I worked with a bloke about 15 years ago, he played in a Sunday league side up on Tyneside. Twice a year he had to work a Sunday at a trade show and one day he mentioned that his commission from one Sunday was less than the £275 match fee he would have received had he been at home and turned out for the team. I was shocked that he was getting so much if anything for playing so far down in the Football pyramid. Where does the money come from? Bury use to benefit from mainly Man Utd fans popping along, to get their footie fix, when Utd were playing away. When the Glaziers moved into Man Utd and FC United was formed this extra gate receipt income dwindled as so many Man Utd fans went to watch them instead, bizarrely they played games for a while at Gigg Lane and my Cousins son went along to a couple of games and said the gate for FC Utd games was as big if not bigger than Bury home gates! Professional Football in this country is going to eat itself, and sadly it’s likely to be from the bottom up, as it’s not going to be another 27 gap until the next team is expelled from the Football League. As you can imagine my Cousin and his Shakers mad family are in bits over this............ their regular matchday ritual of many years gone - probably forever.

Boufal sounds like he will come off the pitch black & blue.

Bury are lobbying the EFL hard right now throwing everything they have at them, a fly in the ointment bizarrely is the Carlisle owner who wants Bury out. Hardly a surprise as they are on the edge of the dotted line at the bottom of League 2 if Bolton or Bury go, that means no or one less relegation into the National league.

Bury still have 5 bids in the pipe 2 with Proof of Finance - One of which is the Cala chap (American Sicilian ) who was sniffing around p*rtsm*outh around 2012 with the intention to buy. Mr Cala has had the necessary on the table for a week but the EFL seemingly don't like him, and he the is a bit miffed at the EFLs foot dragging. From the EFLs position you can see the demise of both Bury and Bolton would be quite convenient to even up the league. Bury fans are hanging onto a tenuous thread that they will still have a game on Saturday

You peaked early, didn't go last season but for the Cup game season before, we had one of their Hot Dogs in the ground proper sausage not the usual rubbery stuff sort - they weren't cheap but they were bloody good, so good Mrs JBS normally dallies over her grub turned around and it had vanished.

Looks like he fooled everyone (looking at the latter thread content) , which I am surmising is what we bought from Lille originally. Having bamboozled 3(?) Brighton defenders - Ryan probably thought “he is going to be a greedy whatsit after that, and squeeze one off - so best ready myself for it”.......... “Oh!”. Listening to Redmond on Solent if him and Boufal are developing an understanding together, with Boufal maturing in his thinking and Redmond not having to think could turn out to be potent combination. We can only hope.