John Boy Saint

I am not the biggest Beer drinker by a long chalk but my preference when I do is to opt for a Bitter style and often go for the locally made one when out on my travels. I thought it was pleasant enough, beery - which is why its called what it is. Like I say better than the Tetley and that Saints Ale before that. Someone will tell you its pig swill others will say water your socks have been washed in - I thought of that Panther I think its called which again is a Session Ale like I say I am not a great beer drinker but I could sink a few of them without getting bored as often as I do on beer. I only drink one on the concourse as I am there for the football not for the view of the Gents mid match, but if someone said fancy another I could have been tempted and not found it a struggle to drink the last half pint.

I had a Pint of 76 which was billed as a session beer at its introduction and that to my mind is exactly what it was - better that the Tetley they served up before.

How times have changed - it use to be used to cover the cost of those 0898 saucy phone lines

I think the fact that this thread has only reached 3 and a half pages of comment after the first game of a brand new season shows just how far, we as supporters, have been ground down over the past 3 seasons to not expect much else from 90 minutes of Saints playing Football. First half we did indeed look to be at the races and had a few chances, but got stung right on half time by a shot that we know Mane has in his portfolio and in reality not many could have stopped that, having watched the footage PEH tried to close him down but that is the kind of shooting ability big money buys you. Second half there was a spell where you just watched Liverpool players amusing themselves with the ball and we were just chasing shadows, that just pulled into focus the mire our recruitment in more recent years has put us in......... but You can drill the players on the training pitch until the cows come home into pressing the ball playing "the Net" but that is a false scenario. On the training pitch you are up against players you know who will do things you expect them to do with less ferocity than a proper opposition. Having been at the game Saturday then watching the extended match choice highlights on Sky in the evening, something Liverpool have in bucket loads compared to us is anticipation. Most of our team had played together last season so were not strangers, Liverpool were a team made up mainly with players who had played together much of last season. Maybe it is a case of you get what you pay for, but for 2 teams who have played a lot of football together the fluidity of Liverpool was on a different level to ours, their players anticipated where the other was going to be, we were a bit more reactionary to where a team mate was especially in the second half. Until we suddenly got gifted a goal - then it was almost like "oh we could get something out of this game" and rather that thinking about what we were doing we started playing football with the sole purpose of getting a equaliser at least. With Footballers not being renowned for being the sharpest pencils in the box, all this technical attention to detail being applied is possibly clouding their basic thoughts to just play football. As for the comment made by PEH about being "disgusting to play against" when Vestergaard flattened Salah, ref saw nowt in it, Jan must have known there was no head contact and we should not have put it out but carried on playing...... be disgusting. Redmond needs to learn that when he has bust a lung getting up field chasing the ball beyond the oppos back line bust it some more to get back onside, the number of times he ambles back with the ball whistling back over his head from one of our players beggars belief - oh and when we are chasing the game and a ball to be thrown in is at your feet don't wait for the ball throwing team mate to amble up to take it, take it yourself and move - at some point this season we are going to surprise the crowd and the opposition by taking a throw in before either of us 2 are ready for it! At one point in the second half I did wonder what I had done by signing up for another 19 days of wasted expectation, (and subsequently watching extended highlights of some of the other games over the weekend) it is only the second game of the season and my glass is still half full.

Apparently the thinking is by kicking out the Saints Fan they are more likely to go home, whereas the offending away supporter is likely to be hanging around outside, unable to go home as possibly their coach would not be leaving until after the final whistle, so likely to be waiting to continue the argument outside!! We were sat on the benches on the terrace level of the West Stand at the Dell one Saturday Saints v Chelsea. Chelsea fans were sat above us (not sure why or how now) on the front row of the upper tier and 2 of them thought spitting on us below would be fun. I got hit on the shoulder the chap in front got hit in his hair twice and the third time on the shoulder, he stood up turned around and gave them a piece of his mind and sat down again to watch the game - I hasten to add he in no way looked like a bloke who was remotely interested in a having a scrap - he got spat on twice more and stood up again turned around and had a few words. Next thing we know Stewards are piling in to drag him out backed up by Coppers - everyone is telling the Stewards and OB whats going on and pointing out the culprits - and still he was treated like it was him who was spitting on people. It is amazing how that Saints fan a couple of seasons back got spotted having a cheeky swig from his hip flask, and treated like a mass murderer, and yet Liverpool fans, in particular, seem to have a smoke bomb in amongst them every game, and yet with a tell tale plume of red smoke rising up from it revealing its source, in these days of wall to wall surveillance no one gets pulled for it.

It was getting a bit feisty on Britannia Rd after the game, a bit of goading by the scousers and a the odd Saints fan taking the bait, distinct lack of coppers they all seemed to be clustered up towards the traffic lights end of the street. When you look look at how righteous they get about their darkest day - you would think they would be self policing against the brain dead amongst them.

I thought Halo were a subsidiary of Saints

I think initially, (probably loaded by Gary Johnson prompting - wanting to perk up his Latvian national teams performance too) having done well with Pahars we thought we had tapped into an obscure cheap crock of Gold alas it out to be a crock of something else. And Imants fell into the role of Pahars bosom buddy. Delgado and Chala came as a pair one wasn't coming without the other. On what we were paying all 4 of them taken back home that was a hefty wedge.

Thats the one, pleased he managed to put food on the table through playing the game after the fun and games he had with us. Certainly been about a bit. him being 34 now just shows how time flys.

If what I experienced on holiday in Spain recently is anything to go by think a few of them might well need the help....... We pulled into a very popular restaurant on the way home from the beach, we were behind a British car, who had decided to just stop and let someone amble out to get in the queue leaving the backside of my car out in the busy road. Anyway we get to park the car, and walking up to the restaurant we are in amongst our fellow countrymen who have decamped from their car. As we walk past a car with DK country identifier on the number plate a lad of about 15-17 asks "DK wheres that" his Mum an intelligent sounding woman says Denmark to which the son asks "Is that in England?"!!!!! The Mum then says no its by Germany and was struggling to explain - alas my mouth was already in first gear - "Its the funny bit sprouting out of the top of Germany into the sea" tumbles from my gob. To which the Mum says "thats exactly what I was trying to say".........................walking on ahead for a few yards Mum says to my back "He really didn't ask that question". I turned round and we both grinned at each other. They walk amongst us and will be keeping our pensions going.........we hope.

When we look up at the stars at night in real time they are not actually there, light speed through space - 9 minutes for the light from the sun to hit the earth - blah blah -more than likely super nova'd or just gone out etc etc - hopefully we all know the drill. But somewhere millions of miles out beyond where the Clangers live is there somewhere like us just staring at us, that has already seen all the events in that article happen to us, or have they just witnessed the moment the bang to make us lit up a dot in the vastness of space...........................Just another half baked thought: So we don't suddenly get done by a Black Hole just before Eastenders on a Tuesday night any time soon?!

Yeah we did that with Delgado - brought that lad Chala-la-la-la or name to that effect - often referred to as Delgados personal shopper in The Beautiful South Fanzine (The Ugly had become boorishly militant and living up to its title by then).

Wasn't all this going on around the time we had a lad from or with a Russian connection in the Academy can't even begin to type his name but certain it began a P (no it wasn't Tim Sparv who was Finnish from the Russian speaking part of Finland). From memory this lad was a bit useful often featuring well in Academy games and was potentially on our version of the "pathway" at the time. We had a block from the home office with him getting a work permit for the step up as I think he could be in the Academy on a Student Visa but couldn't play in or near the first team on it............................that said the more I type this the more I am thinking my chronology is up the spout, and this lad in particular was around the time of WGS as I have recall of him going into bat for a lad in similar circumstances. I remember thinking the whole system stank, as at the time Manchester United had picked up a couple of players from an obscure corner of the planet without the then required international games for their country quota under their belts, but were signed and presented to the press just like they had been lads from Oldham.

Does sow the seed of thought of not rolling up to the turnstiles 10 minutes before kick off - as the end of the queue could be down in Ocean Village one way and half way over Northam Bridge the other.

I believe that 1% equates to £26,000 over the year, which ain't too shabby. Probably thinking bigging himself up on social media might pressure some of the others to do likewise.

We have Andre Marriner on the Whistle for this one and Craig Pawson watching TV sat in a van parked by the Gasometer.

Think everyone just went “have you seen the time - yeah that’ll do it was a pants penalty anyway” “ come on pull the plug out let’s see if we can get a drink at Ali’s”.

So when the season tickets were test scanned were doors opening at p*rtsm*outh?!

They have tried all sorts to probably try and get the crowd numbers up, as this and the next round have seen pretty paltry attendances over the years (plus where’s the viability in say Carlisle having to play away at Plymouth in a competition they are unlikely to win). Recently for this round (possibly the next) they had the draw loaded so the lesser teams hosted the seeded big teams - in these days where the gate isn’t shared it gave an opportunity for the remaining lower division teams to fill their boots with hopefully increased attendances when a team from a higher division rolled into town. Given the 2am in the morning farcical balls up draws made in Thailand or wherever - the north south divide more than likely makes it easier too.

Nope that’s the Check-a-Trade or if you are Arsenal

Fulham away

Crystal Palace here we come

Hate me now by Nas I do believe Although that is about the only bit they could play of it on the loop as the the lyrics are a bit tooty fruity

Saturday

I know these lot regurgitate all sorts - according to this Leeds were on the sniff too https://www.90min.com/posts/6431719-leeds-middlesbrough-both-failed-with-deadline-moves-for-southampton-flop