um pahars

What about the old AC Delco Sports and Social off Stoneham Lane (think it's now called Stoneham Park or something). I used to play squash up there a few years back.

To be honest, I'm still quite enjoying the ride. Obviously who we play impacts on the experience, but ultimately I enjoy (mostly) watching Saints whoever we're playing. I miss the bigger atmospheres and obviously staying down here for a prolonged time will impact on attendances and the atmosphere that generally goes with it. Finding the football a little more honest, if not more raw and somewhat less technical. Didn't do loads of aways last year, so still visiting some new grounds. Maybe if we were just bumbling around mid table then things would be different for me, but there is still that element of anticipation each game I go to a game (last year it was being reborn plus a Cup run and this year we are still in the promotion hunt). Maybe my boredom threshold will be next year if we don't go up this year and aren't on the verge next season either!!!!

Some might say that that could make him unsuitable/inexperienced for a job with a Club like ours!

Learn some local folklore young man!!!!!!!!!!!!! Canute (abuse blocker didn't like C nut) was never convinced he could order the tide to turn, in fact it was the exact opposite. How do you reckon our erstwhile Roman will behave if we fail to go up this season. Will he be throwing our Nigel in to the amphitheatre to face the lions or will he be backing him as his General for another campaign across Londonium and Brittania??

I meant that perhaps we could well be revisiting a thread like this in just over a couple of months!!!!

Just poking the stick in to the debate, so sorry if some feathers are ruffled (although I have to declare I am 100% behind NA at the moment, despite recent performances). 1. Stability - Not sure I'd desire this if stability meant mediocrity or even failure. There might not be any point sticking with something if that something was not right in the first place. Surely you could just be compounding the error by persevering with something that is wrong. 2. Bad Patch - I think results and performances since Oldham away can be called a bad patch, and certainly 12 pts from 8 games is not a good return, particularly when you consider the squad we have. 3. Premature Thread - Maybe, but I just have this inkling that Cortese is someone who might not hang around and may not be shy when it comes to changing something (could be a good or bad thing). I personally don't think he would make a change before the end of the season, but I reckon if we fail to go up then this debate could rear it's head again within a couple of months. Don't see anything wrong with people airing some views on this thread (or forum) as I doubt it has any impact whatsoever on what happens on the pitch (in fact I'd be horrified if a thread like this had any impact on manager or players, as it would show they didn't have much steel in them).

I don't think anyone has any problem with playing badly, but still winning. I don't think anyone is suggesting that we the only valid promotion is one achieved by champagne football, in fact I would venture that the overwhelming majority don't care how we get out of this league, as long as we get out of it!!!!! IMHO highlighting that we have underperformed in recent weeks and suggesting we aren't firing on all cylinders is just an honest review of our recent performances and also a warning that eventually we do have to step up a gear as we're not going to always play poorly and get the result. You can carry those performances over the short term, but eventually you have to start upping them or else be found out. The defeat at Wallsall hasn't ended our season, but when combined with recent performances (and results), their lowly status, our inability to score, the fact it was a game in hand etc etc etc, then i think it is justified to be somewhat concerned. Throw in 4 tough away games this month and we could be in a very sticky situation that we need to address PDQ.

Problem is though ART that this big chicken thinks we're in somewhat of a rut at them moment and for all these games in hand we are struggling for consistency and getting points on the board. Last 4 games = 7 out of 12pts Last 6 games = 11 out of 18pts Last 8 games = 12 out of 24pts With some tough away games coming up, that's not the type of form needed to get an automatic spot.

Indeed, we have been off the boil for quite a few games now, and even the wins we have pulled off have flattered us. We really have been misfiring since that Oldham thrashing and can't really seem to be able to put my finger on just what is going wrong. Of course there is still plenty of time to turn things around, but I'm just struggling at the moment to see what will bring about such a shift in performances and more importantly results. 4 awkward away games now in March which makes me very concerned.

Not quite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still enough time to get a couple and pull off a good win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Throw in all the foreigners we rescued on those flights and you have to wonder whether the tax dodgers and these non Birtishers should be charged for our taxi service???

I'm not a betting man, so not sure how the odds work, but St Bobby has us down as having a 75% chance of going up automatically. Does that mean we are 3/1 for not going up automatically??? If so, I'll take £50 on not going up automatically at 3/1.

Had him clearly down as our 2nd best player, but if I gave him 8, then I don't think Lallana was worth 9 (at least that's my logic!!!). I'll change him to 7.5!!!!! or Lallana up to 8.5!!!!

Have to say that I'm not as enamoured as some are on here with regards the actual performance, but 3 points and 3 goals on the on the goal difference has me satisfied. Bournemouth's late winner was a bug6er, but overall happy (although I do think we're still not firing on all cylinders). Started off strongly, with Lallana just oozing class and should have been at least two up at half time. Very poor start to the second half that let Swindon back in to the game and all of a sudden we didn't look convincing. Two quick goals killed the game off and Swindon then retreated in to themselves. Have to say they were very, very poor and there for the taking, but we struggled at times to take hold of the game and stamp our authority on it. Davis - 6 - Looked OK, But was he too easily beaten for their goal?? Butterfield - 5 - Just not convinced. Good at times, sloppy at others Fonte - 6 - Decent performance and was sinffing for a goal (although no need to go down like he's been shot claiming a penalty) Jaidi - 7.5 - Immense. Strong at the back and impressive at set pieces Harding - 6 - Good at times, but caught out a bit. At fault for their goal??? Lallana - 8 - Different class. Brilliant first half, but in and out of the game in the second half. Chamberlain - 7 - Impressed at times, but still a bit raw and took the wrong option a few times Chaplow - 6 - Not one of his better games. Struggling for a bit of form?? Hammond - 6 - OK, but not stellar Guly - 5 - I like him, but very poor today. Showed glimpses in the first half, but off the pace. Lambert - 6 - Getting back in that act and showing some confidence Subs: Schneiderlin - 6 - Brought some composure to the game, but needs to push on Barnard - 6 - Looked a bit of a handful and has given Adkins a selection dilemna with Guly being off form. Well taken goal froma tight angle. Gobern - 5 - Not on that long, but dropped a shoulder for the 4th. Looked like a right old kerfuffle in the corporates after they equalised (mind you they should never have let him in with jeans on!!!!!). Would have liked a slightly bigger crowd with Swindon bringing down what looked to be about 1,500.

Ayia Napa, June 2000???? Spent a bit of time with all the Saints lads out there that summer (Beattie, Hassan, Davies, Monk etc) and Richards was always the life and soul of the party. He was the surrogate dad of that group of players at that time and well respected. Top bloke.

Player of the season in his first full one if IIRC. Only here for under two years, but made a real impression during his short stay. Tragic news for someone so young. RIP

Let's not be so naive to think that the Tories (as well as every other Political Party) have what they say is an ethical foreign policy and yet are happy to ignore it if they think its "in the UKs Interests" to do so. And if you don't think the current Government don't bang on about "ethical" and a foreign policy with a "conscience" and then try to trade off of it, then go back to last Summer/Autumn when Hague gave a number of speeches spelling out that the current Foreign Policy would have a conscience etc etc etc (with many commentators agreeing that he was saying much the same as Robin Cook before him in the late 90's). PS Margaret Thatcher's 1999 conference speech on Pinochet does not give a feel that he is "our mad despot". She was bigging him up massively!!! http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/108383

You only have to look back through recent history to show that the "establishment" are more than happy to do deals, fraternise and trade with a whole host of despots, irresepctive of whether Downing Street is red or blue. IMHO, from Pinochet & Thatcher to Gadaffi & Brown, we've never been that convincing with regards our morality once away from our shores.

We certainly haven't been firing on all cylinders recently (although the Cup distraction and Lallana's absence may have played their part). Recent poor results : Losing to Tranmere Drawing with Notts County Drawing with Hartlepool Drawing with Peterborough (would probably have taken a draw before the game, but surrendering a two goal lead - twice - does make it seem like a poor result). Converting two of those draws in to wins (Posh & County) would have made quite a difference (2 pts behind 2nd place with 3 games in hand!!!). I'm not up for wrist slashing and we're still in the box seat with games in hand, but it's the manner of our performances as much as our results that have got me a tad jittery. Even the two games we have won recently (Exeter & Carlisle) have been rather unconvincing. We just need to recover the late December/early January form and get on a roll.

Have no idea of the success/failure comparisons, but history is littered with great players who didn't cut it as great managers, so you're right it is no guarantee of success. However, I've just got an inkling from having witnessed Poyet at Leeds & Spurs and now seeing what he is managing with Brighton that he might be able to make the transition. I think he could cut it in the higher leagues here or maybe even abroad (e.g. Spain).

I am 100% behind Adkins and fully support him in his efforts to get us promoted. As with others, I'm sure that support is peridoically up for reassessment (i.e. I reserve the right to have a moan if he takes us down!!!), but for now I am happy to be giving him my support as he endeavours to take us up. (However, if we're allowed to indulge in some Fantasy Football and won't be called traitors, backstabbers, bedwetters etc etc etc, by a few on here who seem to be a little precious, then I would personally rather have appointed someone of the calibre of Gus Poyet last summer. Given the resources at hand, Poyet does seem to have done a pretty remarkable job down at Brighton and think he will go far in the game).

An approach from Chelski could be interesting, although I think he would need to go somewhere in between Brighton and Chelski. As with players, you (meaning all lower league teams, ourselves included) very rarely manage to keep anyone decent nowadays for long enough. I also hope Brighton go up (and us accompanying them), not least in order that I think their long suffering fans deserve some payback after being hideously ripped off and taken for a ride for so long. I think it will be a rather emotional day when they manage to call somewhere their home again and I'm sure that many may have thought they would never see such a day when they were unceremoniously turfed out of the Goldstone. Fair play to them, after all the s*** thrown at them, I think they deserve their day (and longer) in the sun.

So what were you saying with this then???: I would conjecture that they are three clubs who are extremely proud (and quite rightly boastful of their history) and who recognise its value to the Club, its supporters and community and who hold it in high esteem and who don't only recognise their history when they are not doing too well. PS As for how often do you hear articles going on about their day, then I typed in Denis Law in to Bing and in the last year got: 1) A 2010 pre Derby story about how he was inconsolable about scoring that goal 20 years ago 2) How the Wayne Rooney saga of last Autumn reminded him of his dispute with Matt Busby 3) How he feels sorry for Berbatov, but all strikers including those of the past have lean periods 4) How last months derby will compare with the derbies of old under Mercer and Busby in the Mail, Telegraph, Mirror etc etc etc

Brand, brand, brand. I would like to think we're a Club, not a brand. And if you look at Manchester United, Barcelona & Arsenal, then I would wager that they are very conscious of their past and look to be as inclusive of it as possible. The 50th anniversary fo Munich for United was a big thing (as have been other parts of their history, including honouring and recognising their past greats), whereas for Barcelona their history is an integral part of the Catalan way of life. You only have to take a trip around their museum and the city itself to see what a part Barca has played throughout history. And Arsenal don't seem too worried about their past if you take a trip around their museum (I was priviledged to be given a tour by Charlie George on a corporate a couple of years back).