Miltonaggro

I think that Mick Channon must have been an absolute nightmare to play against, and privileged that I got to see it. Intelligent and brave player, his runs and positioning were brilliant, nine times out of ten right place right time. Complete forward for Saints and England. What price in the modern game?

Yes, there were quite a few from around that era. The Big Match Revisted on ITV player have just put some new shows from the mid eighties up. In these you’ve got Trevor Hebberd playing for Oxford and Ian Baird #9 for Leeds. I liked both of those playing for Saints as youngsters, committed direct players, and wished they had been kept on at that time. These days as it’s a big squad game I suppose they would be.

An anagram of the author's first name is hi med - possibly a cry for help...

MK Dons. Back to the Future IV...

Fucking hell! When he's sacked a glittering career in fantasy writing beckons!

Well said. It's going to be a very interesting watch from a distance for Saints fans, certainly adds another dimension to next season at least. I've seen a fair bit of top flight football in Portugal over the last decade and it's a very similar set up to the Scottish Prem in terms of hierarchy, expectations, approach, and quality of players / managers. Texted an old pal who is Rangers yesterday and he reckons a respectable minimum target for Martin this season would be getting the points gap with Celtic down to around six points (last season it was 17) and a cup win or good go in Europe. That likely gets him a second season. I actually think the biggest issue will be his personality, as if he gets defensive and narky if the fans start giving his players or tactics some stick, he will be toast very quickly.

Is that in a Wetherspoon’s?

This sums up Juric's sojourn at Saints for me, one of his last press conferences as manager - essentially, that these (entitled and mediocre) players should be grateful for the loyal Southampton fans.

Good post. Think that most Saints fans were willing to give Martin the benefit of the doubt after the playoff campaign and win, during which the side were set up to be completely pragmatic which obviously suited some of the experienced players, notably McCarthy and Armstrong. These early hopes were dashed in that first return game in the north east, penalty box brain fart by keeper and completely ran out of steam and ideas against ten man Newcastle. Clearly this was due to the way the team was set up, that's on the manager. First home game, the 1-0 loss to Forest, set up same as Newcastle and that was as near to a men against boys, one nil battering, you will see, Forest out-muscled and bullied Saints all game - home 'team' just going through the motions, like the band playing on the deck of the sinking Titanic, but without the commitment or honour. I honestly thought that after this initial left right kick in the balls, Martin would learn his lesson, but stubbornly refused and the players looked like they were fully resigned to the drop in that first month - you don't come back from that in the Prem. The main difference I see in Will Still (and I wasn't enamoured when we were first linked) is that the man is clearly frank, realistic and a pragmatist. Players are unlikely to get away with bullshit and the preparation and formation are likely to be similarly honest. That prospect is a sea change from the tippy tappy water torture.

In modern football, with agent pressure, you'd think that there is absolutely no chance as it would be a bigger coup for Saints than signing him in the first place. To have any chance at all, his money would have to stay the same, and him and Will Still would have to gel pretty much from day one, with Still stating that his team will be built around Ramsdale. It's the same situation with Fernandes in many ways, with the main difference being Ramsdale's career stage and personality - he has one, unusual for a top footballer these days.. I think that part of him relating to Saints, which led to his decision to be our number one week in week out is that his boyhood hero is Jussi Jaaskelainen at Bolton, so there does seem to be an awareness of football life outside the big franchise clubs. However, unlikely that his agent would feel the same way.

To be honest if I were Russ, I'd usually be entering via the double garage.

Best news here is that it could well save Saints some payments to Martin, and that he will likely have to do his shopping in the range of Bazunu, Manning, Smallbone (despite sectarian baggage) and Fraser. Optimal result if that happens.

They remade it in 2023:

Hope not on both counts!

There’s already a man on here for that:

Looks like a stripey back as well lads. Let the good times roll!

Dirty old Trollope!

My old man was a Saints' schoolboy with John Sydenham, and him and my uncles were close to a lot of the players in those 1960s sides. He never raved about players, apart from a handful, but the main one was Ron Davies. I think that Matt Busby also agreed. I saw a lot of John Robertson, when it was Forest, Saints, Ipswich and Villa bloodying the big boys noses. For those that didn't the superb Clough quote provides the best summary: "A very unattractive young man. If one day, I felt a bit off colour, I would sit next to him. I was bloody Errol Flynn in comparison! But, give him a ball and a yard of grass, and he was an artist, one of the finest deliverers of a football I have ever seen, the Picasso of our game…”

God I loved watching John Robertson in that great Forest side. Absolute Rolls Royce of a footballer, and proof of how much looks can be deceptive.

I've heard West Ham are currently looking at both Ramsdale and Harwood-Bellis.

If he goes to Cardiff the Natty J consumption of Monster Energy, Wotsits and Elastoplast will be off the scale!

Love and light…

Fascinated by the luxuriant strawberry blonde barnet, recommended by Dr 😧