Miltonaggro

Looks like the David Sullivan effect has started already. Poor bastard!

Yes, linesman missed some very clear calls and JS right to advise.

Best moment from Stephens yesterday was when he was rightly bawling out the inept Lino in the second half. Been a while since we’ve seen that type of necessary intervention.

The point made by LD above was the point I was trying to make yesterday about the clear difference between Gunn and Bazunu for those of us at yesterday's game - the former at least acted like a professional goalkeeper in terms of physical presence and attempting to organise his defence. The fact that Bazunu is a youngster seems to cause a lot of posters to become over-emotional when defending him on here, but in the ground you can sense the tension whenever he is called upon during our matches. My view is that if our Board feel he has potential then put him in a place where he can safely realise this potential and hopefully undertake strength training and learn his craft - a loan or number two to a proper mentor. At 20 it was ridiculous to bring him to a Premier League side as a first choice keeper and the endurance with the experiment looked like doubling down, and at 21 he still doesn't appear have what is required to keep goal for a championship side genuinely focused on promotion. Perhaps the best young keeper I remember coming through at Saints was Tim Flowers, and there is some comparison to Bazunu. Flowers joined Saints as a 20 year old prospect in 1986 understudy to Peter Shilton, exciting talent and England U21, but it was clear he needed beefing up and very raw so loaned out to Swindon after we were hammered by Man U with him in goal to gain confidence and learn his trade. Season after that made about ten appearances and loaned out again. It was only in his fourth season aged 24 he got the number one jersey from Budgie Burridge, and even then he was still seen as a very young keeper. However, by then he looked strong, confident, agile, vocal and could marshall a defence, went on for another three or four seasons and almost 200 appearances. Point is, it was clear he had talent but needed time to grow and gain experience, which he was given. He also benefited from mentors like Shilton and Burridge at Saints and Fraser Digby at Swindon. Like many on here with Bazunu I am saying what I see. Of course we want him to succeed, how we want to always see our youngsters to succeed but there are what to me seem obvious problems with his game currently. Edozie is a similar case, talent and potential yes, but problems with strength, craft and decision making too. Goalkeepers are much more exposed in terms of their game, fan and team-mate focus more intense, and their confidence is more brittle as a result. One school of thought seems to be 'he's a kid, give him a break' but the problem is that giving him a break could break him as a player - giving him adequate time and help is what might be required. I was watching the goalkeeper warm up yesterday and McCarthy and Lumley towered above Bazunu who looked like the U18 keeper, they were also more vocal and body language more confident even though they are both below GB in the pecking order - which says a good deal about recent standards. To protect their investment Sport Republic need to provide Bazunu with a credible mentor and / or some playing time outside the spotlight, anything else in my opinion is between recklessness and wishful thinking.

Can’t see it, but Norwich defence was shitting bricks with him today, bouncing them. It’s clear that he would score a hatful in champs.

Yes, a poor keeper but looked and sounded like a goalkeeper today. We don’t agree on this Whitey but to me Bazunu just doesn’t have the requesite presence or strength, regardless of the obvious weaknesses of the defenders around him.

That was childhood echoes of 78/79 and 79/80 today - you score three we’ll score four, entertaining but does nothing for the blood pressure. The way Norwich cut through us was appalling and exposes our lack of spine both physically and psychologically. Almost like they could score at will. Highlights were both from the bench, Adams who is clearly a fucking handful at this level (right up their central defenders noses) and young Sam, who caused them all sorts of problems during his cameo. Manning willing but lots of blind alleys, KWP and Alcaraz interested in parts but Tella very periferal. Signings on the way and we need them right through the middle. Pray we get a keeper as I think it will cost us crucial games and potentially a rift in the team otherwise. Appreciate the side is a work in progress and a good atmosphere at SMS today.

Gunn was much better today IMO, at least he looked and sounded like a goalkeeper.

Watched the game level with Bazunu today and the lack of presence, physicality and judgement is astonishing. The defence can be appalling (keystone cops today) but they are clearly aware that there is nothing behind them.

They’d have to be bloody deaf!

I think JS had a similar role previously so you never know. Could depend on whether we get Grimes.

It might be that ‘club captain’ is different to matchday captain should the likes of Matt Grimes arrive in the coming weeks. JS as the steady long serving club man for established influence and MG as the more dynamic Russball stalwart during games. Happened before.

Now things are moving potential for some solid new arrivals next week, including a couple of interesting loans. COYR!

Poetically foolish!

Fair play, lots of crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s today.

Yes, although the club were quicker to react on that one

No, but Sullivan at West Ham did offer Mary Millington in part-exchange for Prowsey.

You'd still have people on here saying it was only recently sculpted, has potential and needs more games...

Yes, hopefully it’s an expensive mistake for them. Then again, always hope that their transfers go south!

They are superb. Read the collection first at school in the 80s when we could chose our personal reading books in English and remember trying not to burst out laughing. Vivid images. The first book is rather typical Milligan zany (OTT) but as the series proceeds beautiful tragi-comic prose. Man was a genius.

One of those that I can recall was in 1991. Working in London at the time and a Glaswegian colleague managed to get three ‘corporate’ tickets for Arsenal v Celtic, Paul Davis testimonial. It was Highbury, so corporate was like at the Dell, a front row close to the directors box. Myself and Dave (redacted) another local lad went mainly to show solidarity and gain Justice for Glenn Cockerill from three years before. It was a Tuesday evening game and we were on it with the Celtic fans from early afternoon. By the match the three of us were completely wrecked and having bought a load of knock off merchandise covered in green and white. We took our seats and realised that we were sat amongst a contingent of the cast of Eastenders. Next to me were Lofty and Michelle, I shit you not. I think we adjusted to our surroundings for about 15 minutes but it went quickly downhill with Dave and myself giving our opinion on Davis and our Scottish pal holding forth about Arsenal and the English. We were noticed by the massed Celtic fans behind the goal who were encouraging us. It’s a blur but was fucking carnage. We were escorted out well before half time, as we left Michelle from Eastenders cracked her RADA veneer and told Dave to fuck off. We picked up with the Celtic contingent afterwards as popular heroes and I got back to Southampton on the Thursday evening having ‘lost’ 48 hours. One of the more interesting incidents, I still have the Celtic scarf and hat, shite quality but happy days.

Rasmus’s wet dream Less complex than it seems Based upon his third rate MBA Amplify success Pretend you are the best Get the rich to pay along the way Construct a clusterfuck Blame it on bad luck See if you can run and hide away Distance from your Welsh clown Expensive dross who took us down Pray your bullshit sticks enough to stay

One thing this discussion is missing is Lyanco’s intelligence as a footballer - it’s very obvious to those of us with an eye for talent that he’s as thick as pigshit.

Like a fridge freezer.

Johnny Walker or Captain Morgan?