Bushey Saint

And it's not just damage to the players, either. Saw my first game at the Dell in 1967 - we beat Chelsea 5-0 - and had been a loyal Saints fan through thick and thin ever since. Frankly, they are of only passing interest now. (And I don't mean Russball style passing)

I hold no grudge with Rangers, but I was almost praying for a result like this - anything to show Martin up got the incompetent charlatan that he is. But you just know that he will turn up again like the proverbial bad penny as a muppet on Sky's coverage. Thank God I cancelled that subscription.

Would kindly not mention Harry Redknapp in a thread about Russell Martin? I'm having enough trouble with my blood pressure as it is!

A season-long rolling disaster following the appointment as manager of another would-be Pep, a disastrous transfer-window, a nineteen match losing streak, appointment of three caretaker managers in rapid succession and the mathematical certainty of relegation by mid-March. Club goes into administration and finishes season on a negative points total, followed by going into liquidation and subsequent ejection from the EFL over the summer of 2026. And you know what, after just under sixty years of loyal support, I would no longer care. Sick of mercenary, sub-standard players, inept managers and coaches, and especially sick of chancer owners.

Nah. that's just a sub-stage of denial. I know this.

You lot sound like Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict ...

*ugger. If there's someone I'd like out of the club, it is Stephens. Used to be fairly steady, the odd mistake and the very occasional exciting run forward. Now it just seems to be mistake after mistake after mistake, interposed with ridiculous behaviour such as getting sent off for pulling an opposing player's hair.

Was never going to happen. There isn't an Ipswich player with hair long enough for him to pull, the big girl's blouse.

That's about where I've been since the lead up to Christmas. So pleased to be rid of Martin, but conscious that Rome wasn't built in a day and the players probably didn't/don't have the fitness levels necessary to perform the higher tempo, high pressing game necessary. That much was obvious as we have faded badly towards the end of games, especially during what is a physically demanding period over Christmas and the New Year. To see energy levels still relatively high against Forest was therefore encouraging.

I would have called that a disincentive.

You'd have to offer me far more than a 30% discount to even think about Stephens. The man is a liability.

There's a very fine line between optimism and insanity ...

I have just re-read some of the posts from the beginning of this thread - May 23 before Martin was appointed. The warning signs were writ large, even then. What we did was exchange one (overly) committed follower of a belief system for another.

I started to laugh at this, but the laughter turned to tears. The man is an utter <expletive deleted>.

I’d be happy if he never played for Saints again. He’s just a liability.