Ralph Fastenbüttl

That's super cool, man. And excellent legacy to be part of.

@Matthew Le God Am I right in saying you're a researcher for Sports Interactive? I have worked in video games for over 20 years so obviously have an interest! What sort of level of involvement do you have at a studio level? (If you don't mind me asking - feel absolutely free to tell me to mind my own!).

I really don't think so, personally. While Saints took a big gamble standing by him through Spygate, the end result is a quality manager who I think may well stay loyal to the club for far longer than you're expecting. Of course, a manager's life is a precarious one and the sack is only ever one bad run away and, yes, I do see bigger clubs sniffing about. And all the loyalty in the world isn't going to matter if a genuine dream role comes along. But I'd be very surprised if he wasn't here next year, and honestly I think it's very realistic to think his tenure could stretch beyond what we saw with someone like Ralph. This genuinely is the biggest positive to emerge from all the bs of last season imo. Obviously now I've said all that he'll have his head turned by an offer he "just couldn't turn down" from Grimsby Town on Monday...

It's time for Ralph to come home, perhaps grabbing Pep as his assistant on the way?

Fuck me, you can count the number of human beings who have given more of themselves to the club than Prowsey on one hand, and you've still got folk on here moaning about the fact he comes from a Pompey-supporting family. Mental. Is JWP the answer to all of our midfield problems? Nope. Can he replace Shea Charles? Definitely not? Is he the best midfielder in the whole wide world? Nah. He won't even be the best midfielder in the team. Some things do give me pause, however. He may have been treated harshly at West Ham, but he also bombed spectacularly across two separate loans, so it's safe to say he hardly arrives in glittering form. I was never really convinced of him as captain, either, and I don't think he should get the armband now. He held that title through some of the worst performing spells our club has ever seen, and while I wouldn't blame him for any of that, he clearly wasn't the guy to drag a good performance out of team mates who were struggling for confidence. But... there are definitely positives. He's cheaper for us than he would be for anyone else, and that West Ham bought him for 30m only to sell him back to us three years later for 800k is GOLDEN. He's in amazingly physical condition, he's full of energy and he will once again be the best free kick taker at the club (ahead of Manning for sure). He's always fit and available and, ultimately, he's definitely good enough to excel in the Championship.

Right, can we all stop being such miserable fucks now please?

You'd think!

It does frustrate me a bit when fitness appears to be an issue. Results aren't always easy to obtain but any club should at least be able to guarantee the fitness of its players. We got so many results under Pochettino purely thanks to our amazing fitness - sustained across the season it's basically free points.

A game and a half into the new season and folk here already predicting when the manager will be sacked. Incredible stuff.

The good news is that at least we don't have a fanbase that will rush to write off players, the squad, the manager, the owners and the season after just 90 minutes of football.

How would you know? Clutching at straws I'm afraid.

Respect for the epic profile picture, @AlexLaw76 😂

Fuck me that's good work.

*Fewer

Basingstoke?! Born and raised, though not lived there now for coming on 30 years. Will always be home, though x