Saint_John

The extended highlights ? (just the addition of the 2 shots against the posts) are on the BBC site http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/9408975.stm

As I said above I spoke to the Groundsman back in June (around the 14th or 15th I believe) when they had just re-seeded the pitch and were packing up. (see 7th June article + free video from Saints Player for what they doing). http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2063702,00.html (and 14th June article for what they did) http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2067113,00.html After talking to him I was left with the impression that it was always going to be a rush to get the pitch ready for the start of the season. (Remember the 1st game was only 7-8 weeks away and the pitch cut up very badly in that game - see a couple of the pictures http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/Gallery/0,,10280~2114628,00.html). He left me in no doubt that there was no plans to have a pre-season "big game" (Ted Bates trophy etc.) on the pitch. I know that is going to make me very unpopular with certain people who would like to spin another reason, but it was always going to be a rush to get the pitch ready. Why they did it this summer, i don't know. I have my own view about the Rugby World Cup in a few years having something to do with it, and I said previously when i collected some of the top soil there were one of two bits of plastic mat bits in it. (Goal mouths perhaps ??). Must the pitches be ALL grass ????

IMO Guly was only taken off because of an injury. He appeared to be holding his hamstring and i thought with the previous attach he may have "tweaked" his hamstring. If I am correct that is a minimum of 10 days. I also think Rickie enjoys playing with Lee more than Guly, in that as a pair they play closer together. Guly and Rickie play too far apart, most of the problem imo comes from the lack of movement from Rickie, not Guly.

Wrong they re-seeded it. I collected some of the old top soil (with some plastic bits in it) for my back garden. I also spoke to the groundsman when out on one of my runs and he told me what he was doing, i.e. how many weeks it would take before it showed, how many weeks before he would be cutting etc. (From memory he said something about 7 weeks and would be cutting the week before the 1st game, which I thought was cutting it a bit fine). He didn't have the best of growing condition in that they was very little rain in August and he had to use "tap water" with all the chemicals in it etc., also winter came very early this year i.e. December, and that stopped the root development.

I see Rochdale have given an "apology" and "their reasons" for the game being called off http://www.rochdaleafc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10441~2301024,00.html It was predicted but the picture only shows one small cover. How do you test drains without pouring on lots of water ? and was this really done PRIOR to the Saints game when rain was forecast ?? This seems like a waste of £50k because I cannot see much "fibre-sand" on that pitch? Couldn't they have used these to stop the water getting on the pitch ? So for a Sky game they knew they had to protect the pitch from the rain ? yet I can see only one cover for our game They seem to know they have a problem with their pitch but there appears to have been very little attempt to cover the pitch when heavy rain was forecast. Did they want the game called off ?

Went for a run this morning past the Ticket Office, only 19,000 tickets sold so far. Their current form is poor Carlisle H (0-1), Colchester a (1-2), Orient a (0-3), Rochdale H (1-1), Bompey a (2-3), Exeter H (0-0), Tranmere H (0-0), Gas a (1-3), Yeovil H (0-1), Oldham a (0-2). That is 0-3-7 in the last 10, with 2 or more goals conceded in the last 5 away games. If we come out of the dressing room with the right attitude it should be 2-0 by half time and then we can think of resting players from the hour mark for Tuesday.

In those 12 matches (7w, 4d, 1l) they beat Swindon (20th) Home and Away, they beat Plymouth (24th) Home and Away, they also beat Walsall (21st). So their record without the games against the bottom 5 was 2-4-1 (10 points from a max of 21) Not very impressive imo, if you take out the unbalanced fixture list.

The Rochdale os has a picture of the pitch (I assume it is from today) with the puddles and their one cover. http://www.rochdaleafc.co.uk/page/NewsHome

Mitchell was on the TV program about Sandbanks a couple of years ago. IMO he "talks up" the value of properties all the time. He even showed Piers Morgan around "Thunderbirds" WHICH IS 2 MILES AWAY from Sandbanks in Branksome Park and had nothing to do with Sandbanks. http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/sandbanks-with-piers-morgan/ (read the comments from other people in that link and you will understand what the locals think of him).

The FL's "Owners & Directors" Test http://www.football-league.co.uk/regulations/20100801/appendix-4_2293633_2128219 It is pretty vague i.e. I see no reference to "Russian Mafia" in the section on Disqualifying Condition so it must be ok. The FA also have a "FIT AND PROPER PERSONS" test on page 313 (to 320) of http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/~/media/Files/PDF/TheFA/Rules_Regs/FA_Handbook_2010-11-v1.ashx/FA_Handbook_2010-11-v1.pdf but these refer to future leagues for the Cheats FC e.g."The Football Conference Limited, The Southern Football League Limited, etc." Page 318 has the form they need to fill out with the condition and an email address of somebody at the FA. Perhaps somebody should ask whether they are considering adding a clause about the "Russian Mafia" following a request last year by fans of a certain club to tighten up the test.

COULD it be that when we have no midweek fixture our Sat opposition also have no midweek fixture. We have shown over this season and last that when oppostion sides play at "100 mph" (i.e. mark tight in midfield, knock balls over our defence and generally play at a high tempo) that we get less time to get the ball down and pass it. If the opposition have had a midweek fixture they are less likely to play at a high tempo for 90mins on Saturday. So it may depend on whether the opposition have played midweek rather than us ? just a thought I have no data to support that.

Back to Southwark Crown Court tomorrow "for Judgement" on whether there is going to be a trial or not - Court 7 before Judge Testar. http://www.courtserve.net/courtlists/current/crown/sthwk_T110211.01.htm

Just to add to the above Tomorrow in the High Court the end of the original company "Cheats FC" http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/cause.htm I think it is Court 52 and the Judge is :- INjustice Mann

Could it be that the issue with these "childish" ex-players always having a dig at the running of the club from day 1, MIGHT relates back to the Liebherr takeover ?. The Echo from the 8th July 2009 (the final few paragraphs)

Those ex-players are becoming very childish with their continued battle against the club. They could learn a BIG LESSON from Channon, Fisher, Ridrigues, Holmes, Case and Hollywood who turned up at the recent match about supporting the Club.

There is a long way to go, this is a marathon not a sprint where there will be lots of ups and downs for all the sides. For example, Rotten Fruit's next 5 HOME games are against Udders (3rd), Sheff Wed, Oldham(6th), Us(4th) and Charlton(5th) . All sides with a chance of going up. Udders last 3 AWAY games of the season are Charlton (5th), Mk Dons (7th) and Brighton, again all sides with a chance of going up.

Interesting that the FA have just hammered St Albans with a 10 point deduction for " financial irregularities". http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/Disciplinary/NewsAndFeatures/2011/st-albans-040211 http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=10910 So it is nice to hear the FA are still on the case of payments to players "under the counter". Bring on the Cheats FC court case.

I see "daddy" is appealling his 6 year conviction for illegally selling arms. http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000617122 I wonder if the blue few think he will come back to save the "family business".

Here is the full U21 squad for the game http://www.thefa.com/England/mens-under-21s/News/match-centre/2011/Italy-England/Match-Previews/England-Squad-Named

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1352310/Charles-Sale-Replays-FA-Cup-revamp.html

The Rotten Fruit's Echo and Radio Solent are reporting that Bartley (good player - anchor man in midfield) when to Burnley. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/8823886.Cherries__Mitchell_slams_Howe_and_Burnley/ However this doesn't appear on BBC or Sky so it might not have gone through in time. He will be a big miss for them.

The Skate News has just explained the almost transfer of Nugent to Blackpool in the last Transfer Window.

This site http://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Southwark-crown-court.php says (select down arrow against Court 7) ?? To me that sounds like it's going to court on 11 Feb ?

I think I have got it up to 38% now. With regard to the rules about loans. From memory a few years ago it was 5 loans in squad but only 4 on the pitch at any time. This was changes a couple of years ago to allow all 5 on the pitch after one team brought a 5th on in the 89 min or something when they were 4-0 up or something. They argued that it should not be up to a manager or coach to make "admin decisions" in the "heat of a match". Therefore I think the rule was changed a couple of years ago.

This site says http://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Southwark-crown-court.php This site also says that Court 7 is booked for tomorrow http://www.courtserve.net/courtlists/current/crown/sthwk_T110126.01.htm