Gloucester Saint

The confused face is not at you, it’s at the MP. Prime example of what deters me from the Labour Party, who I have things in common with in many ways,

Broadly agree and Starmer did his job at CPS, arguably too well. But prisons weren’t his remit. This is a succession of governments, New Labour as well with their ‘tough on crime and tough on causes of crime’. And the short prison sentences gained pace under Major going that far back. We’ve got to find different deterrents for lower-medium risk offences and focus on who is the biggest risk to the public.

If Starmer was pissed off about the DP World comments and Haigh, he’ll be seriously spewing at this. They had better hope Harris wins now hadn’t they? Stupidity and some of the political judgement at the moment in the Labour Party is little or no better than the shambles that preceded it. Quite frankly, I preferred Cameron, Clegg and Osborne to this lot so far. There, I said it. Not May, Boris, Truss or Sunak though. My fellow Lib Dem voters will probably hammer me for that, but there is the excuse of the coalition which we were a major part of!

Truss endorsed him as well, and not just at CPAC either. Not appropriate either from a Prime Minister. Although it is a bit like Russell Martin being praised by Ian Branfoot. IMHO, Brits getting caught up in that election for campaigning need certifying in a highly toxic, divided and emotive country with guns everywhere. Labour should have told them not to do it, personal capacity or not. If it’s a contested result, it’ll be seriously nasty there and I’m not sure it’ll much better with a clear result. It’ll make the afters of any Saints-Pompey contest look like a tea party with Earl Gray, bone China and Fondant Fancies.

Bit dopey from Labour activists even if in a personal capacity https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cpdqw2yd00dt Hypocrisy from Trump and Vance though, they were happy for Truss and others to be front and centre at CPAC endorsing them. I’d rather our politicians and citizens stayed away from that toxic environment frankly until it’s over.

Imagine how many we’d concede now

Ok, fine, but there are some very seasoned people using the word such as the former Joint Chiefs of Staff. Still, if given a choice between Trump and Musk, I’d have to choose Trump. And that’s saying something.

Fuck me, Elon Musk into his cabinet the best reason to vote for him. Can’t stand Trump (fascist) but lives Musk (fascist).

The boardroom still has ample quantities of delusion-causing alcohol in it, I see. Although I thought Rasmus and Kraft would be Mikkeller drinkers. All image and brand, fuck all substance and depth.

I don’t know, the more Russell Martin and Rasmus Ankerson can be taken the piss out of, plus their doppelgängers and plastic Peps throughout the leagues, the better. Their football is every bit as dour and ugly as Branfoot’s.

That’s the reality and has been since the club was sold to Gao and then even worse, SR. 2017 represents the end point of Southampton FC history for me, Wembley was nice last year but although I expected the worst this season, it’s been far worse than that with no resemblance to any of the Saints teams and players discussed here. They don’t even have the fighting spirit of the 1990s squads, limited as they were. The club is just MK Dons with red and white stripes these days. No heart, no soul, just a set of ‘philosophies’. Eastleigh and Sholing might be the beneficiaries for lapsed Saints fans who still want a proper football experience.

And disrespects the EFL. Watford’s owners thought relegations didn’t really matter, they’d keep bouncing back first time - until they didn’t. Norwich too in a way, less cynically than Watford’s. I’m not sure SR are pursuing yo-yo, I think they’re just totally clueless with Phil Giles’s tea boy from Brentford in his skinny 👖 wild on the equivalent of a cocktail of E-numbers with somebody else’s money. And plenty of vape 💨 breaks of course.

My parents were at the home and away games, mum was in the early stages of carrying me in fact. I remember them saying years later that Van Der Elst’s winner was iffy. Anderlecht had some form for match fixing in that era https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/dec/11/nottingham-forest-anderlecht-match-fixing-scandal-1984 Not suggesting Glockner took a bung but Anderlecht’s President was capable of match fixing. Glockner refereed the 1970 WC Final tangentially. My folks stopped in Bruges on the way to Brussels and the locals were begging for Saints to beat Anderlecht. They are hated in Belgium then and now.

Nearest thing Saints will get to a clean sheet this season is Ramsdale wiping his cock on the hotel curtains.

Sorry, I meant that 8 would be less than Derby’s record of 11. As would 7, 9, 10 etc. but yes, 8 feels difficult and 12 or more quite challenging as it stands.

Agree, and what a contrast between the middle class areas like Saltaire and Bingley, with Bradford itself. Friendly people but as a place rough as a badger’s arse. Like to see them doing better in the football, down here to play at Cheltenham tomorrow night.

Mixed views on him at Plymouth and pissed on his chips at Ross County with the comments there about the standard. Bradford are a mystery to me, very big stadium for that level, 14k STHs, should be L1 top 10 minimum. Not sure he likes skinny jeans 👖 or vapes so a Turkish third division manager he’s seen with Goztepe in the Turkish cups who will drink apple tea all day is probably more Rasmus’s bag.

I saw their cup win at Torquay, a club they’ve effectively traded places with albeit Conference North and South. They are doing well though - FGR went down with a massive budget last season, although Duncan Ferguson replaced by Deeney as a manager was never going to work. Cotterill as manager now. Carlisle second bottom with new and wealthy owners, Morecambe might get rooted in last. Up for sale and a whole new squad.

It’s how you go down though, although we clearly will. 20 point plus from now and a bit of spirit gives you hope. 8 points and Derby’s record - I don’t think the club recovers from that for the foreseeable. Right now, I cannot see us winning a single PL game unless it’s a total fluke.

Yep, Lavia wasn’t crap but was made of glass, Edozie jury is out on, Bazanu definitely 💩and that 11 year old left back who hasn’t been seen for two years. Shields was as much a charlatan as Rasmus, surprised they didn’t get on and compare skinny jeans and vape flavours. The lack of a striker after betting the farm on Ramos/Gapko was astonishing after AA hadn’t worked out the previous summer.

‘Shy Trump voters’. Interesting thought. That said, there’s a famous American Historian who has predicted correctly for the last 40 years the Presidential race outcome and he says Harris https://www.american.edu/cas/news/harris-trump-lichtman.cfm 🤞 Allan Lichtman is correct again.

They even have the equivalent of a 9-0 defeat https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/19081/13133766/gallagher-premiership-northampton-saints-crush-gloucester-rugby-90-0-in-record-breaking-scoreline although there were some specific circumstances! Kingsholm has a good atmosphere especially when Bristol or Bath are in town and whilst their league form is little better than Saints, they did win silverware last season. I’m keeping tabs on Cheltenham Town this season. Natives slightly happier after their win at Colchester and the Cowleys, only slightly happier though with Michael Flynn.

Agree with the overall post but with Ralph you’ve got to look at the run since the West Ham cup game the previous season, and it was dismal form bar a little rally in early September beating Chelsea and Leicester. He looked fed up and with the lack of investment, and then the right investment by Rasmus/Shields I could understand why. Rumours that he badly fell out with a number of senior players, Jan being one of them, as well.

I like him, first instinctive finisher we’ve had since Ings. Big step up from AA, different player to Adams who is a second link/hold up striker really but not an instinctive finisher at all. Him and Onachu are our most dangerous forwards this season, not that it’s saying a lot! His movement warrants earlier deliveries than he’s been getting.

Attwell was poor. Barrott and Allison are good, Samuel Barrot is only early 30s, lots of time to improve. Hope PGMOL attitudes don’t ruin him like they did Jarrod Gillett, who was a breath of fresh air when he started. Sam Allison slightly older at 44 but would like to see him get more PL games to shake up the old order a bit.