Fowllyd

Every now and then - and all too rarely - you post something which is both non-confrontational and sensible. This is one such example. It's certainly entirely plausible.

Very well summed up. It seems to me that there's an inherent paradox, or even contradiction, in many people's thinking - and I include myself in that number. We all want to see our team win, we all want to see our team play great football; we'd be very strange supporters if we didn't. But many of us have developed a strong distaste for the Premier League and much of what it represents - the lack of real competition for first place and for the top four places; the mediocre fare served up in so many mid-table matches; the financial excesses; the near-hysterical hype surrounding it all. But what Saints fan would not wish us to continue this season as we've started it? I'm loving this; we all are. And if it carries on in the same vein, we'll be in the Premier League next season. I for one will be overjoyed at that, while still having great reservations about the PL itself - and I'd guess that many others would feel the same way. So would I prefer us to finish seventh this season - and next season, and the season after that? Or even to miss out in the play-offs season after season? Of course not. Premier League, solidly established, snapping at the heels of European qualification - and doing it all by playing great football, not hoofing, clogging and Prozone-obsessed percentage stuff. That'll do me nicely, thanks. Perhaps if the biggest European teams píss off and form their own little super-duper league, it may just have the effect of removing some of the worse features of the current Premier League, all the more so if there's no chance of promotion to said super-duper league. Personally I'd like to see that, and it won't surprise me one iota if it does happen.

Sadly, that article probably is the original source of this particular rumour!

Given the SaintsWeb record when it comes to sponsoring players, I don't think we should do it. Unless Forecast's available, of course...

The other 400 couldn't bear to watch and left after five minutes to see the sights of Hull. They were back before half time though.

Are you doing a self-portrait in the style of Pablo Picasso?

I also heard he's 68, but he says he's 54.

I think it's a lot more likely that Posh will persuade him to sign for Blackpool. It'll make it easier for her to spend time with Brett.

Sorry Phil, but I hear Frank's Cousin is earmarked for that slot.

Runaway leader in the Tautology of the Year stakes there.

Nick's in Bishopstoke gets my vote too. I can vaguely remember it before it was called Nick's (it's been a chippy for as long as I can remember, probably for as long as the building's been there). It's been Nick's for well over thirty years now, and has always been excellent. There's a good one on Victoria Road in Woolston, but it closes at 7pm most evenings. Very good haddock and chips there though, and I can never finish a small portion of their chips.

Not so hot on the counting though - ten years? I guess it's more difficult when you don't have any fingers...

Damn. I never thought of that.

I think there's a clue in CanadaSaint's user name.

Having read the bit about Schneiderlin linked to in another thread, it's clear that Morgan sees it that way. Wonderful to have some real ambition about the club.

Aha! So the centre back we'll be signing is.... John Terry. It all makes sense now.

Couldn't agree more. That match was probably the worst experience I've ever had watching Saints. I've seen us lose at home and away; I've seen us get well and truly stuffed and lose narrowly and frustratingly; I've seen us lose to teams far better than us and I've seen us lose to teams we really should have beaten easily. I've seen us play appallingly and lose, I've seen us play well and still lose. At least in all those games our players looked as if they cared, as if it mattered to them. Even in the worst defeats there was always some level of spirit and fight. That Charlton game was something else altogether. We'd just gone into administration; there was some uncertainty about the points deduction (though in reality we were never going to get off without one, and nor should we have done); and we were playing the only team below us in the league. What really marked that game out was how limply and feebly we seemed to accept it all - watching that match I knew we'd be going down, deduction or no deduction. It was almost unbearable - dispiriting, depressing, demeaning even. And just look at us now. It's been one hell of a turnaround in just two and a half years. Long may it continue.

And has he told you this himself? If not, then it's conjecture and not fact (whether or not you choose to capitalise the word). There are, I would say, very few absolutes in life - things are very rarely as cut and dried as your comment above makes out. It's perfectly possible that a part of the reason that Lallana signed a new contract a few months ago is that he likes being here and playing for Saints. It's also pretty likely that he would be less happy to stay if he weren't paid decent money, and would perhaps seek a move (or at the very least let Adkins and Cortese know that he considered himself underpaid) in those circumstances. My guess would be that it's a combination of being paid well and being happy where he is, but as I say that's just a guess.

And there I was thinking a mass protest had broken out over the banning of Deppo! My payment has also gone through, so I'll find out when I post this whether I've retained my elevated status... I have! Hurrah!

Agree entirely (yes, it can happen! ). Sell-on clauses always have an element of hostage to fortune about them - a player could stay a long time at a club (and the bigger the club the more likely this is to happen); they could fail to develop (though I don't think this will be the case with Oxo); or they could suffer a serious injury which seriously damages or even ruins their career. And, given the size of this fee, plus the (apparent) fact that so much is up front, it's an astonishing deal. All that said, I wish Alex well at Arsenal. I think he's an extraordinary talent and has a fantastic career ahead of him. It's a shame it won't be with us but, as others have pointed out, when a player wants to leave all his club can do is get the best deal possible. No doubt about it - we've done that.

Ah, that explains all!

Why can you only render the letters T and H as capitals? Puzzled I am.

I too grew up in Bishopstoke, though probably a few years before you - my parents live there to this day. In fairness to Eastleigh, there are some good places to eat there these days (Guzel, La Fenice to name two), which is more than could be said when I were a lad. Not sure about any of the pubs though, as I've only been in the Wagon Works in recent years. I guess we might try the Litten Tree, as it's more likely to serve proper beer than the bowling alley place. What about the Chamberlayne or the Grantham? The former was always a crap pub, the latter used to serve us in spite of our school uniform back in the 70s - so we quite liked it back then! I've no idea what either of them is like now though.

More lies - will they never end? See you tomorrow, and you can make good that kind promise!