Teamsaint1

This striker might just about make sense if we are trying to balance the books for a serious shot at promotion next season, and he is being brought in as a back up for Stewart , if they are very confident in his fitness holding up. Or if the are really confident that he is an undiscovered genius. None of those apply though.

To be at the top end of the Championship you really don’t need a team of international superstars. But you do need a bit of class somewhere in the team, some team spirit, some players desperate for a shot at the big time ( money) , good organisation, a proper plan, some experience etc etc. No reason at all that JS can’t be part of the mix. He was last time when we got a hell of a lot more points, albeit with a better squad.

I lived and worked in Southsea for a couple of years, back in the mid 80's, and I worked with quite a number of p*****y ST holders and fans. In fact I played for Star and Crescent FC, ( 2nd team, the first team were very good !!) run by Steve Tovey who was ( is?) a prominent fan of theirs. In the main, the real fans were fine. Ok they gave me a lot of stick ( esp as I was there when we lost 2-0 at the Dell , deep joy) but it was proper football banter. In fact when I left the job they bought me some Saints stuff. The ones who annoyed me were the ones who dished it out when we lost, who themselves never went to watch. Weird. That said, they do seem to have much bigger problem with us than we do with them. I put it down to the incredibly long time that they went without a win against us from the early 60s till ( I think) that 2-0 at the Dell. Anyway, lets hope we batter them. We need to get off to good start in the game. Imagine Leo taking them apart !

jo Tess was saying that he thinks fitness is an issue, given second half performances.

We won the playoffs with JS playing all three games. You might say despite, but plenty of teams achieve promotion with some mediocre players. Part of the problem ( and there are many) is rank amateurish defending, EG Downes at Boro where he completely failed on some simple marking when under no other pressure. If we could defend anything at anything like the decent standard that this group of defenders ought to be able to achieve, we would be picking up a hell of a lot more points than we are.

I think we could sort out this terrible shambles by appointing an even younger, even less experienced manager. Jan 25th has been looking worrying for a while, and looks like a date with destiny now.

It was just me and my brother , aged 13 and 11 standing in the front row so the Villa fans ignored us ! There were some other Saints fans in the Archers , but it was mainly Villa. Anyway, we definitely celebrated .

I remember Hughie’s injury , IIRC he had a metal pin put in his leg ? He did stand out in that Palace game. I was stood in the front row of the Archers right behind the goal ( with lots of Villa fans!) when he scored that vital equaliser in the cup. Etched deep in my memory that one

Jimmy Gabriel. What a player. Could do with one like him right now. Think he would have been great in the modern game.

Other teams make it difficult for us to play. maybe we should try that ?

I spent a good chunk of the Cov game watching Azaz closely. I learned nothing new. He is mostly in the right places and does enough work.In the parts of the game where he needs to win the ball/ break things up/ help us retain control, he is well sub-par for a team aspiring to the top six. His touch in midfield is too often poor. He is useful round the opposition box. I think he is probably a £5m player tops.

1977 we had successive 3-1 victories on the 26th and 27th over Cardiff and Charlton. there was a good following at Charlton , but we still didn’t fill much of that huge terrace.I seem to remember there being police horses inside the stadium ?

Games timed by ball in play would be a big step in cutting down time wasting , play acting etc. easy and controversy free to implement . https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/oct/15/longer-games-less-football-ball-play-premier-league 35 mins a half would give the fans a lot more entertainment for their money.

If that goal gets them through it will certainly seal his place in history . What a moment.

She should be able to handle the pressure.