swedish dave

and doubtless made friends there. IF it was that long ago ? ..Boro were likely still at Ayresome Park?..

I number myself amongst those who felt frustration at the length of time it took for the FA to deliver their verdict, but in reading the many details listed in Alfie House's Echo article ( nice essay b.t.w. Alfie )....It's obvious that picking up the pieces of the 1000 page epistle from the EFL (which in itself was not entirely unbiased for several reasons) had become a major task and it seems that lawyers on both sides finally made sense of the issue. Reading between the lines on other issues, it's clear that any club who carries out similar investigations about opponents, and did so before the 72 hour time limit, and had not been caught, is some sort of "spying" that is not punishable - according the EFL rulebook. There are issues; in that Bielsa's admission ..he had every other club spied on before he was tumbled, and even Pep Guardiola is on film talking about his "investigations " into other clubs activities on the Continent, a practice that seemed quite acceptable to them. IMHO there was / is " a grey area " amid much of the evidence that does justice to Tonda's case, and the suggestion not to use a longer punishment as.. " a deterrent to others " ..was ..a wise and merciful decision in this particular case. Other clubs who may fall foul of such accusations - in the future - now have a severe warning that they all should heed.

the Pompey game is a "must-win" for obvious reasons. If Peretz isn't 100% fit by the 11th, then logically it's Geo. Long to take his place. If the score goes against us, then the goalie will certainly "automatically" be blamed and that won't be a good sign for Long's long term period with the club . SO....do you think that Tonda will defy logic and choose to play our most experienced keeper instead? Rambo is still a Saints player, and if he were to put on a class performance it may help his relationship with Eckert, even if Long were to feel a bit miffed by such a decision. YES.... it may sound a bit daft, but this is football and anything can happen before what many fans will consider to be the most important match this side of the New Year.

Reading an interview with Paul Onuachu, (who found his scoring talent after returning to Turkey) .One is bound to ask the question...why he was dubbed a failure during his time with Saints. He raised the point that continual changes of manager, and (consequently) formation ...contributed to his failure to score goals with any sort of regularity. It never ceases to amaze me that this situation continues when clubs continue to try and solve their various problems, be it defence, midfield or up top, when some managers have no plan B and simply insist on staying with the one formation " they believe in" regardless of whether it works or not. Importing new talents who played well elsewhere is no guarantee. As someone who recalls Saints teams from the early 1960's when Derek Reeves became record club goalscorer (and probably still is ?) was to a large degree a formation with two teenage wingers, namely Terry Paine and John Sydenham, and we saw the subsequent deluge of goals. Fast forward a few seasons and the arrival of " a natural CF" in Ron Davies (1966) with performances that surpassed even the legendary names of that era. Quite simply, clubs fail to acknowledge the fact that a player's success is mainly due to those around him and buying-in a good goalscorer is not a certainty of him repeating his achievements, and the current rash of new signings in the Prem. (sometimes at huge fees) is plainly proof of that mistake. Back in the day, Rickie Lambert seemed to score for fun in his career with Saints, in part because he got the service, whilst the arrival of Jay Rodriguez was a disappointment at first when he was outlawed to the LW spot and rarely saw the ball. It took a revamp of the system for both men to benefit. Sadly, Saints have not been immune to the problem, and after the sudden departure Ronald Koeman (whose teams were a revelation to many), we embarked a long series of ill-planned buys of players who may have shown up well in other teams / other leagues yet proved to be costly errors for us. The list has become embarrassingly long, and shows little chance of changing in the near future. Replacing like for like is hard, but expecting people to play in unfamiliar roles is a recipe for disaster. In our case, few deny that Larin and Azaz have shown up very well, but when I look at the bench and see the likes of Fellows and Dobbin sitting out games. It's the same question.. What do we expect of them in the current set-up. How long will we have the patience to wait....before asking the inevitable question?.

and yet some (former) Saints players also hold football records. Fastest PL goal Shane Long in 7 seconds Fastest PL hat trick Sadio Mane in 2m. 59secs ....or something close. Ron Davies 39 "First Div." goals in 1966-67 used to be a record ...of some sort.

think maybe he has advanced a bit too quickly. He was good with us, but didn't make a lot of difference with WHam, and now is in a Spurs squad still trying to learn each others name..and where they will play. He now gets paid very well, we get paid twice and WHam also made a good deal for themselves. Everyone's happy - except Spurs.

OK guys , I stand corrected. After hearing the other pronunciation all last season, I began to react in the last few weeks hence my first post, and without realising the (now) obvious error. In my defence ..my Japanese is somewhat lacking - especially when confronted with silent letters.

can't believe that they hadn't decided on the case weeks ago, this untimely delay (and eventual verdict) may end up being the third time that the club has been punished for " the same crime", if we call it that. Shame on the FL... some murderers have been convicted in a shorter time.

Am very pleased for him. Last season he was a bit in-and-out of the team, and consistent form but he really has shown up this season. The only annoying thing I find that's connected with him is out of his control, namely those match commentators who call him " Matski ". Surely such names with two syllables aren't so difficult, when many others have longer double-barrelled names . It's Mat -su- ki ... for goodness sake, show some respect to the man and get his name correct.

a bit harsh - don't you think?..after all it is a long season.

I also think that the FA need to sharpen up their act together as this whole thing has dragged on far too long. I was expecting the judgment on Man City's 115 cases to be resolved before this one. An eventual punishment will be the third verdict for the same " crime ", and I recall murder cases that have been resolved in quicker time. However what really amazes me is that aside from Boro's " crocodile tears" over the whole episode, there hasn't been a long list of League managers also condemning TE for " bringing the game into disrepute ", and claiming that they would never do anything that dastardly and TE should be properly punished. The truth maybe closer to them admitting that Tonda's real crime was "getting caught". This delay is tantamount to a man on sitting Death Row and made to wait so long, whilst desperately hoping for some sort of reprieve.

Likely better than any other player on the pitch. Prowsey also captained England's U21 team for a dozen or more games when ..what's his name .." Gareth somebody " was managing the U21 squad, but who then decided JWP wasn't good enough for the full England side, yet never found a good free kick specialist in all of his undistinguished sojourn as England's manager.

This is a strange decision for anyone to give. I recall a Prem. game v. Brighton a few years ago (?) when a very good " goal" was disallowed because the ref. deemed a Saints player to be "obstructing the keepers view". Afterwards even the Brighton keeper didn't understand why it had been disallowed.

IF you mean he isn't running around as he did when aged 20.. maybe, but he let's the ball do the work. Speaking of which . I can recall that Alan Ball..(when still playing at 35) used Steve Williams as his runner, and made superb passes. A good footballing brain is better than aging legs, and Prowsey has vision to spare.

Think I read an article published.....in the Echo? with a comment from interview with JWP, who said that he was looking to do more for the club in terms of helping / encouraging youngsters. Certainly, there are few people better placed to do that, as his history with the club proves. Turning his back on his association with the club at the eastern end on the M27... he joined Saints at aged 8, progressed through the groups and was already getting some rave reviews at 14. Debuting at 17, Saints career was almost entirely as a Prem. player. Above all others who came through the Saints Academy, he has become the role model for every young player in the club. Another thought came to mind, in that Prowsey is not the only player of those born in the 1990's who wore the shirt and made a career in the game. Adam Lallana's sojourn at Liverpool made him one of the most successful players in the Klopp era, and that experience will help the our U21's who he is currently managing, along with another former Academy graduate, Ben Reeves. We also saw the return of Andrew Surman, (now U18 manager) who was a fan favourite in his time, but "forcibly sold" in the wake of the 2009 bankruptcy, but later played in a very good Bournemouth outfit. So, you may ask....what was " the thought "?. Being of a generation old enough to recall the emergence of Bill Shankly's era as Liverpool manager (early 1960's), it was not only the Beatles who had success. When Shankly finally retired, there came a succession of men who had either played for the club, or had worked behind the scenes and became known as .."The Liverpool Boot Room", a system that brought glory during the following 30 years. Somewhere in my imagination, I can see those former Saints players (named above) perhaps forming more permanent positions in the club, regardless of who the manager might be ...at any given moment. Having Prowsey around, and still getting game time, may be encouragement for those currently playing for the club, and others who were once proud to wear the shirt ....even for a shorter time. One can only hope.