swedish dave

Satisfying. Not just winning with 10 men, but especially considering who the opposition was. Sour grapes from the Pompey manager who thought they might have won if playing against 9 men, when he commented that Azaz should have had a red card, too. He should be grateful that his team ended the game with all 11 on the pitch. Some of their players came very close to getting sent off. According to the rules..Cam Bragg got two yellows and had to go, but his two fouls were amongst least innocuous in the entire match, and although the ref. did well to keep things moving, he didn't do us many favours either. Azaz got MoM according to BBC, but aside from scoring the goal, I thought Bree was hero on the day, and even upped his game when continuing to play with his taped-up head. Watching the incident and the blood he shed, I felt sure he would go off. A real tough Yorkshireman. Still maintaining our good form, six points from the 2 two games will put us up into the play-off places and it would surely be seen as a real achievement to get promotion ...despite the - 4 point start.

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.

well, another 3 points if not the most convincing overall performance, but then again Swansea had made a good start to the season. Saints seem to be content with letting sides come at them in the first 15-20 minutes but I thought that Swansea were more bark then bite in the first half. I'm convinced that Tonda is still unsure of his "best start side" although the "strike force" seems to pick itself, but we must hope they stay fit and in-form, as the bench isn't overloaded with obvious subs. Dobbin has almost become a liability after his £9 million move, he hasn't shown up convincingly and TE must show belief in the player, both economically and to convince the fan base it was a good deal. It still feels strange to think that Tonda has only been at the club a little over one year, and perhaps Prowsey was merely a name of a former player, who was with another club when he returned at the eleventh hour. It feels like JWP has fitted in almost seamlessly alongside Downes, who has started very well and has managed to make it through most of the 8 games - with only one yellow card - which is a decided improvement. Slotterbeck seems like a good buy, and those who worry about his age (29) might remind themselves that many good defenders soldier on into their thirties with little sign of wilting. I think Manning is still first choice LB and works well with Scienza, but although Welington's goal of the month might be a career "one-off" he does come over as a useful sub. for Manning. I am increasingly pleased to see that Matsuki looks to be improving all the time, but why is it that commentators can't learn to pronounce his name correctly ?.

and the Swansea penalty looked pretty soft, whereas Leo was clearly pushed, but the defender got away with it as the ref. didn't see it from his position.

can't disagree with that, but only goes to show there is room for improvement, but at the end of the 95 minutes it is the 3 points that really matter.

just another instance of wrong subs. at wrong time. Mubama hardly got a kick, Edozie was off the mark compared with his penalty-winning show v. Stoke and Dobbin just didn't get into the game. Slotterbeck seem to have command of the area, but Wood couldn't decide which way we were kicking and their big CF had an easy finish. Another 2 points gifted in a game we ought to have tied up in by 60 mins. However, hitting the woodwork is never a good omen, but when the same shot struck both posts and then fell into the goalies arms, I could sense the inevitable. Aside from the - 4 start and sitting in 18th place,(or is it 17th) we've made a reasonable start and had we got the real points from our results, we would have been up in the play-off places.

.well that's still only 2 then. Stewart is injured again. Shame, he looked good on those rare occasions he was fit.

well firstly trousers, thanks for your comment. I realise that my "style" maybe a bit personal, and you're not the first person to make such a comment. I don't do it to annoy, but it's the product of 30-odd years working as language consultant with "a lot of foreigners" mostly Swedes, and re-working / creating speeches and presentations. It's nearly all verbal, and grammar often goes out of the door in favour of strong emphasis on meanings and explanations plus a little humour, and occasional sarcasm. Don't know if that makes sense ? Your tally of 60K postings is very impressive, and I often find myself agreeing with your comments. The fan site "lost" umpteen thousand of my old posts last year (going back a decade or more) and I had to "re-invent" myself with a variation of my name in order to placate the system, and get back onto the site. The "broken sentences" you refer to are a likely fall back to my schooldays, when teachers used to write " paragraph this work" in red ink when returning my essays. I'm still trying to do this when I change the subject and keep to the context. Well that's my excuse, and it's going to be a bit tough to try and change now as I am rapidly approaching 80 (!) My first Dell game was back in 1959, watching Stanley Matthews in an FA Cup game for Blackpool. Nowadays, I often watch games online, as health issues are beginning to limit travel plans to the UK.

Was it a good window? Financially speaking - probably YES. We (arguably) sold two of our best players and (theoretically) banked £60 million plus some small change with the departures of Bazunu, O'Brien-Whitmarsh and Okonola and freed up our very large salary bills with half-a-dozen loan-outs of players who would have struggled to make our first team squad. IMO...the return of James Ward-Prowse (something I wrote about during the summer ..and got a deal of criticism for) ...maybe the single-most effective buy. (800K and we didn't have to fork out moving costs as he still has a house in Winchester) and even if we matched his salary at WHam, it was still a good deal. Anyone questioning his knowledge, experience and service to the club - (in his former life) - shouldn't have too much to complain about, as was seen with his 2 sub apps. since the weekend. We gained half a dozen permanent names for an outlay of a bit over £20 million, plus a couple useful- looking loans who will likely make the bench every week and maybe get game time during the season. I still revert to "my annual comment" about not dwelling too much on the league table until game 8..... but aside from the Watford game, there were encouraging elements in the games v. Stoke and Millwall. Although we may not have got the first choice signings we sought after (there are always reasons) there maybe other " free agents" who weren't picked up by other clubs, and who may fill one or two of the vacant places in the squad before we must submit the final list to EFL later this month.

allowing for the inevitable criticism from " the usual suspects * " on here, this deal may turn out to be the most significant signing of the season. Without delving into the record books ..I think Prowsey's goal tally is on a par with the likes of Steven Davis and Dusan Tadic (based on assists / goals to games in the last 10-12 years.. or? His contribution to the club's history.. years of service / appearances / etc must be as good as anyone you name. For some* ...the comparison between the previous "old returnees" is probably obvious ...but I don't think anyone should make accusations, at least until the season is in full flow, and then we can make judgments.

Not for the first time, I find myself in the minority compared to those who regularly dissed him even when he was playing regularly for Saints. Although not the first role model for Saints Academy, his contribution to the club in terms of service, and appearances puts him in a class of his own. There have been those on this site who condemned him for his "sideways passing" whilst denying the prestige of his (16) ? free-kick goals (second on to Beckham) at Prem. level. His club tally was more than "just freekicks" , and in his last season with Saints he was our top scorer with 10 goals. JWP played his best games as attacking MF, although it was clear that at the worst times our successive managers had little alternative than playing in a more defensive roles, where he excelled alongside Romeu at his best. I am sure that his "defection " (as some might term it), was reluctant as after Saints' first relegation he still harboured hopes of making an England World Cup squad and needed to be a Prem. League player, but was sadly discarded whilst others who travelled could rarely take a good corner, or put a freekick into the 6 yard box. For this oversight, I blame Gareth Southgate who (as U21 manager) played James over 20 times and even made him captain. After gaining the England managerial post, GS ignored Prowsey in favour of TV / media favourites who pushed for other "big club" names. David Moyes recognised James' qualities and his first season with WHam yielded 8 goals and 8 assists, only then to be disgarded by Moyes successors. No-one should expect a 30 year old to show the same quality as he was as a 20 year old, but JWP was always the epitome of fitness and has a good footballing brain. His vast experience is needed now - more than ever - in a side that looks like imploding, when all are expecting a promotion push. Time will tell, but I hope than his (potential) return will help steady the ship in the season to come.