obelisk

It was actually the usual 4-5-1 but with DMG sitting back a bit it looked 4-4-1-1 for long periods. Very suitable away from home and it looked very good today. Did I notice some "total football" as well with plenty of hard work, covering but mostly the excellent support from all areas when on the attack.

Great atmosphere, terrific support and a class performance from all the lads out there on the pitch. A sort of 4-5-1 going on 4-3-3 with plenty of players supporting our attacks. I just wish we could convert more chances to save from those worrying last few minutes but on this occasion the defence looked up for it. Now it's off to the pub to run some Reading noses in it. I quote a text from a Reading fan that I drink with. "We look like a pub team while you look like Barcelona". Compliment indeed.

Perhaps I should have been clearer then. When I said "airborn with two feet" I was referring to the fact that neither of the feet was on the ground. The picture tells a lot but it doesn't show that the ball is actually moving towards Euell who was sliding in one footed on the ground and actually reached the ball first. If the ref wanted to get his red card out in that incident he chose the wrong player. I'm not sure what part you think that logic plays in all this other than the fact that an appeal will fall on deaf ears, something that I accept. Maybe logically the referee could have sent off neither player but, as we know, football and logic are not normally to be found in the same bed. Cheers!

You obviously need to try harder at physics. If I have the ball at my foot a split second before you come flying in like an exocet missile then you're going to make rather firm contact with both the ball and my foot with whatever part of your body is exposed. Have another look. The Wolves player was airborn with two feet while Euell was grounded with one foot in the tackle. The ref screwed up badly. **** happens but it don't make it right.

Always amazes me how they sell the worst tickets to those who buy early. I'm in R27.

Just watched the incident in super slo-mo and that reinforces what I thought at the time of the incident. Euell slid in with a decent attempt to get the ball with no malice at all. In fact the Wolves player was nowhere near until he arrived at speed with both feet off the ground just as Euell was playing the ball. It was not a full on tackle and if anyone deserved a red it was the Wolves guy by dint of jumping in. Of course, any decent ref would have just had a word and taken control of the situation without inflaming passions but this bloke obviously thought we were there to watch him.

Bloody hell, Alpine. I know I can get a bit depressed about Saints performances but at least I get along to watch what actually happens whereas you just spout venom from a distance without a clue as to what really went on there. Yeah, sure, there were some things wrong with the personnel and formation and that's something that really ****es me off but, do you know what? I found the game pretty entertaining. No points again but I'll get over it I reckon. I'm as unhappy as the next man with Lowe's presence at Saints and will slag him off as well as the next man but when I see our players (well most of 'em anyway) putting in that sort of effort with a not inconsiderable amount of skill I will give them my support. You'll no doubt say that is misguided and it probably is to an extent but this is the team I've supported for more than 40 years so I find it hard to just give up on them like you.

Read all abaht it! Get yer programme 'ere! Read all abaht it! Pulis in full training! Get yer programme 'ere! Read all abaht it! GET YER PROGRAMME 'ERE! http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/articles/article.php?page_id=10908

Can I suggest M3/A33 right to the Mad Stad from Saintsland? Feel free to take a short trip on the M4 though, many people do, but you'll be using extra fuel. Of course, if you're coming to sunny Berkshire from London, Bristol or even Theale then the M4 will do the job nicely. Please allow me to be pedantic. Just been told my job is disappearing.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/articles/article.php?page_id=10888 "Short trip up the M4"? Surely shum mishtake! Let's hope the team know the way. On the other hand ....

I expect Rupes has found himself a place there to make up the numbers.

How very, very true.

Also enjoy seeing a screaming shot from outside the box myself.

Ha! Ha! Police and intelligence in the same sentence without any obvious sign of cynicism. All you have to remember is plod is just a group of thugs that haven't been jailed yet.

Sorry to be a pedant but that apostrophe in the title seems to have sneaked in where it's not wanted. A bit like Lowe really.

Emergency 'keepers always play a blinder against Saints. If we can't score with a free shot from 12 yards I don't think the Swans have too much to worry about.

It's the likes of Sunny Breast with their continued berating of the fans for not supporting the great saviour that are compounding the problem. As I've said many times, it is Lowe that is the problem simply because he is so bloody divisive. At the start of the season I was willing to get behind this young team even though I had many, many doubts about what might lay ahead. I hated the idea that Lowe had stolen his way back into control but was prepared to try the optimistic route. Sadly I was deluded. In truth I knew I was living in dreamland but lived in hope that I was wrong. Now there are the same old stories emerging about Lowe and his control-freak tendencies. Now we have deja vu all over again. The Lowe-luvvies coming up with the argument that we have heard before. "Who would be better?". Truth is we had it. We were rescued from the Lowe legacy at the end of last season, just! Crouch and his appointment Pearson, I believe, would have taken us forward steadily with a mixture of experience and youth. Instead we have the divisive nutcase in charge again and we're going nowhere while the fans are at each other's throats. If Lowe stays SFC will die.

After 45 years together I really feel that Saints and myself are drifting apart. The excitement and passion has gone out of it for me although I still have a faint stirring there somewhere, despite the object of my affections appearing to be under the spell of some unsuitable people. I'll probably pop in occasionally to see how Saints are getting along but lately I never seem to get a response to my offer of support. Yesterday I found some solace at a beer festival. Is this the future for me or is there a chance of reconciliation?

I had a good time at the Bath beer festival. Text message came in ... missed a pen. Another 0-1 down....then missed another pen. By that time I knew we were in for a bad day. Actually I reckoned it wasn't worth the trouble anyway.I might pop down sometime next month but I'm not looking forward to it.

Did I miss it? There'll be another one across in a minute.

Sounds bloody amateurish to me. If the systems I look after were unable to support "live" sales for that length of time I think I'd find myself looking for a new job.

Who? Even if I had spotted him in the crowd I wouldn't have a clue that he was a celebrity of some sort. Probably my fault.

If we had a defence we might actually stand a chance in most matches. Any ball into the box seems to create panic all round. Let's face it we were lucky last couple of games.

There are a sizeable bunch of morons that attend St Marys but you have to expect that sort of thing if you're a pro footballer.

I think that's called a reality check. Slow (aged) defence, lightweight in midfield and lack of a killer punch up front. There's talent there all right but they'll be beaten by the many, many teams like Blackpool in this league before things turn around. Trouble is it might be too late by then, especially as the opposition managers seem to have sussed Saints out already.