eurosaint

Good post, we have had 5 tight matches so far which could have gone any which way, but we we've sneaked a couple of wins and come up a bit short in the 2 home matches ! Best we keep a level head and trust that we average out on the plus side over a period of games !!

Not so long ago (it might still be the case?) you couldn't even enter many Middle East countries with an Israeli stamp in your passport ! I remember being stuck in Bahrain for 24 hours whilst BA changed an engine and a number of passengers were not even allowed out of the airport for this reason, the rest of us got to spend the day by the pool at an hotel ! My point being that Jewish people will probably not get in, let alone be arrested ! I'm sure Dubai-Phil will enlighten us further though !

I'm Scottish and I don't get a vote either ! The fact is though that the SNP became popular because of all the concessions they managed to wring out of Labour in their government years. Out of fear and the misconception that they would retain votes, they kowtowed to Salmond and his cronies but the more he got, the more he wanted. As a result of this, the SNP were seen as achievers and have a sizeable support in the country ! For many though, the question of independence is a completely different ball game and there is no indication that the outcome will follow the existing party split. Personally I am confident that when the economic argument starts to hit home then most will favour the status quo and remain part of the union ! I hope so anyway !

This is the key to the whole subject (perceived or otherwise) ! Accept what you are, respect what others are, but be natural, if you feel that you have to resort to campaigning on behalf of others then it becomes a much bigger issue than it need be ! There is no humour better than 'self deprecation' and we Brits are experts in this ! Most people will interact with their fellow man if the atmosphere is light hearted but will bristle if they detect that someone is 'on a mission' ! Like anything in this world, if you feel sorry for yourself or have any sort of complex, you will feel hard done by, therefore it is better to face up to it, have a laugh and get on with your life ! All in my honest opinion and given my experience of life, of course !!

I guess that I am in a minority of one but I strongly believe that if one or two top footballers 'came out' then there would be pretty much a universal acceptance of this ! Clearly this is up to the individual but at the same time it is unfair to accuse the majority of repression if it has not actually happened ! The press, politicians, etc.. would make a meal of it it for a short time but thereafter everything would settle and (apart from a few idiots) it would be no different to race issues, which IMHO is now a relatively minor problem compared to the past ! When I sit in the Kingsland with Harry, Ron, John, Dave, Peter, Bob and Ray, I can honestly say that this topic (and also race for that matter) has never come up. Equally, if we turn out to have a gay player in the team I suspect that it will warrant no more than a passing comment before we move on to slagging off the manager and the scapegoat of the day !

One of the reasons that it was banned in Belgium was that it 'undermined' the mandatory identity card which has a picture on it! Clearly we don't have that here but passports, bus passes, work security cards etc.. come into this category so there are some potential issues ! Frankly, I feel that people who want to settle in this country should be prepared to make some sacrifices in exchange for the right to be here ! When I recently visited mosques in Istanbul, I was happy to remove my shoes and my wife was happy to cover her head and shoulders, we did this with due respect for their culture ! All I ask is that others treat us in the same way, surely this is not too much to expect ??

Seems to me that when Gaston is played, he is branded as useless and when he doesn't play, he is indispensable ! Some folks are never satisfied

A cross between Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt ??

You're all heart

Add in Mr Clotterill as manager and you have the 'dream team' once more Bring it on......

I guess that this is the price they pay to retain their league status with the alternative being a 'phoenix club' ! Interesting to note that right now AFC Wimbledon are 14 places above them in the 4th division

Relieved that we kept Corkie and surprised that we let Punch and Mayuka go without direct replacements ! Reckon now that Sharp, Lee and Barnard will go on loan somewhere soon, but feel that we might just be a little bit short in the squad should we get any key injuries or suspensions !

Huge over-reaction ! It was a tight match which could have gone either way and the handball pen which wasn't given could have changed the balance of the game !

0-2 and their top striker out for 3 games ! Time to get the chequebook out methinks

Very tight match which could have gone either way ! A couple of incredibly bad ref decisions and strange subs from Poch ! Oh well, back to the drawing board !

A bit of tweaking needed coupled with a kick up the arse for Wanyama and we should be ok!

During the Solent commentary on Tuesday night, Adam Blackmore said that he had informally chatted to him in English and that his standard could be classed as 'pidgin English' ! Big Dave said that the fans wouldn't mind as long as he made the effort ! No judgement from me, just reporting what they said !!

Brill, if they make the change I can play in a golf competition with slap up dinner afterwards and then see the Saints the following day ! Bring it on....

I totally agree, the good old Skates have come to our rescue yet again

For me: a) Clyne should be our 1st choice at RB and only used at LB in an emergency ! b) Chambers should be used sparingly when required ! c) Ward Prowse should be utilised as a CM and never on the right where he is wasted ! d) Playing Clyne as a winger with Chambers behind him is pointless ! All IMHO of course !!

Having lived and worked in Belgium for 13 years, I can assure you all that 'motor snobbery' is exactly the same there as it is here ! I realise that (although he is Belgian) he is now playing in Holland where I suspect the same apples ! Fair do's that he has taken a pay cut and good luck to him for the future, in a place where he is probably more suited !!

Am I the only person who wants a home game ??

JWP should only play in the middle, he looked totally out of position on the right last Saturday !!