Alain Perrin

Disagree. Adkins does change things according to the opposition (Jaidi / Seabourne - lump it vs. run it teams, is a good example). We are not badly placed and fortunately results haven't gone against us. In fact we have weathered the loss of Lallana well and, with him coming back, hopefully results will pick up. I agree Barnard over Gully in the situation you describe, but maybe Gully was selected for other reasons (height is more important on a ****ty pitch etc.) Regardless of who our manager is, we have a big strong squad. With luck this will pay off as fixture congestion and injuries hit other teams harder. The season isn't over.

Some suggestions : "Not fit to wear the shirt - why one fan's hero is another fan's failure." "A brief history of absolutely everyone (who played for Southampton)" "Name in Lights - players who have shone and faded at Southampton FC" "My c*ock is huge" - got to get it in somewhere. "From Albania to Zimbabwe - the players who shaped Southampton "From Ali Dia to [some player beginning with Z??] - the players who have shaped Southampton." "From A to Le Tis - players who have graced and shamed the colours of Southampton"

Based on what I've seen of Brighton (which is limited to our game and a few I've watched on the Championship), I'd rather have Southampton's manager and style of play. Brighton are very effective but play to frustrate - that coupled by often encouraging the referee to card players (something I think is despicable). It's Poyet's Latin American style where 'piola' - acts of cunning and minor offences to get advantage are often applauded (the hand of god is a great example). However, no doubt it works - although in return fixtures it will be interesting to see if teams find a way to combat it - and they deserve to be where they are, but it's not the style of football that I like.

A fantastic idea. Please let the Daily Echo know that several other ex-Saints Forever members were invited but have been prevented by the current management of SaintsWeb.

Yes because of Rule 14.2b which means that the league is decided next weekend. Our performance today was unacceptable. It's like we didn't turn up. This is ********. Adkins out.

I disagree. It was started by a bloke who did indeed have a really big shed. It had a door and a window and was bigger than the stand he was standing in. Simple really. Exactly when and where this shed, or the shed he was standing in was is open to debate.

hear here hear. I'm lying in a pool of my own pedantry.

In fairness if Lowe had brought in Torres on a free some on hear would 'not step foot in the club until he's gone'. Like any decision maker, Cortese (and Lowe) made decisions. Sometimes you agree and can understand, other times you disagree (either because you understand or haven't go a ****ing clue!). Either way, they are the ones that have to make the decisions and have to stand by the consequences of them. Sensible folk recognise that not all of those decisions will work out.

Freakshow

It would be cheaper to outsource the whole lot except for the fact you'd still have many of the same fixed costs. The extra cost of having a ticket office in the stadium is tiny (much less than running a call centre). You'd pay wages to the counter staff and that's about it. You still need the stadium, the computers with the database on it, staff to liaise with clubs on away/cup fixtures. I can't imagine a call centre charging much less than £2.50 per transaction to be honest. 50p post and package, £0.75 staff costs, £1 overheads (computers, telephones, utilities), plus profit etc. I wouldn't be surprised if Saints take a turn on the cost, say 50p, but that's business. The ticket tax is fair, it's not discriminatory in any way. I'm sure you could always just quote "supply and demand" and set any price you see fit, but as you say I think there has to be an element of fairness and equitability in our pricing structure and I'm just not convinced this booking fee is fair. As you quite rightly point out, there is a section of our fanbase who are adversely affected by this fee and they are probably the ones already laden with the highest transport costs (and also probably with the easiest excuse not to come - travelling time). Should we not be looking for every opportunity to encourage people to come as opposed to potentially hitting certain sub-sections with an additional cost? Or is this small fee just that, a small fee, that doesn't discourage people either way (of course, the counter argument to that would be to start throwing in a Ticket Office booking fee if prices are that inelastic). Finally, what is sad is that for some people an honest and upfront debate about issues that affect supporters is somehow seen as disloyal, offensive or counter productive. I would counter that by having such debates it may be possible to find a better solution, one from which we all benefit (the Club included). I would also suggest it is somewhat draconian to start suggesting that certain topics (or even individuals) are off limits.

The original post is a crock because the link refers to specific charges being applied to the payment method (ie. you pay £2.50 if you pay by Credit Card, £3.50 by Amex etc.). Saints don't do this. Saints charge a fee for the service of having someone to take your order (or - for the pedants - keep the servers online that capture it), having someone print it out, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and send it out. That cost doesn't go away if the ticket 'tax' goes away, the price just goes up. Saints use an outsourced service for their callcentre and this will be directly charged to the club (that I assume is why there's no charge on walk ups because the cost of putting someone behind the window is negligible.). If you put the price of the ticket up that means that: - everyone pays, walk up or not. - everyone pays on every ticket, rather than every transaction. The ticket 'tax' isn't unfair, quite the opposite. It is transparent - you are paying for what you get. Ignorance is bliss - but it's also ****ing stupid.

What a w@nky thread. I am sure none of you have ever made a mistake in your lifes/jobs/homework. Fair enough if they'd accused someone of being a murderer when they're not, but screwing up a caption is hardly criminal.

Skint or skintight as the iPhone spellchecker would have it

I am sure you are all experts.... But you sound like c•cks. If I had a pound for every player this forum had passed judgement on as 'the worst player ever to wear a Saints shirt', I'd be a rich man. Smith wasn't a great player but we weren't a great team - and we were skintight, stoney broke. He came, he tried. Move on.

Don't know who is right and who is wrong, but having a **** waving competion in the newspapers is unhelpful. Please also stop peddling the myth that Le Tis was loyal. He stayed for quality of life, closeness to home etc., loyalty was a convenient add-on. Great player, a legend, but behaving unhelpfully at present.

Got to get me one of those watches. On Saints Player it was struck on 5.13 and in the back of the net by 5.15 Being generous I'll give you 2.5 seconds, no more. I think blaming KD is harsh for that. Harding on the other hand was soundly beaten. Great going forward, sometimes suspect at the back.

As an ex-goalie (ie. I couldn't cut it outfield ) I have to disagree... Going for what was a whipped in ball, curling away from the goal, on the edge of the 6yd box, at that pace, when you've got two defenders infront of you would have been suicide. He wouldn't have got to it unless he'd started jumping before the cross had been played. Honest. Look at it on the highlights. It's the pace of the ball more than anything. Had he come for it, even with go go gadget boots he'd have missed it. That's not Davies, it's physics.

Anyone who claims he should have come for their second needs their head checking.

Mackail-Smith is a quality forward. Seabourne is a good defender. Just because Mackail-Smith bested him, doesn't make Seabourne crap. However, on this we should all agree. Ferguson is as blind as his dad (ie. a kn*b jockey)

I have concluded one thing from that game. A lot of our fans are reactionary ****s. Good result all things told. Very windy and Mackail-Smith is a handful. Onwards and upwards.

Nope, but I feel happy buying a Mars bar, knowing that Mr Mars is trying to make a profit out of me. As I think this site surfs a line between profit and non-profit that is at best unclear, at least that I don't understand. As a result, I prefer not to buy (at least directly - let James Caan advertise to me all he likes!). It is the best Saints forum though and I cannot change my allegiance to the club. I also recognise that the owners / mods etc. do a thankless task. PS. However, if I buy a Mars bar and instead I get a sausage, I'd feel a little bit cheated.

That's fair enough, but thanks to the lack of accounts on the operation of this site, how do we know someone's subscription isn't paying for that wine? I don't pay anymore because I'm not happy buying something that isn't transparent. I doubt millions are being made, but I do know that popular sites make money (and with advertising + subscriptions, more so). I also know what a MYSQL / PHP site costs to host (in broad terms) and I can't reconcile the two. But seeing as I don't pay I don't have a right to moan and, as a free user, the site offers what it says on the tin.

Just to check the level of confidence here? Is it the same as the below (100%?) gem from last summer?

I have it on good authority that Rupert Lowe is fulfilling that role.

It's not about developing them from nappies. If I was a young player I'd look at how Arsene Wenger has brought on players from raw talent into polished internationals - Wilshere, Fabregas, Walcott.... the list goes on. Ultimately, good players want to play with, and against, the best - League 1 ain't that.