Alain Perrin

I think we are the architects of our own demise when trying to defend setplays. I know we are ropey at the back, but why pull everyone behind the ball? Surely far better to leave a couple of players upfield, forcing the opposition to defend against a possible breakaway rather than allowing them all to attack the corner / cross. I don't actually think the problem is with the players (granted we could always have better defenders), more with people not knowing their roles in defending a corner. It is a pity, the team can play well and lose because of silly mistakes.

I'm sorry to **** on your Lowe burning bonfire but I have it on excellent authority that Lowe has very little involvement with the footballing side of the business and SCW (and his methods) have no influence over the way we are training. Source... let's just say I don't visit Amsterdam just for the prostitutes.

"I can't believe JP let the players go on holiday" "Why didn't JP let the players go on holiday in the two week break" Seeing as three of our starting eleven were with the under 21's the concept of training throughout the break would seem to be a moot one anyway. .... but don't let that stop you getting your knickers in a twist.

Mistaken and ill informed by this forum's predecessor, for that is where I picked up that tidbit - no doubt suffixed with FACT for extra impact. ... So that MUST make it true! Who were the players that wielded the axe then? ps. I agree with the comment regarding the Saintettes, and also when the mascots stopped hurdling the advertising hoardings. Key points in our history.

The Sturrock incident is an interesting one and I agree that, with the non-reappointment of Hoddle, it led to our demise. That said what would you have done with the Sturrock situation? We didn't want to lose Beattie and he was one of the instigators I understand. If it had just been Dodd I think Lowe would have told him to jog on, but when your fans favorite, top scoring, multi million pound asset kicks up a stink, it is a difficult call. We could easily be having the "why did Lowe let Beattie leave over Sturrock" discussion instead! Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't I'm afraid.

Far more incidents than those you list. Add Kelvin, Crouch, Bennett, Fuller and Wright (again and again). It's not necessarily the booing, just the general negativity when a pass is mislaid or the wrong decision made. If people think the players don't pick up on it they are wrong. If it makes them nervous, they'll take less risks and end up not being creative enough to win games. Kelvin Davis is an object lesson in how having confidence can improve your performance.

Firstly it's 'schexy futball", please get it right Secondly, my expectations for this season were (and are) bottom half. To expect any more with our current finances is not realistic in my opinion (although I do admit that based on some of our performances (Brum and Derby) it was easy to get carried away). I didn't miss your point, in fact I agree with it. My original point was not that fans shouldn't call for a manager (or a player for that matter) to leave, just that they shouldn't do so after an unreasonable time or when circumstances are not conducive to 'walk this league' results. i.e. it is more acceptable to criticise Burley for spunking a load of cash, than Portvliet who only has the youth players to rely on. Anyway I have hope for a JP future, but IMHO this year has never been anything more than an exercise in survival.

Out of the games I have seen I am liking the football (with exception of Blackpool), if not the results. In most games we have had patches of excellent play, if we can cut out the silly errors then results should improve. Hmmm, not sure I have. It would be the case if the statistic being used was how many poor managers has RL appointed, but it isn't, it is 10 managers in 10 years. On your criteria I'd argue: 3 bad (Gray / Wigley / Sturrock (based on RL's decision, not performance) 1 medium, but overstayed welcome (Burley) 1 medium, but events conspired (Jones) 2 good (Strachan / Hoddle) 1 good, but with bad results (Redknapp (but you can't fault the logic)) 1 irrelevant (Souness) (and the tenth is just a caretaker, so doesn't count). So 3 out of nine isn't too bad.

You forget, Bennett was the worst player to ever pull on a Saints shirt. There were plenty of fans on here which swore blind they'd do a better job than him.

I'll believe it when I see it. Saying and doing are two very different things.

Incidentally that was a joke, yet strangely it doesn't seem out of place on this forum

Agree with the point about going to St Mary's again - we play good football. We've even lost and I've thought good game, hard luck. I rarely did that under GB or NP. It makes me laugh that fans are quick to beat Lowe with the 10 managers in 10 years stat, yet freely call for the manager's head after 3 defeats on the bounce. Maybe if the fans were more tolerant the chairmen would be also.

I assume he doesn't need all of that, why can't he put £2m of it into Saints.

What a pointless debate. FYI Pearson manages Leicester, JP manages Saints. But I think physics dictates if you reach a third page on this subject they'll switch, so post away wierdos!

Pearson, smearson. JP probably has now the same experience that Pearson has (had) of managing in the Championship and he didn't exactly set the world on light for us. Yes, giving him a contract was an option (allegedly a more expensive one) but he hasn't got a track record of working with youth. We've played better football under JP than under Pearson, with broadly the same results (forget the euphoria of Sheffield Utd and remember debacles like Hull away).

It doesn't make you fickle to be ****ed off - that's a natural fans reaction when we lose. However we all need a dose of reality. The situation we (Saints) are in doesn't allow us to have the best players in the league, or the most experienced players in the league. We have no money, we have youth and that is about it. People seem to think there are alternatives, I say step up with them. The 'get some journeymen in to steady the ship approach' is all well and good, but what happens when the journeymen just cement us in mid table (they ain't got resale value). The **** or bust approach that Lowe is taking is one of our few outs. Blood the youngsters, cut the costs, sell some of those in the shop window, pay off the debts - THEN build for the future. Unfortunately until the medicine is taken there will be plenty more defeats against opposition some fans think we should be beating. One day, yes, today the best we can hope for is survival (financially and in the Championship)

I don't disagree with this, but as a manager what can you do? If you don't have a better player in your squad, all you can do is play what you have and hope the adage form is temporary, class is permanent applies (i.e. they get through the bad patch). The manager / coaches are the only ones who see the players day in, day out - they're the only ones who can (and have to) make a judgement on it. The rest is just opinion (for all we know Bart may have been shocking (absolutely woeful) in training under GB, hence why a low on confidence KD was his only option). What irritates me is those fans who nail their colours so firmly to one mast that they can see nothing but fault in another player. e.g. stupid comments last season blaming KD for goals that not even Superman could have saved. There are none so blind as those that will not see.... etc.

I think the problem is endemic to all clubs unfortunately. Whether this results from the MTV generation's impatience or whether this has always been the case, I don't know. Perhaps some older and wiser heads can perhaps shed some light? To Kelvin Davis' name you can add many other names - some who have won the fans over, others who have proved themselves elsewhere, some who left without a trace. Recent history gives us zero to heroes like : Crouch, Fuller, Telfer, Delap, Wright, Paul Jones etc. What annoys me is the prejudice, not give them a chance mentality - we saw it recently with Holmes and in the past with Crouch and Fuller. I have never been more embarassed to be a Saints fan than with the booing of players when they're being subbed on, or when their name is read out (it has happened more than once in the last couple of seasons). People try to justify it - I've paid my money etc. etc. - but they don't seem to realise it MUST have an effect on the player's confidence. Kelvin Davis is an object lesson in how a bit of confidence can result in a fundamentally different performance. Currently he'd be the first name on my team sheet (because he's playing well, not just because he's number one )

Excellent I didn't go last night because a) it's a 3hr roundtrip and b) a young son. However I have a season ticket so I get counted whether or not I'm in my seat or not AND I lent someone else my ticket to go. Win for Saints him as he got a free seat, win for the team as they got more support, win for the club as he enjoyed himself and will pay next time - and as Saint won, a loss for me

Ouch, did that touch a nerve. Nothing wrong with the post in my opinion. I stayed away (and regretted it), but only because I couldn't be arsed with the journey. I take it though that you undertake not to use bad results to call for Lowe out then....

Yes, but you have to admit he's a negative meille feuille!

I think 'blindly' is a bit harsh. For whatever reason, JP favours some players over others but, as the person that sees them day in day out at training, you have to respect his opinion. Stern John has hardly set the world alight this season when he has played (remember the sitter of a header he missed against Birmingham which would have made it 2-0?). He also stated that he picked Lancashire ahead of Perry to counteract their pace. I'm all for having a settled team but equally you need to consider how to counteract the oppositions strengths (big man, little man, quick man, slow man etc.). These are things, along with form, that people promoting their 'fans favorites' often forget. Personally, although I like Stern John, he always strikes me as the kind of player that scores the spectacular, but quite often screws the easy ones into the Chapel.

Davis is gash. FACT!

If you had 2 points for a draw football would be dull (no incentive to attack), precisely why they made it three point for a win. Pearson was no tactical genius, remember the defensive tour de force we saw at Hull..... probably not, because it screws up your argument!

rubbish! we will walk this league