Professor

I've long tried to make the point that it doesn't have to be Lowe, but it does have to someone with his experience and understanding of the business side of football. The 'anyone but Lowe' line has never made any sense and the evidence of how damaging that could be was played out over the last two years. At least there does now appear to a strategy and I feel a lot more confident that the club is being managed better than when we had the nonentity DuLieu and the Fulham mafia. I imagine Lowe would love to spend on the team if the club had the money, but spending money we don't have is simply not possible.

Its a natural reaction to a defeat to look for a simple answer - so, team loses, decide what is the weak spot, change it and play a different 11. But that is what Burley did all the time. The team had the closest possible result at Cardiff and to change it because of a last minute free kick would not make sense at all. This team can only get better by playing together. Apart from the cup game at Exeter, when a run out for some of the second choice players would make sense, I hope JP will put out the same team against Birmingham, except if Davies is fit, he would be first choice alongside Killer.

No doubt the admins will put up an official thread, and this is not really pre-match build-up. Just wondering if people feel JP should play his strongest side to give them another game together before Saturday's big game at the SMS? Should he rest Killer? Or if not resting others, should he make max use of subs during the game? Very important that we perform well on Saturday whilst the cup game hardly matters, except losing it would damage confidence. How strong a side should he play?

In the last couple of years we seem to have had players picking up their fair share of yellow cards, although to their credit, not too many reds. But were the offenders mostly the players who have moved on, or are not currently first choice for the team? Will the younger players be less likely to get booked? If so, it could be bonus if selection is less hindered by suspensions. But is this an accurate assessment?

Although JP, unlike Burley, has declared a first choice first 11, we do still have a squad - as already mentioned by others, Perry was substituting for Davies at Cardiff. I think we can at least trust the coach to notice if anyone suffers a loss of form, or is playing too many games, and expect him to bring in squad players, who will then get a chance to hold the shirt, as they will when covering for injuries. Interesting thing this year is that some of the covering players are older and more experienced than the first choice player they are shadowing - just that they are judged to be second choice on the team sheet!

I do apologise for suggesting that to lose by a last minute goal away from home is not confirmation that the current Saints' team is incapable of competing in the CCC. I also apologise for any suggestion that Poortvleit, a former international player and qualified coach could know more about football than 70sMike's son. I must also apologise to Wes for using the words "people like Wes" which would obviouly be taken to mean Wes himself and not others who just happen to hold similar sceptical views about the current club management. And finally, Yes, of course football is easy. As a former player in senior football, and as a Saints fan for half a century, I've seen how easy its to overcome other teams who arn't trying to win as hard as your side. I've seen Saints comfortably finish 4 places off the bottom of Div 1 and easily avoid relegation from the Prem year after year. But I prefer to look for the good in my club and not to spend my time fearing the worst. I prefer to talk my club up, not talk it down, and if that makes me 'to blame' (Snowballs) for giving people false hopes, so what. I'm not someone, any more than the rest of you are, whose opinions count and I have no responsibility for what others think. We can all say that one game tells you nothing, but last year's first game home 1-4defeat did tell us something, but few realised it at the time. I will remind you guys about your posts in a few weeks time if the team is doing OK, which I believe it will. Not top of the table, but doing OK. And if the team is in the bottom 3 after 6 games, feel free to remind me of my posts!

I've filed the Times insert from August 4th and I'll be bringing it up again next April - as long as we don't finish 20th!

We tend to forget the times that a last minute free kick hasn't gone in. Or when we've scored at the end of a match. Can't offer any stats but we all know it has happened.

A useful reminder that five players having their first game, and apart from Schneiderlin, stepping up from the reserve team is quite exceptional. This team can only get better, and to have run Cardiff so close away from home is already a good performance.

We all know exactly how JP felt because all genuine fans will feel the same. It is true that a draw at Cardiff in the first game of the season for a rebuilt young team would have been very creditable. To be so close to such a good result is a disapointment and leaves you feeling deflated. But what the antis needed, was a clear defeat in order to justify all the negative anti-Lowe, anti JP-stuff they've been pumping out since May, so a draw would have been a bad result for them, and a close result is not much better. Now we have an anti's approach which is to pretend that the club has claimed that this squad is so good, and the tactics so advanced, that they should be expected to win every game, and if they don't, to respond to even a close result, with nothing more than sarcasm. Fact is this result, plus Birmingham's close result at home to Sheff U, gives us good reason to look forward to next week, whereas people like Wes have been telling us constantly that JP is not up to the job and his team could not compete in the CCC. Already shown to be wrong on both counts.

Could be worse than this though, Arizona only asumes 5 injuries. Suppose it was 8, or 11, what then, eh? Suppose the team coach was in an accident and the whole squad were injured...... What if we had no over-the-hill, overpaid, journeymen to call on and we had to draft in reserve or youth players and had to go out for loans.....doesn't bear thinking about.......

Originally Posted by alpine_saint:- This goal was inevitable. We gave Cardiff 64% of the possession, FFS ! The team is simply not strong enough. They held on valliantly for 99% of the game, but this story is going to repeat itself throughout the season as the opposing team wear down and unlock the weaknesses in the team. Very accurate calculation of possession, Cardiff 64%, (giving Saints 36%), although we don't know if that includes or excludes periods when neither team had possession. However, it would be fascinating to know how such a detailed calc is made, and not just to the nearest 5% point, but right on the 1% point. Could we have more details of the method of computation?

Must be the easiest job in journalism to write these 'prediction' articles. No assessment of the team squads, just a look at where the clubs finished last year. And by the time the predictions are proven to be complete rubbish, 9 months has passed and no one cares at all. Total rubbish.

This time tomorrow...............

A standard post by PMD who seems worried that Lowe's decisions will bring success, and undermine his negative attitude. Of course, we're all entitled to our opinions, but if the current side is more mediocre than last year's then Saints will be relegated, as that is the only way to do worse. For every week that we are above 20th place, PMD will be demonstrably wrong. This could prove a dilemma for the anti-Lowe faction, wanting Saints to succeed and Lowe to fail, when the two things are bound together. Maybe the lifeline will be AC stating at the Forum that the board are still looking for investment, if its on acceptable terms. That is one thing that could get the anti-Lowe faction off the hook, but its not under their control. The better approach would be to bury the hatred and focus on the club as a whole and less on the club management.

I will have a glass of Champagne over an italian meal on Saturday night. And if we draw or lose? I'll still have a glass of Champagne....... At last - Saturdays have a meaning again! And the Sunday papers will take longer to read.

Maybe Rudi will be encouraged to try harder to go by playing in the reserves. Picking up a generous wage for doing little may sound good, but it will damage his own career interests if he does that for too long. Definitely shouldn't play him just because he's here, when his playing positions are well covered.

Surely we have all accepted over the close season that Saga, Rasiak and Skacel are surplus to requirements, and not just for financial reasons. The squad is larger now than it needs to be because their replacements are already on board, but hopefully will soon be scaled down. Davis would be fine if he stays, but if not, Bart and Forecast are perfectly adequate to cover. Only think wrong with the squad now, is that its too big.

Isn't Saga a case of someone who looked good for the first few games and then never reached that level again? Or maybe was never so committed once he had a contract and a regular payslip. Rasiak next but hopefully keep Stern as second choice to DMG.

As a critic of the OS, was pleased to read the report there of the forum. Seemed accurate and full, given that it had to be a summary. JP definitely looking good, and his frankness very refreshing. Says it as it as he sees it.

Be fair, Hugh, some people don't see the ST as having any relevance so why bother with it?

Outdated info on the OS gives a v v v bad impression. Someone think of a song?

As someone who has never, in 50 years as a supporter, worn a club shirt to a game, I am still unable to see the attraction. I do have a clock, a signed football, a few rosettes (whatever happened to the rosette?) and a scarf or two, but no shirt. Half the season its too cold to go to games in just a shirt, or you have to look stupid by padding underneath it with extra layers, or spend the match with your coat off. Obviously so many people do like wearing them, that I'm in a minority, but will someone please explain the attraction. It has to be good to be worth spending another £40 a year

Concern about the S T is that it can allow active members with time on their hands to run the operation in a way that bolsters self importance. You can lose more than your money by subscribing to organisations that then use your membership as part of a numbers game to claim that as a member you support the opinions of the Trust leadership.

This is the equivalent of a multi-million pound signing. If we had bought him from anywhere else, even the Prem biased English press would have given it a headline. As it is - barely a mention. But MS has the ability to make saints a very hard team to beat.