dubai_phil

Going back many years before I came over here (The 80's) playing cricket around South Wiltshire & Hampshire we would VERY occassionally spot a Buzzard at long distance - mainly out up the Ebble Valley way. Was quite shocked a year ago to come back and see them zipping in and out of the trees on approach roads to Salisbury. Also about 10 years ago remember being diverted into the Brecon Beacons on a boys tour of Wales so that a couple of Twitchers could "possibly" spot a Red Kite - which we did. Then last summer making up the numbers & getting in the way at cricket - low and behold they were zipping above the cricket pitch just outside Salisbury. So yes well spotted those - if it has been seen on a farm in Old Basing then the A34 looks the place to keep your eyes open. Something to do when stuck in the summer jams around Newbury then

And no, not a D_P golfing tale either http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8357633/Rare-white-tailed-eagle-spotted-in-Hampshire.html Cool time to head back with a crossbow - would look good stufffed and mounted on the wall (say a bunch of those aholes that still exist in the world

Bournemouth deserve their second place at the moment. They are a better TEAM. We on the other hand possess far better footballers. For a more detailed explanation on why better footballers don't perform as a team may I suggest reading The Complete History of England in Major Tournaments since 1966, or to keep it in a psychological vein, email Andrew Flower or Andrew Strauss at ecb.co.uk. Trust me, if you can find the reason and share it with us, this forum's members could become the richest people on the planet taking that knowledge into Sport Business & Government. A short Answer Alps - We are too good for this League, ergo we don't have the right Mental Attitude for this League ergo we screw up. Solution - blame AP for signing very good players and NC for not selling them all and recreating a Scunny in January. ie it is as it is until May 31st, we've GOT to find a way to generate a siege mentality, we are FAR too "Slick and Professional"

So, Empirical Evidence is showing that Scientists (esp Dr Ben Goldacre) have been proven to be wrong. Dr Ben espouses a Mathematical Equation in order to calculate The Most Depressing Week of The Year http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(date) Clearly we have now proven that Blue Monday is in fact a Tuesday, and falls in February. Returning to the OP, something seems not quite right. The OP takes that concept, which I agree with. and proposes that it is simply down to Leadership on The pitch, the lack of a wise old head. But is it that simple? is that the reason? We have had old wise heads these past few years - JW, Mule, Paul Wotton, Jaidi, (Possibly) Murty. Is such a simplistic We need an old head the right mantra? Clearly our depression has made us pluck random names out of thin air and hope that we find one. Clearly there is more to it. Wotton was a basic footballer, gave 120% tried to inspire those around him with commitment and aggression - would a Lee Bowyer be that much different? What is that X Factor that makes a declining star into a Leader. My point is that we have needed an on pitch leader since our decline from the PL. We haven't found one in 5 years now. Sorry FF, if we cannot find one in 5 years we (IMHO) have fook all chance of finding one, out of contract, in a matter of a few days. So if FF's theory is right - sorry we are screwed. But could something else be unsettling things at SMS? All we have is the evidence that Blue Monday is now Blue Tuesday. It also comes a month late and confounds the experts. Hmm I wonder if we have been here before?

Which is actually the most sensible post on a match related forum thread in a while. It's OK to rant about the result. I call it the "Something Must Be Done" syndrome that blights the UK these days (It all started with Edwina Curry & The Salmonella Eggs) But to actually work out WHAT must be done is the key. Is it Sports Psychology? Is it fear? Is it incompetence? Was it really just dumb luck? So if we WERE poor what do we do about it? If it WAS bad luck can we find a White Witch? (oh no not again)

Agree on the last bit, but even Deppo picked up on the "Perfromance is more important than the result" trend from a FEW of late. Obviously the TREND is that we aren't playing well enough to go up and performances are a key indicator of that, but in amongst the anger (including mine) were a few posts that were far too simplistic. So more to the point, we have lost an edge since Oldham away. Again, the simplistic NA is not up to it response is trotted out, and may well be true, but football is as much a mental & attitude game as a skill game, and so I just wonder what it is that has happened to take the edge of our TEAM performances. It could be NA It could be Arrogance, complacency, unrest, What caused it? Was it the fact that we DIDN'T strengthen properly in January? Did the new players have an impact on the team dynamic? Have they worked out NA is a soft touch? Was it Adkins fault? NC's fault or did we simply not have enough spare cash? Lambert & Barnard were the majority of the fans choice to start the match. What caused THEM to shoot at the keeper or fail to be ice cold and clinical in front of goal? The fact is that we lost a game we SHOULD have won. It has happened throughout the entire history of football and it is bitterly disappointing. The evidence is that we have lost an edge to our game since Oldham Whatever HAS happened to make us go off the boil, it needs to be cured in the next 48 hours because the Colchester game is now critical in terms of the League, but also in terms of Fans Morale and I would guess Player Morale. And the answer sure as sh1t isn't going to be found in a one liner from us on here. Something happened. What was it. Solve it. Start playing football again.

Basic reactions - Rage & Fury. Both aimed at The result, This Forum and Saints Player. A triple whammy of utter bollooks all happening at once. Hurts our push for promotion, want to get out this mickey mouse league NOW like everyone else. But, I've been watching Saints since '67 and we like many other teams have criminally lost games we should have won, I hate it, but it happens. In fact after I reflected on that one thought for a moment it occurred to me that unlike SOME on here I was happy to be playing complete dire rubbish and winning. So it is noticeable that many who moaned about our performances got what they wanted last night - and we lost. Cut the carp, we don't NEED Champagne football to get out this damned league we just need RESULTS. Arrogant team? Bullsheet, Arrogant fans more like

FFS this should be 0 - 25 by now and we fall asleep at the back

FFS this should be 0 - 25 by now

Phew Think it is getting close to Chambo time

What? now they are getting Solent on the Warsaw commentary?

OK, here it is then As DM says, we are really Dominating

Lol D_P just had a blonde moment He goes to saints player restarts the commentary and WTF it isn't working. He swears a lot and clicks the Walsall stream, nothing. He swears even more The GF is rofling - "Honey you were on Skype, the headphones are still connected...." Doh

The secret of good comedy is Timing Have to lol we are thrashing them 0-0, have our first choice strike force on the pitch, their keeper has saved with his arse, his nose and by all accounts his midfield. Our One touch football and our approach play has torn them to shreds. But hey, our best strikers and midfielders have hit the bum side netting and all points in between Strangely we have another 45 minutes of this to go and as DM our hero says - NA needs to tell them to not panic, keep playing there is still 45 minutes left in the game yet And MS gets injured TRYING to score while one on one with the keeper (who saved it with his ass) and did everything right except allow for a lard arse in goal

The boys have gone into whispering mode FFS WE CAN'T HEAR YOU!

Thank God we didn't score just after you posted that. We'd have had to spend our Tuesday nights going through Dictionaries looking for big words. I'm really enjoying this tonight, we're THRASHING them 0-0

Bit worried about Eric. Did he peak too soon in the build up thread or is he nursing the OSH?

Gotta tell you, I'm loving all this revolution stuff. Just checked up on the GF who's watching the telly downstairs The Sat channel is showing American Pie 7 - Bewbs all over the place... A sign of the times - Showtime has turned into a soft porn channel that's the 3rd night in a row we've had naked fit chicks on telly

OK time for a new tactic Time to head downstairs to refill the Cuba Libre but will add the task of collecting a couple of hand made Syrian Chocolates ... Ahhhh Patchi, yum yum yum

Lol Adam gets in a classical Adam Lalallaaalla lalana in after the short corner goes wrong

Lee Barnard looking sharp. And in a mucial link D_P's entry in the "Sing a Stevie Wonder" song at Karaoke last Friday was pretty flat Bit like KD at the moment...

That's why the ones down in Poopey are so much better, most of them are just reaching 17

Morgan shoots after 5mins for the first time this season and is crocked and coming off

I preferred Ohio Saint when he was just taking fag breaks Oh

Chaplow Right Morgan left 4-4-2 nothing tactically different Keeper saves with his ass from MS