Matthew Le God

I don't even think it is speculation. Pardew clearly has doubts or it would have been longer than 6 months. But then maybe Pardew has done his research on the character of the player and believes this will be the kick up the backside Jon needs to earn that contract. If he was tied down to a 3 year deal he may be the type to become complacent. We'll now have Jon and Graeme(if fit) fighting it out for the right back slot and take Saints to the playoffs!

Reduces the risk on tying a player down on his luck to a long contract and then being unable to shift him if he turns out to be not upto it. He also has a big incentive to perform and resurrect his career to earn a contract.

Paul Hart being sacked tonight may have helped, as apparently he wanted to bring him to QPR which can't happen now.

It is more likely Jaidi and Fonte will be the first choice pairing. With Seaborne being groomed to takeover for next season and playing the occasional game to save Jaidi's legs. Pardew will just play 451 and 442. It has been working and the players know how to make it work. It complicates things if you introduce a 3rd system to the players. I outlined the problems with 352/532. It just doesn't work, hence why no-one uses it anymore. The original question was "anyone feel Pardew is about to do this?" - To which the answer is no, as nothing in his past would suggest he would.

Fergie it won't happen. It is a terrible system. One of the centre backs(possibly two) would have very little to do, especially as alot of teams play defensively against Saints. The wing backs also leave the wide areas vulnerable with a ball over the top into the channels. Very few, if any football team plays 532/352 in the modern game. Pardew has two systems that have served him well and he'll continue with them.

In Thursday's Gillingham paper... http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/sport/2010/january/14/simeon_jackson.aspx

With Barnard's contract up in the summer and him refusing to sign a new one, the longer he doesn't move his value decreases.

Nothing in that article suggests that is the case. Will be interesting to see the full video interview on Saints Player at some point, I guess later this evening.

That wouldn't be ironic.

Only £3m left they owe to football creditors now that £7m was paid today. Parachute money over 2 years is about £12m I think.

There are so many guidelines and checks it keeps the database in line pretty much. For example I could never get away with rating a current Saints player good enough for the Premiership. Basically for Saints at the beginning of the season I have to rate them given the boundaries that they were a bottom 3 Championship side the season before. This means given the guidelines that they can have a rough number of star players in a given bracket of ability from 1-200 dependent on the finishing position from the season before. This then applies to the rest of the squad. There can be exceptions to the guidelines but these would be looked at more closely by the head researcher. Each country has an independent head of research to do checks on data and there is a forum and mailing list to discuss with the other researchers. It is far more complicated than most people would imagine and involves a lot of maths and hidden formulas.

Yep. The game would have started in July 2009 and at that point he had a contract until June 2010. The screenshot was perhaps taken when the game got to Feb 2010 and he had a contract extension to June 2011. You should give the free demo a try Window Cleaner

Not sure what you mean?

A player already at the club is not a replacement signing which is what Pardew said. James is also a very different type of midfielder to Mellis.

Pardew has said he'd replace Mellis and Trotman. So far only a replacement for Trotman so I expect a Mellis replacement soon.

The biggest scouting network in the world. Ok, its just fans and not professional scouts but these fans are generally season ticket holders working to guidelines and there are over 1,500 of them around the world. An example of what I said before Everton are one of a number of teams to use FM to scout... http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Everton-using-Football-Manager-computer-game-article33798.html Obviously this will just be an initial tool to identify players. They would then send an actual scout to see the player in the flesh.

Pardew has stated he wants a Melis replacement and we haven't got one from any of the 3 so far. So I expect one to arrive soon.

I know, and the game does have his contract correct and as ending in the summer 2010. That is what I said above. The screenshot is taken from after he has been offered a new contract to 2011.

They wouldn't be the first professional team to use FM as an "initial scouting tool". There have been many cases in the media of clubs using it.

That screenshot is from a save game editor and not the actual game. It is also not from the beginning of the season. He has clearly signed a new contract since the start of the game. In the database his contract ends in 2010.

Unlikely with Fonte and Seaborne joining, but 30 minutes ago it was announced Russell Anderson has been released from Sunderland. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/8459571.stm

Well it does have a base in real life. As his rating in FM is the personal opinion of him by a Norwich season ticket holder. Whether you trust the opinion of this Norwich season ticket holder is up for debate. Whenever fans on other teams forums bring up FM to discuss their club signing a Saints player it is based on my opinion of each Saints player. So the figures aren't just plucked out of the air.

Less evidence of that ever happening than there is of the rumoured interest in Danns tbh.

Newspaper rumour.

How will Dave Merrington cope with his surname?