Matthew Le God

Have you considered every other team in this league has a worse record in 2011/12? Saints have more points than all of them, so why should any of them get in the top 2 ahead of Saints if you are basing it on previous games this season?

You've lost me. Why have you started a thread for this?

Not prolonged enough for a game to need a pitch inspection. St Mary's has only once had a game off for waterlogging and it was much heavy prolonged rainfall than this, so what we had today won't make a difference. It isn't raining at the moment and isn't forecast to for the rest of the evening.

They probably won't fulfil other criteria needed though. Palace are considering forking out for category 1, but will probably end up category 2. Watford certainly couldn't afford category 1.

Depends which category Crewe's academy is put into.

There are lots of good things about it. For example it is going to significantly increase the number of coaching hours each kid has and puts England in line with the rest of Europe.

There will be limits as to how many players you can have registered in each age group to try to prevent mass hoarding. Also if academy products don't play for your first team they will take away category one status.

Edited it for you.

In theory those behind the plan would love every academy to be category one. The FA wants to improves coaching for youngsters in order to improve the National team. However this is largely being driven through by the rich clubs in the Premier League that have an ulterior motive of mopping up all the best kids on the cheap and have the FA somewhat over a barrel. At the moment the plan allows poaching between category one clubs to still take place. However this may change as it gets refined before next season as some feel it is unnecessary to allow this. To run a category one academy for a year it needs to have a minimum budget of £2.3m. I think a category two is probably half that. Plus you need the high quality facilities in place on top of the running costs. You also need to continue to have academy products playing for your first team or they take category one status away.

From a purely selfish point of view, Saints with the category one status they are aiming to get should benefit from the changes. So do we want to stop it?

Category status is not based on what league you are in, it is based on track record, facilities, staff quality/numbers etc. Saints are going for category one regardless of promotion. Pompey will probably be category 2 or 3.

The Independent article isn't very well researched, Luke signed a 3 year professional contract in December 2010... http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2228492,00.html

When has this ever "popped up"?

Bet you would have said the same of Keegan signing.

Told by...?

It has been confirmed from both sides that stuff did happen in relation to Saints bidding for Sharp in the summer.

The BBC and the club have a good relationship, with BBC Radio Solent staff and the media department at Saints seeming to get on very well. Along with certain broadsheets I think Cortese likes the BBC and has given two interviews himself to them. I have a feeling this "leak" about Sharp and Maynard may be deliberate as the BBC wouldn't want to upset the club behind their backs.

Barnard signed a new deal in the summer, I doubt he is going to be sold in January.

Sounds sensible really.

What "hard work"? I haven't had a single problem with it, really makes no difference. At least give the free demo a try.

£12m rising to £15m for Chamberlain was fine though.

Schneiderlin signed a new contract in August... http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2426115,00.html

8 days ago... http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/110153-Fonté-about-to-sign-new-deal.

The game being on Steam has made no difference at all for me. If anything it is better, as it auto updates.