VectisSaint

Think you should change your user name, you really are a disgrace to the memory of Charlie.

Can only assume the little **** didn't know which team was which. If Brighton are a good footballing side then I'm a monkey's uncle. They are a niggly, dirty little team that win games 1-0 and by slightly devious tactics. Fortunately for us we have several ways we can play, usually we play good passing football, but when the opposition demand it we can switch and play different tactics. NA is the first manager we have had for ages that has the nous to change tactics and formations not only from game to game but often several times within a game. Not something Pardew, Arry, WGS or even Hod were ever capable of.

Ruddy Jaidi

MK will be kicking themselves, a win today and Posh losing they could have been right in the mix, now they basically have nowt to play for until the play-offs.

You could argue that, but if they won today they would still be in with shout of 2nd place, but a defeat will mean they definitely cannot get 2nd (barring some freak results)

Must be a Sussex thing. Soon Crawley and Brighton will be massive local rivals.

Interesting that the OS says the majority come from the Academy, but in fact 4 of the mentioned 7 were not academy based. Good to see that we are going back to the days of signing young talent from wherever we can instead of just relying on the academy itself. The academy is excellent, but when you narrow your catchment area down as the academy does (and to make matters worse half our catchment area is in the Solent/English Channel) it can be a bit limiting. Even one of the others is from the Bath Satellite (as was Gareth Bale amongst others) - by the way this particular lad looks about 10, needs to get a new picture taken and look a bit harder :-)

Perhaps you can have real rivals now, at least there will be 2 teams in Sussex next season.

Try looking at the other table, the one that gives overall all-time points for all league teams. The 3rd best team ever in terms of points per game is not Manure or Liverpool, no it is that great bastion of football, New Brighton Tower FC. I'd never heard of them, quite an interesting story if you read about them on Wiki, played in an 80k stadium in Wallesey, folded after 3 years after attracting crowds of about 1000.

Point is that we will beat Hartepool without him, but we have little chance of getting anything against Brighton if he doesn't play. We need at least a point, especially if Hudders or Posh get 3 points the day before. Play him against Brighton, rest against Pools and then play him against Brentford which looks to be a very tough ask to get 3 points.

Makes more sense to me to play AL against Brighton where we need his skills to help us get a point or 3, and rest him against Hartlepool. If we can't beat the Pools at home without him then frankly we don't deserve auto promotion. We showed against the Gas that we can get 3 points without him, albeit after a nervy 80+ minutes, but sure as hell we won't beat BHA without him.

LOL that our average attendance is 5 more than the Skates. 5!! Well done to the 5 whoever you are.

Huddersfield yes, Posh no, need 3 points to be mathematically assured, but 2 would do

Much like you then Seriously though, I'm getting too old for this, that was a tense hour and a half, began to think we would never score and it would be one of those days. I don't think I could take the play-offs, we need to keep winning, even when not playing well.

Perhaps we could get Drogba in for next season. With the free-scoring Torres it seems like Chelski are looking to unload Didier at the end of the season. It would all make perfect sense, would be a good back up for Barney, especially if he is unavailable next season.

Williamson certainly is at Newcastle, their supporters think he is a bit dodgy, nonetheless seems to hod down a fairly regular place. I feel sometimes that the Academy system, especially at Saints, is great for churning out strikers and attacking midfielders, not to mention left back of course, but for central defenders and keepers I'm not convinced it works well. We seem to insist on taking in athletes where possible, usually intelligent ones at that, and CBs and keepers don't necessarily fit in with this idea (you have to be mental to be a keeper). They also mature much later usually, it must be really difficult for a Club to keep a CB/keeper until they are ready for the first team in their mid 20s. Too many keepers spend most of their career sitting on the bench in my opinion, one of the drawbacks of 7 subs and no proper reserve team football. Keepers especially are hardly ever needed as subs (not forgetting Niemi/Jones at Cardiff of course).

No, he is not as tall as me, for sure. However, he is somewhat lighter than me LOL Anyone noticed that Pulis is no longer listed in the Squad details? Our other loanees are listed (Mills, Puncheon, Doble & Dean) but not our Anth. Is there something we have not been told?

It was also very disappointing when Chris Baird left for Fulham. Not too bothered about any of the others you mention except Oaks, one of Burley's many finest moments (not) replacing him with Jermaine Wright. Leon Best was unfairly slated by many supporters, he should not have been given the responsibility of taking the pen in the shoot-out, perhaps again another cock-up by Burley and the senior players at the time, but have to say even when scoring a few for Newcastle recently gives an impression (rightly or wrongly) of being a legend in his own mind, much like Puncheon. Mike Williamson never even got a game for us after we brought him in from Torquay, but seems to have done well. I was always concerned with Surman that he was let down by a basic lack of pace, but then again perhaps even that could be laid at the door of George, who turned out the most unfit team I have ever witnessed. Is there a theme here? Lost players and George Burley.

As well as most of the Manure supporters.

I will cast my vote for Pulis. Without his contribution we would be where we are today.

Perhaps you could add a note to get Brighton's stats fixed as well if you think our are wrong. Brighton also have Games since win = 0. How do you square that one? Perhaps the BBC have a vendetta against South Coast Clubs. I suggest you actually have a bit more of a think before you make yourself look a bit silly.

I thought April 1st was 9 days ago.

Who is Diamond Davis, is he a diamond geezer (just because we're playing in the East End)? ****** no Lallana in starting XI, and no Stephens in the squad.

Wasn't that during the period when the North Stand had been demolished before the Matthew Harding Stand was built, when they had the painting of supporters behind the goal. If so then the capacity at the time was considerably less than SMS today. It was also before Abramovich took over when Chelsea were a very average team.

Interesting, I don't think there is any chance that we would be interested in signing Wright, we have two good keepers, though I would have to say Wright is better all round than KD ever was or will be (both are great shot-stoppers but Wright has far better distribution skills and command of his area, but then so does Bart). 33 years old, prime age for a keeper, Wright is less than a year younger than KD. Lots of rubbish talked about Wright not beig any good any more, his lack of games in last year or so is purely down to injury, so he would be a huge risk anyway. If his injury is such that playing is less and less of an option then GK coach would be a good call, but do we need a GK coach when NA is a keeper anyway? Still have a lot of time and respect for Wright, he was key to us staying up when he was with us, those 7 games he was part of a defence that was transformed by Pearson, pity the ruddy-faced idiot did not see that.