VectisSaint

Pardew didn't inherit Lambert though, part of being good is attracting good players to your cause (of course money helps as well in these footballing mercenary days). Pardew also brought Connolly, probably the best player in Division 3, and got some good performances out of a player who thought his career was finished. I hope very much that DC agrees a deal for next season.

Burley was also assisted by having one of the best assistant managers in the game, Glyn Snodin. Without Snodin Burley demonstrated his complete and utter ineptness. Will have to wait and see how Strachan performs next season when he has had a pre-season to instill his fitness regime (ask Burley what a fitness regime is, he won't know, Burley was responsible for the biggest bunch of lardy players ever seen, Le Tiss would have looked positively athletic in comparison). Strachan cannot turn a team around mid-season, but longer term he will probably show he still has it. Holloway much as I dislike him, does seem to have been able to do something very special at Blackpool. Their fitness levels seem to be very high and by his own admssion he has played a very different style this season to anything he has done before. His time out of the game following his dismissal by Mandic does seem to have rejuvenated him. Most good managers do seem to benefit from a time away from the game especially after a failure, Strachan, Holloway, Cotterill and Pardew are testament to that. Maybe Burley will do the same, somehow I doubt it.

Nope, bought by Strachan, made his debut 3 days before Strachan left. Never really got much of a look in under Sturrock, always a problem for a player when the manager who buys him leaves almost immediately. Luggy probably didn't see what WGS saw in him. Loaned to Leeds and then signed permanently and did well in spells punctuated by injury. Has proven to be a good player at Championship level, will be interesting to see if he can cut it in the Prem next season.

Given Strachan left 3 days after Crainey joined this is a daft statement. Clearly Crainey is not crap, but was probably shell shocked when the man that signed him left. Has made a half dcent career since with Leeds and Blackpool.

Linked this morning with a loan move to Barnsley, hardly top 6 Championship is it? And they don't play in red and white stripes.

Maybe his goals cost us a play-off place Hence he has been sent packing in disgrace for undermining our promotion push.

Disappointed that Michael Poke has been released. Saints have stuck with him for several years and he has now gained valuable league experience elsewhere. Frankly he is a better prospect than Bart and certainly than Forecast, but I guess that with Forecast still under contact for another 3 years retaining 5 keepers was not an option. Poke is proving to be a very very good keeper even when playing in a mediocre side. Just hope Torquay have the resources to offer him a full time contract. Was staggered not to see Pulis or Molyneux on the list, but if their contracts have not expired that would explain that. Fully expect their contracts to be paid up shortly, they need to go now if they are to find employment during this summer when there are going to be floods of players out of work. There are thought to be more players being released by clubs this summer than ever before due to the economic climate with so many clubs finances going down the pan. Surprised Holmes is not going, is he still under contract as well? Clearly we must have at least one RB on the way in, you don't release 4 RBs (incuding James) without some idea who is going to replace them. Lets hope that the negotiations between Connolly and SFC are fruitful, he is still potentially our most talented player when fit, and to be able to keep him would be a massive statement of intent in my opinion. Lambert and Connolly to me are a far better pairing than Lambert and Barnard (and thats not being disrespectful of Barnard).

Don't think the job Director of football was ever mentioned. It was Sporting Director. That means it covers the new basketball, rugby, athletics and cycling teams that will become part of the Southampton family, as in Spain and Portugal

SaintsPlayer not associated with Radio Rodent

Very direct, to the point statement, just what was needed. I thought the jibes at Lawrie and MLT were unneccessary, they could have been ignored, after all they were only responding to the rumours and supporting AP. I wish NC had mentioned ML somewhere though.

Don't know how you can compare Pearson and Burley, quite clear to everyone that NP is the better manager. Burley would never have even got to the play-offs without the assistance of Snodin. Burley was not let down by his players, his players were let down by him, and were only picked up because we had one of the best assistants in the business at the time, and didn't realise it. Felt sorry for NP last night though when the French **** let him down, very noticeable what all of his team mates thought, noticable including Matty Oakley. I don't think you will see the French guy in a Leicester shirt again. Pleased for dave Jones though, just hope they go on and beat Holloway's team, although I have to say I think he has done a terrific job getting Blackpool to where they are, much as I detest the clown. how you can get Brett & Crainey playing so well is a mystery.

The "125" is superfluous, better as a ball again. With the dates either side of the badge, 1885 & 2010 anyone with an ounce of intelligence will know that it is 125 years. The 125 looks like a lottery ball, complete cack in my opinion.

New rumour, NC is baking muffins. Beattie is being signed as back up for Rickie next season. You heard it here first.

This was a view I mentioned a while back. The plan is to roll back the ST prices a la Asda to 1885 prices for adults, but only for those who could produce their ST from that first season to celebrate our 125th I have mine ready, don't know about the rest of you.

TBF, thats not particulary hard is it. If he is the best RB we have ever had I would be well pleased, better than Golac, Rodrigues, Dodd and so on.

SSN had a headline yesterday that Saints had parted company wth their manager. However, it seems that it was St Mirren.

So I guess that means he won't be at the last game next season either, as we won't have made the play-offs again Shame really because it will mean him missing the presentation of the league champions trophy I have full faith in ML not being so small-minded as to stay away out of spite. That sort of behaviour from the top man is thankfully long gone.

They don't need to respond to rumours, that would be bad. But they could put out something in response to: (1) The withdrawal of programmes on Saturday (2) ML's non-appearance. Neither of these are rumours and could be explained easily by a short press statement (even if they do not fully explain the issues). That would then stop some of the rumours.

Really think that if Pardew gets the push it will be because we are bringing in someone with a bigger, better reputation. That might be Hughes, but personally I doubt it, I don't think he has that reputation with the Italians (and Swiss). Just hope its not SGE or Maclaren. Maybe it will be Martin Jol. Anyone who thinks we are ditching Pardew for Cotterill, Jackett, Wilson or Tisdale needs to keep up. All of them were good candidates when we were on a downward spiral, indeed I was very keen on getting Cotterill a year or two back and he has proved once again that he is a top class lower league manager. But we are looking bigger than that now. Not saying I want AP to go because I don't, but we may not be so ****ed off when someone else is brought in.

Who is this Pardew? Quite honestly I've never heard of half of the players who sign for Prem League clubs either. Nothing new there. I follow Saints, don't really give a toss about other players at other clubs.

Keeps muttering over and over again, How? How? How?

Not much chance of Swansea going up this season. Like someone else they finished 7th.

Well, for a start there's the ash cloud which is preventing flights out of Switzerland, assuming Markus would like to attend. He also probably has other business interests to attend to on Monday (MALI Group stuff). Then he has to sort out who is going to be the new Prime Minister of the UK, the Greek economy and world hunger. Wednesday is soon enough once the other jobs are successfully completed.

Could have been both sets of supporters singing that, Pearson v Jones, 2 managers that were pushed out by Lowe battling it out to get to the play-off final for a crack at the Prem League. Not saying Pearson is better than AP, but he has shown he is streets ahead of the two clowns we had in charge last season, and Wotte as well. Watching the other game yesterday quite amusing watching Ormerod, Crainey, McGoldrick and Blackstock battling it out, now today 2 ex-Saints managers plus Oakley.

As far as I can tell the Wednesday meeting item has not come from the Echo, but from the BBC, probably Solent. I don't think the meeting is a rumour, I supect it is factual, but it is speculation that determining Pardew's future is the purpose of the meeting. And what does determining his future mean anywa, it could mean determining the budget and transfer policy for next season, it could also be to determine the appointment of the Sporting Director which has been mantioned by NC, and the nature of AP's relationship with said SD.