VectisSaint

People need to get off this obby orse. You cannot keep the same team if you have to deal with (a) injuries, (b) suspensions, © cup-tied players and (d) aging players who cannot play 3 times a week. So come on smart arses everywhere how would you have kept the same team given long term injuries to Hammond and Connolly (and Murty) and short term injuries to Harding and Jaidi. How do you deal with Spiderman's suspension even if it was rescinded after he missed 1 game. How do you deal with Jaidi and Perry not being able to play 3 times in a week. How do you deal with Fonte not being available for FA Cup, and Dan and Semi not being available for JPT, and now Puncheon not being available for JPT and Barnard not being available for FA Cup? Where is your settled side. Picking a team is not as easy as some people on here like to make out. Even then there is the issue of players losing form that is not even considered. Don't get me wrong I am a strong advocate of not changing a winning side unless you really have to. I thought it was wrong to drop Bart and put KD back in. Once we get this week out of the way I would expect AP to pick his strongest side for every league game until the end of the season.

Nope, don't remember the SICK campaign, have supported Saints for 44 years, through red and white stripes and during the years we did't wear conventional stripes. Personally I like the idea of the white with red sash kit and think it looks ****ing brilliant, especially the one Gecko did that incoporated just a little bit of red/white stripe. I also like the idea of ditching the current badge and using the 3 roses again, or similar. Usually I am a traditionalist, but for 1 season (1 season I stress) I really do like the idea that is being put around. As long as it is done well and is not tacky I will be very happy and will deffo purchase at least one, because more than anything else I hate being a fecking advertising hoarding for a crappy airline or a crappy insurance company. It would be even better if the shirt didn't include the grotty little double diamond that adorns our plastic read & white shirts nowadays. Bring it on.

The commentator said no such thing. You just made that up to suit your agenda. The tater said, "Exeter could have snatched a winner at the death", which is true, but he never said they should have won. AP also did not say they could not compete because of the pitch, he simply said that Exeter dealt with the conditions better. If you play on a cabbage patch every other week there is a good chance you will be able to deal with it better, we play on a billard table surface and find it more difficult to adapt to the conditions due to our style. Perhaps we should have played a couple more cloggers yesterday (Wotton and Thomas maybe), but I don't recall anyone suggesting this beforehand. Horses for courses and all that.

Maybe that will happen, it is still a gesture though not to demand payment up front. Whatever you feel about Pompey, I still think it is good to see our Club making nice gestures like this, it puts us in a good light, and continues to distance us from the shenanigans of "He who shall not be mentioned" in the past. There are already murmurings of jealousy among other cubs because of our financial situation, it is nice to have some positive spin as well. Our club was always well respected in the past and it would be good if that reputation which had become somewhat tarnished was restored. Well done to SFC, it is good to know that there are people around who are not solely driven by the bottom line.

Don't disagree with you, but it also has a lot to do with the coaches that work with them. Sadly too many of the kids that AP inherited had been coached by eejits who thought that they were God's gift to football, with the blessing of a Chairman who thought that you just turned the handle and out came superstars from the Academy. It is not just the kids themselves that are to blame, but the whole ethos of the Club under the previous regime(s).

Bloody glad I don't work for you. So not getting promotion in 1 season is a **** up. **** me you are a plonker. Sometimes I agree with a lot of what you say, at other times you are just a prize *****, as most others think.

I think we should play in our white kit with a red sash, white knickers and white stockings and hobnail boots.

Of FFS Alps, don't you think thats what they've been doing already? Its bloody obvious, we have a billard table of a pitch, and some of the other clubs have cabbage patches, they know we can't play our game on them. Its been like that with teams for years. Its not some blinding light that has appeared to day because AP has said it. Its just like we used to make it hard for opponents at the Dell. You really need to get over your fixaton with AP, its beginning to eat you up like you let Burley do to you as well (though that was justified to a large extent because he was ****).

I don't think the results from this season are carried forward, unless that is a new rule. The difference next season is (1) pre-season and (2) settled squad, hopefully with settled coaching team. My only concern is that we will lose Lallana if we don't go up this season (sorry, because we won't go up this season).

When? Hammond injured, Connolly injured, Jaidi rested because needed for next 2 games, Fonte cup-tied on Saturday, Puncheon cup-tied Tuesday (and Saturday?). Some people just don't get it. Get this week out of the way and you might start to see a settled team. But in the end that team will be Davis, Otsemobor, Fonte, Seaborne, Harding, Lallana, Hammond, Schneiderlin, Puncheon, Lambert, Barnard, with James and Connolly as backup.

Jaidi and Harding were not randomly dropped. Don't you have any memory. Jaidi had an eye injury and missed some games, Harding was also injured, and was replaced by Mills who did a great job. There was no way Jaidi was going to play today, at the age of 34 he is not fit enough to play 3 times in 8 days, and as Seaborne and Fonte are cup tied for one or both of the cup games Jaidi was needed for both of them. There is some real crap being posted on here today. The only thing certain after today is that the play-offs are now gone. If we had won today and other results had gone for us then the play-offs were a distnt but still achievable target. Now they aren't. Simples. The reason for this is that we simply did not get it together quickly enough this season, our first 10 games were very poor, and on top of the 10 point deduction we have not receovered. Since then our form has been and remains good enough for Top 3, but you can't hide from the start of the season problems. We need to also acknowledge that we are missing 2 important players, Hammond and Connolly. Connolly was always a gamble, but he proved to be an absolute gem, but its becoming clear that we may not see him again much. Losing your captain is also a massive blow, and his injury seems to be worse than originally expected. Still, looking forward to Tuesday and getting to Wembley, confident that we will do it. Maybe now I care a little more about the Pompey game, because I want to see us carry on unbeaten and increase our confidence, we need to end the season on a high even if the play-offs are now a dream.

Must have missed that. Why did they have points deducted? Norwich started the season with Bryan Gunn that was their problem. Agree though that Lambert is doing a very good job, as he did at Colchester. Our problem still remains though that on top of the 10 point deduction we had a very very poor start to the season, and we have never really recovered. Until today the play-offs were still achievable, it would have taken a hell of a run but was achievable nonetheless. But without a win today and with other results going against us the reality is that the play-offs are gone. We will be very lucky now to finish higher than 9th.

Come on Alps, AP is nothing like Burley and you know it, Burley was complete cack, and was only made to look good briefly by Snodin. What selection problems are there? There is not much that is wrong with the selection today, maybe Harding instead of Mills but otherwise what would you do different? Basically the problem is that the players are not performing, thats about the only thing you could level at AP, that at the moment he is not getting the best out of what we have. We also struggle to play on cabbage patches, one of the problems of having a billiard table for a home pitch. Changing managers now or soon would be the sort of tactic that Lowe would introduce, success comes with sticking with good management teams, and AP and DW will build a good team, but it may be next season before it comes fully to fruition.

So what's the alternative? For Pompey you have to perm 2 from 3 of Jaidi, Perry and Thomas. And as Thomas is likely to play RB, think Jaidi and Perry is a given.

Today is far more important than next Saturday. Assuming Pompey survive (and I think and hope that they will), a win today keeps us in with at least a chance of the play-offs and hopefully promotion. That would mean playing Pompey (at least) twice next season. Shame about the year after when we will be 2 divisions apart again, with them in the 3rd Divisioin

Don't worry too much about it Tim. Come over for more important games this season, if we can get a result today there is still a good chance of getting to 6th and winning the play-offs, then we will get to play the Skates twice next season, and even better we won't have to give them our home gate receipts (that assumes they still exist of course). Frankly in my view for the sake of our season MK Dons is more important, but not as important as Exeter. Have you tried contacting Pompey, maybe they have tickets, their lot can't even fill a shed for a Prem game this season. I know it would be awful have to sit close to a Bellend, or even W******d, but might be an option. Surprised Saint Nic hasn't come through for you though, seems like a guy who really understands cases like yours. Good luck with the project to get Big Ron over here, no way on earth I will miss a chance to see him at SMS.

Jaidi had his eye injury, agreed Fonte and Seaborne probably the first choice now, but aren't available for MK (Seaborne) or Pompey (both), hence Jaidi will be needed for them, I assume, unless Perry and/or Thomas are included. Personally would still pick Jaidi ahead of Dan given no other constraints.

Have I missed something, why do so many think that Lambert should be or will be rested today? He has had a week off, why does he need a rest, agreed he looked out of sorts during January at times, probably result of the virus or whatever he had earlier. No sane manager would "rest" the league's top scorer before an important match that could define the rest of our season. I can understand resting Jaidi because he just isn't up to 3 games in a week and we have cover, but Rickie, no way.

Just out of interest what is an Australian massage? Visions of a Sheila and a jar of Vegemite are doing my head in. Just as long as it doesn't involve Skippy.

Was thinking more of a Santa Claus (or Saint Nic perhaps)

I thought it might be good to use jaidi tomorrow as well, but fact is we need him for next 2 games, so likely that he will be rested tomorrow, because Seaborne isn't available for next 2.

Duncan - do you know, was the original shirt actually plain white and a loose sash was worn over it, or was the sash actually an integral part of the shirt? I thought back in those days teams used sashes over plain shirts so that they could distinguish against other teams wearing the same colours. Teams didn't have change strips back then hence the use of sashes if I recall (I wasn't actually around then, honest).

I trust that you kneed him in the nuts and told him to feck off

Awesome, especially the 3rd one, like the incorporation of the stripes. Pity about the little diamond thingy. Would the back be plain white, or does the sash go on there as well? As a minor point would it be better to incoporate the original logo as well?

Could you give Pulis a game? Not sure if he would be up to the required standard but could help to build his confidence.