VectisSaint

Only by people who knew little about football, unfortunately specifically our dear departed Chairman. If this was the strategy we already had a much better person in charge with much more experience working with kids and able to blend with some cheap experience, but thats water under the bridge now sadly

What I find surprising is that this was not all sorted out at about the same time AP joined. It makes me think that the appointment was all a bit rushed. i found watching the SaintsTV thing the other night that AP does seem genuinely shocked at the magnitude of the task at hand. I would have thought AP would have had a ready made assistant waiting in the wings, but it seems not. Managers also usually have a few players lined up but agains this seems not to be the case.

Far from it (I know you are kidding), but what people are forgetting is that these games are important for the team/players as part of preseason, quite honestly I couldn't give a stuff in no-one turns up to watch. What I care about is that the team get a good workout and compete and hopefully win, one preseason win would be a plus at this stage.

1 Saints 2 Nothing International football is in my opinion overrated and boring. I still watch at Finals stages, but really couldn't give a damn and would prefer there to be no international football, especially with the likes of Andorra and San Marino.

Interesting interview, a lot can be read into not just what he says but the body language. The clear message that came over to me is that he is shocked by the lack of quality, lack of organisation and the lack of depth at the Club. It is clear also that there is a motivation problem, there is a losing mentality. I think he is quite overwhelmed with the sixe of the task that he has taken on. But he also is pulling no punches. Won't make wholesale changes but anyone not motivated is out the door and some serious work is required. Quite shocked by the scouting bit, not just the lack of scouts, but the lack of information about opposition etc, to me this is a very damning indictment of JP/MW.

Never quite understand this logic, expect manager to sign players in the order they are needed. We need a complete squad overhaul, with exception of GK, the order they come in is not important. It was clearly one that could be sorted quickly. It doesn't mean AP doesn't think we need other positions as well. Not responding to this poster directly here, but one or two need to remember also that we are currently bottom of Division 3. I know little about Harding, but if some say he is good at times, at others not, then at least that is a step up on some of the ones we have at the moment who are cack every week. Sometimes a player needs a certain type of manager, some will not respond to Roy Keane's bully-boy tactics, but may respond to someone like AP. Lets not pass judgement, to me this seems like a decent signing and has strengthened what is a desparately thin squad.

Thanks MB, not so easy to check what the paper version of the Echo says here in Swindon Frankly quite shocked about the Mortimore bit.

So does the paper version actually mention Mortimore? I would be surprised, the article is about Directors under the Lowe and Wilde regimes, Mortimore was not a Director. Club President is an honorary position (usually) and nothing to do with the politics, after all John took over from Ted Bates. the role is usually given to an elder statesman of the Club, who is above all of the politics and commercial running of affairs. Has he been replaced as President? As for the others, I am more than happy that they are expected to pay for their tickets, perhaps they could introduce a range of pricing options for ex-Directors. Lowe and Wilde would have a pricing range of something like £100k per game, then they would be made most welcome We could throw in a free pie, pint and programme as a sweetener maybe.

Bale sheepish about future plans

Theres a bloke used to work for us might be able to help, Woodward or something I think it was

Sounds worryingly familiar Are you sure it was AP and not RL that was on Still at least he possibly has a plan to put right the one missing ingredient, unlike the other fella did.

And the preseason before that was the worst of the lot (Burley)

Possibly true, unfortunately FA rules preclude this. No more than 2 (?) from any club I think...

For God's sake man, do you never give up? You are obsessed, you only have this problem with LM because he was vocal in his intense dislike of your hero. LM vocalised what the vast majority thought of that despicable man, and all of the woes he brought upon this club along with Wilde and Askham. LM has done almost nothing of any note to warrant the hatred that some, like you, have for him, except to utter some home truths. Yes he was vocal in his attempts to undermine Lowe, and I like most others say, Good on ya Lawrie!!! A pity a few of the other lily-livered pratts did not do likewise.

Suarez=miserable tosser

I usually agree with John B, but actually I think he would be surprised how many did know about the other things. As I said in my first post, there were huge numbers of people in the country who even if they weren't Saints supporters, considered us with great affection and would often say we were their "second" team (whatever that means) simply because we were seen as one of the great underdogs (along with Ipswich), regularly punching above our weight and giving the "big" teams a shock on a regular basis.

I suspect what Docker meant was qualifying for Europe regularly Ted of course did get us into Europe twice. I even forgot to mention the Europe bits in my post above, they really were great times, it is very sad that we are now a 3rd level team thanks to those who Lawrie did not like... The youngsters of today will probably never understand these past glories, and hence the lack of respect from certain people who are not bright enough to understand the true worth of certain people. They probably even criticise Mick and Ron for playing for Pompey

At least his job is made a little easier by the fact that Dyer and BWP have already departed, and there are not too many players left from the end of the Burley era when discipline and fitness became dirty words.

But it is so much more than our greatest day, isn't it? Thats what gets my back up about people like 19C and SotonJoe (or are they the same person). If the only thing Lawrie had done was to win the FA Cup then he would deserve some respect, but he did so much more. He took on a club from the great Ted Bates and built several teams using very little money with blends of homegrown youngsters and experienced pros, including some of the greatest names in the English game, and regularly provided Southampton with exciting attacking football. His whole philosophy of how football should be played earned him the respect of his peers and players, and made Southampton so many peoples "second club" because of the way we played and the regular bloody noses we handed out to the top teams. FA Cup win, promotion with an almost completely changed team a year later, runners up in the League, beaten League Cup finalists, top half finishes, there was so much more than that glorious day at Wembley. Even when he left I still felt the philosphy continued under the underrrated Chris Nichol. Only when Nichol was replaced did the Mac era really end. Then his return after the terrible Branfoot era and his collaboration with Bally who got the very best out of Tiss. Finally the arrival of Lowe spelled the end for a true football man, who could not stomach the likes of Lowe. Of course thats the real reason 19C cannot tolerate Lawrie, because he is one of those who saw through Lowe from the start and did not keep his mouth shut but as a typical northerner, bluntly called it as he saw it. OK he made some money from the share deal, well good luck to him, he deserved it, because he never really got well rewarded for what he did for us, financially. We don't need to idolise Lawrie (and I don't like the reference to the Patron Saint in the Guardian article), clearly he has done some things that did not help. But I will always hold him in high esteem for what he has done for us over many years, right up until now. The vast majority feel the same way, as was clearly demonstrated before the Charlton match. He is hugely respected in the game, and still has many many contacts. Agreed he is probably a bit long in the tooth for day to day involvement, but I will bet anything that Alan Pardew will make very sure that in the next few days he goes out of his way to spend time talking to the only real football man at SMS these days (other than the backroom staff) and picks his brains and taps into his networking to help rebuild this great club into something approaching what Lawrie and Ted originally achieved. Small minded people will continue to have a pop at Lawrie, fortunately they are very few and we will continue to see the huge majority agree that Lawrie represents all that is great about our Club and will at least respect him, even if they don't admire or worship him.

Its a long story...

Whoops, did you forget for a minute to log on as alterego SotonJoe?

You are still bitter and twisted. I agree with you totally about Wilde, and have no particular feelings about Corbett, but why you continue to slate Crouch is incresdibly naive, I wonder if he will continue to sponsor Saints or a Saints player as he has done for many years, putting money into the Club even when Lowe was in charge. We all know Crouch can be a bit of a loose cannon but really you should learn to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong. Lowe and Wilde, they are not welcome (unless they just buy a ticket), but Crouch should at least be afforded a little respect for all the good things he has done in the past few years.

Who cares, if he gets us back in to the CC I would be happy, not too many Saints managers have ever got us promoted. He would join the elite group of McMenemy, Bates and McIntyre. If he got us to the Premier would that make him our best manager ever? (Resounding No of course). If he uses us as a stepping stone it would be because he was a success, its a double-edged sword, so as I said, who cares.

Victoria

Take a look at his Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Pardew The extract below answers part of your question: and his régime to increase the fitness of the squad. Pardew also coined his motto "Tenacity, Spirit and Flair" to give his side a psychological edge.