VectisSaint

Not sure he has ever forgiven us for 76 though

Where is this consolidation stuff coming from? AP is aimimg for Top 2, and why not? Whatever else, we should at minimum get into the playoffs, once there it is a lottery unfortunately. Top 2 is probably optimistic ultimately, we should not forget that there are 4 Premier Clubs in League One this season, not just us, Norwich, Charlton and Leeds will be tough opposition, though I would tip Norwich to be the main contenders with us. It is clear that currently we may not be that far off having a decent 1st XI, the problem is that we have no strength in depth (apart from GKs, which is the one place you can probably survive without it).

Given that Arry is about the only one who has clearly understood how to play Twizzle, it is no surprise at all that they have linked up again. I don't give Arry much credit, but he gets the best out of Crouch, realising unlike others that Crouch cannot play as a lone striker, and is not a very good header of the ball. What Crouch brings is the ability to hod the ball up, to provide knock-downs for other players (such as Owen for England) and a much underrated ability with his feet. If you expect Crouch to score with his head often then you will be sadly disappointed. Benitez and Hart seem not to have realised what they had or how best to utilise him. Arry did.

Did we win on opening day 1989? If so and we won opening day 1999, then 2009 is looking hopeful

We had far far more European football pre-plc days, almost always earned by our league position (with one glorious exception), whereas the plc gave us one European foray via the somewhat dubious route of being runners-up in the FA Cup. If the Champions League had existed in its present form in the 80s we would have qualified, there is no way the plc ever brought us anything like the success of a non-plc operation.

Think there's going to be a new show on the telly where ALW searches for a new MF player for the Saints. How do you solve a problem like Paul Wotton

plc shareholders received nothing. Guaranteed. Like many other ordinary supporters I was also a shareholder. So for those that say this is irrelevant I think you should think a bit more. For the amount I had though I don't really care, it was a small price to pay to be rid of the leeches that put our Club where it was. I see others have stated categorically that we no longer have a stadium debt. What is the source/evidence for this. I would be very surprised if this was true, given what ML allegedly paid for the Club. In any case, why was there a need to wipe out the debt, Avaya would make more money if the debt remained. But it is a question that I would be interested to know the factual answer to, rather than the speculation. After all, if something were to happen to ML (God forbid) then we could be lumbered again. I think it is a fair question that the OP raised.

Are you sure, I know we have had a habit of playing left siders on the right and vice versa but I'm sure Holmes is a left winger

Took a while to settle in, but was actually very good later on when we had a proper coach/manager in charge. We should have kept him last season was one of the ones we let go unjustly in my opinion, but then he wasn't Dutch or just out of school.

Thomas off, Lancashire on. Oh noes

Are you sure its Rasiak? "Rasiak" and "quick", two words I thought I would never hear in the same sentence.

Agreed. Hearts last won the Scottish League in 1960, Ajax have won the Dutch title 29 times. Looks like Ajax had a blip last season, though they are currently top of their League for this one LOL Hearts have indeed finished 3rd 4 times in the SPL (out of 11 seasons, is that regular?), 3rd best in a 2-team league is obviously a great honour. There is simply no comparison.

But we aren't playing Rangers or Celtic.

Hope he paid for his ticket.

Didn't Claus where a phantom mask for a while?

Most seem to think the Pinnacle bid held things up for weeks, but is there actually any evidence that ML would have completed significantly earlier if Pinnacle had not bid/entered exclusivity? I don't see any, maybe he might have completed a week earlier (even that would have been beneficial) but in reality I suspect like any other bidder he always intended to leave it as late as posisble. I don't think blaming Pinnacle makes much sense, the blame (if there is some) squarley rests with someone else (who shall remain nameless). BTW Leon Crouch clearly was the hero for digging deep and keeping this Club afloat, but it is untrue to say he was the only one. I dislike the man intensely, but to be fair Guy Askham also did (making up for all the many errors he made before I suppose) as did Mike Richards. Their contributions may have been significantly smaller, but credit where it is due.

Wants to see him in a match situation, hence why he is playing today I understand. If he did not think he was any good he would not be playing him and he would have gone, hence I would say he HAS impressed him in training, the game situation is the final test if you like. Reference to professional is clearly because we are not paying him...

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.