washsaint

WSS - I absolutely love my Giant Defy (carbon) which is a pleasure to ride and is built for endurance. Recently I rode a Specialized Roubaix - and this was mustard (carbon with disc brakes and electronic gear shifting). Not sure if UK prices are the same in pounds as we pay in dollars though (suspect they are). Apparently Giant makes most of the popular brand bikes (which I never knew) including Bianchi, Trek and Specialized (not sure if all models or only certain models).

Certainly very early days but somewhat concerned. My daughter plays youth soccer and they seem to play in a very similar style to Puel. Play it short out of the back, high press and move the ball quickly. All fine and dandy, but as I've seen in the last 2 friendlies, Saints have the same issue as her (very good) team do.....solid defensively, some of the build up play is a joy to watch but chances are at an absolute premium and without a predatory goal scorer games will be very low scoring. Certainly in todays game there were virtually zero opportunities created.

Yes I am quite sure.....unless Clasie suddenly has grown red hair and is wearing number 18.

Reed doing very well so far - impressive range of passing too.

Likewise VFTT......take it easy and don't rush it. Plenty of time for getting back on the bike.

I thought McQueen looked good, Reed was tidy and Jones looked promising as did the Nigerian with unpronouncable name. Whether any of them are ready for the 1st team is a different story.

Another week, another State, this time Oregon. Hired a lovely bike and although feeling under the weather did a couple of rides. Did the long slow climb (20+ miles) from Bend to Mt Bachelor. Around 3,000 feet of climbing but actually found it rather boring as it was all within the tree line. Not used to climbing constantly for 10+ miles and this one was tough to keep motivated. Views of the Cascades at the end made the ride worthwhile but Mt Evans is going to take some beating. Could really live out West - great climate, people and riding opportunities.

VVD, JWP, Bertrand, Davis, Forster.....and hopefully Tadic and Long too. Not too bad and shows your statement to be hopelessly wrong. If a player wants to go they'll go - if they believe in the project they'll stay: or go for mega bucks based on the longer contracts in play.

Jeez....what a miserable, cynical bunch on here. Luke has always come across well and seems a decent young guy. So what if it is on Man U letterhead? I'd hate to be as cynical as some of you - bet you're a blast to be around!

Not strictly Saints related but came across a letter that Luke Shaw wrote to a set of new parents who tragically lost another kid a while back .He is a class act and Saints did a great job in helping raise him the right way. Yet another example that Saints don't just coach youngsters to be good players but ensure they are good human beings too.

Yep VFTT, it was the thin air. Never experienced anything like it before. The first couple of miles were the worst trying to work out the best breathing method. Once that was sorted it was then mind over matter - 15 miles up is twice the longest climb I have done before so getting into the right mindset was key. Once that was all sorted I really enjoyed the ride up and the views were incredible. Even managed to reach the top without being short of breath but is was so darn cold I just wanted to get down to warmth! However, there were some hallucinations near the top - thinking rocks were sheep and the like! One hell of a ride you did - at a helluva pace. getting the rides in while you can?

Erdogan is an Islamist fascist. Freedoms - personal and press - have been eroded for years under this guy. Anyone who dissents against erdogan basically gets jailed: including the military. His policy with the Kurds, cosying up to ISIS, etc. were all driving Turkey away from the secular, inclusive ways of Ataturk. He was moving Turkey so far away from the Ataturk model that they could easily have become another Islamic state.

Did it! Mount Evans conquered! What an epic, epic ride: the air was as thin as heck and the scenery was incredible. VFTT - I can 100% guarantee it would be exceptionally difficult. On one uphill segment during the descent I hammered it and could not breathe....actually after the first couple of miles and tryign to breathe it was not too bad. Keeping a steady cadence and trying to keep the HR steady was the key: I would even say it was tougher on the descent with the state of the road, constant riding of brakes and massive winds trying to blow me off the edge! Absolutely epic and chuffed to bits: Mount Evans is 1000m higher than any other road in Europe and is the 5th highest paved road in the world! If you ever get the opportunity to try it, well worth the pain! https://www.strava.com/activities/641860464

what a load of ****** Shurlock (as ever). He was not as poor as some of the idiots on here made out and should be set up for a cracking season. Koeman had his favorites - and Cedric was not one of them.

Recovery going well then VFTT? I hear you to a degree.....poodling along at a slow speed can be frustrating which is why he wanted to go out today and I said no, group ride for me! Missus not happy but I could not have done 3 days in a row!

Lets hope Cedric can carry this form into the new season. He has played superbly on the whole in this tournament.

Another cracking group ride in the beautiful Virginia countryside - glorious day with temperatures in the high 80s and low humidity (quite rare for this time of year out here!). The best thing right now though is my 12 year old boy has decided he wants to take up cycling. Couple of lovely rides around 20 miles each with him this weekend and in a year or two I think I will be struggling to keep up. getting him off his computer games and enjoying being outside makes all the efforts worthwhile and seeing him enjoy himself, with a big smile on his face and having serious bonding time is totally awesome!

Unlike other clubs, we go about our business quietly and, on the whole, away from the media spotlight. Unlike clubs like West Ham who seem to tweet about every player on the planet they are interested in, we go and find players that are not the finished article and improve them so that when, or if, they move to a massive club we make a huge profit and reinvest in 2 players to improve the squad. The fact that we constantly seem to find these hidden gems and don't pay over the odds, say 30 million for Deeney, means we will only continue to become stronger. It could be, although time will tell, that Puel could be a masterstroke. With his reputation for developing players this could be a great fit - dare I say it like when Pochettino was here? As great as Koeman was for us I think you would find it hard to argue that he developed players significantly. Hopefully 2 more players and we will be well set for another cracking season.

You're absolutely right....DW is terrible. That's why the England setup rate him so highly and he is Englands goalkeeper coach. Unbelievable......................

I really don't understand why we are trying to force Pelle out. he has been excellent for us and is a proven commodity. We complain enough when players look to leave yet think it would be good business to force Pelle out. You can't have it both ways. I will be very sorry to see Pelle leave if indeed that happens. If he truly wants to stay why not offer him a 1 or 2 year contract extension? For sure, it is unlikely we would be unable to find a similar quality striker for the 8 million we paid. On his day he is unplayable

That is the segment - because of time constraints I will be starting at the Ranger station and not Idaho Springs. That will halve the distance and leave about 3.5K of elevation change. It is the altitude I am most concerned about - the climb will start at over 10K feet. Hoping nice and slow and steady will do the trick as I have the fitness at sea level. Not sure about bug ring though!!!! No room for error on the descent that's for sure! VFTT - I thought you were off the bike yet you still seem to be doing mental mileage?

What a fantastic article and makes you proud to be a Saints fan. The 'Southampton Way' is real and great to see that other sports and top clubs are looking at what we do. This shows the club is trying to do things the right way and long may it continue.

Lol....no chance of landing him with some of the other clubs that are sniffing around. Our previous big signings did not do so well so spending 30m Euros on this guy would not fill me with confidence. We seem to get real gems in the 8-12 million range (Pelle, Tadic, VVD, Redmond, Bertrand, Long) as opposed to the big money bracket (osvaldo, Ramirez)

Yay.......finally got the OK from the missus to go do Mount Evans next week when out in Denver for my kids soccer tournament. Highest paved road in the US and not sure how I will handle the altitude (14,000+ feet) but looking forward to giving it a try. Reading reviews the last week or so looks like it will need to be winter weather gear!

You utter helmet. Sure you must be a skate on a wind up.