Polaroid Saint

I would love to see the England team line up all serious like and then, suddenly, all go mental and 'jump around' (House Of Pain style), belting out 'Eat My Goal'; shouting it into the camera as it pans down the line etc. It would be like an Modern England version of the Haka. (Although this is not a serious suggestion :sadface: )

England's Dreaming by Cornershop? Hmmm, maybe a bit too far in the other direction!? ;-) Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I love Jerusalem. Mainly because I get exactly what Blake is banging on about and his own esoteric take on humanity, God, the devil and the will of man is as close as I get to a doctrine. But it is not a national anthem; it is a protest poem. Both Land Of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia have connections to Britain's empire building past that I would personally find as difficult to justify singing as asking a god to save a monarch. Abide With Me always sounds great sung by footy fans. But again it is quite God heavy and a bit Scottish. I'd take Ron's suggestion that PJ Harvey has already given us a better tune, but again, alas, its not a national anthem but more a protest. Although maybe the state could commission her and Billy Bragg to write something?

The youngsters in the squad, and the current U21, now are the first generation to come through the development squads (Academies, now under the EPPP banner) . Give it time and give up on the old (centre of excellence) guard. All the problems with traditional youth development are still there (the bigger kids are at advantage, over zealous parents AND some coaches) but the new coaching badges and guidelines are doing well to combat this. Fair play to the FA for getting it close to right. Sort of related; Futsal is gaining a lot of ground in early player development too (3-13). Futsal is quite a different game and doesn't teach the intricacies of the 11aside game (more structured plays in futsal, less positional work etc) but does massively improve basic ball skills. I know Saints own involvement with Futsal gets a little stick from some quartets (SimonClifford is a dirty word), but Saints DO use it extensively. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Aye! Those are the positions England are struggling too. Makes sense on all fronts. Come on Roy! Do it. Or we'll take your parking space away.

It won't take long before twitter is apologising to Phil Neville! Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Uhoh. I did have a feeling I was being exploited. Worse still that I was enjoying it. I did think from the sponsors logo that it might be a Croat version of Marmite. Which I hate as it happens; so that only added to the frisson if I'm being honest.

To be fair, I have no idea of the precise, actual, or rumoured percentages involved (have Liverpool already secured an agreement with Bournemouth? etc) or the amount offset by 'Add-Ons'. My totally uninformed assumption was that the £26m WOULD give Bournemouth their cut AND us about £20m 'Up Front'. Maybe Bournemouth get a twenty percent cut instead (5m) and 1m gets paid in instalments per champions league game? I dunno! Just riffing on the progression from 20-23-26 million. Edited for lazy maths.

Phwoar - Nil last night? What I like most about this photo is that a: there are five of them. b: all hot Croatian women have tight fitting clothes based around the footy kit. And c: they all look really bored (which gives me the horn).

There was no way to start my character assignation other than trotting out that classic. My apologies.

Rooney may be one of the most naturally gifted footballers of his or any other generation. However, he is inarticulate and let's be brutally honest, basically a bit thick. The opposite of what people describe as a 'footballing brain' Rooney is unable to adjust his considerable natural talent to circumstance or tactics. Gianluca Vialli (in a brilliant interview with the BBC before the Italy game) described 'pressure' as Expectation + Scrutiny + Consequence. It seems reasonably clear to me that Rooney's failure to perform at any World Cup so far is rooted in his inability to intellectualise and deal with that pressure. I don't blame Wayne, but we must recognise that despite his genius on the ball, he lacks that vital quality of "collaborative intelligence" that the truly greatest footballers (and best teams) need.

Notice the Liverpool, and not England, shirt there. Bet Gerrard tapped her up.

£20m for Saints cash. I have no idea, but if all we have heard is true, that would be about right to take it from 20 to 23 then to 26 to cover the cherry's cut, wouldn't it? Of course if it works out at 19.9m then that is derisory, outrageous etc. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

If that is a clear £20m plus £6 of nonsense, I mean add-ons, I say we take it. Love Ads, forever a Saint and I hope he continues to improve year on year. But if he feels his time at St.Marys is over (for now) then £20m is a good wedge and about right IMO. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I do wonder about where the goals are gonna come from too, Bear. Seems the 'tweaked' 5:3:2 system would require different players to some we already have. Lallana for instance. Unless Ads is going to suddenly add pace to his box of tricks, we need more than just a Lambert replacement, two or three quick strikers. A fit J-Rod is a start. Oh no. I think I am about to type it. Yep. Here goes: Mayuka anyone? Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I just hope the new Veho kit is USB3.1 compatible.

Ali Dia's Party Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Twelfth Man Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Waiting For Skacel Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Oooh. They can be quite good football plays. Hope this one is. Oh, but that Gazette site is not good for mobiles (lots of auto downloads). Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Lovely Chap Adam. Cracking Footballer. Forever a Saint. But does he fit in a Koeman system? I.e. Does our new manager need a tricky player like Lallana or does he want, perhaps less 'talented', but quicker and more direct players. I'm not saying Koeman wouldn't relish working with Lallana, I am sure every manager would. Just pointing out we do have to rebuild our entire attack if Lallana leaves or not (Lambert gone, jrod crock, and part of AL's effectiveness has been his telepathic link with Lambert). A good cash offer could finance an entire new attacking line. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I have the RCDE li-ning Espanyol kit as featured above. Its very nice, but I am selling it. Worn about tour times. Perfect condition. Purchased in Barcelona from Club Shop. (Does have 'Pottechino' on the back though...) Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Tru dat. They were good value for the win. Well, that's that plan scuppered then.

We could do worse than just buying a job lot of Costa Rica kits after the World Cup when they will be a bit cheaper. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Announcing a bit of Dutch coming to St.Mary's now would be good for morale and 'status'. But best do it soon and before the Netherlands national side canter to a halt with draws against Australia and Chile! Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk