The Kraken

Out of interest, what other reasons for not liking the kit would there be other than it isn't red & white stripes?

Only the most anally retentive would register this as a concern. Oh, hang on, just noticed the poster. Carry on....

:lol::lol: Dear me, this is good!

I think I did pick it up; and I don't think our views are far apart. My whole point is not entirely that he's playing too many games in number, but as I said previously in this thread ".....as youngsters are still growing and developing their bodies its entirely natural that they'll be more succeptible to knocks and minor injuries, so perhaps more often than not 100% fit." I feel this applies to training as much as it does to playing 90 minutes in competitive matches. Which is why I'm neither surprised that Shaw has been in and out of the side, nor worried that its anything other than a young man getting used to the physical demands of playing men's football.

As I say, I only buy a kit for 5 a side, where I play regularly with a group of mates and we sort into teams of whites v darks. The flip side of that is that you can't really wear a red and white striped top, as its neither properly white nor dark......so really I should hope for plain red, I suppose. My sash shirt has held up well and is still going strong; I do love that shirt, it would be great to retain that as a third kit of sorts (though given how little the all white was worn last year its probably a pointless exercise). Ooh here's an idea, maybe a red and white inverse version of the sash kit. Eh? Eh??? To be fair, anything that doesn't look like an 80s Liverpool kit would be a step up.

That plain red one was f*cking horrible. I'm surprised a man renonwned for blazing such a trail of fashion would find appreciation in that kit. Yuck. Also MLG will be along soon to tell you that the Rank Xerox kit was in fact a striped kit; just very large stripes. But you're right, that and the sash have been by far our best kits, a lot of the stripey kits we had have been utterly garbage. I'd still prefer a return to stripes, but being as I only buy a kit to wear at 5 a side, I have quite a simple process: don't like the kit, don't buy it. It works for me.

A bit disingenuous there, Vectis. According to Soccerbase in 2002-03 Rooney only started 14 league games, and came on as sub in another 19. 2003-04 it was upped and he started 26, but he still was a sub in 8 games of the 38, almost 1 in 4. So I'd disagree with you, I think that shows a sensible, gradual introduction. Plus Rooney didn't have any of the evidence of niggling injuries that Shaw has had (Rooney was pretty much a fully grown and developed ape when he broke through; granted Shaw also belies his 17 years of age, but he's either a bit more fragile or the club are a bit more over-cautious to fielding him when he's not 100%, which I only see as a good thing if that's the case).

When is Bear-features back anyway?

Just buy the away kit Colin, then everyone's happy

Its a good point but a left footed Ivanovic, someone who can play CB and LB effectively, would be my choice. Can Forren do that? He doesn't seem to have been in contention so far but I don't know enough about him to know if he's ever played full back in his career before.

Or how about just not buying the shirt if its not stripes? You can bet that if they only sold 10% of normal sales there would be a bloody big re-think for the next season.

There's a history of young players being nurtured rather than rushed straight into games all season long, and for a very good reason. David Moyes knew exactly what he was doing when he rested Wayne Rooney as he was coming through, its a tried and tested method. Its not just the exertion levels, its the peaks and troughs of performances, and also as youngsters are still growing and developing their bodies its entirely natural that they'll be more succeptible to knocks and minor injuries, so perhaps more often than not 100% fit. You make the case for Bale in his season with us, but neglect to mention that he was seemingly more injured than not in his formative year or two at Spurs. It happens, and I'll certainly not be expecting Shaw at 18 to be relied upon for all 38 PL games next season.

Indications are that Pearce will be out of a job by summer; only the U21s winning the tournament can save his job. Good. Any manager that plays a goalkeeper up front ahead of another sub striker (for his club and country on 2 separate occasions) has no business developing the best young talent in England. Good riddance.

Where did I say we've done it for the Asian market? Think you've got the wrong person, fella. Good rant though.

Flawless logic.

Exactly right TDD. Expecting a 17 year old to be an ever present in a PL club side (and then go on a summer tour) is mental.

Shame for the lad but from a selfish POV not particularly distressed that he won't be spending the summer playing footy and can instead put his feet up. Plenty of time yet for the U21s, let alone the full side.

i agree with you, but all other rumours I've seen suggest that it won't be stripes again. If so, we'll have done a mini-Cardiff. The red shorts and socks bother me the most; just never have been Saints. That and I think this seasons kits look like cheap tat.

1st July for release date is what I hear from inside the club, by the way.

From the game on Sunday I was speaking to someone who has some loose connection to the club, and apparently Mr Cortese really doesn't like the idea of stripes and instead prefers the idea if solid blocks of colours. Hence the all red and all white kits, and never the twain shall meet. Their belief was that we won't see stripes again under this ownership. no idea if true or not, just passing on what I heard.

Neither of them did, to be fair.

Are there any other examples we could use as a benchmark? Whereby a mid 20s international has signed for a PL club for around £3M, not played in half a season (despite being fit enough to sit on teh bench and be available as a substitute), but then come good? Personally can't think of any off hand; but that's not to say they don't exist.

Yeah, I wasn't exactly being serious with that one..... Although our dearth of top level keepers and CBs from our youth system in 30 odd years is a bit mysterious.

To be fair, that was perhaps less to do with laziness and more to do with complete naievety and idiocy. But you make a good point nonetheless.