The Kraken

The advice I'd give is the same for any golfer with any set of clubs; try a few out, take them on to the driving range (and if possible out on to the course) and go for the one that feels right for you. There is no one club that is thr right one for everyone; it comes down to personal choice.

*gets in the middle with arms outstretched* No! No! Walk away, don't get involved!

Leave it mate; its not worth it.

12 years olds with smart phones. It wasn't like that in my day, hell in a handcart etc etc.

I see where you're coming from, and its a valid point. The flip side is that there's also the possibility that a cup run could galvanise the squad and give us something else to build upon. The JPT was often billed as a distraction but our form from February onwards was actually very good, it was a bit of a myth that we struggled because of cup games. I could see how it could easily go the other way though, so I take the point. Certainly if we stay up this year I'd hope there's never a case where we don't have the FA Cup as a priority.

It was more wishful thinking than anything else. Besides they may get complacent and think their second string is good enough to thrash us anyway.

Perhaps. Or maybe we could just agree that my original comment was part of a list of 9 or 10 factors that RL and NC have/had in common, including the fact that they came to the football club with a similar background that wasn't to do with playing for or running sports clubs.

There is no ideal scenario for what I want. I want a successful side in the championship; but that then leads to the Premier League! In any case, I'm not really fussed. The PL is alright, we may be towards the bottom but at least we have our own mini-league. Just a shame it doesn't encompass the whole league is all. I really hope we give the FA Cup a proper go though. If not, then there's really no point in us being here. Its one thing that we can genuinely look at and hope to win (and fingers crossed Chelsea don't take it too seriously).

www.saints-away.com

The best day I ever had at St. Mary's was staying up on the last day of the season against Sheffield United. Different strokes for different folks. I went to far, far more games in the Championship and League 1 than I had done and do go to in the Prem (I've been to 4 games this season, and while I'll be going to Sunderland and Fulham I'll probably not do too many games in the New Year). Simply put; I'm not too fussed about being in the top league. Its a strange dichotomy, granted; the desire to win all your games and aspire to promotion. I just enjoyed Saturday games much more away from the glitz and glamour of the PL, and going to games is very much the most important thing for me. I'm enjoying the Prem, of course. But nowhere near as much as I did our play-off year. Plus the seemingly non-stop Saturday game, midweek game, Saturday game, midweek game was a brilliant factor. In the PL there's much less games and its all dictated by European schedules, which I find a massive pain the arse.

Its akin to Manchester City v Reading. Man City's first defeat at home in about two and a half seasons or more came recently; against 2nd placed Man United. Man City's record at hom last season was W18 D1 L0. Their record this season was standing up to that until they were beaten by the team in second place. The top of the Premier League is a closed shop. The top of teh Championship isn't. There's your difference.

You really are quite a baffling figure. Did I say they were alike because of one fact? I'm pretty sure I listed quite a few things they had in common; which in itself was a response to an assertion that they had less in common than chalk and cheese. Both of their backgrounds are in banking. Cortese for 10 years at Swiss banks including Credit Suisse. Lowe at London banks including Morgan Grenfell, and Deutsche Bank. If that is poles apart in your world then so be it.

Probably a lot to do with the fact that until recently playing football professionally didn't make you rich. Most former pros had to look to carry on working after they hung up their boots; either staying within the game, owning pubs, Dave Armstrong and Jimmy Case worked for a local office stationery company (Jimmy used to drive the van that delivered to my old office). I'd suggest it'll become more common over the next few years though; as players have the financial capital behind them, and they are also a superstar presence for marketing purposes. Beckham is already receiving all sorts of suitors to front an MLS expansion team, I think its inevitable that some former star players will look to get involved with ownership in the near future.

Not many. Dave Whelan is one the Premier League that does, so its not exactly unknown. Niall Quinn at Sunderland another.

This is going round in circles. If you consider Cortese's background to be a true sporting background then good on you; I don't, so continue to disagree if you wish. I consider Cortese's to be a financial background; the arena he worked in was certainly more valid to the job than Lowe's particular financial background, but both of them came to the job as CEO with little relevant football background experience. Here's a question from the Echo shortly after Cortese joined the club.

Which has nothing to do with being from a sporting background. And remind me what Rupert's background was.

At a means of comparison; I was at Cardiff v Peterboro this weekend, top of the table versus bottom, Cardiff with 10 wins from 10 at home this season, the biggest home banker in football. Peterboro won 2-1, the scoreline could have just as easily been 7-3 to Peterboro. For me it epitomised Championship football; the bottom clubs can always beat the top clubs, its much more unpredictable.

I'm pretty sure I've never seen anyone say that.

It wasn't spot on at all. At least not for the first few games. There was zero proper priority in place for longer term customers; it was simply a case of "buy tickets for this season and you're in, we don't/can't really take into consideration anything before that". At least half a season of points, or favouring ST holders would have been better and fairer than the "oh Christ, this'll have to do" approach that we ended up taking.

I wouldn't say it was enormously relevant, actually. He acted akin to a high-powered financial advisor.

Premier League is the pinnacle of ambition. Championship is better fun when you're actually going to matches. IMO, of course.

I'm aware of Cortese's background, despite being on a sports desk it had little to do with an actual sporting background. He provided banking services specifically to sports clubs and individuals.

To be honest its what they should have done anyway; you can't just start a loyalty points system from scratch like they intended to do. You either give ST holders an upfront stash of points to prioritise them ahead of others, or you keep a record of points for at least half a season and then introduce from that. The chaos at the start of the season over who could qualify for Arsenal away was as avoidable as it was poorly thought out.

I don't think it'll sell out.

Well lets get your Fonte facts sorted out first, shall we. Palace finished 5th in his first season with them (arrived midway through the season and played pretty much every game from then on). They qualified for the playoffs. That we got him was as much as anything due to Palace's financial implosion, and it was amazing that he took a backwards career step when he could easily have gone the other way. Your Puncheon statement I just find baffling; if the way Puncheon was bombed out on loan and made to train with the kids is an example of man-management and how to get the best out of players, then we'll have to leave that one there. Not that Puncheon didn't dserve it, but claiming it as a masterstroke from NA and NC in terms of player development is bizarre. Its odd how you say plucking players while in the lower leagues is really rare but then in the same post say that Norwich are special for doing exactly that. To those you've already listed you can add Wes Hoolahan, John Ruddy, Russell Martin, plus perhaps one or two others. All signed in the lower league, all capable of stepping up. So I do find it really odd that you think its really rare for clubs to buy players that can step up. It happens all the time. And in ours and Norich's cases, including some players acquired while in the third division. It happens. As for your last parapgraph, i think that's the second time you've accused others of writing off some of our signings. I'm not doing that; but more pointing out that, in our particular case at that point in time, £10M on Mayuka and Rodriguez would have been psent much more wisely.