The Kraken

One thing I've recently noticed; the FL are supposedly only allowing Chainrai to transfer over £5M of his "original" £18M debt from his secured charge on the ground. So they're effectively saying his charge isn't worth £18M, and have arrived at a lower figure of £5M. Now, I'm not overly sure on this issue, but does that mean that they are kind of saying that Fratton Park is worth £5M? In which case, the Trust's valuation of slightly over half that is doomed for failure? That may be a fantastic over-simplification, I genuinely don't know, but it seems odd that the FL would set a value of debt Chainrai is entitled to and not in some way equate that to the very infrastructure he holds his debt charge over. Wouldn't it?

Perhaps. I've alluded on another thread that I don't think the defence have too much confidence in Kelvin behind them; his constant shouts of "away" when he could much more often come and punch clear (or God forbid actually catch the bloody thing) don't do too much to engender confidence from backtracking defenders when a ball is flighted into the box. Maybe you're right and its the same with the three amigos playing alongside each other, the left hand rarely knows what the right is doing. Gervinho's first goal on Saturday was certainly an absolute calamity in all aspects of defending, it was farcical.

I did have to chuckle at 500/1 for MLT! I don't think even 5 million to 1 would be long enough odds, I seriously think I've got more chance of getting the job than he does under the current administration.

Oh I'm not denying that; but I don't think that it's a lack of understanding of playing with each other. Just that Fonte, Hooiveld and Fox are all far too prone to making significant individual errors. I think they could play as a defensive unit together for another 5 years and still be succeptible to the same type of errors we're seeing now.

You see, I don't agree there was nothing he could do about the goals he's conceded. As I said against RVP's first goal, the ball struck his leg; the tiniest of moves of his knee and he would have saved that shot. These are the fractions that count at the top level; a top keeper could have saved that shot. Similarly for the Tevez and Gervinho goals in particular, I don't think a top keeper would have been beaten at the near post like that. More than anything I also believe is his inability to command his area, which puts an extra reliance on an already stretched defence. Time and again whenever the ball comes into the box you'll see Kelvin rooted to his line and shouting "away". He very, very rarely comes and punches away, which is now a huge part of the game for a keeper. We've mentioned his distribution already, which is really poor. So in short he falls down in every department as a top draw goalkeeper, unfortunately. I think he'd be a decent enough understudy at this level, but I look with envy at West Ham who signed an ageing Jussi Jaaskelainen. I said at the time it was a great signing and it was an opinion generally derided on here; 3 clean sheets out of 4, and he has the highest saves ratio in the entire division. I don't know how long we can go on ignoring the problem and hoping that a vital cog of our team just suddenly improves and cuts out the littany of errors currently seen in his game.

Why would it be lack of understanding with them, when he played with them for all of last season?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but hardly any fans are calling for Adkins to get the chop. Plenty are speculating that the chairman will fire him though; two entirely different things.

Against Man City; caught out at his near post for the Tevez goal. Distribution generally fairly average. Against Wigan; debatable, but for the second goal he was entirely static and again beaten at the near post. Against Man United; absolutely appalling distribution, we could very easily have conceded when his passes to Fox and Clyne were easily intercepted, how we didn't concede at least one goal is still a mystery. The first goal, perhaps harsh, but RVP's shot struck Kelvin's leg, had he moved it just a few centimetres he would have saved that shot off his knee. And I'm not convinced he couldn't have done more for the second goal, at least from Ferdinand's header where Davis looked painfully slow to react and get over to it. So no, sorry, I think the writing has been on the wall since the very first game.

A couple of bookies must be seriously deluded. http://www.oddschecker.com/football/football-specials/southampton-specials/next-permanent-manager

Go support Sholing.

Supermarket sushi and sashimi really doesn't count; all a bit bland and tasteless in comparison to the genuine article.

Yes, that crushing weight of expectation as categorised by Pompey Supporters Trust Spokesman, Colin Farmery: :lol:

I think you're confusing respect for sentimentality. Davis has been a good keeper for the past 2 or 3 seasons. He's had his faults which we knew about but overall in the lower leagues his strengths outweighed them. At this level, where the slightest mistakes get punished by a goal, that is no longer the case. Dean Hammond and Billy Sharp were also brilliant for us at a lower level. The manager realised they would not be good enough in this division, replaced them and moved them on. I think it was also his intention to do this with Kelvin, but for some reason it didn't materialise.

It would be the biggest division of the fanbase ever. I simply don't know how I could continue to support the team in the same manner if he were to become manager; I simply despise everything about the man. I couldn't imagine doing anything but booing him. Then again; Chris Nichol used to get absolute pelters from the home fans on his pitchside walk at the start of the games, so its not totally unprecendented!

I don't like coffee. I like tea, PG tips, strong tea, milk, one sugar.

Hmm. I've already said I think we'll probably sell out the standard tickets (non-corporates) come kick-off, so I'm not sure what issue there is.

It's fairly confusing; how did we have that many tickets sold on walkups when we were usually sold out days or weeks in advance?

Who is making an issue of it? Just a discussion about attendance as far as I can make out.

Very average goal, I wouldn't even bother. Their keeper dropped a really simple cross straight to the feet of Fox and he smashed it in from 6 yards.

I refuse to believe I got anything right Bear; you must be thinking of someone else.

Ah right, didn't realise the prices were that much different.

I doubt that. We may sell out the regular seats, time will tell. But we didn't sell out the corporate areas against Man United, so I have sincere doubts we'll do that against Villa.

Its certainly disappointing compared to our previous years in the PL, when apparently the majority of our games were sold out weeks in advance.

Why not just go in the Chapel end, Norm? Plenty of seats in there.