The Kraken

And all I'm saying is; don't go overboard in being critical. Man U supposeldy posess an incredible youth system yet we've kept up with it recently, despite having none of their history and certainly none of their worldwide power. Just be easy about what you criticiSe is alll I'm saying, because I think you do our youth development a discredit.

Listen, for the identification of world class players only from our youth system, I'll agree with you. We have had a rich tapestry of youth players go on to better things in days gone by. But compare these lists of players: Wallace R; Wallace R; Wallace D; Le Tissier; Shearer; Benali; Neville G; Neville P; Scholes; Butt; Beckham; Does our recent crop of Walcott, Bale, McGoldrick, Blackstock, Dyer, etc really stack up that badly againyst the country's, nay the world's, best youth system since then? Who were the last 5 amazing youth players that Man U, the "greatest club in the world" brought through. Mitigated against the fact that we'renow in the 3rd division, I think we do ok.

You're absolutely right. Well, not really. Gareth Bale...........his outstanding talent was evident from very early on, in particular his poise and left foot. It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at nine years old, when he was playing in a 5 a side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service Football Club.

A sincere exaggeration, and I just don't agree wih your appraisal of the differences.

Walcott and Bale are simply doing what those before them did, they are as exceptional as the Wallaces, Shearer, MLT in that they are performing at the highest English league level. You accuse me of glossing over it. Tell me which other massive luminaries I missed since the last of your's and the first of mine? We had a massive dearth of talent between Wayne Bridge and Theo. It doesn't mean our youth system is now defunct. Other clubs have caught up, rules meaning we can't recruit from all over England have come into force too. But we still have a very good youth academy, so it's unfair to suggest otherwise.

If he wanted to do it, I'd happily see Steve Grant occupy that space. I've never met him, but he always seems to talk a balanced sense about Saints and I more than often find it difficult to disagree with him when offering an overview opinion. Sadly, I think he wouldn't want the role. So we get the much less rational but much more vocal idiots.

Over how many years are you talking? Andrew Surman; Theo Walcott; Gareth Bale; David McGoldrick; Dexter Blackstock; Chris Baird; Nathan Dyer. Players who (all but one) left our club in the last 3 or 4 years for over a million pounds. It's hardly tailed off for goodness sake. And despite that, we're simply not going to produce another Shearer every single year. Our record for bringing kids through is amazing, and you will always have a year or two when you won't have a multi-million pound star sold on. Just because we "only" have Chamberlain knocking on the door, it doesn't mean our development system is in decline. Allied to the fact that Les Reed was brought in to oversee that side of affairs, I fail to see a problem.

If it is Adkins I will be totally underwhelmed. MoN would have beyond my wildest dreams, but I was expecting somewhere in between the two. All an Adkins appointment does for me is suggest someone who is happy to come to the club and be subservient to Clotese and Reed, which doesn't bode well at all.

You really think some random b0llo0cks spouted by someone so obsessed by the media is worth discussion? I don't. Take away his desire to be seen as an uber-fan, he is just a supporter like anyone else on this board. And while his opinion is as valid as the next man's, it hardly justifies a forum thread devoted to it.

I'm right, aren't I? It's Terry Hurlock. Seriously, put up or shut up. Ooooh, look what I know but won't tell you! It's childish.

How was your holiday in Marmaris?

Or Terry Hurlock; he'd be brilliant. He'd know all about the lower leagues and getting stuck in. Oooooh Terry 'urlock.

Just put up or shut up, Egg. Tedious.

I'm not sure it does though. I'm going along with the theory that the OS release on why AP was sacked is the true one, in that he couldn't / wouldn't work with the Development side of the club. Brown has already publically stated that he would work with Les Reed. Also, there's no denying that brown made quite a few errors when getting to the Prem, but if (massive if) he did end up getting the job and taking us up there there's no reason why he shouldn't at least be given the chance to have another go. I think an AP/Brown manager is exactly right for what we'll get; someone who has succeeded at lower leagues, had a modicum of success higher up but ultimately failed (hence they're not still up there) and are very keen to work hard to prove themselves again.

My Hull supporting mate would very much disagree; here's his words about Permatan Phil: "Would be a great signing in my opinion. Tactically really strong and would bring a great assistant in Brian Horton who knows the lower leagues - no money to really spend so no stupid signings, just a good squad to work with." I agree with him, I think it would be agreat appointment while we're in League 1 and the Championship. We would maybe need to re-assess if we get back to the Prem, but lets get the bloody job done first with a couple of guys who've been there and done it before, playing football the right way and with the ability to translate their tactical thinking to the pitch.

Nah, first one was a complete comedy howler by Davis. You're right that there was a defensive mix up but Davis has to take the blame for that one, it was a powder puff shot that went straight through him.

Poor old Dean Wilkins looks totally lost as the gaffer, and epitomises why we looked so rudderless today. For God's sake Clotese, please get a new man in asap. Beeb highlights certainly don't show the whole picture, but even still we look like a decent team and with a bit of authority in charge of a team feeling low at the moment we surely can make up the ground and make a go of this season.

Don't forget the part that, once you've got people on board as members, they're not allowed to discontinue their membership. In a bid to boost your own ego and give the massive illusion that your defunct organisation is much more popular than it actually is, its a "once a member, always a member" approach. Why be honest about membership levels when you have your own self-promotion to think about?

In the past, yes. They are a complete irrelevance now, and should be properly exposed as such.

Thanks, I always thought it was just those four idiots at the heart of it, good to have it confirmed. And I'm glad to hear you gave them the short shrift they clearly deserve. But the Echo must also surely know what a complete non-entity of an organisation they are; christ, Dan Kerins gts half his material from this site. Aside from lazy journalism, I still don't understand why these four are given such status in print and constanly referred to as "Fans' chief" etc; it just sticks in my throat that such egocentric imbeciles are given such a forum to effectively speak on my behalf as a Saints fan.

I'd be thoroughly happy with O'Neill getting the Forest job and us ending up with the little sh!t that is Billy Davis.

Derry, honest question, if you know. How many members of SISA are there? And how the hell do you become a member (not that I ever would)? It seems to me like a complete closed shop for a bunch of nutjobs to get their faces in print, but the credibility they are given by the Echo is quite, well, incredible. How many were at the meeting you were at, and how did you learn about it?

Dave

No, I'm not. Granted, I've only seen him in three games so far. He's clearly not up to his standards of last year, but I also don't think the team are helping him too much by having so many hopeless long balls lofted in to him in poor positions. Yes, there's plenty more to come from him, but I think the perceived decline in his performances can also be attributed to the fact that the service he's getting from midfield is not what it should be. Edited for red wine spelling (and thinking, some woul say....)

He's a little off the pace, but nothing too bad. I just thought the balls into him today were not good enough, and not in the right areas. It seemed all too simple to loft a ball in from just inside their own half, which was either mopped up by their defence or worse, overhit and shunted out of play. Chamberlain at least tried to get the ball down and take people on, but I just didn't think anyone wanted to step up to the plate and grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Too much shirking of responsibility for me.