angelman

In all honesty I was a little disappointed with last season in that we didn't get more points and finish higher. I see no reason why we shouldn't have got 10 or even 15 more points. For example - 2 dropped away at Sunderland and 3 dropped away at Spurs. But my real disappointment was reserved for Osvaldo. OK, he scored the best goal of last season, but if he had played properly and knocked in the goals as he was brought in to do, then who knows how many more points we would have got. Looking at ManC and Liverpool, they both scored nearly twice as many goals as us. And who brought him in? Cortese or Pochettino or both?

I agree that the "weaker" sides were quite happy having a very very deep back 5, 6 or more sitting on the 18 yard box, and we did seem to have a lot of difficulty sometimes breaking that down. And yes, Spuds a different situation, and as Talk****e very patronisingly said, that the big clubs experience different pressures and expectations unlike at Saints, so who knows what might happen. I read in one of these ****e articles, that the clique he had Saints probably only worked because of our small stature and the small stature of our players and this wouldn't be so easy at a big club with big players.

I also think we have to realise that we are not top 7 and that there seems to be a big difference in what they spend (only including Everton because of the Lukaku deal) and what everyone else does. I am sure that someone will point out a signing that "breaks the rule" but the non top 7 don't sign players over £15m. The top 7 quite happily drop £20-25m on players, and then there are the Top 4 (so to speak) who will do £30-40m transfers. I imagine that United are soon to go it alone into the £50m+ territory (and yes, I know Chelsea spent that on Torres).

I was listening to one of the better programmes on Talk****e, and one of the pundits mused how well MP will do at Spuds saying that the success that he had at Saints was largely down to the set up already in place. While there might be some truth to that, I do think it a little disingenuous as he is widely reported to be quite the tactician.

If from a URL - with no gaps between the square parentheses and the URL

How many South Americans have we ever signed that can be considered a success?

Irene are you Sara Mannei?

Shanks's Pony?

It seems that most of the press are on our side. Talksport this morning, Brazil and that rugby chap and some other pundit, said it was about time clubs took this sort of stance and that £30k per week, which he was happy to sign up for last season, wasn't exactly peanuts. One of the other aspects that I find distasteful, is the way that it is a dog eat dog business. There are 20 teams in the PL with another, say 10 that make up the various positions through relegation/promotion - so a relatively small number, where there is no solidarity what so ever. We are just as bad as everyone else, we get shat on, we **** on the people below us. I am sure Paul Lambert feels that we have behaved in a similar manner regarding Vlaar as Spurs have with our players, although it seems that we have not put a bid in for him. My dream is for RK to work some magic this season and to deliver one big **** off to the press, the detractors, the ex-manager and ex-players.

I'm with you there. To be honest, I am a little petulant, and want to see all our ex players fail except those that have moved on to clubs below us, where I hope that they prosper.

Forgiveness rather depends what you expect from the players in the first place. So while I agree with your sentiments, the actions of many of the players this summer, has refocused my view on football players in general. We had a good run, better than many/most other clubs where the same core stuck together on the way up. Some might have been lulled into thinking that we had something special and that the players wanted to stay at the club that we love for sentimental reasons. Certainly the extending of contracts would point towards this, but the scales have well and truly fallen from my eyes and clear vision has been restored. That he and others have acted in the way that they have is (now for me) to be expected in this day and age of football. It is sad that so many people hold football players up as role models, because the whole of the PL is based pretty much on greed. Players (and I know that this is a generalisation) seem to live in some bubble detached from the rest of the world and think that they can behave how they want, when they want. That to me is why they think that they can jump ship as and when they want. Admittedly clubs, or in this instance, SFC, acquiescing to other moves paints a picture that anyone can do it. However, misconstruing a mutual decision as some for of right is a bit naive on the player's/agent's behalf.

Not really fussed about AL any more, unless he destabilises those at the club. Just find it sad that the modern footballer believes in the self-aggrandisement and live their live's by it.

I agree, what on earth is Koeman doing and what does he know about football

also minus Robinson Leggett Nehemie Fox Barnard Forte and no doubt others to follow (like Sharp, Mayuka ??)

SSN say "has HAD".

Well, they got £11m from Fulham for McCormack, so maybe they think that this is what they will get for everyone. He signed a new 4 year deal in 2013. Byram has a year less (ending 2016). We aren't going to pay that, they aren't going to get that, but then I guess they don't want to sell.

O2 seems never to give a signal, and I have yet to crack the password on the press wifi.

Well it is tacit acknowledgement that the queues at ½ time are too long. If it quickens things up, and if they can brew a decent coffee, then I will be up for having one at 3.45

I was replying to what The9 said in the previous post, #11, "The "scan point" suggests that you pre-order away from the ground, someone told me that a receipt is printed from the "Scan Point" and you take it to the collection point. This somewhat undermines the portability benefits of app-based technology, but might be a useful safeguard against fraud, so I have no doubt that's the way we'd choose to do it"....so, I think we'll just have to wait and see.

It is ridiculous to have to order before you get to the ground. I am sure that some know that they will feel hungry at 3.45pm but surely it should work on a spur of the moment thing.

4G - what's that? I'm still waiting for 3G to arrive with me. And pre-ordering food/drink away from the ground - what a completely ridiculous idea.

Does the qjacker thing mean that we will be able to get the internet inside the ground? If not, how else do you order as I am sure that you aren't supposed to do it pre-match - or are you?

Not fussed either way. I go to SMS to watch footie and very rarely buy food/drink inside the ground (not least because it isn't very good and is expensive). But I guess that I also don't bother as the queues are too big (and I enjoy the half time race) so if these could be lessened by prepayment points, then I might be tempted to get a cuppa.

Not surprised. You don't sign a £10m goalie and leave him on the bench.

Or how about both in a 3-2-3-2 formation?