Sheaf Saint

Footballers, and other sportspeople, know the risks and choose to take them. Horses don't get given the choice.

Oh what a surprise... another two horses dead after this year's race. But hey, it doesn't matter because a few people have won a few quid having had a lovely day drinking bubbly

Oh for feck's sake, please read my response to solentstars above. I am not blaming him for losing to Reading. I am simply contributing my opinion about one player on a thread that is all about that one player. Lastnight Guly came on when we were searching for an equaliser. Many of the posts defending him on this thread claim that he has that special ability to create something or make something happen and that is why he should be in the team, but on lastnight's evidence (and, indeed, all of the games I have seen recently) I didn't see the slightest hint of that. In that one incident that I have already mentioned, when he had the opportunity to run at the Reading defence or make something happen he completely bottled it and left it to Cork instead, which is the exact opposite of what you expect from a player who is supposed to have that bit of magic that can change a game. Perhaps he is low on confidence - I don't know. Why do so many people assume that just because I and others are critical of his individual performances that we are all scapegoating and making out like it's all his fault whenever we have a bad result?

Scapegoating? Where in either of my posts did I blame him for the defeat? That's right, I didn't. If you read my post in the reaction thread you'll see I was equally critical of certain other players as well. This thread is an ongoing debate about Guly, as he really does divide opinion. My opinion of him was that he was very poor last night and that our attacking play became very pedestrian and predictable when he came on we needed to create an equaliser. I simply posted that opinion on here, which is surely thw whole point. If you disgaree then why not offer constructive reasons instead of labelling me as sad.

There was one moment where we had the ball in midfield and were trying to build an attack. Guly had possession and time and was looking for options, and he chose to play an utterly pointless 3-yard sideways pass to Cork which lead to the move breaking down. It's obvious that NA brought him on to give us some better attacking options and he did absolutely nothing and was at fault for their third IMO.

Thought he was dreadful when he came on tonight. Far too conservative and slowed the game down when we needed to up the tempo and put pressure on the Reading defence.

Annoyed. we had them on the rack for large periods but just couldn't find that bit of quality needed to open them up - good defending from Reading you have to say, and we didn't harry them enough to pressure them into a mistake, which is exactly how they scored their second and third. Sharp was ineffective. I know he was invloved in our goal but aside from that he offered no threat at all which was disappointing. I thought Chappers was having a good game before he was subbed and SDR did show some enterprise when he came on but still couldn't supply enough quality from the wing. When we really needed to up our game to get a goal back after they went 2-1 up, Guly comes on and slows the game down completely. Totally one-dimensional in midfield and offered nothing going forward - at fault for their third goal. I really don't care if I get slammed by his supporters on here because I have not seen a single damn thing from him all season that shows he is a positive force in the team. Oh well. Reading probably deserve the title now, but I'm still confident that we will take second spot. As long as we play with the same confidence and patience as we did during our periods of dominance tonight in our last 3 games then I can't see WHU overtaking us. Blue line. Onwards and upwards.

4 mins added on

Really can't see us getting anything now. Not enough quality up front in these final stages.

Hello boys...

I really f***ing hate Reading now. Twice now - completely against the run of play. Absolute cooonts!!

I can't believe people are moaning about Chaplow tonight. OK, he got a little carried away to earn the yellow but he's been involved in all our dangerous play tonight. And just as I type that, he gets subbed for De Ridder. Shows how much I know doesn't it!

I want to have Rickie Lambert's babies! ;-)

Keep our headache???????

Well it's very annoying that we have been so dominant but find ourselves behind, but I take heart from the performance so far and as long as we remain patient then eventually the Reading defence will crack - of that I am certain. Just an observation I have made, and I fully expect to get flamed for it, but has anybody else noticed how much better we are keeping possession with Guly not in the team?

C**ts!!!!!!!!! Wtf!!!!!?

The only advice I can offer you is to avoid Europcar like the plague. When I hired a car with them in France a couple of years ago they cancelled my reservation without notice and then refused to reimburse me for the accomofation costs I incurred as a result. They took about 6 weeks to respond to my complaint and couldn't have been any more disniterested and unhelpful when they finally did.

Looks like a right laugh, but East Street isn't the only shopping centre in Southampton that offers itself as a candidate. Last time I was there the Bargate Centre seemed like it was almost abandoned as well.

I was working with a lot of neutrals at the time (mostly Sheff Utd or Barnsley fans) and all of them, without exception, said they thought we were by far the better team in both of the games against Derby and really should have won. So although the records show we lost out to the team who went on to score the lowest ever PL points tally, the reality isn't as black and white as that.

I just watched this today and I really enjoyed it. Yeah it's a little far fetched towrads the end but I thought it was a very well-crafted and tense film.

I love that album of hers. Saw here live a while back and it's amazing that somebody with such a soft and squeaky speaking voice can sing so powerfully!

Orbital - Wonky. Ok there might be some bias here because I have long been a huge fan of theirs, but I can honestly say I have never been this impressed with a 'comeback' album. It's head and shoulders above the last 3 albums they did before they split and right up there among the best stuff they have ever done (will never be better than In-Sides though).

Right, so Pompey have screwed the government out of £millions in public revenue due to their decision not to bother paying their tax and NI bill, and now they expect the government to bail them out with further funds from the public revenue. Have these morons no shame?

Not sure where you're getting that from but it's contradictory to what I have read and always understood to be correct. As I understand it, there was always some argument between Britain and Spain over control of them following the departure of the French, but at no point has Argentina, as a sovereign nation independent from Spain, ever actually been granted control of the Islands - they just assumed it was part of the package when they declared independence from Spain.

This I can relate to. Even in Southampton, there is a subtle but noticeable distinction between accents on each side of the Itchen. I grew up on the east side in Bitterne, but I also have some friends from over Shirley way and I have always been conscious of the slight difference in their inflections and use of certain words etc...