Cabrone

It just isn't that easy to pull a club out of the mess that we were in, even over half a season. The problem was years of mad experiments, managerial merry go round leading to a bloated squad full of journeymen, constant interference from above and poor morale. I watched most of our games that season, we looked like a beaten team waiting for the drop almost from the off. Spurs (a), Watford (a) and Pompey (a) were particularly memorable horror shows that stick in the mind. Once you are down there it is very hard getting out esp with all the shenanigins going on. Redknapp has his faults but few managers would have gotten us out of that nosedive. The club had been run into the ground. All IMO of course.

To be fair to Harry wasn't Clough (IMO the greatest English manager of all time) the same? His motto was 'football's a simple game', pick good players in the right positions, let them do their stuff and it works. Not even sure if he bothered to turn up to a lot of training sessions TBH. Don't understand the bitterness towards Harry. When he was here he was trying to float a sinking ship with a lunatic above him hell bent on employing rugby coaches and obscure academy 'gurus' above him on massive salaries. I would challenge most managers to have kept us up under those circumstances. What's more - he assembled a fine team in the champ only to be undermined by the chairmain who sold Crouch and handed Harry 90k for transfers. We were 1 or 2 decent strikers away from a bounce back to the prem IMO.

He's definitely better than KD and would have liked him here but £50k p.w is complete madness so it's time to look further. QPR need their heads looking at, they are going to bankrupt themselves if they carry on like this. Football has to get back into the real world.

The fact that so many on here turn their noses up at a keeper of the quality of Rob Green makes me really laugh. Who do they think we are to turn our noses up at a quality player like him? He is a proven premier league keeper and definitely better than Davis. Green would slot in as no 1 straight away. KD would be a very solid backup. Wages should be OK as he'd be a free signing. Not sure how they'd affect the dressing room though. The only question mark is why leave West Ham?

Top priority for me as it's a crucial position. The defence is going to face top quality strikers next season so we need as good a GK as we can get. A top class GK could save 10-15 points over a season. If Butland is as good as the hype then I'd fully expect him to challenge KD from day 1. That's probably what NA will say to him too as he's not going to want to come here to sit on the bench.

So they are offering Ricky 4-5 times more than Holt? If you are going to make stuff up then at least try to be a bit realistic.

Welcome back to reality. Whilst we were the prettiest girl in league 1, one of the prettiest in the champ now we're just plain Jane or even frumpy Fiona in the prem. That's life.

Good, Chappers was at the heart of our best performances last season and I'd be sorry to see him go, even if we got Jay Rod coming in.

Norwich, Spurs and Arsenal away because those are the grounds I'd like to go to. Everton because since that semi in 84 we've won 9 drawn 11 and lost 24. Time to ammend the record (though they'll probably give us a tonking TBH).

Alan McGregor or Kilmarnock's Cammy Bell. Both would be ready for no 1 spot in the team.

Fair play to Chelsea, I thought that Bayern's finishing was poor and whilst Robben and Ribery looked good running at the defence they didn't provide enough decent service to trouble the Chelsea back 4. You can look as pretty as you want but it's all about getting the ball in the net.

Although he's class and only 2 years older than Ricky he's a liability regarding injuries and would want a tonne of cash so no for me. Maybe he could sign up for the blue few as long as he's OK with being paid in nectar points?

Yes absolutely. We need to remember that we were playing in league 1 only 12 short months ago so to be able to consolidate in the prem just 2 years later would be a great achievement. I'm starting off with the aspiration of survival and anything more is a bonus. Signings should give us a better idea of how we may do.

The difference between the clubs is that whilst we have had the odd clown running us Pompey have been devoid of decent ownership for more than 40 years. I honestly can't ever remember a time when Pompey was run by a competent person, the club has always been operated on a short term take-the-money-now basis and it's finally caught up with it. Although Lowe tried his hardest the club came through admin and now finds itself with a decent stadium, a superb academy, a strong fan base and a long term strategy. Pompey are at least a decade behind us IMO.

That would be my suggestion too, quality keeper who would fit straight in. KD has had a magnificent season and has been incredibly loyal but prem attacks won't spare him any mercy because he's a 'good guy'. If you want to know what we will be facing week in week out next season just cast your mind back to what the Reading strikers did to us, 3 decent attacks, 3 goals. My No 1 priority would be to get the very best keeper that we can between the posts, could be worth at least 10 points over the course of a prem season. Someone on another thread suggested Cammy Bell at Kilmarnock who might not be a bad shout too.

Cheers though I'll be happy with 4th from bottom next season to consolidate. Spent a year living in a bloody freezing house around 100m from Carrow Rd back in my student days, you could tell the score on a Sat afternoon just by listening to the cheers. Can also remember drinking in the pub that was under the main Wensum? stand with the likes of Robert Fleck and Ruel Fox. Is that bar still open? If I can get the readies together it's one I'd like to make a trip to, would be good to have a pint in the Ribs of Beef\Edith Cavell again.

No excuses for that kind of behaviour and you have to feel for the staff who have to put up with idiots like that on a regular basis. Just out of interest Turkish, being as you seem to have a real problem with the 'helmets' on here why do you continue to post?

Tickets still available if you're interested

Image of 2011-12 season? Take a bow SRL.

Yeeeeesshhhh!!!!!

All the best Cov, whilst I have absolutely no connection with the city I feel for the fans who have had to put up with a lot because that was us for a long time too. That and the fact that we were both scrapping away in the prem together for many years makes me feel a connection too. My honest view is that I think you're going to have to go through the fire of administartion before you rid yourself of the current blood suckers so a drop to league 1 might hasten the process for you. Also League 1 isn't so bad, it maybe the making of you if you can finally turn things around and start moving in an upwards trajectory. All the best - still hope we stuff you though.

'We - are - premier - league.....I say we are premier league' * 10 Seriously, If we go about tomorrow in a professional way we will be a prem club by 2.30pm.

If that's the Northam I'm in there somewhere. Man, that was a bad day made all the worse by Roy Keane giving it large after the game. What a prize tosser he was. The good side of it though was learning that there is life outside the prem, got more perspective on that plastic league now.

Not going to happen, we'll give Cov a good sendoff by dishing out a right beating at SMS. It's a bit of a phantom game really - neither team will be in the champ next season. Have a little faith.

Just looked it up in my copy of 'In That Number' and apparently the scorers were: Dave Armstrong (28) Danny Wallace (36,64,85) Stevie Moran (57,76,82) Frankie Worthington (69) So looks like we scored 2 goals at HT and 6 goals in the 2nd half. Apparently it was Danny Wallace's only Saints hat-trick which surprises me. Great team and a classic game, one of my early ones.