saint1977

Accurate of my view as well. Seabourne is developing nicely, can see why there was a lot of interest in him. He has still some way to go but genuine left-footed centre-halves who can also play LB are quite rare and the distribution will improve. Semi was disappointing but has only recently returned from injury, I think he needs a run of games. Morgan S clearly wasn't fit either, really need to reinforce CM in the summer with at least 2 players - Hammond was very average and needs competition and Wotton ain't up to it. Puncheon was a mixed bag but does have that extra quality. Hope Jaidi isn't out for long. Barnard worked very hard, just needs that extra awareness but a snip at only £175k. Bet Grayson wishes he'd signed for Leeds! Lambert had little service as with Barnard. Star man - Lallana, brilliant first goal and switched on for the second. Tracking back has improved out of sight too. Notable mention to Davis for that key save second half. Not sure why Pardew brought Wotton on but hey ho, got the 3 points.

Persistent rumours in London that Brentford's left back is probably joining us in the summer. Not sure how that'll work with Harding in good form, perhaps the Brentford lad will play LM. Also, Adomah from Barnet has been linked on a number of occasions - hopefully Puncheon MkII. I'd like to see Le Fondre signed from Rotherham, good Connolly replacement and would be a nightmare sight for tired opposition legs. Jackson at Gillingham could be re-invigorated as an alternative after a disappointing season for him after all the hype but he has bags of ability. I'd also look at his wing supply in the shape of Barcham if Adomah doesn't join. We clearly need another CB with Perry's likely retirement - would have thought we'd burned our bridges with Eliot Ward. Volz would be an excellent free RB if we could tempt him. CM is a priority, release Wotton and give Hammond and Morgan S some sorely competition. Stock would be the obvious candidate if he was willing to drop a division. In terms of our loan players: Antonio - 2 year deal please Waigo - as above Semi - 1 year, he's surprised me but does seem to be injury-prone.

Mine did - my wife is 2nd driver on my policy, got caught doing 37 mph in an unmarked 30 in Portsmouth (non-residential) and if you don't tell them it can invalidate your cover. So I told them and my policy element for her went up when renewing (only by about £20 but I bet it would have been more if my wife had been under 25). Had they not been £50 cheaper than the opposition and very good a couple of years ago when I needed them, I'd have gone elsewhere. Personally, I'd agree with you that punishing for the first 3 points is a bit much but after that fair enough.

Irani is one of the least talented players ever to play for England, he only got in the side because he was mates with Hussain and Gooch and he went on to stab Hussain in the back at Essex according to Hussain's book. His pathetic slow-glacial-medium bowling wasn't good enough for Vospers and his batting was very average - Warne took great delight in winding him up for Hants. Disgrace that he got to pull on the England top. Alan Green talks rubbish, moaning Liverpool supporting ***t, wish BBC would sack him. His co-commentators don't think much of him either. Chelsea have got about 29,000 "real fans" as some of their lower CL games against the likes of Rosenborg prove. We filled SMS regularly in the PL. The rest of those Chelsea shirts would vanish as soon as the Russian money did and they'd be back to being a yo-yo club. Even their 90s success was built on spending that Abramovich had to bail them out of, if they hadn't beaten Liverpool on the final day in 2002/3 they'd have finished 5th, not been bought and were allegedly facing administration.

A massive thank you to Markus, Nicola and Alan and his staff for restoring the club's pride and building a great foundation where we can really kick on from now. Markus will be getting his camera out for the L1 title presentation next season and after that who knows. I love Cortese's comments in the programme - doesn't just want to settle for 27 years of survival and have the academy produce just individual headline players and the investment will hopefully be there to ensure this can become a reality. I've been to some great sporting occasions - FA Cup, victorious Ashes series, Barbados in 2004 with the Barmy Army, Hampshire winning the FP Trophy - but nothing tops yesterday.

Loved today, brilliant. Great view from up in the Gods and wonderful turnout. Carlisle fans were sporting in defeat and their team played well in patches first half. Nice to see both teams playing decent stuff on the deck. Delighted for Antonio, great 20th birthday and surely worth a 2 year deal? This is my wife's first season as a Saints fan and wonderful to share today with her. I love this set-up, I think we could start filling up our trophy cabinet in the coming seasons.

Yep, a few morons around me did as well after Markus got a big cheer on the screen. I have to say that 98% of us cheered Cortese, me included but pathetically, it did happen although it was probably about 100 people out of 45,000 and some of it may have been pantomime. Hopefully Cortese is a robust enough individual with a sense of humour to ignore a few idiots released from their villages for the day and heard the huge backing that he actually got.

Norwich have been the best team in this league by a mile this season. Millwall could pip Leeds but I have Leeds might just hang on to second if they can hold their nerve. Palace might get a buyer but nothing to fear from Plymouth or Posh. I disagree on Bournemouth though Steve, odious fans and I will never forgive them for the seaplane incident but that's why smacking them 5-0 at SMS will be all the sweeter as we rub in every goal we canter to! Aldershot coming up would be cool but probably won't happen. Notts County would be a good weekend - have a pint in Ye Olde Trip. Swindon need to go up this season for the reasons you have mentioned and Parkinson is under pressure from Charlton fans. Got a feeling Hudds might just sneak up past Col U - who are awful and niggly - and with their home form batter someone in the first leg of the play offs and then peak in the final with Rhodes and Novak on form.

Totally agree, he is quality and will be a key man next season. Leeds fans were seriously singing his praises after last Saturday's game. I can't make midweek home games but I do get to most of the Saturday ones and I assure doubters he is quality. My concern is Hammond, sounds like yet another poor game. Morgan has been outshining him for a while now. We do lack pace in the centre of the team, bar Fonte, and it does put a lot of pressure on the full-backs and wide players to be on-song.

Although Pards is clearly in a real battle for his job, I will say that the top 6 in this league have amassed large points totals, far more than the CCC. Therefore, we'd have needed a huge points total and hardly any dropped points all season and that is too big an ask IMO considering that he inherited. What a pity after playing so well Saturday. I think AP needs to be getting us in top 2 by October and if he hasn't done that with Leeds, Norwich et al gone then I then can't defend him any longer. I like the players he has brought in and how he comes across so I want him to succeed.

Whilst I like Pards and want to see him here next season, I do fear for him after this. Cortese is bound to be getting twitchy, you can't ask for that sort of investment in any business and then not deliver consistent results. Last thing we need is another change though. Credit to Wilson though, superb job at Swindon.

I watch them on a regular basis - bar midweek games not in London - and I can tell you that as much as I enjoyed Saturday this team DOES have a question mark against it's consistency. That may or may not be down to character but I'd like to see a leader in CM with Morgan and Hammond competing for a spot.

I'd go with a lot of those ratings. Not sure what Otsemibor injury was either - people around us suggesting calf pull but did have ankle niggles at Norwich. CBs and Davis had simple afternoons although Becchio was at least trying to make Fonte work although Fonte is too good for L1. How poor was Beckford? Awful attitude and will be back out on duty with RAC if he doesn't get his attitude in order. Morgan S was super and Puncheon caused Aiden White to be subbed at HT and he was rated as one of Leeds' best players at Man U and Spurs. Lambert was good both on the deck and air and Barnard put in a real shift. Lallana did very well but needs to work on his heading. Hammond did fine but didn't like the crude foul near the end - ref messed that up as well! Harding immense and deserved goal.

This sums up the unease I'm feeling. We play brilliantly at Carrow and home to Walsall and Hudds and then nightmares at Wycombe and second half yesterday. I'm certainly not saying AP out, far from it, but the side is lacking something and I believe it is leadership. Leaders enforce managers' instructions and patterns of play and just don't have any leaders. Marsden or other players we have had in the past with those qualities would have been issuing the neccessary hairdryer rollockings yesterday in the second half to stop the laziness and going to sleep for 20 minutes. I'd hoped after the brilliant performance Tuesday night that we had finally grown out of drifting off during whole periods of the game but we need a leader, not a thug. Mazza didn't break legs but he led lads like Bridgey and Beatts well. Lallana has huge talent but needs to be scoring the six-yard tap-ins as well as the pretty goals at Hartlepool. Can't we bring in MLT, who hardly ever missed those, to help him one-to-one? Barnard is looking like a goal machine at the moment and Puncheon has been a great decision. Not sure why Antonio wasn't on earlier.

He was the best player on the pitch against us for MK Dons earlier in the season and yesterday's performance justified his billing. I couldn't get to Norwich but told he was superb up there as well. As for Plymouth, unlike TDD he couldn't settle down in the deep South West and hence was loaned out. Got a mate who is a Barnet fan and says he was very popular when there as well. Just needs a home now and could be ideal for both parties.

Really sorry to hear that, hope is better soon and that the prognosis is ok.

I agree with the many postings on here saying that we were far too narrow, particularly for that surface. Lessons have not been learned from Brentford or Exeter and need to be. Fonte was immense last night and despuite the missed chance Lallana did well. When Wotton came on it reduced Wycombe's chances of winning but almost totally destroyed ours as well. Holmes either needs to be played or released in the summer and replaced. My real concern is Hammond. He was superb V MK and I'm told at Norwich, a game I sadly couldn't make but dreadful last night and it's not a one-off, he's had a number of other utter stinkers, not least against Brighton. Morgan can be frustrating but you'd pick him ahead of Hammond. Does Hammond want to be in the Wotton role next season - coming on for 20 mins to shore it up or as our midfield heartbeat going into the CCC? Time he added consistency and made his mind up.

I think Pardew probably is interested and I did see a couple of postings on here suggesting that Waigo might not be signed on a perm deal in the summer. He is highly-rated and the sort of player that could develop with us yet make an impact in L1 so a yes from me.

Top effort Crab Lungs, looks a bit like Stadium of Light which isn't a bad thing at all. If we could make the lower tier slightly higher the boxes on the Kingsland side would have river views and the top tier of seating certainly would be sought after. The cost is expensive, I recall Lowe saying expansion was about 3 times a seat more than the original per seat cost to build the stadium. We do need to get out of League 1 and through CCC and be re-established in PL to make this possible (Pompey collapsing would also help) but let's think big, we got caught treading water in 2003 and it cost us. I don't think Cortese and Liebherr will fall into that trap if we ever fortunate enough to finish 8th in the PL and reach a major Cup final again.

Sadly couldn't make Carrow on Saturday but my Norwich friends said that's better than he'd played for them all season so all credit to him for beating the abuse. Good surging run for Lallana hitting the post. Hopefully a change of environment is working for him. I have actually seen him live for both Norwich and Saints about 7 times and go to most of Saints games and had a poor start but did show improvement against Stockport and if he continues to build on Saturday and gains consistency then very happy to eat my past words.

Ferking brilliant display - Norwich mate at the game said we deserved it and would have been a travesty if they had got a point. Concerned at their form but I still think they will go up. Thinks few teams will be getting anything off us until season end and still Leeds, Charlton, Hudds and Swindon all to come to SMS.

I did but I also saw him at Brentford where he didn't track back and left Semi badly exposed and needing a lot of help from Fonte which cost us second half when we were bombarded and Kelvin saved us. Lallana is a wonderful player going forward and and a favourite of mine, I just would have swapped him and Puncheon's flanks as Adam has days where he tracks back and some where he doesn't and Harding is better defensively if Adam has an off day.

Good to see Barnard get a start, we need to play him until he gets off the mark. Ostsemibor and Lallana though - Norwich will murder us down our right-hand side, is Thomas injured? No excuse for leaving us that vulnerable down the right if Thomas was available. Semi is bad enough let alone with Lallana not tracking back. A lot rides on Hammond and Morgan playing their best games of the season. Great that Fonte is back.

We need to play for a whole 90 minutes tommorrow or we'll get nowt. Playing Semi would be stupid risk as Norwich know his weaknesses and Thomas is on a good run there. For me, it should be: GK: Davis RB: Thomas, LB: Harding, CBs: Seabourne & Fonte RM: Antonio, LM: Puncheon, CMs: Hammond & Morgan FCs: Lambert & Waigo Subs: Lallana, Barnard, Jaidi, Mills, Semi, Bart Lallana was excellent last week BUT we cannot afford someone who only tracks back sporadically when facing Hoolahan, the best player at this level. Puncheon worked hard when he saw him for MK at SMS and we know Antonio helps his full-back. Harding deserves some help.

With that level of debt and no assets - no chance. They might get another fake buyer to last until the next Sky payment but they will be down by then and really, really insolvent. Admin is their best option and hope for a local consortium with a wealthy skate (contradiction in terms) that is willing to save them and clear some of the debt for their fishy friends. Trouble is, even then, Gadaymak wants his £30m for the land and they'll also be -10 or worse in the CCC.