saint1977

It's been a problem for years and years and only really Hoddle and WGS tackled it and stated that it was unacceptable for professional athletes. It re-ignited after WGS left allegedly with a passion and look at the results and fitness. Past players thought that "It's OK, Channon and co used to have a few beers and that was Southampton's best side" but they were great, great players and football is different now, certainly in the financial rewards so sacrifices are neccessary.

It means the players might have to pull their finger out Mike and for the first time since WGS left actually give 100% and earn our respect. Those players that stay on from last season have a lot to prove to us - that they are worthy of being in the game and wearing the shirt. I'll support whoever runs out for us next season but I'll want to see 1000% more effort and certainly no more bottled tackles.

Yes, well done Benji, thought someone would spot that! Did Kevin Filth write that? Used to enjoy reading the UI before the internet had kicked in.

Trouble is Stanley whilst there's no way I was going to vote for Labour you've got to admit that the Tories are just as effing useless. Cameron knows how to make a headline and that's about it. Lib Dems are probably the nearest option but Clegg is a bland second-rate clone of Blair. I voted Green.

Fred "the Banjo" Dineage. It looks like a Banjo from an overhead camera angle anyway.

Taking penalties if we get any in the last minute! Bar that save from Crossley Matty never missed one. Mind you, Beatts used to be deadeye from the spot as well.

I'd agree with that and Curbishley was a tough act to follow at Charlton. I've heard fans of clubs that Dowie has managed say that Iain sometimes brings his brother with him and that allegedly causes political friction. Don't know if that's true or not. Did well at Oldham and Palace.

No suggestion whatsoever that this is going to happen. Ignore this thread.

Matt Oakley is from a different era of player I'm afraid and is also bright enough not to be dominated by some wide-boy spiv of an agent who should be mis-selling securitisation packages in the City instead.

I think that Drew's problem is his lack of upper body strength and I've been saying it for 2 or 3 years. He hasn't got the pace to play wide left so he needs to beef up to be able to compete in the centre. I don't think Drew has ever been at peak fitness either but does have a lot of quality on the ball and a good pop on him if someone can work on the physiological side. If Lallana didn't go, I'm not sure we'd need him and Surman. McGoldrick will go to Notts IMO, there's been speculation for at least 18 months that he wanted to return to Nottingham for family reasons.

Agreed Ponty. I've been stopped at pub closing time for going around the corner - which is very sharp - slowly. Now fair enough, I didn't mind being stopped or breathlysed due to the time of night as I could have been a drink-driver but when the test was 100% clean, the young copper just couldn't leave it alone and have to pick an argument with a compliant member of the public. Fortunately my wife was with me both times and is ex-Police so reminded him that his aggressive behaviour was inappropriate which he didn't like but we reported him to his Area Commander. Turned out he'd been on a difficult job beforehand but I've been an enforcement officer and you just have to deal with that in a professional way. Hants Police were always reasonable in the past but I do find their officers a lot more clumsy in the last 4-5 years. Whereas when I've had work-related dealings with Sussex and Devon forces, I've found them excellent. Devon Police even helped me out big time when my car broke down on the bend of a fast, dangerous road and we wrote to the Chief Super to say thanks.

Southampton City Council and Southampton University both have temporary employment agencies I believe.

Thanks Bailey, sounds like Wotte is off then unless he remains first team manager. The impression the article gives is that he doesn't want to return to the academy role if he is being offered first team management roles elsewhere. He's been professional in the last few weeks though given the circumstances which will stand him in good stead. Rasiak and Sag will be off on nominals or frees from the sounds of it but it sounds like Pinnacle will make the decisions on McG and Surman which is encouraging. Trouble is, we saw with Beattie's final few months for us how a previously successful but now unsettled player can deteriorate and have a negative impact on the rest of the squad.

Geography for McGoldrick - has been on the grapevine for a while (18 months at least) that he wished to return to Nottingham Profile for Surman - has tasted England U21 duty although his form since has been largely dreadful. Staying in League 1 would make him a better player and grow up physically IMO. Dyer - escaping the scene of the crime.

He's improved but don't think I'd describe him as a natural born goalscorer, even at the end of last season his conversion rate wasn't brilliant for all of his undoubted progress. I think he'd improved as an all-round athlete. Remember, he made his debut in 2006 so he's been a slow burner but a bit like Kenwyne Jones, we get the development stages and someone may buy an improved product. Can't really see him and Blackstock firing Forest to promotion though. Will be a decent CCC player after another season at that level.

Skacel is already gone, agreed to take a year off his contract last summer. Saga I read a while ago is off to Legia Warsaw I believe but Rasiak is the highest earner and whilst I think we'll get a taker, it'll be one of the desperate parachute or relegated clubs the day before season k.o

Whoever raised the issue of the protests does have a point though even if I think the drop in attendance last season was due more to the appalling effort (or lack of) shown on the pitch. I think a few were staying away due to Lowe/Wilde but it's hard to gauge whether that was 40, 400 or 4,000. The point about the full house for Man U is valid. The big gates for the reduced price tickets also tells me the standard pricing was badly wrong - Leeds were getting 15-19,000, their lowest gates for years when they reached the CCC Play Off final because of ticket cost and Leeds fans are always cited on here as being as loyal as fans come. The protests did get noticed though and any attempt to deny that is just politics I'm afraid. Proof that protests when they are concerted and organised work are shown by Branfoot's demise. Askham found it almost impossible to get a sponsor for 93/4, hence Dimplex coming in at the last possible minute as a saviour. This, added to the televised protests and record low gate for the Ipswich game, was the catalyst for him to finally pull the trigger on Branfoot.

McG is a Nottingham lad and will want to go. However, now we are in the Exclusivity period McG can wait after signing that new deal last summer. I'd also hope we could get at least £1.5m for him. Not my favourite player but improved at the the end of last season and would score goals at L1 level IMO even if he's only just CCC standard at the moment.

It wasn't stay away fans or any other fan-related factor that drove the club into admin, it was years of incompetence and gross mismanagement plain & simple. Anyway, about time we all moved on, no more Askham or Teflon Jones etc.

He's a skate on a wind-up. Just use the ignore function. Reading his posts will only encourage the pillock.

Once the deal is tied up to buy us, now is the best time to make this heard. I think gates will be up next year, particularly if we can attract a semi-decent manager and wipe out the -10 quickly.

I don't think the new people will want to retain a 30 year old on that wage but the CCC clubs interested so far are not in great shape - Watford's parachute payments are over and Wednesday are heavily in debt and can't even afford to pay Adebola what he was on at Bristol City. The parachute sides or the newly relegated may swoop for Greg nearer K.O to the new season as they miss out on other targets although we'd have to waive a fee to save on the wages.

I agree with both of you on Norwich as three of my best friends are Canaries exiles. However, there is a bit of a spat developing between fans and one of their Directors who has offered to match financially any monies from fans that give up their 20% renewal concession. I can imagine Saints offering such a move would have split opinion on here and indeed the Head of the Supporters' Association has described it as emotional blackmail. Interesting times. I've always liked them as a club and we have been promoted together and relegated together.

Wish I was Hypo! No, I'm a Southampton guy born and bred, my grandfather moved the family to the area after a life in the military at the Queen Victoria Military Hospital - I live on Hayling as this is where my girlfriend (now wife) moved to - who has seen a lot of piecemeal development that hasn't gone anywhere and looked tired very quickly. My current job does have elements of planning, strategy, funding and project management to it so possibly I bring some of that into my postings. I've been lucky enough to travel both around the UK for my job and compare how things are done and also I've done a lot of world travel including Australia and New Zealand this year, hence I was off this site for a bit. I just looked at what had been achieved in Sydney and Auckland which are admittedly far bigger cities than us - but don't laugh - I could see elements of Port Jackson (Sydney) in Southampton Water and we are so lucky to have as much waterfront potential as we do and it isn't being used. 1 in 3 people in Auckland have access to a boat and 1 in 5 own a boat - home of Ocean sailing? Imagine getting a modern ferry to work in the current weather as opposed to being stuck at M27 J8? Southampton Water wouldn't get too choppy in the winter either with the double tides.

Perhaps that's the picture that the new potential Saints buyers see Phil - the Sydney element. Now OK, Fawley spoils that somewhat but Soton is internationally known as a cruise destination and I don't think there are many cities in Western Europe with as much under-used waterfront as us. Once, and if, property prices do recover somewhat, there are whole areas of the city that are ripe for proper regeneration - Meridian TV studios shell, the land around it, Town Depot near SMS, Ocean Village (and I mean a proper rebuild), Vospers in Woolston and to be honest, most of the northern part of the City Centre, not least around Tyrell & Green. Judging by the pathetic Ocean Village development and the Bellway farce at St Mary's St, the City Council need to be facilitators and private investment is the best way forward. SCC cannot do it themselves. What is then needed is a proper ferry system reaching out to the New Forest and East to Stokes Bay similar to what is available at Circular Quay in Sydney and the DLR-type system that was shelved stupidly in the 1980s. Ocean Village should be developed with proper tall buildings to attract major companies and skilled work to a high-profile watefront location and such companies can be serviced by one of the world's best Universities right on it's doorstep. The NIMBYism that has blighted the city needs to be tackled ruthlessly - people have to choose between their children to have skilled jobs and staying in the area and a future or continue to see the city rot into a hovel. Look how many exiles there are on this board already that have needed to leave the area to find skilled work. A Premier League club returning to Southampton in the next few years would be a key catalyst in attracting the proper clout to drive all of this forward. The potential is there - fast train to London, airport but it needs ambition and an outward view - something that until now those running the city and the football club have singularly lacked. Let's hope this is the first chapter of the pages being turned at long last.