saint1977

Everton have/had equal muscle but £500m later they are worse off than when they started. If any club breaks into the top 4 on a semi-regular basis it could be West Ham - a bit more backing now from the Czech investor but on top of a solid established base of British and European talent with 60-100 PL hardened games under their belt which Moyes has built. He did get Everton into the top 4 when it was just as hard but being London based might help with recruitment to sustain it. They are just fading a bit like Saints did at the time of year under Ronald but it’s where being able to add a £30m face to freshen up can make the difference. Attack depth is their Achilles heel hence the links to Broja in the summer and others. If Newcastle are patient that’s the model to follow. Time will tell. Leicester have broken the ceiling at times as well having done really well with Maguire, Kante etc then selling them on and buying Fofana, Maddison with the core already there but as they are finding out, you cannot afford any bad windows on recruitment to stay at that level. The King Power model started off in the Champ like Newcastle are now, Sven etc, older names on huge wages and throwing cash around but evolved subtly with spectacular results.

Huge issues looming in America, not sure Biden can do a lot with nearly 40% refusing the vaccine and probably 99% of those not even recognising the election result and swallowing the cult of Trump. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60133618 Omicron is proving as deadly as Delta for the unvaccinated. The higher vaccinated and more educated/professional areas like NYC will have rising cases but milder outcomes as we see largely in the UK. Sad example here but the hospital are taking the right stance, transplants need people to be adopting the right lifestyles and minimising risk to be fair to others on the list https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60132765. Hard to imagine putting online misinformation ahead of seeing your own kids grow up.

It’s not just the surface level condition, the structure has had 20 years of weathering in a location right next to water and exposed to winds. I can’t imagine there was much in the kitty for maintenance in the Gao era so one of the first tasks will be to assess any short-medium issues. Look at Birmingham’s St Andrew’s, stands are a few years older than SMS but some very serious issues have them closed https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/birmingham-city-st-andrews-repairs-22823221 Where SMS was a standard Barr construction I expect this makes inspection and access easier than some of the crawl spaces at St Andrew’s in that article. Nevertheless, it only takes 5 years of eyes off the ball in maintenance - which at cosmetic level seems possible - and bills mount up.

Probably comes under other clubs rather than other games per se but quite a nasty fire at Molineux on early hours of Sunday morning https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2022/01/24/several-days-until-full-facts-of-molineux-fire-fully-known/ Faulty electrical appliance thought to be the cause. Whereas this non fire related damage at Bristol City purely the result of Cardiff fans https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-city-fc-cardiff-city-6535608 Many Saints fans remember the mayhem they (Cardiff) caused on a visit in spring 2006.

Ian Darke not enjoying the fishy fayre on offer.

Excellent effort from the lads. Played very well for first half, still a threat up to 60 but like the Alamo after that. To be unbeaten against them in the league this season requires 120 minutes of intense focus and concentration. Great goal KWP, Livra will have to earn his place once fit. Midfielders worked their socks off and still supplied dangerous deliveries, Stu more like his old self. Broja did very well although should have scored. Frustrating to concede a set piece to a great side like that but considering the woodwork strikes I’m not complaining. Could’ve won it but easily lost it late on, definitely a point gained.

I hadn’t realised as well that their £2m ‘Marquis’ signing joined Lincoln last week and has equalised for them at Plymouth.

Norwich should be awarded this game 1-0. This isn’t 1978, in 2022 in the PL not having working floodlights has to lead to a forfeit. Mind you, looks to be enough light to play, but Mike Dean can hog all of the attention as he loves to do.

Good, balanced post. Unless there is clear evidence from those still around at the time that Ted was well aware of allegations and ignored them then removing the statue is a bit strong. But acknowledging that there was shared responsibility amongst the club leadership as much as there was for the FA Cup win. Where I’m struggling is Lawrie - if he had known, I could only a big ex-Coldstream Guard kicking seven bails out of Higgins and chucking his bag out onto Milton Road. Yet he seemed to know at all levels and be the public face of the club in the halycon days mid-70s to 80s. Trouble is that Higgins and his vile ilk are very manipulative with boys and parents in hinting at the first team dream and selecting victims that may/may not make it who are more likely to keep quiet. The prospects who were clearly making it to the first team and the top, and/or were more headstrong eg Moran, Shearer, MLT, Maddison or Franny were probably deemed too risky for someone like Higgins. Makes my skin crawl.

Quite. Mind you, those sailors need someone to serve them their baked beans after a morning cleaning the submarines.

Who was fat-shamed I wonder? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-10412159/Englands-chaotic-Ashes-tour-hit-accusations-drinking-culture.html Thorpe is being leaked against https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10415871/Graham-Thorpe-AXED-booze-shame-emerges-police-called-Hobart-hotel.html and it doesn’t look good for Silverwood either Operation Save King of Spain (cricket fans from early 2000s will know what I mean re Ashley Giles) and Tom Harrison seems to be underway with grubby ECB politics and spin. Silverwood does need to go but seems as assassination on him and Thorpe.

Was always going to be a difficult game against a fellow in form side with a good keeper and excellent striker eg Jimenez. That was part of the difference on the day, theirs had a good first half whereas ours, and he’s been an improvement on McCarthy overall, had one of his stinkers, even before gifting them their second. Ralph is going to have to compromise a little bit on playing out front from the back at times until the club can bring in the first choice GK and CB that are more comfortable with their distribution. McCarthy’s kicking is no better, pity Caballero not a few years younger as suits RH’s style of playing best. As S Clarke identified, most of us know and I’m sure the club does too, we need at least one new GK as first choice, CB partner for MS with one of squad options moving on, DMC and 10. Forster’s colossal wage will be gone and a few other players whose contracts are running down eg Moussa and perhaps Ely might be moving. When is Redmond’s latest deal up? There is a decent mid to lower PL half squad and better depth, hoping the takeover plus moving on some squad options for decent wedge will allow the 4 new faces to come in for the summer. Striker - depends what happens with Broja, probably best hope is second season loan.

Operation Big Dog seems quite appropriate given he has been responsible for such a large litter of puppies.

I agree on principle but I actually want him to stay in post as long as possible. Every week he is PM he hurts the Tories more. Sunak might be an answer but might also struggle to deliver on the promises the right would want for supporting him balanced with the levelling up agenda which was part of the package which captured the red wall, plus Corbyn’s toxicity. The small state old style Minford model the DT loves might win a few of the old SE seats back but lose swathes in the Midlands and North. Truss the blue few might like but public polls not convincing at all and she can match Boris for the number of gaffes. They got their Brexit - not that the government apparently allows officials to call it that any longer - but it could be politically as well as economically very expensive.

Newcastle known to be looking for a centre back? Watford looking for one as well. Can’t imagine Saints would be keen to sell unless they have a replacement lined up. No idea on Valery, rumoured that St Etienne interested from recent articles.

Horrific decision for the doctors to be in but they made the correct decision https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/13/my-bile-rises-as-im-asked-to-move-my-dying-cancer-patient-out-of-icu-to-make-room-for-an-unvaccinated-man-with-covid

Just replay him getting sent off for Blackburn at the Dell for spitting at Jim Magilton - lowest form of pondlife in the game. No wonder he got booed at Spurs and the fish shed https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6181087.rovers-sherwood-go/ Bednarek - great start!

And won the injury time pen up at Newcastle. Could be worth the fee alone come May.

Boris’s johnson is very effective even if Boris Johnson isn’t.

Club need to ring St Etienne on Monday and get that loan sorted out for him to go. Free transfer if they want to take him full time if Yann waives any pay off. If RH needs cover in that area we can bring a right sided loan in now. Brentford delighted for Tuesday day now with Saints having to play for 60 minutes with 10 men. Regretting not being more clinical with those chances. Manager has criticised Salisu for not following instructions v Spurs in not letting the keeper save, next game the bonehead does the same thing and far from certain Obafemi even gets to the ball unlike Son who would have been 1-1 with Fraser. Last game Valery plays for us I reckon.

Yeah, take it off HD and it works. Good goal Redmond, well taken and good through ball. Swansea good energy but rustiness in their passing which cost the the goal and crossing. Would look to sub Valery at HT if he lasts that long after such an idiot 2nd minute booking on the halfway line.

More evidence of Deregulation failing and another huge bill to bail out by taxpayers as the construction firms will simply put themselves into CVAs. We have a Conservative government which doesn’t understand his capitalism works. They spout it parrot fashion from Minford’s books circa 1978, but don’t get the realities. Rather like Brexit and the 10 year old IT system for imports. Some of the deregulation was Labour as well, but there was enough fire disasters in the 1970s and 1980s growing up to know that putting known flammable materials on residential buildings, especially tall HMOs, is manslaughter. Yet no one is prosecuted and the Grenfell inquiry has been keen so far to pin the blame on the London Fire Brigade and away from the companies supplying the flammable cladding and materials. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59916812 Not as if people couldn’t forecast the problems of using unsafe and flammable materials and systems as far back as 1984 (see last 5 minutes)

I read David Tossell’s excellent book about Alan Ball - the man in the white boots - a couple of summers back. Lee did offer more than double what Bally was on with Saints at the time. However, the book does confirm from a number of SFC sources there at the time that Askham reluctantly offered extensions to Bally and his coaching staff. Bally was offered what was apparently a grudging extension offer of £72k pa IIRC and nothing on top for the back room team. MLT said he was on more than that and it sounds like other players were too, it was a ‘low wage for the PL at the time’ even taking into account the Taylor Report and Dell’s very reduced capacity. So Bally was hardly a money grabber although it suited Askham and board to spin that narrative. It’s reported in the book there was a bit more to it as well. The club’s senior team had been given purchase cards to use when out and about on SFC duties. Bally was apparently not the most financially aware, indeed his wife Lesley managed all of the household finances. So Lawrie was saying in the book that Bally would go up to London midweek to take a game in for the reserves or opponents and have a good meal and bottle of wine with a couple of friends. It all added up but Alan apparently wasn’t always too hot on keeping the receipts. Given Askham’s nickname from fans of Mr Burns from the Simpsons that was building up issues. Added to this, Alan had a couple of long term friends who he bought seats for next to the Directors box. Whilst they waited for him to wrap up post match with the players apparently they had a few beers. Again, nothing particularly bad but football in the mid 90s was starting to evolve into the corporate business it is now, plus the club boardroom at the time was notoriously stuffy. Total hypocrisy from the muppets who appointed Branfoot and extended his contract. Bally was such a breath of fresh air with Lawrie when they came in, much better football and atmosphere. Anyone who was at the Shrewsbury. Ipswich, Oldham, Sheffield Weds and Port Vale games will know how toxic the football and atmosphere was. Our fans hated Branfoot and Askham wasn’t far behind. The corporate fans at SMS now would get a shock if they were at the Oldham or Leeds games with the scale of protest. Branfoot was unpopular as Palace assistant and at a cup game the whole crowd gave it to Branfoot. I remember the East Stand banner - Mr Blobby In, Branfoot Out. Every game booed to the dug outs. Pellegrino and Les got off scot free by comparison. We did win 6 in a row under Branfoot but soon to reverted to shipping 4 goals in 5 minutes (Spurs away on Sky). I dread to think getting back to the OP what Dave was given, bet it was a sight less than £70k pa! Dave didn’t want to do the job either,I know that through mutual connections with his family. And Askham then sacked him after keeping us up on a budget of fumes when his wife was very seriously ill - in tears on Meridian. Andy Steggal was visibly appalled at what Askham did. Bally failed at City but it’s hard for younger posters to envisage what a mess they used to be. They sold Flitcroft his star midfielder six weeks from the end of the season (no transfer windows then folks) to stay in business. Too much for Franny Lee to turn around when he bought them after his successful recycling firm, City really were a hospital pass on those days and United’s rise made it worse. He gave Kinkladze a free role like he did MLT at Saints in Matt’s halcyon days but if you thought Matt’s workrate was suspect…and likes of Niall Quinn weren’t getting crosses from Georgi. City fans were told they were getting a World Cup winner - they were but they were expecting Beckenbauer etc. Kinkladze scored some beautiful goals - one v us at Maine Rd, but he wasn't going to get 25 goals or put sweet crosses on Quinn and David White’s heads for goals as MLT was doing for Saints under Bally.

This is what concerns me a bit about Crocker, the age groups are doing much better but these sort of contracts have been given out willy nilly in recent years to academy graduates getting well into their 20s - Dan, Hesketh, Johnson, Ramsay, (has been injured but still at L1 bottom club). Sure there’s plenty of names I’ve missed there as well. Dan will be 25/26 when the contract finishes and I’ve see nothing to suggest an EFL career let alone PL. Add all of those up over the years and it’s a lot of money. Sims I can excuse because he had some limited impact at PL level previously.

In principle I agree with that statement. The issue may be that the football side - the primary focus because Les left it in such a disgraceful state - sucked away nearly every penny to try to keep the club in the PL (and in existence frankly after the MSD loan) to try and fix all of the huge financial bloopers on player trading and the rapidly declining academy. That may have meant that Martin inherited some of Krueger’s ops directors who he hasn’t rated and wanted rid of but hasn’t had the capacity or bandwidth until a takeover was completed to make the changes he has wanted. Also, skilled political operators at Director or head of service level can hide or misrepresent serious underlying operational issues until they burst into the public domain eg season tickets, new card systems, capital maintenance and procurement. That might account for some of the localised discontent from staff that the OP on the UI. None of this grants Semmens and Steele a free pass as all areas at a PL level ought to be high performing but it may mean that they can replace and upgrade posts and personnel in key non football areas of the business on a bit more of an even and competitive keel in the club’s peer group.