Minsk

It was good enough to get you posting on it.

Nah, many people (including the players) might think you are merely singing, "What a load of rubbish" at the team's performance. It would be much better to sing, "Wotte's a w@nker."

Well done St L for running this, and for putting up with those who couldn't understand the rules/were purposefully being awkward. Given the age range of the users of this forum I am pleased that so many players from the 70s/80s are included. Mind you, I am totally surprised that CMFG, Jason Dodd and Marians were selected in starting 11s. FWIW my A and B Teams, using these players, would read: A-Team Manager: Ted Bates GK: Tim Flowers RB: Ivan Golac CB: Mark Wright CB: Michael Svensson LB: Wayne Bridge RM: Terry Paine CM: Alan Ball (Capt) CM: Matthew Le Tissier LM: David Armstrong RS: Mick Channon LS: Ron Davies Subs GK: Antti Niemi DF: Ken Monkou MF: Chris Marsden ST: Alan Shearer UP: Nick Holmes B-Team Manager: Lawrie Mac GK: Peter Shilton RB: Mick Mills CB: Claus Lundekvam CB: Dave Watson LB: Mark Dennis RM: Danny Wallace CM: Steve Williams CM: Jimmy Case (Capt) LM: Rod Wallace RS: Kevin Keegan LS: Steve Moran Subs GK: Kelvin Davis DF: Jason Dodd MF: Ronnie Ekelund ST: Marians Pahars UP: Peter Osgood

Completely agree. If I could only pick one of these to captain our current team, in our current circumstance, I think I would go for Jimmy Case.

Yep, I can hardly wait until our derby matches with Eastleigh! The problem is, I won't know who to support seeing as I was Eastleigh born and bred!! Still, I've got a couple of seasons to make up my mind - despite his best efforts!!!

Young was INJURED. As for SWP, he played well over here against Belarus in October. In fact, much better than Theo whom he replaced when coming off the bench. (Theo had a shocking match that day, but I'm still pleased he played.)

Have the OS ran a 'Wotte Hails Geert Wilders' story yet?

Errmmm, so how does that lie with our signing Zoltan? Our reserves scored 3 second half goals against Ujpest with him at the heart of their defence.

Shhhhh!!!!

Ryan Boble - academy attacking midfield player, has come on as sub in a few reserve games. http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/academy/?page_id=7

And your point is?????????????????????????????? I was genuinely asking if anyone had ever heard of this guy before and if they knew any more about him. But, as you are here, what are your honest thoughts about us (possibly) signing a LB/RB/LM (judging by the Dorchester reports it would appear he left footed) who at 24 has failed to settle in 8 non-league teams a Dutch 2nd div team. I honestly do not know but, he seems a bit like a poor man's Darren Kenton to me. However, as always with any Saints player, if he signs for us I hope he will prove to be the best player ever to wear the red and white stripes!

Yep, but it'll cost you 5.50 plus P&P.

I didn't realise Kightley only had 2 starts in non-league football, before being dropped to the bench by the same team because they had better options, before Wolves snapped him up. I always thought he had scored something like 24 goals in 45 starts for Grays! Anyway, well done Zoltan for scoring against Glenda's 18/19 year old academy rejects in your first start in a Saints shirt today. I hope this is the start of a long and illustrius career at SMS, culminating in you lifting the Champions League trophy for us in (or before) 2020.

Ronayne Marsh-Brown was a trialist in today's 'behind closed doors' friendly against Glen Hoddle's team of 18/19 year old academy rejects. http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=11354 Apparently he played the first half at RB and the 2nd half at LB. He is 24 years old and has played in non-league football (for about 8 teams) and has had a spell in the Dutch 2nd division. He signed a one year pro contract with Dorchester in July 2008 but walked out on them this month (on a day they had a match in which he was due to play!) http://www.dorchestertownfc.co.uk/squad/200809/benjamin_marsh_brown_ronayne.shtml Anyone know any more about him???????????

I would like to take this opportunity to point out that technically Tomas Peckhart can be described as a 'Premiership Striker'. Do not get your hopes up for an expeienced, seasoned, match fit, battling centre forward type from a prem team. Drogba will not be coming to Saints (I know the above referrences to him were in jest, but some on here may actually believe it could happen). Anyone we do get will deemed 'surplus to requirements' at his prem club. As for a mid-table team who are hard up but reasonably safe, lmfao. There is no team in the prem anywhere near as hard up as us. And, equally, there is no mid-table team who is safe yet. Newcastle, at 13th, are only 4 points above the drop zone. Man City, at 9th, are only 8 points above it. The only teams I would say are 'probably safe' and with only an outside chance of reaching the UEFA cup are West Ham and Wigan. West Ham's 'fringe' fwds: Diego Tristan has been used as a sub in most of their recent matches Freddie Sears - is a good little fwd, similar in build and style to Saga, not what we need Jack Jeffery - totally unexperienced Wigan do not have many fwds. Probably the only one they would loan is Craig Mahon, whose only experience is 2 sub appearances for Accrington (not too disimilar from Zoltan's experience). But then again, I suppose there could be a possibility of us using our ex-Saints team (known as Stoke to most) connections and we could get Vincent Perricard on loan again.

No wonder DMG and BWP were irritable if they were suffering from nappy rash.

It's a tad different TDD. I do truly believe that Kelvin wants to stay. Whereas on Jan 30th, the day before we signed Zoltan, Wotte told us: "I don't want anyone who isn't better than the players we have," Wotte said. "It's no use bringing someone in just because the window is open. We can always bring someone in on loan afterwards. "If I bring in a player from abroad it has to be someone who has proven his quality and had played at a certain level. Jan-Paul Saeijs was not a risky signing because we know him very well." That's, 'better than THE PLAYERS we have' not 'better than another back-up who may be called upon to fill a role in the team.' And "Someone who has proven his ability" how/where has Zoltan proven any ability? And then we get the, "Zoltan has experience of English football after his spell with Southend" omitting the fact that he never even managed to play a match for them for the whole season he was on their books, and was then loaned to a CONFERENCE team where he also failed to keep a place in the team. The OS obviously think we are all totally fookin stoopid. This is the point I am making. Oh, and yes I know of loads of non-league players who have been signed by professional clubs and gone on to good things, Andy Townsend is a good Saints example, so of course it is possible. But were their clubs hailing them as 'proven quality internationals' at the time?

No one is expecting us to sign Vidic or Ferdinand or anyone even remotely close to their calibre. But this guy (apparently/statistically) isn't even as good as Peter Clark or Adam Barrett (Who?).

I think you are being a tad harsh on Alan Bennett. Yes, he had a shocking bebut for us but got better. In all, over the past season and a half, he has played 10 games in the CCC and 37 in League 2. During the same period Liptak failed to make the team ONCE in League 1 and only TWICE in a 2 month spell in the conference, as well as whatever he did in Hungary. Now, I haven't seen Lipstick play, but judging their stats I would rather have had Bennett back. You are right, of course, not to judge him until you have seen him play. And I am sure like me you want him to turn into our next Mark Wright, Claus, or Killer, but if it was announced we had signed a 6' 5" Belorusian CB called Vitaly Lubkov would you be saying the same thing? I am sure you nothing about Vitaly so I would presume so. But maybe you would do a little research and come to a conclusion as to how good he is based on this. And then maybe you might compare the fact he has never played a professional match in his life with a statement from our 'head coach' that, 'we are looking for a player who has experience of a certain level' and 'who is better than we already have.'

So why, the day before we signed him, was Wotte quoted as saying, "I don't want anyone who isn't better than the players we have," Wotte said. "It's no use bringing someone in just because the window is open. We can always bring someone in on loan afterwards. "If I bring in a player from abroad it has to be someone who has proven his quality and had played at a certain level. Jan-Paul Saeijs was not a risky signing because we know him very well. "It's always a risk to bring in someone so late in the season, so if we do that it has to be someone who has specific qualities, but we are looking for such a player." http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=11296 I've said it before and I'll say it again, I hope he turns out to be a mixture of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, only twice as good the pair of them put together. However, why quote Wotte as above and then bring in a player who failed to play a single game for the League 1 team he was at last season, and who was even dropped to the bench after a couple of appearances in the conference?

So, not only has Lloyd been played out of position at RB all season but he's being made to write the OS and matchday programme as well? Next you'll be telling me that Fortune, Molyneux, Pulis, McGoldrick, Gobern and McLaggon all have to clean the stadium before and after matches; That Spiderman, Surman and Lallana work in the ticket office; And that Wotton was signed to replace Lacka as the club's head painter and decorator, and that it was he who asked for Zoltan to be signed because it was cheaper than getting a new step-ladder!

A-Team GK - Tim Flowers - I always preferred him to Shilton DF - Mick Mills - Could, and did, play anywhere along the back 4 MF - Rod Wallace - Pace, skill and scored great goals ST - Steve Moran - offers something different to Mick and Ron UP - Nick Holmes - The 'original' utility player, and a true Saint B-Team GK - Ivan 'The Kat' Katalinic - this was my hardest place to fill DF - David Peach - for when Mark Dennis is suspended (and penalties) MF - Graham Baker - I was 'gutted' when he left Saints ST - Alan Shearer - if only for debut hat-trick against the Arse UP - Reuben Agboola - a very underated player

Don't get me wrong, I hope he turns out to be a mixture of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, only twice as good the pair of them put together. However, his previous (last season's!) achievements would indicate otherwise. Oh, and yes, this was more a dig at the OS than at Zoltan. But I will be keeping a 'weather eye' on his progress. Match 1 - played at SMS for Ujpest, helping them to conceed 5 goals against Saints a few weeks back. Iknow, I know, you don't believe that any team could conceed 5 goals against Saints at SMS, especially this season, but it's true. DMG 2, Spiderman, Pulis (who?) and Gasmi (who?) were the scorers. I notice the OS didn't mention anything about the match, result, who played, scorers, etc in the Liptak article (or anywhere else) simply that, 'Liptak's parent club, Ujpest FC, are currently lying in second place in the Hungarian top flight and recently played Saints in a 'behind-closed doors' friendly at St. Mary's.' I wonder why they wouldn't want to shout that sore from the rooftops?

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=11334 "I am very pleased to be here at Southampton," said Liptak. Of that, I have no doubt. "We got clearance on Thursday and we have two Reserve matches next week, so I think it's best for Zoltan to play a couple of games like that first to get used to the players and the system," Wotte said, making his first excuse to get out of his original claim that he would only sign players, "Better than we already have." Liptak also knows what lies in store in English football, having spent time with Essex side, Southend United in the 2007-08 season. But the OS still fails to mention the fact that he never actually played a match for Southend's first team, or that he was subsequently loaned out the Stevenage Borough, were he also failed to hold down a first team place. Anyway, I'm off to read my Pravda - it's stories give a more balanced view than those on the OS!

We beat them 4-0 in the first leg and lost the 2nd one 7-1. I think both John Barnes and Luther Blissett got het-tricks for them (I don't know why I remember that). Oh, and at the time we were in Div 1 and they were in Div 2.