Turkish

"Taking Stock" Was all set to be the Echo headline when we were linked with signing Brian Stock back in L1.

Odd. Glasgow Saint lives there and i was up there on business. Pretty weird post IMO.

To be fair to Barry he is actually talking sense. Schiniderlin and Lallana are the players they are now in no small part due to the fact that they got regular game time at a lower level with us. If the club are serious about challenging at the top any 19,20 year old wanting to break into the side would have to be at that level or better, ie international standard. Shaw is an exception as he is clearly set for great things provided he can stay fit and focused. We all know that Schniderlin and Lallana weren't premier league level two or three years ago but they've grow with the team and developed away from the premier league, our current crop will have to do that in that unforgiving environment playing against international footballers most weeks. The idea seems to be that we have a strong 14-15 players and then supplement our first choice players with youth then when they are ready integrate them into the first XI. If it works then it's a great strategy. I just hope we dont get to the scenario whereby we are relying totally on youth and continue to invest and strengthen the first 11-15 as you cant expect to throw young players in at the deep end and expect them to swim.

It's highly unlikely we will have more than 1000 at this one so it will go to general sale. i wouldn't panic too much.

do you think both of them are known for being great in the air?

Ahh right, so we're going to judge a teams tactics on the clubs one of their players used to play for are we!!! , that's a good one pal. Surely Ba with all of his experience of playing hoofball and the way you claim Chelsea were playing would have scored his goal from a header from a humped ball into the box? Oh that's right he didn't. It came from a decent bit of wing play and good movement. Roughly 70% passing accuracy yet they scored 3 goals and dominated us in the second half. I'd much rather not score and have 95% accuracy We all know how stats give a skewed view of the game, the stats show we had 9 shots at goal and 49% poession, yet did we ever seriously test their keeper after the goal?

No, they weren't playing it out from the back, they were getting it forward quickly, using the flanks effectively and pressing us up the pitch by playing two strikers. There is a world of difference to playing that way and neutralising us than there is to simply lumping it forward to the target man like you're making out. If this was the case who was the guy they were hoofing it to? Because Torres and Ba are amazing in the air arent they.

Utter nonsense. Big difference between playing hoofball and lumping it forward to the big man up top. They got the ball forward quickly, moved it a lot quicker than they did in the first half and we were unable to cope with it. They were very good second half and played with power and energy. Making out they were just lumping it forward is horsesh*t.

I disagree. It makes it easy to judge where we are and it's exactly where a few of us said we were. No where near top 4 level but top half side who will likely finish somewhere between 7-9th. We're better than most but still a fair way behind the top top 5-6 clubs, depsite something thinking we were almost at that level with last seasons squad.

Rather than blaming the ref maybe he should look a bit closer to home. Chelsea second half was a classic case of how to play against us, two up top, put pressure on us, get the ball forward quickly and move it quickly. We didnt respond to this until Chelsea had equalised and the momentum had switched to them. Of course once Boruc went off then the defeat was inevitable unfortunately. We were good value for our lead at half time despite not really creating much else but when Chelsea upped their tempo and changed tactics we didn't know who to react. There is no disgrace in losing at Chelsea and a team who will be in the to 3 at the end of the season but it perhaps showed that we need to find a plan B when teams play us at our own game.

If players want to do so well on loan why don't we sign more then? MP knows him, MP and the committee signed him, it seems some on here don't seem to want to back the manager and the committees judgment on this one and are writing him off after just 10 games. I think he is clearly a good player with a decent record. He's new to the club and country, still adapting and needs a run of games in his preferred position, playing as the central striker on his own. So far he's done this twice, away at Man United and Chelsea, two of the toughest games of the season where better players than him won't get much change out of those defences this season. When people were desperate for him to sign and I said it was ironic that in the week Lambert made his England debut the saints fan who were lauding him were desperate for us to sign the man who will be his replacement in the side. Of course I was told I was wrong and that he wouldn't be, they could play together etc. but the proof is in the pudding that in our two toughest games where both have been available MP has opted for Osvaldo ahead of Lambert. Now he needs to be breve and give him an extended run in the side and let him prove his worth at home and against the lesser teams.

Another gaff by the transfer committee?

MP has managed him before so clearly would know all about his attitude and work ethic before he joined, are you saying to don't back the managers judgement?

You sure you've read the thread pal? Apparently he doesn't clap the fans, which as we all know is a prerequisite of a fans favourite, along with those all important qualities of oace and passion. He argues all the time with his team mates and quite few have already written him off and called him ****, bit more than people expressing doubts pal. Maybe if you read the thread it would clear things up.

My first home game of the season. Will be tough, villa have only lost once on their travels this season, seem hard to beat so could easily see this one being a draw. Hope Boruc and Schniderlin are fit.

My version whilst drunk in a hotel bar in Germany. I got up and sang it with the jazz band and after they had finished it turns out they were all Dortmund fans who knew all about Saints. They said that they admired our academy and knew all about Jeff Kenna and Matt Oakley. We spent the rest of the night signing the matthew Oakley song and downing Hoegarden with them and some lovely Fraulines. In the morning we played golf. What a weekend.

He wasn't very good, but neither were the rest of the front 4. Apart from the goal which was due to a mistake we never claim remotely close to troubling Their keeper. Not all Osvaldos fault.

I don't think he was, he did okay at the start but if truth be told the team was struggling and he could well have been sacked for results. Hoddle came in and improved the team considerably using the same players. I will always wish him well due to what he went through but let's not kid ourselves he was doing a great job at the time he parted company with us.

This thread is an example of why this forum has been correctly dubbed the mongboard. 3 months ago people were begging him to sign, desperate for him to join us and saying how brilliant he was despite it being likely that they had never seen him play, or perhaps even heard of him up until that point. Now 10 games in, because he hasn't been brilliant from day one people want shot of him and are slagging him off. This after a pretty poor attacking display from the entire team away at one of the favourites for the title who haven't lost at home in ages.

Yes.

Not now he's left. He went from being the new Alex Ferguson to a competent championship manager who was tactically naive in about February this year.

That was already happening under Adkins, after our horror start, before he was fired we'd only lost 2 in 12 so you can't claim MP dramatically changed that and made us so much tougher to beat, we already were. You can argue all you want about how MP improved us so much last season but the proof is in the pudding and that is that results weren't any better at the back end of last season and now he's had a preseason and 3 new signings in key positions you can see how he has made us a better team. At the time the thread you are knocking was posted the comments were fair enough.

Thank you mate. I've done as you suggested at the moment, got a second hand BMW. Now leaning towards a company car as I could get a better and newer car than I'd be willing to pay for myself and no worries about tyres, service costs, repairs etc. my two mates have opted in and they think its better.

He could have been the new Alex a Ferguson.

Let's hope this is true. This guy is excellent. I remember spotting him back in 2003 when I was visiting friends in Cologne. Decided to go along to see cologne b v werder Bremen b. he was excellent, really lively and versatile, quick strong, set up two goals scored one and won a penalty as Bremen b hammered cologne b 5-1, mainly due to them not being able to cope with hunt. I said there and then he will be a German international one day. I actually suggested him on the hcdajfu thread that summer and of course was sneered at. Who is he? We should be aiming higher. Not good enough for us. Why would be want a bloke we can't even get into the squad of team in the bundesliga etc. I wish of ignored the trolls and emailed tellrupert like i did with Morgan schniderlin.