Crazy Diamond

Mr. F Fella doesn't mix his words! Can't really say for sure if it's the worst in our history, being only 23, but it's certainly the worst since I began supporting the club.

Sharp isn't impressed with his picture either. Says it's not him! "how bad is that,there not even my legs,and I don't wear them boots.poor" And just in from Jack Cork... "they put the same legs on me as you sharpy. Just I have skinny legs anyway so you can't tell"

Has since been in prison for running down a woman on a zebra crossing and smuggling cigarettes.

Yeah - and it's amazing how someone can get a bit of cloth so wrong.

One would hope so, he's still a decent midfielder.

Danny Guthrie has signed for Reading.

I'm trying not to make a big deal out of it but no, I don't like it and won't be buying it.

Oh Christ you're right. Sorry but I think that's a poor idea and it's not a kit I'll be buying. Very disappointing - I'm just glad I didn't hype the whole thing up unlike hundreds of others. If I had, I'd be suicidal right about now.

Play on the bench. Explain that one to me. He's just not much cop. Pretty simple.

Difference is, some of them were nice.

The wish is the father of the thought on this occasion...

I won't be buying it. I wouldn't say awful but I certainly don't like it.

If Keith Andrews was a Premier League quality player he'd still be playing in the Premier League.

Not a clue Glasgow. They're keeping really quiet on it. Might not see it until the first game of the season, and even then I hear it's got beige sleeves.

Oh they are. How realistic that is, I'm not sure. Realistic in terms of yes they could do it but would it be Walcott and Bale quality running all the way through it? I think it's a big ask. It's not the first time this idea has been spoken about...

This. To the extent where idiots parade themselves around saying they have it on good authority that they know someone will sign for attention. It's unbelievable. Same goes to the kit, it's a bit of cloth at the end of the day. It'll be red and white. So what?

Yeah I'm game for that, I'll have a job lot. Can we also have scarves that read 'England's Fifth Richest Club' ? There's a big demand for that kind of thing at the moment #saintsfc

There were three noticeable posts early this morning, someone said if we didn't sign someone by the end of today that they'd worry over our future. Superb.

Sticking to the subject of Staplewood, as per the thread title, I'd be interested to see what the site looks like now. Players are about to come back for fitness tests aren't they?

I've seen more than one person soiling themselves because we haven't signed anyone after Adkins said there'd possibly be two signings by today.

I don't think it's any surprise that because we're now a Premier League club, the rumours come thick and fast. We probably looked at hundreds of players last season, be it chasing up a target or a scout going to a game and writing down a few names. Buttner for example could be one of five players playing in a match that one of our scouts attended, and because we're in the spotlight now and there's more Southampton stories needed, the press have picked up on that one player out of the five and made a story from it. That Dutch keeper we were looking at a few months ago, nothing ever came of that, and that was meant to be nailed on. The biggest clue was that Adkins was at the game personally - again he might have liked the look of a handful of players. I'd be surprised if we signed a lot of new players.

I've been at Staplewood when a scout from Liverpool was banging on the security gate trying to get Gareth Bale's attention so he can 'have a word'. I've stood on the touchline at youth matches where a scout is on the phone saying 'yeah we'll have him, maybe give him a trial'. If people think that sort of thing will stop overnight then they're plain wrong. They won't be allowed to register a player that say comes from Newcastle but is at a London club? Fine, so as we were discussing just now, what if the family move to London, which has happened many times before?

Chelsea were buying new houses and on one occasion a new kitchen for parents of players they wanted to sign. Do people seriously think that they can stop that kind of thing happening? Let's not forget that Mark Chamberlain moved his son on to us when it was good for him. I even know of a player whose parents signed him a top, top agent when he was playing in the Ryman Premier League at enormous expense, all because they wanted their kid to have a career in the game. He got a move to a Championship club, made one appearance in the FA Cup, dropped down to League Two. They got what they wanted and were willing to buy the services of an agent that represented players in the England team.

Yeah, I think that might well happen.

Reputation. Do you think clubs with fantastic records of producing good young players on a consistent basis will like to be told they're second rate under new criteria? No. At the same time they've got a team to field and games to compete in, all whilst trying to achieve results. Middlesbrough is a good example. Would Middlesbrough like to be told after producing lots of good players over a period of time that they're not one of the best academies, which could harm their intakes of players and such like? No they would not. At the same time, their bigger priority is to get back to the Premier League.