Gordon Mockles

I went in the store when I took my son to his first game to get him a scarf but the choice was awful, esp. for smaller kids. Just full of cheap tat!!

I hope its not that M-Kat/plant food, that kills people, but at least the flowers on their grave will grow nicely.

Mephedrone is not actually plant food. There's a loop hole in the law that allows unscrupulous individuals to import the drug from China to sell on in the UK (for big profit) by labelling it as plant food/not for human consumption. It will be thankfully banned here soon. It already is in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Australila & a few other countries.

It's a decidedly dodgey, untested drug & you'd actually be better off (if you disregarded your own health enough to experiment with recreational drugs) using drugs the authorities knew more about. As of yet, very little is known about the drug & how it may affect users mixing it with other drugs or the dangerous combination which is starting to emerge while mixed with alcohol. It may be cheap, legal & easily accessible via the Internet but my best advice is steer well clear.

As for Claus, I've no idea what he's into but I can have a good guess. Cocaine is rife in football (& in general) cos it's one of the few drugs that doesn't stay in the body's system long. I hope he sorts himself out & the exposure brings the situation to a head & allows him to move forwards, not backwards as the direction drugs would drag him.

Doddisalegend mentioned Patrick Kisnorbo above - I think that's a cracking shout. He's a very solid and reliable centre back who could be a brilliant player for us while Seabourne is finding his feet. If Leeds don't go up this season (which is looking more likely now as they're falling away from the automatic promotion slots), some players will be looking away to somewhere where they can get promoted. I would say that we're first call at port in that respect.

 

I think we have a good squad, although there are some players for whom I cannot see a future here. We need to start by sweeping clean the reserves of players who aren't good enough, so that involves bye-bye's for Pulis, Forecast, Molyneux and Lancashire. Then we need to take a look at some of the older players at the club, such as Perry, Jaidi, Murty and Connolly. I reckon these three could all still DAJFU, but we need to be realistic: are these players who can play regularly for us over the next few seasons? I'm not sure that Murty will ever play again, which is a shame as he looked quality in our first few games. Connolly I think we should keep on a pay-as-you-play, because he can be a very good role model for some of the younger players at the club, such as Jamie White, who reminds me of DC at times. Jaidi I think can do a job for another season at least, although we do need to be actively looking for replacements. Perry is a tricky one, as he's proved that he can still do the business when called upon, but he really is getting on now. Soon enough, his legs will be gone completely, and Jaidi and Fonte aren't exactly the most mobile of centre backs either. Personally, i'm of the opinion that we should let him go, as Pardew seems to put Seabourne ahead of him anyway, and we have Martin coming through the ranks too.

 

Then, the first team. While players such as Wotton, Otsemobor, Holmes and Thomas are good squad players at this level, I have my doubts about whether they can live up to expectations in the CCC. Remember, if we go up next season (or even this season), we will be challenging for a top half space in our first season, and promotion in our second. Wotton has hardly got many fans at this level, I dread to think how he'd be a level above. Personally, I think we should keep these players until we leave L1, then we can start re-evaluating our first team and picking out players who aren't good enough.

 

I think the positions that need strengthening most have got to be RB, CB and CM. We need a pacy RB who is also solid defensively, and I have my doubts about Otsemobor sometimes, as did the Norwich fans. I think a good shout would be Kerrea Gilbert from Arsenal, or if the money's right, somebody like Danny Simpson on loan from Man Utd for the season.

 

For CB, we need someone with a bit of pace on them, as we lack that at the moment. With Jaidi and Perry in their mid-30's, they won't be playing for much longer, so we also need to be looking at some more options. I love the idea of Patrick Kisnorbo coming here, he's someone who I suggested at the start of the season, as he was on a free transfer. That would need to be taken into account before we throw money at Leeds. Another player who I like is Carlisle's Peter Murphy. He didn't have the best of games in the JPT final (he was the one who gave away the penalty), but he did show glimpses of what he can do. He's a very good organiser and could DAJFU in the CCC imo. Another good option would be Andy Webster from Rangers, who's not wanted there and is very solid, and has Prem experience.

 

I think we're suited and booted mostly in CM with Hammond and Schneiderlin being our first choice pairing, but beyond them we have problems. I don't rate Gillett, Wotton and James very highly, and Puncheon and Lallana are too lightweight to be effective there. Some good options would be Gylfi Sigurdsson from Reading (as mentioned by somebody else previously in this thread), Lewis McGugan from Nottingham Forest and Nicky Bailey from Charlton. Any of these three players could improve our squad vastly, any I don't think that any of them are beyond us.

 

But regardless of the squad next season, I know that we have a fantastic manager in charge, a fantastic chairman and 'executive director' backing him, and fantastic fans to cheer the lads on at every game!

 

COYR!

Sorry, had to pick you up on the Fonte not being mobile comment. That's completely wrong. He's deceptively quick off the mark (not to mention his excellent reading of the game) & certanly isn't slow with his long striding acceleration. He had the MK Dons attackers in his pocket, beating them continually for pace. He's the most mobile centre half I've seen in a long time & I rate him as our best centre half since Svensson.

My shout for a player (unachievable) would be the type of player like Guthrie. Like a better Hammond. We've been crying out for a ball winning midfielder in the Carlton Palmer/Viafara mold. A ball winning lynch pin to break up the oppositions play. He doesn't need to be the most visionary/ball playing footballer (though would clearly help!) but it would compliment Morgan & benefit our squad more than any other position. It's what the entire squad lack, ball winning, middle of the park grit. Bringing every other position into play. You can't get worse than Wotton & the difference it would make would galvanise our entire squad (then add a good right back with Semi taken on for competition).

Upon leaving the stadium, bumped into several friends who had been on it since the morning. One friend gave me a huge bear hug, mainly to stop himself falling over!!

A nearby copper commented, in a jovial way (upon noticing his inability to stand straight or balance & almost pulling me to the ground) - "Good day is it?"

To which I replied, "Yep, fantastic although we've now got the mammoth journey home and he's the one driving!"

He soon changed his expression! Gullible! He did then realise but it was worth it just for the reaction!

Given all the warnings beforehand I'm shocked anyone risked getting the train on the day unless they lived in Poole, and I'm almost as surprised that anyone thinks SWT wouldn't try and maximise sales at the expense of all decency - given that they will have had HUNDREDS of phone calls from people in the weeks leading up to the day about tickets/train times/engineering works etc.

 

I know of people who were told a week before that there were no Engineering Works planned (3 weeks after they were put on the SWT and Network Rail site, and after the OS had listings of them), and I asked about the groupsaver train tickets the day after we got to the final, to be told they were on sale until a week before (standard but stupid).

 

I was also reliably informed (from my bed in a Watford Hotel, 3 stops from Wembley) that the 06:23 train was standing room only from Totton, and the 6:55 was full by 06:30, but that was frankly bloody obvious.

We avoided the main trains from So'ton by driving to the outskirts for that very reason and look where it got us...bloody breaking down, round about rubbish Sunday service! Couldn't plan on break downs but just my luck!

Did anyone miss the match yesterday due to the travel problems on the way up?

 

We were told that the 7:23 from Winchester was too full and therefore not letting anyone on and had to get a taxi to basingstoke and a train from there. I know a few people who binned the train altogether and got a taxi straight to Wembley.

 

We were warned via the club website that there were a limited number of trains but I think it could have been managed by SWT in a much better way by doing something like limiting tickets to pre-sales so that a fixed number could be purchased. What really annoyed me is that they were still selling tickets to people arriving at the station after they had made the announcement about the full train. At the very least this should have been stopped.

 

Regardless of the travel problems we got there in plenty of time ( we were queuing outside the globe prior to it opening at 10am ) and had a brilliant day. Finished off nicely by a chance meeting and a few pics with a certain Mr. Le God outside the ground.

Don't get me started! The trains almost ruined my day to be honest. The day would have been absolutely amazing if we had managed to get there on time (I LOVE the build up) but it couldn't be helped of foreseen.

Only the next day and after the match did I begin to de-stress after such an arduous journey. To be fair, it was the slow Teddington train that took over an hour, kept breaking down and totally messed us up. I'd not have gone this way had I known but it's easy to say that in hindsight and we parked for free.

Because of the overloaded trains, we had planned to drive to Richmond and train from there. However, we'd just missed the last parking spaces when we arrived. So, off to Teddington, parking, waiting for the train and then the most frustrating journey ever. The doors kept jamming, waiting 10-15mins at some of the (what seemed like 30) many stops to Waterloo. By the time were at Waterloo it was almost 1 o'clock.

We then decided to go to Marylebone as it's a 9min transfer to Wembley stadium but (typical my luck) instead of staying on the Bakerloo Line (transferred from Jubilee Line last stop) to Wembley Park (which would have been better in hindsight). We must have just missed the Chiltern train from Marylebone as the next one was 1:35. We then sprinted back down along he underground and got on the tube to Wembley Central, not Park which was my mistake (despite having worked there!). Central is further and we had to sprint through Wembley, knackered and heard a loud roar (from Lambert's goal) as we ran around the now quiet perimeter of the stadium. Adding to the torment. We eventually got to our seats about half an hour in. If it wasn't for my mistake too, we may have been 10mins late but a disaster nevertheless.

Sunday bloody trains! a couple of Saints fans going to the game were also on that Teddington train. Aint doing that again! Think I may try Hillingdon next time (there will be a next time! ;o) as someone suggested.

Easy to say in hindsight but I was soooo upset to be late, especially after watching all the games, both legs to MK, etc. this season. Missed meeting everyone but, by some freak chance, bumped into all the main groups of friends in the concourse and outside. What are the chances of seeing 30 odd amongst 44,000?! Popped in the Green Man briefly before starting our long journey home. Great result and a real feel good factor around the city. Just a shame a 4.5hr journey resulted in what seemed like the quickest hour of football, then it was over. Then everyone was so p*ssed and disorganised it seemed too taxing to organise groups to meet in a pub, all chosing different venues and disappearing so we just left them and got our first, much needed, pint of the day! Phew!!! :drinkers:

Not me in block 135, besides i was having a ball, lager and rum chasers from 7.30 in the morning always puts me in good spirits.

I don't understand the need to get quite so completely wrecked before watching a football game but maybe I'm getting old?!

I love a drink & do drink too much when I'm out but generally after the game. I like to watch the football & have my wits about me (& not continually making people stand up to let me out for toilet breaks). Chasers at 7:30am?! WTF?! Each to their own.

To be fair, I found all the p*ssheads continually blocking my view, walking down the isles & standing up more annoying. (esp. towards the end when their bladder retention became about 10min intervals!) Still, they missed Lallana's goal so hope the beer was worth it.

Why do it? it doesn't encourage the team. It does nothing other than make the participants look like ***ts.

All respect to the Carlisle fans who ignored it.

Someone got out of bed the wrong way! Lighten up fella!

If anyone should have been grumpy when that started, it was me. 4.5hrs on breaking down trains, sweating my nuts off running up & down tube escalators & stairs & missing all the build up, first half hr & the first goal. I was sooooo wound up but the Mexican Wave was funny. Harmless fun, taking the p*ss out of Carlisle who were clearly not in the mood to join in! It was one of those light hearted moments of people's good cheer that helped lighten my mood after a terrible journey.

I'd be more embarrassed by the completely wrecked, over excited Saints fan screaming Red Army non stop (while p*ssing against wheelie bins & trying to chat up passing female motorists stuck in the Wembley congestion!)

Much more embarrassing than a few people jumping up & down in their seats (& it looks good on cam & the kids/parents enjoy it, not to mention the cheerier folk!) as their team head towards their first piece of silverware in decades! It's a Wembley final. We were scoring for fun...FFS.

Fantastic! Only huge down point being I missed the build up, first goal & first half hour & spent most of the match trying to unwind after becoming stressed to the max after being stuck on a train from Teddington that kept breaking down! An hour+ to Waterloo...WTF?!

Great stadium. The whole of Wembley was almost unrecognisable from the few years that have passed since I worked there. New flats, finally finished the train bridge, arena roof, etc.

What a good feel factor around the city. The locals looked a bit shocked although the landlord of our old local, The Green Man, must be still cashing up his pennies today! Our boys made me proud.

Good coverage by The Sun (not my usual choice of paper, doubt many sold in Portsmouth today! Lol) on front & back covers - a poster! Wooo!!! Better coverage than bloody Radio One sport who didn't even acknowledge the game was on...tossers!

One word, Platini.

Second Word, Jealousy.

Double standard tossers, him and Blatter. They've forever derided the British game & are typical European bigots, hating the British. They just can't tolerate we're the best, most exciting & richest football nation in the World.

They can whinge all they want & insidiously try & invent new rules but they won't succeed. Not without international condemnation. People on here have it right with the sheer level of hypocrisy re: Real Madrid. In fact, I remember Platini getting my goat (annoying me, not actually stealing my pet goat! I don't have one for a start!) by piping up about there being too much money in the English league, just around the time Ronaldlo moved to Real Madrid. Of course, no mention of them. Just the English big boys! Unbelievable, arrogant, Hypocritical, French tosser!!

I don't mind a plan to level out or cap wages & bonuses but they won't be able to stop the wealthy investing heavily or they're rupture the foundations of the entire football world! There's too much money at stake for that to happen cos of the disgruntled, jealous warblings of some begrudged Frenchman!

I'm not standing for nobody up in the gods. I'll have vertigo as it is!

you up in the clouds? I was very disappointed to find our tickets there in the upper tier (the players will look like ants!) after turning down offers for better seating due to sticking in our group. Oh well. We'll hopefully have a good day. Should bring binos!

Can we do the "we're the...." song with all the blocks singig their own one please?

Hope you're joking. That zonal singing is as bad as "Stand up, if you love the Saints..."

Utter tosh

I'd prefer some Carlisle, sweaty/Scottish abuse, like a town full of Sweaties, small town in Scotland, etc.

Can i ask any knowledgeable (sp) ones out ther the best route by rail and underground from Rochester please?

Just aim for London Victoria, then Marylebone, then to Wembley Stadium as above. I think you can also train to St Pancras instead of Victoria, then to Marylebone, etc.

Double checked & you can do as I've said. 1.5hrs.

Trains wil be rammed even with the extra carriages on but when I was working at Wembley (I drew all the pipework & mechanical services, sorry to name drop & it wasn't my fault it was late - blame the Aussies!) I got the train to Waterloo, undeground (Bakerloo line) to Marylebone & train from Marylebone to Wembley Central. Don't go to Wembley Park. Much further to walk.

Ecstatic! Just won £114 plus got £10 on Lambo top scorer. Good day at the office for me as I was getting worried Barnard would catch up! About time one of my bets came in.

Ex Saints player Mark Hughes is out of work. So is Ex Reading Steve Coppell.

Mark Hughes was my shout too. Coppell's name never goes away. Both good managers & I still don't believe Hughes did anything to merit the sack from City.

Pullis scored? I thought he already had a girlfriend?

Get ya coat... :-\"

I'd like to add, the criticism of James is a tad harsh. Whilst I'd be the first to admit, he was poor, he was thrown in to a poor game having not played in quite some time.

I am struggling to understand why so many of our players (Puncheon, James, etc.) need a touch before crossing. Why they don't cross a rolling ball first time, when it's easier to whip in?! Swindon managed. Bizarre. Is this a coaching thing?! If it is, it's wrong.

Anyhow, James was poor but his performance is to be expected being young & still relatively inexperienced. He's not played in some time & is clearly rusty & off the pace. He'd have been better suited replacing Hammond IMHO. His crossing is usually very good. It's unfair to slate him when most fans were frustrated with our lack lustre performance. To me, motivation & hunger were missing today, along with tactics, being let down by our wide players & having no steel in midfield.

Poor game. Puncheon had his worst game, looked petulant & only managed decent delivery on half of his crosses. Lallana really poor (can't shoot for toffee & his heading was woeful). Lambert even gave it away, very unlike him. Hammond non existent. Surprised but pleased Pardew had the b*llocks to take his captain off (who took the armband?) We were 2nd best & lacked any bite in midfield, as we have all season.

In fairness to Swindon, they outdid us tactically & look the best team we've played at St Mary's this season. Beat us constantly on the air (which shouldn't happen with our height & aerial strength) but sooooo has the rub of the green. They even swiped an across field ball, from left back, straight through a congested midfield, to land straight at the feet of the right winger. So flukey! The ball eve backspun along their touchline when it would have been our corner & fell for their defender to hoof clear, unbelievable. We could have played another hour & wouldn't have scored. Lambert hit the bar. If that were them, it would have been underside & in. How many goal line clearances?!

Positive - Connolly looked sharp (about the only one!) Hope he stays fit for the JPT final.

I wanted revenge so badly after the worst away game I've witnessed as a Saints fan. I really hate Swindon, for many reasons. What w*nker, gobby, backward fans too. I dunno what they had to shout about, have you ever been to Swindon? Half of their fans by the segregation netting weren't interested in the match, more up for goading the home fans throughout the match (each to their own). Morons! Not normally one for sour grapes but least they had a red card & I hope they get d*cked in the play offs. T*ssers!

This is a huge game to me. Not only for the fact I hate Swindon, but from having to endure the worst away game I've ever encountered at their sorry excuse of a football ground. I want revenge. We were a poor team back then. We're a different prospect now. I hope we absolutely stuff them!

(We should also just have one kiosk serving the away fans food, so they have to form a single, mile long queue, then only put 20% of the stock in so they run out of food after 10mins!)

wasn't that bad.......few wrong decisions possibly, but that's the same of any match.

 

Fonte was fouling the defender for our 'second' btw

Did you go the game? How you can play the refereeing down like that is ludicrous. That was one of the most awful/one sided referees I have ever witnessed (and there's many a shocker in League One, not to mention the CCC).

Beckford diving so blatantly from the onset, gives nothing. Should have been booked if he didn't give the foul. You think the ref would learn to penalise him next time. Nope! Beckford (the complete c***!) cheats two, three more times and even wins a free kick for falling and latching himself onto Jaidi and trying to make it look a foul....typical Leeds team! grrrr!!!!

The ref blew up for 50/50 shoulder barges and nothing over physical aginst Leeds, then the usual shoves and trips were clear to view and he just turns a blind eye. HOW CAN HE BE SO BLIND? They must have an agenda cos constantly ignoring fouls on Saints and giving innocuous decisions to Leeds p*ssed off most people sat around me and it was clear to all to see. I never thought I'd say this but the linesman was actually of some use today and had to flag like crazy on one foul (on Saints) which the ref had done his best to ignore. Fonte is such a wise head he even knew what Beckford was about to do on one occasion and raised his hands even before the challenge/Beckford crumpling to a heap and the ref f*ckin fell for it and gave to Leeds. That was clearly NOT a foul! Anyone else notice that incident?

All in all, The Ref was a disgrace to referees and not fit to officiate Sunday pub games! Shocking!

Horses for courses springs to mind and it is probably heresy to suggest but perhaps players like Waigo and maybe even the likes of Lallana and Puncheon should be given the weekend off. These types of game will continue to prove to be wars of attrition than dancing on grass and unless we make some changes the results like those at Wycombe, Exeter and Brentford are likely to continue to intersperse those games where we have the opportunity to show what a great footballing side we can be when conditions dictate.

Thank god you're not the manager! You'd change our emphatically winning starting 11 then & actually drop Puncheon & Lallana after their last 2 performances?! Who would you start with instead, Wotton, Pulis & Gillet?

It take all sorts....

PMSL:rolleyes:

Normally I expect us to slip up in these games but the team have given me confidence & 0-3 to Saints keeps coming into my head.

Worth a squirt.

Southampton 3-0 @ 16/1

Lee Barnard to score first and Southampton 3-0 @ 55/1

Jason Puncheon to score first and Southampton 4-1 @ 195/1 (had to do it with those odds!)

Papa

 

9 goals, 15 starts.

Exactly but when NC gets a bone, sense doesn't effect his logic! Waigo's stats must be good too. Assists, etc. His ratio certainly isn't bad & watch some of his passing across crowded boxes, straight to Lambert's feet!

...when he manages to get the ball from out under his own feet which he just managed tonight. Making ar5es out of defenders at the end of the game when you are 4up is not so difficult as when you are trying to break down stubborn teams on poor pitches in the first 45mins.

 

Sign Waigo on a free as a super sub but still wouldn't make my starting 11 and hardly the catalyst for change that some may be making him out to be. This is more about seeing the fruits of Pardew's labour / vision than anything else and i woudl be surprised if Waigo privately sits high on his must retain list.

Haha. You're priceless. Not only from your past rants and unbelievably strange viewpoints but the fact you spout these bizarre football judgements and when a player you don’t like (your current hate figure, moved on from Leon, Lawrie and Pearson, now it’s Waigo!) does well, it’s silence (or the snipe that a player has only done well because the team are emphatically winning). You just can’t admit you’re wrong or give him any credit can you. I bet you were praying for some offsides to eradicate the goal and passing. You must have seen some of it if you were there. Did you go to the Walsall match? Did you notice anything positive then following Waigo’s introduction?

I do think Waigo, FWIW, works better as a sub (like Antonio). Especially on tired legs, it’s frightening for defenders to suddenly have pace thrown at them. Never the less, this is about a team performance rather than any individual and we performed superbly. Barnard really starting to gel with Lambert and work his socks off. More of the same please!

Oh, and you’ll find me in a rare agreement shocker with you. I’d like to see him stay but I’m not convinced Papa will be retained once the season has finished. I still believe his transfer was arranged through some of Cortese’s contacts and therefore he was now a 100% Pardew buy (that’s just supposition). I still hope he is retained and I feel he gives us something totally different to any other player.