Sheff Saint

To be fair to JP, after the last few games, i reckon we need 11 new players so you've got to start somewhere!

Fresh from my correct prediction in mid week i reckon we'll either win by the odd goal or get tonked. My main hope is we can't be as bad as Tuesday. But then again. Really, really hope i'm wrong going but think it could be 4-1 to Donny

I don't know much about the whys and wherefore's of going into administration. Only thought i would add to the debate is how many clubs that have had 10 points (or more) docked are now in a better position then before they entered administration? Cos all i can think is Bournemouth, Rotherham, Leeds and Luton aren't doing as well as they were before.

I don't think anyone complained he was there did they? I just don't think anyone enjoyed seeing his smug, horrible face on the tele at the end!

Exactly, and how many of that academy team 4 years ago have gone on to have a career of merit in the top two divisions? Walcott, Bale, Blackstock. Cranie, Mills and Best (sort of) And this was in our brilliant youth team years. And where are the other 6, 8 10 players in that team - no where. The last youth team was pretty good but the conversion rate was going to be much much lower and the fall out rate higher. Yet we've kept them all and expect them to be CCC competent.

Don't think anyone is saying it is unique. Just the result AND performance last night, coupled with the other performances highlights a big problem. That we're not good enough for the CCC. And in the 20 years i've been a supporting and going, that is a unique situation.

On last nights showing, we can't. It goes back to the massive flaw in Lowe's plan for this season. A few years ago we had a brilliant youth team. Of that youth team only 3 or 4 have gone on to play at even CCC level. Last season we had an ok youth team. Surely logic dicatets we are only going to find 1 or 2 players good enough for the CCC. Which is what we've done. The rest are barely good enough for league football. As was proved last night.

Ahh well, at least the players came over to apologise / thank you for your support...

I thought last night was dismal. Not one single positive. Well, maybe John's goal, which was good. We were awful. There was no fight, no charahcter, no skill, no quality. We were 3-1 down with 15 mins left and we couldn't get out our half. AGAINST A BLOODY LEAGUE 2 TEAM. Don Valley is a great athletics stadium. But a bloody awful football gorund. It was like we were playing in Russia. No atmosphere. All round a very very dark night to be a Saints fan. A real test on Saturday, let's see if we can show any gumption and come back against a Donny team that were thumped 4-1 last week.

Fourth. Mansfield, Notts County, Peterborough and now Rotherham. OS still reckons it's the third year, but they're in denial.

We'll lose by a couple. Sorry, don't mean to be gloomy. Anyway, i'm always wrong so that's ok!

I grant you there was not a lot of other alternatives (i might have used the million on Schndieren (good as he is) on getting in some old heads on a free and tried to keep Pearson but that's just me) But what i don't like about Lowe is the way he protrays himself. I know that isn;t everything, but it doesn;t half wind me up. Why on Saturday was there an article about how well we've started the season. What tosh! Why after the Derby game was there an article about how we've come of age. 3 games in! Every article and every story Lowe connected seems to be blaming everyone but himself for the problems. He seems to revel in the role of trouble shooter, like he now has carte blanch to do as he wishes. If he turned round with an apology for the first relegation, explained that it was good to see the last board have a go at promotion when we did have some money, but as that didn't pay off, we've now got to tighten the belt. Sorry about that but we understand you still want to come and so we've put some emasures in place (pleanty of good ticketing ideas on this website). Plus, maybe do a few more conventional things as well, like having kept Pearson? I've a lot of time for some of things Lowe wants to do. Football is to insular and it is horrible. But has he not realised he can't fight that? It doesn't work. I know it's early days, and i really really hope we go on to win every game this season(!) but i and a lot of others have seen from history that this approach was never ever going to work. And so far that is being borne out. As i say, i'd love for Rupert to be right. But i don't think he will be and the 'know it all attitude' that seems to me to come across, just doesn't help his cause. In my eyes.

I'll be there. On my own again. (What a loser!) Can't persuade the wife to go to any at the mo and none of my mates want to travel up for this one!!

When did McManaman win the Champs Lge? With Madrid? He was never in their first team was he? The standard may have been a touch better but the principle applys. What do they do? I remember McManaman scoring a goal v Celtic once for Liverpool when he ran from the half way line (thou no tackles were made). But he was toss for England and Liverpool were poor when he played, the odd fa cup final appearnace was about it. If you want an example of a decent winger, someone that does something productive, look at Giggs. It grates me that players like McMananman get praised cos i rarely saw what they bought to a football match. The odd jink past someone means nothing if they can't pass, can't cross, can't tackle and don't score. And Dyer, albeit in the CCC, is the same.

He's like Kieron Dyer or McMananman was. All well and good running 22 yards and looking quick. But if you do F*** all with it what, really, is the point?

Why does it have to be one or another? I wouldn't mind having a team full of 30 year olds if they all cared. Look at Lawrie Mac's teams at Saints. Look at cun* face down the road when they came up to the Prem. Full of 30 year olds who had bags of enthusaism. They are out there. It's about getting the blend. Chris Perry, as an example. I happen to think Schneiderlin has looked in the three games i've seen this season. But we've spent over a million on him. How many free's could we have got and paid a years salary for that cash? 2 or 3? It is getting the balance and the right players. We all want the team to try their hardest and then a defeat isn't as bad. But what's wrong with trying to get a team to win no matter what the age?

I reckon he must have been pulled up at half time cos he wasn't even slightly nice in the first half. Mind due Parry and Goodman were wetting themselves on Sky in the second half as well. Even at 4-1 down. I like Don Goodman, he always seems balanced and articulate.

I think i said in my post i only heard the first half. But to say he was anything than awful in the first 45, i think you need your ears sorting! We all know why we had 9 kids out there yesterday but there was no allowing for that. There was just a continue 'i told you so' attitude as they scored from the off. When i got back i found out the first half was, after the first minute, quite a balanced affair. You wouldn't have got that view from the radio. They did say the red was harsh, but that was it. He may have been forced to eat his words second half as we did make a promising start to the 2nd period, but he was very wrong in the first half. Did you not hear the farce about Dyer coming on instead of John?

I missed that but after the Blackpool build up. It was like someone thought we were Arsenal! We were always going to get beat by them after the big-ing up we got that day!

Did anyone else have the very bad misfortune to hear the 5 live commentary yesterday for the QPR game? I was driving back from London and missed the first half hour so had to settle to 5 live. The whole thing was awful, but Steve Claridge was the co-commentator. All biased aside he was dreadful. He basically hammered us for 30 mins. If i were a QPR fan i'd be annoyed cos there was no mention of them. It was awful. I've never felt moved to complain before but i had to email the BBC last night. (i might well email Rupert later about other stuff but!!) Don Goodman on sky was much better. But i think Goodman is good. Who are you fav and worse co-commentators and who do you think hates Saints?

I think he is covering a lot of things up at the mo. Lallana is playing so well i think he's making the rest of the team look better than they actually are. I shudder to think about if he was to get injured. We'd be f***ed

Moved in the summer. The owners of Millmoor want to re-develop it for their own commercial uses. That, coupled with them being broke, meant they couldn't afford the rent. A friend of a friend said he's got a ST at Don Valley and that is one of the most depressing places he's ever watched football. It's mostly uncovered and you're a mile from the pitch. I dare say the pitch is a bit ropey as they play Rugby League there as well. Still, a local game is a local game!

Branfoot's first season was my first season as a season ticket holder - glory days!! He may never have got us relegated, but he didn't do a bad job. And what he had to do to 'achieve' that! There was a link on here a while ago to the Saints 4 - 1 Liverpool game on You Tube. Look at that. That was what, 89 and Branfoot came in 91. Look at the team we had then. Amazing. Amazing. I don't think it's a lie to say we really should have been pushing for the top 2 by the turn of the decade (is that not why Nicoll got the boot, his failure to get us challenging?) I know Shearer would have left eventually but if we'd replaced Nicoll with a top class manager, who knows where we'd have been! As it was Branfoot quickly dismantled that team and sent us hurtling towards the bottom

Great draw. two games in south yorks in a week (Donny on the saturday after) Winnable. First trip to watch football at Don Valley. Chance to put our awful record against League 2 teams in this comp to bed - we've lost to Masfield, Notts County and Peterborough in the last 3 years! C'mon you reds!

Exactly as he said. I was sceptical at the start of the season. I went to Derby Saturday and thought we were brilliant ion the 2nd half. But it's August, the pitches are nice and the opposition not all 6"3' and 15 stone. I always support the lads 100% and want nothing but good things. This is a silly division and you never know what might happen. All things being equal though i do think we'll still be in the lower half of the table come May. But assuming we avoid relegation that is no bad thing, we get the finances on an even keel, the kids have experience and we push on next season. You do never know though and i'm happy to eat my words!