derry

I thought that it was too many cooks spoilt the broth. Playing Long as an extra attacker worked against us, it lost us that vital balance. It also prevented a Leicester type substitution. Our balance is the vital ingredient, it was unfortunately a gamble that didn't come off. I thought Dowd was awful and allowed the Villa defenders to push and shove at Pelle all night but penalised him for standing his ground. Goalkeeper's mistake as Aldeweirerld would have cleared it. Goes down to selection really. Similar to the WBA game with the extra midfielder destroying the balance. IMO if he wanted the extra attacker, play two up front in a 4-4-2. The usual system didn't work.

I don't see why people are still thinking we are weak in goalkeeping back up. Boruc is on a 93 day loan and as the first month is over can be recalled immediately. Additionally he is playing well and regularly. Only if both Forster and Boruc were injured would we have a problem. Unless the management make the mistake of not recalling Boruc. However as Davis isn't even playing in the cup it's unlikely. Unlike last year we have 4 decent centre backs, 2 for LB/RB, at least 4 CM + HR and JWP, 3 strikers + JR, 3 wide MF. (Long can play anywhere across the front), IMO we look better all round, so probably if the GK/CB injuries of last season were repeated the ten game collapse would be unlikely.

At least he will know it's going to cost Spurs an arm and a leg if they bid for Saints players. Schneiderlin knows he is going nowhere. Rodriguez a different case but if they want him it's still going to cost them a big big fee for a proven current international Premier League striker. Spurs on the cheap or part exchanged for doubtful cast offs that don't work for Pochettino which would almost have the guarantee that they wouldn't cut it here either isn't going to happen. I think Spurs problem will be the Saints cash on the nail policy that carefully chosen replacements can be brought in.

Nobody know what state she was in or whether she was capable or incapable of giving her assent. I saw the video clip of her leaving the lobby and coming back in and she wasn't falling around drunk. What happened after I haven't a clue and neither does she. However appalled I am about the standard of behaviour of all the parties I couldn't find him guilty without corroboration. Everything else is assumption.

And how desperate the buying club are for a quick fix.

Buying players who are important in a successful team will cost a lot more. it's going to take a lot of money to shift them. £35m begs the question, which one is that for?

One thing troubles me about this conviction. I know the girl has no memory of the rape, having said that I personally have experienced people including my wife who had too much to drink, were completely stupid the night before and had no recollection the next day when told about their stupidity. The troubling bit is that there is no corroboration whether it was consensual or rape especially as the alleged victim has no memory of the event. I can't see how the jury could be sure what happened. I think this conviction may yet be found unsafe. It is possible that she did have consensual sex but subsequently went to sleep and then couldn't remember next day.

It's going to take longer than a year to build their answer to the Emirates. Besides they still don't have the land as it's going to litigation.

One game at a time. We can cross the bridges when and if we get there.

Spurs probably off to MK for two years maybe longer, I wonder how that will work out. He who laughs last etc.

It's one thing bringing in players, but the big question will they gel with the existing misfits. Could yet be another under achiever in different circumstances, as with Pochettino landing on his feet with a made for him setup at Southampton but struggling at Spurs where the players don't seem to get it..

Thanks, so no problem yet. Rodriguez issue need sorting and still can't get my head around the Cork situation.

Doesn't his contract still have three years left on it at the end of this season? Furthermore I'd be surprised if there was a 'gentleman's agreement' as we told him he wasn't going, full stop. He obviously wasn't going to get away by striking and would lose his place in the France squad if he didn't play. Nothing has changed there from the club's point of view and apart from an alleged poor bid from Spurs nobody bid. He is now worth a lot more to us due to our success and it will take well north of £30m to even make us blink. It will still take a bidder to shift him. What denotes a big club? paying stupid money or Champions League football. Unless Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool get their finger out it would only be about the money offered by a desperate club paying another inflated transfer fee. If he goes we will take somebody's pants down again.

Just had a look at the last two pages. There is a lot of partisan rubbish on there. We haven't played any of the top teams yet except LFC and Spurs. By my calculation we have lost to the 11th and 12th placed teams and drawn with the 13th. We've beaten 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th,14th, 15th, 18th and19th. In their minds the top teams are 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 11th and 12th, well sorry boys there are no points for history. Apart from Chelsea and MC the other four are in a mess of their own making and worse still the rest of the Premier know it and are taking advantage of it. I haven't a clue where we will finish but I'm sure I'm enjoying my team a lot more than those who thought buying our grossly overpriced and overrated players was the answer. What they missed was that those players were good within a team and support network but without the players covering their backs were nowhere near as good.

I'm told he looks very sharp in training and not far away.

What the **** couldn't see because of his arrogance was that he was paying way over the odds for decent players. Not the world class players he thought he was getting. He sold his world class player brought in decent players who haven't gelled and built a team that is worse, whilst Saints knew they could replace decent players.

Spot on, I was at a meeting about the time of the Mickey Fialka fiasco where Mary Corbett in the presence of Lawrie McMenemy and Leon Crouch stated that the club had run out of money and that SFC was on the point of liquidation as there was no money to fund administration which was now not possible. Markus having the funds was the only way the club could be saved.

Ings out of contract in July. We could very likely get him for a signing on fee then. Clasie would be a strengthening in January. We've had two Marquee signings look how that worked out. Sell Rodriguez ASAP unless he signs the extension. Sell Ramirez for a decent fee even if it means giving Hull back part of their loan fee. Bring in one or two more along the lines of the summer signings. Replace Boruc if he goes permanently in Jan. That would do for me as long as we don't lose anybody we want to keep.

That might be so but that was last season. I think if they were still with us and unless we had strengthened we would be nowhere near as good as the present team. The present team looks a quantum leap in effectiveness and quality. The £92m plus the TV income has allowed us an unbelievable chance to move forward.

He's come a long way since he played for Newport (IOW).

He has made some kamikaze last ditch one on one saves. I like him and think he is a big part of our success, he'd get in my side every time Bill.

At Spurs and Stoke the ball went through defenders legs so not seen until late. Davis was at fault for giving the silly tug and Morgan missed his tackle allowing Nzonzi to run at the defence which screened him from Forster.

Boruc is on a 93 day loan and can be recalled immediately after the first month, so is now available if we need him.

I'd like him to stay but the signs are not good. His house at Wellow is on the market and the contract is ignored. If he doesn't sign I'd let him go for the best fee possible as soon as possible and use the money to add to the squad.

Except to sign the new contract offered. If he doesn't, he knows he will be leaving in the summer at the latest as there is no way we will let him run his contract down.