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Thanks Duncan, I'm amazed TeddyNutkins hasn't posted on this one. I would have thought it was right up his street.

Losing after doing your best is livable with, defeatism is totally unacceptable. Alan Pardew will do his best and the team will have to do the same or they will be out. At the moment last years team have accepted they are unlikely to win, and last season if they weren't losing with 10 mins left usually bottled it and gave up late goals. How many times did that happen last season.

Yes, Barry Fry on SSN confirmed there is a salary cap of 60% of income.

That was why we were successful, no cowards and no prisoners. I can still see it now. Now that you mention it, it was Bernie Pask but for some reason I remembered Derek Norman as the hatchet man. Like you said, a bloody friendly and you got an over the top boot in the ribs. It really hacked me off on Saturday when we just didn't take them on. Losing wasn't the problem it was the way we lost.

I wouldn't think they would be too bothered, after his connection with Pinnacle which caused them problems and delayed their takeover by a month at least.

I played golf today with mate who is friendly with JM. Apparently he is devastated at losing the honour of the Presidency.

CanadaSaint played in the same Saints team as Mick Channon and Bob McCarthy. His opinion is worth listening to. His favourite player: wasn't it Derek Norman? or is my memory playing tricks, I'm thinking of the day you broke your ribs.:confused:

I'd be surprised if he doesn't go for some quality loans from big clubs. Emerging youngsters with the temperament to match. eg like a Mancienne a couple of years ago or a Frazer Campbell. Plus some on the last year of their contract not in the team any longer but with presence and quality.

Thanks, it could end up badly, which wouldn't give me much pleasure. We've got too few clubs in the South as it is.

Pardew on SSN. Surgery needed, we've missed a lot of Bosman frees, Have to bring in some new players but it will be ongoing work in progress. No player has to leave if he wants to play for the club, but he thinks he has a couple who don't and they will be replaced if that's what they decide. He doesn't want any player who doesn't want to play for the club. No budget has been laid down but if he identifies players he wants, the club will look at it when he does.

Maybe loan some of them out or player exchanges.

The big problem moving them on is the salary we pay them. They certainly aren't going to be paid that in this country. They may well be looking to see out their contracts. Probably loans again would work or player exchanges.

That's a pretty damning comment especially coming from you with your experience. I had thought it looked strange without figuring out why and I know Duncan does, but you may have put your finger on it. I see Crouch looks like moving imminently which made me think.

This year we still have overpaid players on the books three players accounting for possibly £1.5m. I would like the club to follow through on it's no debt policy and only spend what comes in. If ML puts money in unconditionally that's one thing but loans are something I wouldn't want to see. If that means cutting our cloth according to our means so be it. We will probably realise about £3m on season ticket sales but we don't know whether any of the Surman/McGoldrick fees are available or whether we get a sell on fee from Blackstock's sale today. Burnley built a good championship team run by a first class manager whilst spending a pittance. That is the way I would like to see us go. In the long term a no debt start to every year would be of enormous benefit. An owner initially throwing multimillion sums at a club eventually loses interest and tries to get out. The Portsmouth situation may become such a problem.

Prat!

It's not the withdrawing and playing on the break I object to, it's sitting back and doing nothing else. Besides we didn't even defend with any conviction. Apart from two breaks down the right we hardly put anything together the whole game. It's not the result that gets to me it's the way we surrendered without a fight. I think the winds of change are blowing through the club and after last night I suspect more than a few are finished here in the longer term.

We can't even manage simple systems and work rate is a lost art.

So against Salisbury with every player having played in the first team, we played four at the back and two defensive holding midfielders in front of them and went 3-0 down. I suppose the apologists will say it doesn't matter but it does. A defensive team against a non league side, you couldn't make it up.

Alan Pardew talking about skilful players said that the will to win can nullify the more skilful player if that will to win is not matched. Every game is important in it's own right. The teams that give all win more than they lose. That is something we haven't done for a long time.

It wouldn't surprise me if he read this site, because Andy Oldknow has been on here regularly.

I have supported Saints for 53 years and was an FA Coach. I don't need a prat who can't even spell, use capital letters in proper names, together with poor punctuation, lecture me on whether I can renew my season tickets. I'm optimistic now we have a new owner and manager, but I wouldn't expect you to grasp the main point regarding the lack of a winning mentality that the team and the previous management suffered from. It may or may not be of interest to you but there are ex saints players that agree with me.

Of course like every other year after a superb pre season we will hit the ground running and win our first game as we always do. Maybe just for once Alan Pardew will turn the club on it's head and win the first game.

When Havant & Waterlooville went to Anfield in the FA Cup they didn't think like this, they gave it a damn good go against one of the top sides in Europe and gave Liverpool a right scare. We didn't even try. We gave in because we were scared of being beaten.

Bloody obvious isn't it. I bet Pardew thinks much the same.

4-4-2 is only a basic set up, it is the pass and move and flexible movement of the players that is important. It is imperative also to pressure the opposition when they have the ball. We actually played an inflexible two banks of four plus Wotton an appalling unqualified front sweeper and one up front who was really never in the game. We didn't pressure Ajax at all. we stood off and let them play, however when we got the ball they pressured us and quickly got it back.