derry

Open up your PM and we can have a chat. Can RUs PM?

Small world. Nothing to be sorry about. I think we played in the same Sunday team about 1962 ish. You lived in either Burlington Rd or Newcombe Rd, I think I used to pick you up but I'm not too clear on that but I certainly remember calling at your house.

I played a few games in a team with Bobby after he retired. A gentleman. Playing with him taught me a lot. Norm, does the name Bainbridge mean anything to you?

RIP Tommy. I remember Tommy well. Scored regularly, good in the air, played in the high scoring teams mostly in the third division. An old Saints player and I can't for the life of me remember who, told me that Tommy used to turn up at the station with everything in a paper bag for away matches. It was probably one of the Stoneham ex Saints who I used to play golf with.

SFC Ltd continued to trade and settled it's debt in full. The Administrator of SLH Ltd quoted change out of £14m to settle and own everything including the stadium.

The EU is a mess and is going to get worse. I'm out. Conned to vote in in 1975. I'm not going to make the same mistake again.

He didn't have the operation until 24th November, that's only nine weeks. Koeman said last week early Feb to start training followed by U21 game/s.

CA had a full weeks training at QPR before signing. In his interview.

It's easy to see why signing Austin was a no brainer. He was absolutely brilliant being the only player who didn't go for the ball but checked out and was in exactly the right place with loads of time to finish. I'm betting the MU defenders were scratching their heads. It's what natural goal scorers do. What a snip for £4m. The team were very confident and solid. Everybody played well. We created the three best chances and generally clamped down on Utd. The changes stabilised in the tiring stage and gave us the legs to finish it off. Mane didn't look too pleased to be taken off in his audition game but Austin showed why. Tadic for him put in a very good shift and looked knackered by the time of his substitution.

Ted Bates didn't really play 2-3-5. His two full backs played either side of the centre half and the left half (Cliff Huxford) was defensive. The right half paired with the inside left with both scoring some goals, the centre forward paired with an attacking inside right (Reeves and O'Brien) both goal scorers with mostly Paine and the flyer Sydenham wide. Exhilarating to watch. Bournemouth under I think Freddie Cox were the first team to introduce a pure 4-2-4 in the late fifties. Saints were much more compact as the full backs went forward and the wingers came back. Later the team evolved with O'Brien, Chivers, then Channon and Davies playing as strikers. Paine and Sydenham were a constant and Burnside and Melia joined, Wilmshurst and Ian White came in plus Tony Knapp at centre half followed when we were promoted by amongst others McGrath, Gabriel, Walker, Fisher, O'Neill etc but he still played the same way although not so prolific in the first division.

Austin had a weeks full training at QPR before signing and trained with the squad yesterday so he is nearer fitness than generally thought. I am presuming he will start on the bench for us on Saturday with half an hour planned. I'd like to see the same line up at OT playing three from Clasie, Romeu, Wanyama and Davis with Long and Mane up front.

When QPR were trying to get Charlie Austin to sign a new contract a the start of last season it was reported that he was on £38k a week. It was his refusal to sign that led to the present situation with his contract running down. IMO he probably is on a par with our highest paid players.

Not strictly true, If his grand parents were born before 1923, Ireland was part of UK, so everybody born in Ireland were British citizens. My father was English, my mother was born in Ireland before 1923 so was a British Citizen with Dual nationality which I also have. If Long wanted he could claim a British passport although I couldn't see why he would but he would be able to have dual nationality.

Fusarium and Dollar spot.

Arguably the best finisher in the Premier League. This is an unbelievable signing and just what we need. He is a really strong lad probably his previous life as a hod carrier. I saw him recently playing for QPR and scoring two different goals both taken under pressure, however it was his constant movement away from markers and into dangerous positions that impressed me more than the goals themselves. He is always taking the runs to get on the end of moves that others don't do and what we have missed for years.

I think Koeman said in one of his recent interviews that it would be by my reckoning of the time frame he gave, early February to train with the squad and be looking at U21 game soon after.

Bertrand said "It's alright, I was left of three at the back. We have a good understanding of each other and that was a new position but it wasn't too bad, it worked tonight. There was a bit more central duties to do but then other than that when we are on the ball I'm in my left back domain anyway. It's not too bad to pick the right passes from there." It almost looked like a normal back four with VVD on the right of Fonte with an extra left back tacked on. I think that worked much better than first half Saturday because instead of a third centre back and the lack of familiarity, the two usual centre backs were reinforced by Bertrand as a natural left sided player tucked in, with Target playing up and back outside him, making a much better blend which the two specialist centre backs were more comfortable with, whilst giving us the extra man in the middle.

Looks like you missed Long busting a gut to hunt down the ball in Watford's half when our players should have been busting a gut to get up in support but not Davis trundling along at about three quarter pace despite being the nearest to Long. Needless to say he never got there in time to be any use. A decent game but not in the same class as Clasie or Romeu.

I take it you weren't there again. Romeu was the best player on the pitch by a mile. Clasie had a good game That gave us the base in midfield. VVD and Fonte switched and were very solid helped by Bertrand who filled in well. Cedric did well, Targett hit a beautiful cross and Long got across the centre back for a good finish. After that immense effort but often spoilt by poor control. Mane needs to be less selfish but was a problem all night if only he could finish. Davis was nowhere near as good as you think watching without the TVs tunnel vision. He had a decent enough game much better than Saturday and did his share but Romeu was outstanding and Clasie and VVD not far behind.

It's getting pretty obvious the players don't like three at the back for a start and are uncomfortable playing it. Bertrand appears to dislike it intensely ref his words with Koeman during the Liverpool debacle. The Arsenal game demonstrated the best of this group of players as did the second half on Saturday. Only a fool keeps making the same decision and expecting a different result.

Koeman needs to stop picking systems and shoe horning players in that don't suit them. More Arsenal and less Palace (2), WHU and Norwich. Every group of players have a natural tempo, shape, blend and are comfortable getting the best results from them. A pair of centre backs don't relate when another is added, in fact all three drop in performance as it's not comfortable. Too many non scoring midfielders result in a lack of goals. Fast players are great but not if the passes are played behind them, or delayed until the space behind defenders has disappeared. All things that are happening in this team except against Arsenal, 4-4-2, get the ball up front quickly with the greatest space behind the defenders, high tempo, two banks of four. The two forwards revelled in the quick ball and the comfort of playing off each other. Pelle, Mane and Tadic our favoured front line have only managed two goals in their last 37 combined appearances.

Nail on the head.

And if Scott Dann did, he would probably have had a penalty given against him or even sent off, those days are gone. You can't touch a striker in the area.

Don't expect to see him a lot in build up etc but watch him suddenly appear on the end of moves and hit the target. It's what he is, a goal scorer, not a non scoring worker playing in what should be a goal scorers position.

I've been querying the lack of chances for Seager because we aren't taking our chances. We have a bunch of players that need say ten attempts to end up with scoring which isn't good enough. What I do know there is a vast difference between players that can score some goals and a specialist that is a natural goal scorer. I would go with a goal sniffer every day of the week. They make the runs in the box, rarely stop moving and are usually way ahead of the defenders when the final chance appears and ends up in the net. The sniffer seems to have loads of time and everything is in slow motion but lightning quick in it's execution whilst the ten chances a goal man is always rushing, stretching or just late. Seager looks like a goal scorer, seven in seven for the U21's and like Austin nearly always hits the target. Against Chelsea he scored going round the keeper but the question asked by the Chelsea defenders could well be 'where did he come from', it's what goal sniffers do, they lose their markers. They also seem to get goals at whatever level they play. We missed Austin in the Wessex, Howe spotted him and because of an embargo Wilson signed him, he scored goals for Swindon, Burnley and QPR in all the leagues. Don't ask him to create he scores, that's it, what we need. Don't ask him to hold play up or work his socks off, it should be keep getting in the box and take some chances. Putting JWP on instead of Seager on Saturday was crass.