Graffito

The camera work was like they shoved a scaffold pole up the cameraman's jacksie, hoisted him up in the air and told him to get on with it.

It may be standard practice but it's poor practice. We really don't want to see long lingering camera shots of some ugly ginger sod especially when the ball's in play. Too much standard practice all round with that coverage. Very poor commentary and lazy journalism which resorted far too often to cliche. The Skate was the only one that knows anything about the FL.

No he's not taking the bus down a one way street. He's recognising the reality of the situation, that this isn't like any other match and preparing accordingly. He's sending out a signal to the Skates that his team won't roll over like Redknapp's in 2005.

Ticket Touts would agree.

Good for you that you got tickets (mean it) but it really ****es me off that I was told by the TO when I phoned them on 1 December asking if the unsold tickets reported in the press would be made available to non STHs with fewer than 4 away games that the allocation had been fully sold and that the reports in the press were "all lies". Yes, fully sold maybe but that's including sales to people like you and your mates who have done fewer than 4 away games. Hardly a fair application by the club of it's own rules. I'll know next time to bung in an application anyway on the basis that the club evidently doesn't follow the rules it expects the rest of us to follow. I imagine club has bent the rules because the TO is simply too incompetent to manage a third ballot.

Look at the league table. Which is the better team? It doesn't matter when we play them because we are the better team so we have every chance of beating them. Unlike Redknapp when we last played at FP I expect Adkins to send the players out feeling 10ft tall likehe did when we clinched promotion away to Plymouth last season. Let's all show a bit of faith. And I trust you lucky gits with tickets will to do your bit as well.

No but one or two fans appear to be.

I phoned the ticket office yesterday lunchtime, i.e. before yesterday afternoon's news article, pointing out that the local press had reported that there were hundreds of tickets available and asking if they would be selling them to people who had attended fewer than 4 away matches. The Ticket Office said that all the tickets had been sold and that the reports in the press were "all lies". Tbh I can't see why they wouldn't want to take and sell the full allocation.

That's me and I'm not a problem for the Old Bill......yet.

But as has been pointed out above, the ballot hasn't been open to all those on the database and who is to say should tickets stioll be available the ballot will not be extended to those who have done fewer than 4 away games. It's also the case that season ticket holders did not mop up all available tickets on the two most recent occasions we've played there. If all of the above happens and we still don't sell out then put it down to the bubble.

On the question of a points deduction: http://footballmanagement.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/pompey-and-the-potential-for-points-deduction/?

Steady on nipper, I'm asking a question of someone at the match who said they had 5 in midfield and 3 in the centre. I wasn't making a statement. If you don't dominate the centre you don't get the ball to the wide players but clearly you were at the match and I wasn't so your opinion that it was tactical error by Adkins and lack of impact in wide areas is an informed opinion.

The Sun missed out from the headline a small preposition between "snubbed" and "Southampton. The headline should have read "Beattie snubbed by Southampton"

Wasn't there. My impression from the radio commentary was that we lost it in centre midfield where games tend to be won and lost. Was that so?

Ever the optimist Nick and why not. I take your point but we do need consistency of performances both home and away and that will see us promoted. Up to today away performances generally have been ok even when we've dropped points so let's put today down as an aberration.

I don't understand how teams have got us sussed when playing away but not when playing at home. Can you explain? An observation; Guly was our best player away to Coventry.

I looked into it and quickly realised you need to be legally aided.

Agreed. Season's ticket holders have had their chance. It should have been opened up solely to non STH's at this point and which would have reached more of those that have done 4 away games or alternatively have been able to offer to people who have done fewer away games. As for not selling out to STH, that's exactly what happened last time we played down there so nothing new. As to the propspect of not selling out at all, that's never going to happen. I'm desperate to go having been subjected to the torture of the last two visits there but won't be going because I've only done two aways so far and I think there are plenty of people like me that will be desperately disappointed to have missed out.

Saints fans, followers, customers. Each can mean something slightly different. All welcome at St Mary's. Whyever not?

What did the Uruguayans ever do for us!

I'll answer that with a question. Why do you think organisations invest in PR? Do they do it because they think it's a waste of time and money? Two questions. Sorry.

Hayward has a point though we don't know to whom he wanted access and what he wanted to write. Nigel Adkins promotes the club well but beyond that the clubs PR is poor and I think they're missing a trick.

The FSF made a few suggestions here about what can be done, though even if implemented the impact would be marginal: http://footballsupportersfederation.org/news/Bubble-trouble-for-Burnley-fans.php In our experience at the FSF it’s very difficult (if not impossible) to get police to backtrack from a bubble match once they’ve set their sights on it BUT there are a number of things we’ll be asking the police and clubs to promise: Disabled fans must be exempt from this. Exiled fans should be picked up en route or have tickets posted upon proof of address – this should be easy to administer as they’ll be season ticket holders anyway. The police change the timings on this trip – forcing people to wait in an empty stadium for more than two hours is unacceptable. We’d recommend fans email the above demands to their club and think of ways they can fight these matches happening in future. Can't see Nicola agreeing to pick me up from my house in London somehow but it might be worth emailing the club to try to get it toconcede on collecting a coach pass in person. I see also that Wales based Wolves fans managed to get individual concessions allowing independent travel to a match with Cardiff but that was 2008.

The PL is a mixed blessing no question. The Championship feels like a good place to be right now, not just because it's a more even contest than the PL and because we're currently top but I think because we've been promoted into it. The Championship didn'tfeel like a good place to be when we were relegated into it and I reckon the novelty would soon wear off if we got stuck in it like, say, Coventry. We can't not aim for promotion but going back to seasons of failing to get in the top 6 or avoiding relegation or spending big and failing or becoming a yo yo club isn't greatly appealing. It's down to the skewed economics of football. It's a conundrum. Maybe all we can do is enjoy the moment.

Only a fool would think that people are idiots just because they think Guly has played badly at times this year. No, what I hear toooften at St Mary's is people who only criticise and don't give credit when it's due.