landford.saint

For the first time for many years, I am not worried as far as SFC goes. Severely anguished when that 3rd goal went in, Yes. Anxious as to when the improvements we have seen on and off the pitch are going to show in results on it, Yes. But worried by C-E-C, no. In my life I have at least twice been attacked by people with knives, once by someone with a hammer, many times with poles or bats, and have so many times been outnumbered by persons intending me harm that I have lost count. (I was for 14 years a policeman). So C-E-C worrying me, sorry I think not. I like many others are just anxious to see SFC back to our old selves of being a team others are concerned about playing.

C-E-C, I think you are reading more into this than I put in. If you obtained the impression that I was on some Working Class political points scoring then I apologise, it was not my intention. I was also not trying to defend ML and NC. As far as I know they have done absolutely nothing that needs defending, and I am probably the last person on this planet they would call on to do that for them. So if I lead you into that impresssion I again apologise.

The great thing about football is that 30.000 fans can have 30.000 opinions. Personally I think he is a good choice. And I get the feeling that NC is not the sort of chairman to sack a person so readily. I hope too that the gut wrenching dissapointment of tuesday night has put some steel in their backs, and want them to desperately never let it happen again.

My wife and I sit/stand, Block 41, about halfway down/up.

I am just an 'ordinary' bloke with a cr@p job who spends his saturday afternoons stood with his missus on the Northam end cheering on the Saints. I have shouted them on and groaned with anguish over them for more than 40 years. Due to my periods of poverty (marriage, mortgage, kids) coinciding with Saints best years I did not see them live as often as I wanted during their UP years. Strangely we finally managed to afford season tickets just before Saints got relegated from the Prem., and have occuppied the same seats ever since. My wife and I have travelled away when finances and work allowed, including that trip to Hull a couple of years back in the drizzle and fog to see Saints get slaughtered. Last year I wore out the F5 button on my computor when the darkest days of our club beset us, and I know from the Forum many thousands of you lot out there were doing the same. This just makes me the same as all the footie fans, from Aberdeen to Zennor who.s week is made or broke by 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. Yet this summer an Italian/Swiss and German/Swiss for some inexplicable reason decided to by our club. OUR CLUB which was about 10 mins. from someone turning off the lights for the very last time. We now have NO DEBTS. We have an owner who has appointed a very capable businessman in charge who has so far in my opinion not put a foot wrong. We have a transfer pot comenserate with our status as League 1. We have a manager who is probably the very best we could have hoped for in this league. Off the pitch things are being sorted and put back on a proffessional commercial footing again. On the pitch we have brought in a number of players who have proved they are up to the job. Murty, Trottman etc. And The best striker from the League last year in Lambert. Our goalie could have gone to a Premiership club as is his undoubted class, but he chose to stay at SFC. At the moment results on the field aren't as good as we all hoped. But we have several members of the squad who have played in bits of our long decline from the preiership. Losing is as much a habit as winning. Sometimes it takes a while to break bad habits and form good ones. It took us 6 years to get ourselves in this position, its going to take several years to get back. 6 months ago I would have been happy just to have a club, now I have a club with no debts, a good chairman, a very very rich owner, a good manager, and the basis of a decent team. Yet some people still moan. I know its only a small vocal minority, but please people think of what could have been and like me say a big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to MESSERS CORTESSE AND LEIBHEIR. MR LEIBHEIR and MR CORTESSE -----THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH.

Funny thing was, they said at beginning pitch was in good condition.... I suppose it wasn't knee deep in mud, but 'good condition', THEY JEST.... shows how bad pitches were back then. 6 weeks before I got married. Still married and both season ticket holders.

Its probably already been stated on here:- As regards to losing Kelvin, from what I understand from a long term West Ham fan, who seems to know what is going on there before the press does. Kelvin's had a contract sorted and a Club owned house already in place for him and his family to settle up there, but WH knew his heart was at SFC . They agreed that if SFC got dragged out of the fire and they still wanted him, they would (and graciously did) not keep him to any agreements he had made with them. There are still some good people in sport.

This would entail the Echo (and the TV companies for that matter) being a bit more proactive, unfortunately they tend to be lazy, ie :- Q. Who can we get some comment from. A. SISA gave us a comment last time we'll just talk to them again. They dont care if they are unrepresentative. Its just easy. Another case of the decline in modern journalim. Non investitagive, not meeting people, not getting out there where it happens, just sat behind a computor screen. Rant over as well.

Agreed that the lazy journo's at The Echo always seem to go to the totally unrepresentative single figure membership SISA, but I just wonder if there is anyone out there who has made him/her self known as a more accurate representative of the fan base as a whole, and who has the authority/backing to be regarded with as said mouthpeice. Anyone any ideas.

2pm at Reading I understand. Anyone any news at all. Team selection etc. Hows it going?

From a person who was there... He is fast.... He will definately cause havoc in all defences in this league, knows where the goal is too. When he aclimatices to english lower league football I believe he will be a revalation. He gets in the box quick, and whoever says he was showboating saw something I didn't.

swindon site says 2-3...

Norwich sold 18,500 season tickets on their equivalent of early-bird prior to relegation. So they have have had about 6,500 extras. Roughly what we have had. With our tickets not going on sale till late in the season break I dont think its too bad, Quite good really... Leeds is a big city and with no other major club a large support is expected, but 28,000 for this league is still good.... I'M guessing 20/21,000 for us which still is not bad considering that lot down the road in the Premiership only get that many...

Personally, I have been a mature student for 3 years, (I am now well into my 40's) and was eligable for student discount... And have had STUDENT on my ticket for 3 years... I have never been asked to provide proof of my educational status at home or away matches in all this time. They dont have time/enthusiasm to check tickets on the gates.

Yes and No... A large proportion of those seats were sold in their equivalent of our "early bird scheme" at discount prices, and very few since relegation... However 18.000 ST even if they were still in CCC would have been very good.

I have said it before, but I will say it again. Pardew would not have come to this (or any other club) if he didn't have cast iron agreements that he would have money to spend. The new owners have shown that they dont do everything by shouting about it. They keep everything very quiet and close to their chest. Look at the way the take over occurred, the way AP was signed, and the way Harding was signed. Virtually the first thing anyone knew of these was when it was a done deal. This is my 40th year of watching this club. I (and many poor other sods) can remember the Branfoot years, we have just emerged from the darkest times in the clubs 124 year history. We have a proven manager, (and a proven asst't) and no debts. Yes we are in league 1 ... yes we are minus 10 points. But I for one am looking forward to this season with more hope and anticipation than I have for years.

Less than 1 month ago we were seriously worried wether we would have a club to support at all. Today we have no debts at all... nothing, zip, diddley squat, zilch, and we have a club to support as well... I for 1 am just gratefull for that.. ML is from what I have read a very careful and astute businessman who does not splash out cash just for the sake of it.. He is not afraid to spend if the oppertunity or situation or appropriate financial possibility arises. I for one am happy to have him at the helm (even at a distance)... He will bring something to this club we haven't had for a few years now... Financial security and stability .. AP would not have taken on this job if he knew he hadn't got a transfer kitty... There has been a pleasant lack of rumours/leaks coming out of SFC since ML took over. No news/ leaks doesn't mean nothing is going on ... Just thaty nothing is being leaked about it.

It is not impossible to like both Rugby and football.... Only question is ...i know its 4 years away... but will we be able to get tickets ... even ifs it just Romania against Tonga I'd still like to go...

MURTY, yesterday didn't impress me, seemed too fat, too unfit, and always a yard off the pace. Dont know if that is his usual 'condition' but seemed to know where he should be and what he should be doing, just always never quite made it.

There is absolutely no way TA should be manager of any club (apart from maybe the Skates)... If we start enough NOT TONY ADAMS threads do you think the 'management' might get the hint????? :-)

Only thought is, is that aftyer buying a club and sorting out all those inherent difficulties, I think they might be a bit busy at the moment.. We will know tomorrow when the effects of the champagne have worn off.

Typical isn't it ... we give up worrying about the club .. and now we start worrying over one of our players ... do we LIKE worrying :-)

Radio 5 LIVE this afternoon said he was 'due to sign' for WHU however after that no more was said on their sports reports.. Nothing on OS and nothing on WHU site ... so is 'no news good news' ?

Actually Liebherr are German, they are only registered in Switzerland for tax purposes. So how about something typically German. New Mercedes for every season ticket holder perhaps.

How about at Totton?