mikee

If LJ does go to Boro it is a bit of a double whammy as not only do we miss out on a great backup to Rickie but Boro also get the type of striker they are missing. They don't have a decent target man at the moment and struggle to score goals.

This is a nice notion but not really valid as the games are already different at each end of the spectrum. Kids playing at the weekend are lucky to get a linesman and certainly never an impartial one, let alone give them mics to talk to the ref and what about that piece of technology the fourth official (never seen one of those down the local rec) uses to announce subs. In reality the game is already very different. Once you accept that, then the most important thing is to get the big decisions right and the biggest decisions are at the top of the football pyramid where so much is at stake. Technology will happen it is inevitable and will really help refs to improve their decision making and enhance their credibility. Maybe then we wont need threads like this. My biggest bug bear at the moment is that refs are seeming to favour the cheats and actors over the decent footballers whose first instinct is to try to stay on their feet. This is very worrying as I couldn't handle more than one Brighton per league - easily the most cynical, dirty and cheating team in the football league. IMHO

I can't for the life of me understand what Connolly has done to deserve being picked ahead of our second top scorer. Every single one of our best performances has included Guly yet people seem to think we would play better without him. I just don't get it.

It is a sad reflection of this site that to delete all offensive posts would leave nothing else to read. Surely the only way this site will become more welcoming and open to all is to delete inappropriate posts - particularly those with personal abuse in them. The culprits will soon learn that there is no point posting their vitriol and this site would become a place where all could engage in good natured banter. with no moderation it is simply attracting the small minority of abusive posters who spoil the forum for everyone else. I for one would post a lot more on here if I didn't think it would lead to a futile argument and I suspect many others feel the same.

To even insinuate that we are not trying to do everything to win the league this year is frankly ludicrous - what do you think has got us into this position in the first place - it can't be luck after 24 games. we may have exceeded expectations but we have also raised them. The only people that don't seem comfortable with that are those fans that seem to prefer it when we fail as it gives them the opportunity to vent their frustration / anger / negativity. As others have already said on numerous threads 2011 has been one of the best years for Saints - ever! If you can't enjoy that then you really should consider whether following Saints is worth it! I wish the Palace and Bristol games were in the other order as we would all be feeling a lot more positive if we had just put in the performance we did on boxing day. happy new Year to all saints fans and I have a feeling that 2012 is also set to be a memorable year as there is no logical reason why we can't repeat our current points tally over the next 23 games - we can even allow for another bad month like December.

Isn't it £12-15million, paid by Arsenal to Saints for AOC?! And he wasn't a full international like Rhodes.

personally I would be happy with both LJ and BS. It gives us the strength we need to win promotion this season but still leaves room to add more quality if we go up - assuming DC & LB would be out and Guly would drop to midfield. Still need a pacy winger though as a priority as this is the biggest hole in the current team.

A few i havent seen so far: Mick Mills Colin Clarke Ruben Agboola Bobby Stokes George Lawrence Gerry Forrest Eyal Berkovic

Me and 3 others on bus 27

But that IS my point. Tomorrow's game is hairdly a fair test when we already know that it is on TV with a lunchtime kick-off and only a few hundred away fans. In my opinion it is about as fair a test as Boxing Day, hence my comment. The OP even waited to the day before the game, to make sure there wasn't a surge in sales before putting it forward as a benchmark for stadium expansion. i am sure that I would be met with equal cynicism if i put forward the boxing day match as a pointer that we do need to expand the stadium with the OP leading the way.

I might have taken your post more seriously if you hadn't waited until it was obvious we are going to get a small crowd before posting. will you be saying the same about the next home game?

84 was first visit for me. Couldn't get a decent view up the back of the terrace so climbed up on the fence at the back. Was just getting down when moran scored as it was virtually full time - went mad anyway. Probably the most hostile atmosphere i have ever experienced. think we drew brighton in the next round which was also very messy and I can remember the special football train getting bricked on the way home as we passed through Havant and Fareham. alan knight's testimonial was one of my favourite trips. A good win and Matty who I think scored a hat trick got a standing ovation from the Skates which really brought a tear to your eye. I think he was replaced by Dave Beasant who then played as a striker! Also remember Dave Beasant keeping all the away fans amused after the game by telling us a series of jokes - all whilst the skates were right behind us outside the ground chucking coins over and fighting with the police because they couldn't get to us. One of my proudest visits was taking a Spurs ST holder friend of mine to FP and watching his face as he realised the intense hatred that existed. Pretty sure we drew that game 2-2. He took me to Spurs v Arsenal in return but it just wasn't the same level of vitriol and he knew it!

But I thought we were only getting given our match tickets on the coach. How is that going to work if the party is split up? Bizzare

I think it shows how spoilt we have been when most see last night as an average to poor performance! How quickly we adjust our expectations. I know that it is relatively poor compared to the majority of this season but even as recent ago as the last 2 seasons that would have been a good performance. I hope that don't become a bunch of spoilt brats and can appreciate that we are a record breaking (or at least equalling) Saints side.

He really gave Jos a torrid time and held the ball up extremely well. I see him as a better option than JayRod for less money and more proven quality. He could play with Lambert and play his role if he was injured / suspended. Plus he is still very young and has alot of developing still to do. As a comparison, I would say he looks better than Beattie did at the same age and could be one hell of a player by the time he is 25. Particularly playing for his hometown club.

I like Huddersfield and hope they get promoted but as far as the unbeaten run is concerned I have 2 comments: 1. despite this they are not top of the league 2. it ignores their defeat in the play-offs - arguably more important than all 46 of their unbeaten games

IMHO this is already (footballing wise) the best Saints team since the early 80's and it may be the memory fading but this is fast becoming my favourite ever Saints team. the level we are playing at is irrelevant as it is about how this team makes you feel about being a Saints fan. I am also confident that the style of football Adkins likes to play will be competitive in any league and that means we can look forward to more good times ahead.

Totally agree with this, there is no need to use the word black to insult someone. It's the inclusion of that word that demonstrates you see the person differently due to their skin colour. There is also an issue that some people are particularly sensitive to racism and can often mis-interpret harmless remarks. One of my best mates has clearly suffered a fair amount of racism in his life. The problem is he is now so senstive to the issue that he can see racism where it doesn't exist. I don't even see him as black but until he can see himself as anything other than black I fear that he will continue to be a victim of racism.

But we will never know what really happens at these dinners on this forum and I don't blame people for not posting due to the subsequent abuse they are likely to get. Ironically it is the people who shout the loudest about their right to free speech that are actually stopping potentially interesting contributions from others.

WHy is it the negative numpties that always seem to spout incorrect assumptions as fact. The reality is that we have 13,000 STH's and these dinners are for STH's, therefore Cortese meets almost 0.1% of theses fans each time, so if we have had 4 dinners so far (guess) he has already met 0.4% of the STH's. I also know from personal experience that researchers regularly use samples as little as 100 to represent whole markets or populations. You are only interested in facts that support your negative outlook so I fully expect you to try to argue with my numbers but I really couldn't give a flying f**k what you think. I just wish you would stop spoiling my enjoyment of what used to be a good forum.

The beauty of sky + Table, Pause, Enjoy........

Certainly helps clarify that it is down to a general lack of knowledge rather than bias. Guly has clearly shown at times this season that he HAS it. The issue is applying it on a consistent basis.

I really can't understand the slagging of Guly and Connolly gets off scott free. For me has has been far more ineffective over the past 5 games and yesterday gave the ball away EVERY time. You might be forgiven for thinking that people are more interested in justifying their first impression of a player than giving an honest opinion.

But Strachan bottled that game as well. With the way we were playing that season we were all looking forward to giving Arsenal something to worry about for the final. But Strachan decided to not bother trying to win and it back fired horribly. The cup final - once the game kicked off - was embarrassing for me and completely took away what should have been incredible feeling of pride after a great season. Despite all of that - it is the style of football that Adkins plays and his ability to keep the team focused on winning that convinces me he is already a better manager than Strachan. He may still have to prove himself to some but for me he deserves my belief that he can bring unprecedented success to SFC.

Obviously difficult to compare different managers due to them all working under different circumstances. For me Lawrie is my all time favourite but I am 46 and had no real experience of Ted Bates. I already know deep down that Adkins is the best manager we have had since Lawrie, but it feels a bit premature to say it out loud. Currently he is on a par with Strachan at the moment but will certainly overtake him this season based on achieving promotion to the Premier League. But then my memory of Strachan is tainted by him completely bottling it against Arse in the 2003 FA Cup Final. Under Lawrie we were genuine competitors and ALL teams feared coming to the Dell and with the dominance of finance in the modern game it will be virtually impossible for the current Saints to ever reach that level. However, if NA & NC achieve all of their objectives and do it over a sustained period of time, then they will be the equivalent of TB & LM to a whole new generation of Saints fans and will create another legacy that future managers and chairmen will be measured against. That in itself will be achievement enough.