CanadaSaint

We'd love to know the truth and I think you're right - there's tons that we don't know, and some of it may be on (or over) the borders of legality. However, I'm doubtful that we'll ever read that book (or even read it in the papers) because at least one of the chief protagonists uses the fear of litigation as a way of constraining the story telling. It's all very well to say that the story teller has nothing to fear if he sticks to the truth, but even the smallest slip in a highly complex matter will probably result in a lawsuit that would be expensive to defend. We're just not important enough for anyone to take that risk so I very much doubt that we'll ever hear the real story. There's one thing that has intrigued me because I've seen this reference before: I don't understand why it would be a police matter if Duncan posted a controversial e-mail on here (which, I think, was what caused that intervention). Surely it would be (or at least start as) a civil matter. Duncan?

This is one of the critical weaknesses and it's killing us. Bang on. Also bang on - and I say that as a former keeper. You have enough on your mind reading the play from a keeper's perspective, without having to try to get messages to players who can be fifty yards away. If we're not careful we'll screw KD up by placing far too much on his shoulders. I remember Bally demanding the best from those around him and giving McCalliog sh*t when he decided to take one of his frequent breaks from the action. When we lose our shape and positional discipline, or when players go AWOL, the captain is the guy who spots it and gets everyone back on track. Lallana is a great example of someone who needs that influence because he's not smart enough to figure it out for himself. Our Top Three needs are 1) a dominant central defender (the start of our demise was when we lost ours in the Fratton Park warm up all those years ago - and never replaced him), 2) a reliable Link Midfielder (the pivot for so very much), and 3) a forceful Captain. I really hope Hammond can address 2) and 3) but it's asking a lot of a new guy in the dressing room. I don't think we have as many problems as some are saying, and I think that addressing those three needs will make us a much better team.

I don't know why people are so surprised and angry because we still need what we needed last year and the year before and the year before that - a dominant central defender and a reliable link midfielder. Everything - good or bad - flows from those two positions. There is something else we need, and it's at least as important - a captain. We need someone who will pull the best out of those around them on the pitch - whether by warm words, harsh words, adjustments or sheer example. When's the last time we had that? Until those needs are addressed we'll struggle no matter what division we're in. The good news is that we have the resources to act. I hope.

It's not just the midfield. We're shipping goals at set pieces.

Does Merrington add ANYTHING? Tactical insight, an idea of what's going wrong, the weather forecast? Anything at all? "The (travelling) Saints fans will be disappointed". No sh*t, Dave.

Cutting out much more now as the game winds down.

Mine's much better this week as well but there are still occasional cut-outs. As well as side-trips to fricking Petersfield.

If I had my time over again I'd wait until they've fixed it. Last week was a bit of a shambles - cutting out, side trips to other grounds, crap commentary.

If t... don't fix t.. cutting-out I'm g.... f...... lose it

Based on: A) how the two of them come across, B) what was being said about Wotte on here when he was hired to replace JP, and C) Wotte's arrogant lecturing of the fans, I find it easy to believe JP's version. Very easy.

You should have confessed to A).

Judging by the following contribution to the Charlton site: and other comments in this thread, I think Deanovski is: A) taking the p*ss quite brilliantly, B) passing time until he goes back to school C) smoking something illegal I'm leaning towards C).

Minsk, I threw a minor wobbler at the address jasonb provided above. If enough of us complain I suspect the Club will have more influence than we could.

That's the service provider, isn't it? They have my money so I'm not expecting much there. I'd like to talk to someone at the Club - someone who who might be more concerned that their fans are being short-changed.

I'm in for the season but already starting to regret it because it's not a very good product. For that price I expected a far better commentary and no ongoing technical issues. I didn't expect to be bouncing hither and thither, checking on scores that don't interest me at all, and I didn't expect to be missing goals while the feed cuts out. Out of interest, who should we speak to at the Club if we want to express our concerns?

Excellent post. I couldn't agree more.

Is she good in the air then?

Just a reminder that the thread title is "New SIGNING expected shortly". Not "New SHAFTING expected in your wildest dreams and only after you've ingested loads of drugs and consumed copious amounts of alcohol". God, some of you guys must have carpel tunnel syndrome in the right wrist if you can take us this far off track.

Some people are confusing Profit & Loss and Cash Flow. Profit is the difference between the Club's revenues and expenses; Cash Flow is the difference between the company's inflows and outflows (not all of which are revenues and expenses). For example, concession revenues are a cash inflow but not a profit, because you've still got to pay for the pies you sold and the staff who sold them. Paying off the overdraft and the stadium loan means that we lose the interest payments from our Profit & Loss statement - a saving of maybe $3 million a year. Paying off the overdraft and the stadium loan means that we lose the principle and interest payments from our Cash Flow statement - a saving of maybe $4 million a year (because we weren't really paying down the overdaft anyway). Even though we're in the best cash flow period (season ticket revenues coming in, no 'proper' games being staged) we need to keep the money, along with more that we'll earn along the way - walk-up attendance, concession profits - to fund the entire season. Unless ML is willing to put his hand in his pocket to underwrite a loss (or to fund negative cash flow if we sign players), we're only really about $3 million (in Profit & Loss terms) better off than we were last season - at best. However, we don't have a stadium loan and we don't have an overdraft, so we aren't staring down the barrels of a twelve-bore. We haven't gained much cash but we've lost two lethal 'enemies'. Right now, it looks as though AP is trying to keep the books balanced, but there could be major signings around the corner. We don't know what ML's goals and aspirations are yet. We can still do well if we are run responsibly because the irresponsible option is starting to disappear across the country; the creditors are running scared. It might take time - and more administrations - to get to that point, but it's coming and we're already well set-up for it.

I'm braced. It's going to take time for us to acclimatize, with the "us" being AP, the players and the fans. Of the three, the fans will probably have the most trouble. I can see it now - "We're as good as 13 points behind", "... now it's sixteen points", "we're doomed", "I knew this Swiss dude was a phony", "Pardew's worse than Burley/Branfoot/Wigley/Wotte/Poortvliet", "Rupert's still back there somewhere", and so on. And that'll be before the end of August and the close of the transfer window. Meanwhile, inside the club, people who actually know what they're talking about will be plotting a top five finish, which is what we'll achieve.

I hear you, Hypo. But when (not "if") they get relegated, we can bring him back as our GK coach and give him a tracksuit with "Agent Antii" on the back. Just the thought of that makes it a little more palatable for me.

That's a sickener. He can handle being Number Two to David James but the way Pompey are going (shipping players out left, right and centre) he may well end up as Number One, and I don't think he's durable enough to handle a full season. Especially a full season behind the kind of sh*tty defence and losing record they're going to have.

I don't think we really know what kind of squad we have, and we won't know until they are moulded into a good system, used in ways that utilize their talents, given solid coaching and motivation, and given some time to gel. It's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that some of last season's no-hopers will become very effective players under AP. Yes, I think we need to bring some players in - better established players for the most part - but rushing at it will A) do more harm than good, and B) waste money. Remember Sunderland's promotion from the CCC? They were crap for almost half a season and then nobody could touch them. We're Against Nutty Knee-jerk Action but that doesn't make us W*NKAs.

With a brand new minted owner and our season just days away, and with so much to look forward to, this thread about the lot down the road has the second-highest number of posts on the front page. 'kin Ada.

We'll have to differ on that one. He used to play right on the offside line and was lightning fast. For every ten goals he scored I'll bet he had at least a couple wrongly disallowed because he was too fast for the linesmen.