redkeith

I am an old git myself. I started out with Paine and Davies when I was 5, but I can remember an even older one On the way back from an away game in the 80's we stopped at a pub between Malborough and Andover. When the guy behiind the bar found out we were Saints, he started telling us all about Charlie Wayman, and even came round the bar to demonstrate a goal where Wayman flicked the ball over his own head, turned and volleyed home.

I would be happy with a 1.1 draw next week, as long we equalise with a header, like in 66 and 78. Not that I am superstitious or anything. (David Connolly, the new Tony Funnell)

The London Saints are in corporate hospitality, so that will be a few over 3,100. I don't think it is that expensive, so it might be worth checking out, if you have missed out on the away end.

Perhaps he is confusing us with St Mirren, or St Johnstone ? Having been a season ticket holder since 78, I can remember a few low gates in 83, after Keegan left, and the FA cup game against Port Vale where the crowd was just over 10K, but that was in the middle of the Branfoot protests, and so was due to boycotts. As soon as Branfoot was sacked, we were back up to near full houses again.

On Friday, for the first time, Saints won on the same day that I listened to Pavement. This was an on going superstition, evet since Adam and Joe played Shady Lane on the morning of a home defeat to QPR (perhaps it was to blame for Kelvin's moment of madness in that game).

There are two different views on Thatcher. Some think that she wrecked traditional industries out of revenge for 1974, and has left our electricity system reliant on gas that is no longer under the North Sea, that she brought about a me first mentality ("There is no such thing as society, merely groups of individuals") that has lead to a massive decline in moral standards, as people seek to feather their nest without thinking of the consequences. Then there is the other point of view, which is just wrong. It is because of this Thatcher legacy that I have moved to a more civilised country, France. However I do worry that Sarkozy is trying to be the French Thatcher, and that it will all change here as well.

All Tommorows Parties confirmed for May 2010. Tickets and ferry look too pricey for me. I'll have to wait to see if they come to France.

I see on the Skates OS that they still have 3000 tickets available for the Everton game. I was also surprised to see that they are still showing last years table on their home page for some reason. This is a bit of revisionism that Stalin would have blushed at! I think our previous regimes missed a trick here. Perhaps attendances would have been better if we had the 83/84 season final table on our web-site. Hope trading standards don't find out, as a fine for false advertising might send Pompey under.

I can see why Tiss would think about having a bet on the Dave Jones long punt kick-off tactic. It was appalling, and never led to anything more than losing posession from the resulting throw in 20 yards in the opponents half. Whether Saints or the oppo got the first throw is neither here nor there (unless you are playing Stoke who would launch it 70 yards into your box). The only decent kick-off we had in those days was a home game against Spurs when someone passed it to Marian, who then set of on a run to the penealty area, got body checked and booked for diving. I was sat in the East Stand and it was a blatent pen. I say, get Hants Police to investigate that ref instead.

I have just seen someone on the BBC boards say that the reason that they can't sell all the tickets is because the ground is too small after it went all seater. I know that some people stopped trying to get tickets at the Dell because it got too difficult, but not 4,000 of 'em. His arguement was that they used to get 25K in the 3rd division years ago. I prefer to think that if you mapped the attendance against the position in whichever league they are in, you would see the trend. 8-10 K core support and the rest only come if they are winning.

I think (Nobby) that I read a message from someone like you, that had let their Season Ticket lapse, but they still got the renewal price, as they were on the datbase as a former ST holder. Might be worth asking at the Box office on Saturday.

When games were first shown live, we used to win every time, and I seem to remember that we never even conceeded a goal ( mind you this was 1984). I think this continued even to the Branfoot days, as I can remeber a 1.0 win at Maine Road with Dowie up front. Lets hope that the tide turns back in our favour.

Lallana isn't playing at Eastleigh today. Does that mean that someone has upped their bid? Also, I see that there has been a siighting of the lesser spotted Pullis. Any Liverpool scouts watching him, in case Mascherano leaves?

Liquidation. If Lowe came back, the team would be full of 16 year olds, the ground would be more than half empty and we would go into liquidation anyway.

I'm not worried about MLT and Falkia not having experience of running a big company. Wilde, Lowe, Hume et al had a great deal of experience in running companies. Unfortunatley for Saints, they managed to run us into the ground. How about judging them on what they acheive, rather than indulge in the toy throwing, foot stamping and nihilism that has been filling this board for the past two weeks ( ..... wait ten seconds for the deluge of outraged posts headed in my direction )

For me, as well as most of the above, I would have to go for the Highbury groundsman in 84. Wallace's shot hit a divot which made it go wide, and it was a freak bounce of another divot for Heath's goal. Also, I still can't stand Marcus Bent for that last minute goal. He was so wide that if you got him to try it again 99 times out of a hundred he'd hit the corner flag.

I think we are being a bit unkind to our fishy friends. When we wen't there for the cup game in 1984, they were very keen to invite us all for a freindly game of pool. So keen in fact that they threw all of the pool balls into the away end, just so that we didn't have to put 50p in the tables.

Did anyone who was at that game notice Surnam and McGoldrick being clattered into more than our other players, as this is a good indicator that Billy Davies rates a player( Jones and Bale in the play-offs). A look at the optica Foul stats could indicate whether they are genuine Davies targets.

When you are in admin, you get screwed. There is not a lot of charity in the football world. I can remember Burnley buying Adie Randall from Aldershot for £35,000 when they wen't to the wall. A year earlier, Randall turned down a £250,000 move to Shef Weds. We did the same to Oldham with Fitz-Hall for £125,000 so I suppose what goes around comes around.

There has been talk about the assets on other threads, but if you look at them all, there is no way that it is in the creditors interest to let the club fold. 1) Stadium, only of real value if someone else wants to use it ( Eastleigh, a rugby club or some American buys the Skates and decides to move them to better facilities like the LA Rams did) . 2) Staplewood - again only of real value if another sports team wants it( £2 Mil). 3) Acadamey Hostel, can be sold as housing, B&B etc( £1 mill) . 4) The playing staff - Can only be sold if the club is still going, otherwise they all walk (£3 - 5 Million) 5) The Golden Share and the 'goodwill' of the supporters, again only of value if the club keeps going, worth at least £3 million a year if as few as 7,000 people still turn up every week. The players and the goodwill are the most valuable assets, and any sensbile creditor would see that. Having said that, our biggest creditors are Financial Institutions, who thought it was safe to give a mortgage to Earl and Randy Hicky and then sell it on to each other.

I'm not so sure about the genius of cutting players salaries after relegation. I can remember Lowe stating before relegation, that SLH would be OK because he inserted pay cut in some players contracts, yet we managed to make a net loss the first season down, despite the sales of Niemi, Quashie, Crouch and Walcott. Add that to the fact that most of Harry's signings the previous season, the retirement of Dodd and Le Saux and letting Anders go on a Bosman, we started the season with only half of the team that got us relegated. Contrast that with Birmingham City, who keep their squad together each time they go down, and go straight back up again. I fear that the genius of pay cut's could result in James, Gillet, and McGoldrick etc all leaving us for 'Big Payers' like Blackpool or Barnsley.

It never fails to amaze me how some players get criticised for continually passing the ball to their own team mates. I can remember Oakley and Magilton getting the same treatment, and also Folly when Sturrock played him at DM for a while. Mind you I used to moan about Bally's short square passing all those years ago. I am not saying that Morgan is in the same league as any of the above, but he is by far the best passer of the ball that Saints have at the moment. If someone can toughen him up a bit, Scheiderlin and Gillet could be a force to be reckoned with. If not here then maybe at another club.

When we first heard about the disaster my mind wen't back to the Saints game there in 84. I was stood in the middle pen and it was packed. Every time Saints attacked I was picked up of the ground by the weight of bodies, but I was always lucky enough to end up back on my feet. Not pleasent, but it was so full that you couldn't get out until the game was over. Freinds of mine were stood in the side pens and had plenty of space. When you get in the gate at that end, all you can see is the back of the stand, with one tunnel in the middle, and no obvious sign posting. Most people went straight down the tunnel into the crush. I always said afterwards that it was the worst away end I had ever been in, so I was shocked but not suprised by the news. The Leppings Lane End was always an accident waiting to happen.

As Barclays are currently borrowing billiions at 14% interest rates from the Middle East, rather than be part nationalised at 12%, it seems they don't know that much about Banking, let alone football. Perhaps they could benefit from a 'Revoloutionary New Banking' set up, and Mr Lowe could advise them on lending policy towards, Hedge Funds, North London Yobo's etc.

How about copying the Catalan protest of waving a white hankie to show your displeasure. If this could be planned for the United game, when the cameras are there, 30 minutes into the game, it should have the maximum visual impact without people having to miss any of the on field torture. This is easier than handing out red cards, as everyone gets a new hanky for Xmas.