kwsaint

Interesting how club myths become established facts. Total net cost of SMS was £17million, once sponsorship, grants and the proceeds from selling the Dell are taken into consideration. RL effectively took out a 10 year loan against the stadium to cover other debts in 2001. With an interest rate of 8%. If it had just been for SMS, then the mortgage would have been around 5-6 million by the time that we went into administration in 2009. Total debts in 2009 were around £30 million in 2009. We simply lived beyond our means and paid players too much after relegation in 2005. Having said that, administration got rid of RL and we ended up with owners who seem to know what they are doing.

Do we have a reserve keeper yet?

Do we have a reserve keeper yet, now that Stek has gone? I read that we were linked with the NI keeper

I posted that Wanyama would stay based on information received. Just goes to show that I am not ITK. Also shows that Wanyama is not very bright. Think we already knew both of those things

Got the email from Saints about membership. To be honest, I am not sure that it is worth the money Your thoughts?

Does anybody actually know anything?

Saints management seem to be going about this in a thorough way again. None of this going for big names or the chairman's mate. It will be interesting to watch how Mourinho gets on at Man U. Doesn't on the face of it seem a natural fit. Someone like MP would have fitted better. I think that we will be pleasantly surprised who we get, whether it is Puel or Garcia or someone else

Agree with the comment about Saints thinking left field Saints management will have planned for this scenario and will already have candidate(s) in mind. Relax

Just to clarify, I hope you mean on the earth's surface? Also that's more of an average due to the rugby ball shape of the earth. In reality, Newton's equation of gravity being g = -GM/r^2 offers a more comprehensive law for gravity although this was superceded by Einstein's theory of general relativity but I feel this is probably too much detail that it would subtract from the analogy the OP was drawing. As for Murder, She Wrote, I've never watched it so I can't comment.

Want united to win so that we go straight to the EL group stages. But it just feels so wrong wanting United to win. Almost as bad as if it were the skates in the cup final and our place in EL depended on them winning. Horrible

Asked the same question of a Celtic supporting work colleague. The only one that he mentioned was a very promising young left back called Kieran Tierney. I said that we had a left back factory at St Mary's and that it was probably one position that we didn't need to strengthen.

Was a great day out. Nice location to watch football, friendly locals and a superb second half performance from Saints. Happy days. Good to hear that there is another book from the Hagiology team on the way. So much of current football writing is really poor, but this team know how to write well. Looking forward to reading it. Just wish that they had written Matt's biography.

At least there will be no more threads on what the permutations are for getting into EL. Guaranteed a EL place in the group stages. We finish 5th if Man U lose to Bournemouth, otherwise we finish 6th. Think that I understand it now

This. Just this.

Could be a quiet summer with only Mane going. Would make a nice change

At the risk of reopening the debate, I am not sure that this is correct. There are 4 CL places and 2 EL places guaranteed for top 6, as Man C won the league cup. If we finish 7th, then we get EL place if either Man U win the cup and finish above us or Liverpool win EL and finish above us. The only way that 8th gets into Europe if it's Liverpool and they win EL. So as it stands win on Saturday and we can't finish lower than 7th, and if West Ham don't win at Stoke then we finish 6th.

Think that we will be seeing Big Vic in a Saints shirt next season. Assuming that my informed source is correct. Think Mane will go. Just hope that we can keep Forster

First game at the Olympic Stadium and no-one there! Will be interesting to see what sort of punishment the FA dish out. They have got to do something

I think that it all goes back to Charlie Wayman getting injured at Tottenham in 1949. We would then have been promoted to the First Division that year, stayed there for 67 years and Leicester would not have won the league this year. Or is that just a bit tenuous?

Cuco is solid without being spectacular. Cedric seems a bit lightweight, and I prefer Cuco Would have Chambers back in a shot. Another young Saints player ruined by Wenger. Could develop into a top class centre back given the right environment. Would have Ox back as well (although can't see that one happening)

Don't think so. Under these circumstances Liverpool would not have qualified for EL by their placing. So they would get a CL place but there would be no loss of EL place. Another way of looking at this is that we go into EL if we finish above West Ham, as long as Liverpool don't finish above us and Palace win the cup

Might even finish above Liverpool for the first time ever

I would have both Chambers and Ox back. Both might actually develop here, rather than stagnate at Arsenal.

Think that we will lose Mane, and probably Pelle as well. But from what I have heard from a reliable source big Vic may well end up staying. Also think that RK will see out next season and then move on. Main concern is that we hold on to Forster.

Went last night, along with lots of other over 50s. Was a good evening and brought back lots of happy memories. We are seriously overdue another good cup run. Only absentee was Peter Rodrigues. He did a video link, but didn't look too well.