doddisalegend

But the result was much the same, Carlisle flew out of the traps last season had a very good first few weeks ended up mid table (though they did win a cup). There's nothing wrong with wanting a good start but all that matters at the end of the season is how many games you've won not when you won them.

Exactly 3 pts despite the terrible pre-season which goes to prove pre-season had very little effect doesn't it?

Sorry did you not use last years pre-season as evidence for your argument? Simple fact is we had two poor pre-seasons but by the end of those seasons we had had two good seasons footballing wise. I'm sure if I could be bothered to look back I could find some blinding pre-seasons that end up with us achieving nothing. All the last two seasons have proved is that pre-season is not as important as it is made out to be.

Quite but Argyle will struggle this season, I predict relegation to league 2....

In fact we did pretty well the season before (first silverware since 76, would have finished in the play offs but for the -10) and that pre-season was screwed up too. Our two best seasons in years have come after **** poor pre-seasons it would seem based on this evidence we should endevour to **** this one up and thus ensure some success next season...........

Surely the season just gone shows that pre-season might not actually be that important? According to some on here last pre-season was a fecking disaster yet despite that we finished second, 3 pts behind the champions..............

Personally I'd say anything more than £1000 a week for playing football is taking the **** regardless of the league or the player.......

Was anyone really expecting something earth shattering? I might go if the price is low. I quite enjoyed (in a masochistic way)Cheltenham in the FA cup last season, SMS was about 3/4 empty and f ucking cold.

Intersting article here would this work at saints as a player motivator? http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13775725.stm

Spending time with the wife and kids is always high on the list. I also really enjoy watching my nine year old play football, he has just joined the under 11s Hedge End Rangers A team and is just starting to play proper 11 aside matches he's got lots of freindlies and a few tournements lined up over the summer to give me my football fix. Other than that I enjoy military history reading about it, visiting military museums (love going to Bovington) and I'm partial to making the odd military model kit too.

There is two ways saints can go with this. We can go for big name players with PL experince but that will cost a packet in pay, and if I'm honest frenquently come across as only in it for the money big time charlies, or we can go for unproven at highr level talent from the lower leagues who will be happy with more sensible wages and grateful for the chance to play for a good club like saints, though at the risk they can't hack it at a higher level. Personally I'm all for the later, I'd rather see slighty less talented players play for saints with pride and passion than over paid mercs with no interest. Then again I'm in no hurry to get back to the PL so I'm sure plenty will disagree with me.

My wife teachs in skatesville (well paulsgrove) and she'd say the same, she comes home with some really horror stories. It amazes me how many of them can afford fags/drugs/booze but can't afford to buy their kids new clothes or give them a wash.

It would be cheaper just to give them away........ The days of empire building are over we no longer need a massive navy to enforce our will across the world. The world has changed it's no longer a case of sending a gunboat down to some third world dump to force them to do our bidding. Empires comes and go Britain has had it's time in the sun and departed hope and despair through it in equal measure. The world is a changed place there is no room for empires any more, certainly not a British one, and with it the need to employ a massive world spanning navy is gone to. I find it odd that you'd be happy to spend a load of money to have fleet of warships sat in port in case we fall out with spain, yet the thought of giving money to stop the worlds poorest children from dying gets you upset.

Thing is they've always been a shambles not the lads (and lasses) themselves but the way they are funded and looked after by goverment. British armed forces have through out their history achieved great things despite the goverment not becuase of it.

Thats me always stood to attention, ready to fire off the cannon at the misses................................... maybe thats not what you meant?

It's easy to say that when you were lucky enough to be born into a rich western country. As a father I can't believe that letting any child die is the right thing to do. I only have to think how I'd feel if I lost one of my children to decide that if the goverment wants to take £45 of the money it's taken from me and use to save a childs life (any child I don't care about race colour or creed) I'm fine with it.

You're right a slighty generalization only 32 out out of 50 us states thought this was acceptable. I wonder what the UK would make of this if it turnned out to be happening/happened here.

Saw this on the beeb. America land of the free, democracy and free speech and also it appears the land that enforced sterlization of unwanted parts of society http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13700490 Wierd to think that a country so instrumental in ridding the world of the nazis would find this acceptable up until the late 20th century....

It's hardly a surprise since the creation of a British army in 1707, British goverments have always tried to get the most out of the armed forces for as little cost as possible. The British empire was built on a shoestring budget. The only time British goverments will really spend on the armed forces is if this sceptred isle is under direct threat of invasion. Has always been and always will be the way. The big difference is that up until WW2 the Navy was first in line for resources now they seem to third in line. The end of the cold war means the Navy doesn't have anyone to fight in the way it used to.

Roll on the start of the season................

LOL. I have visions of Derry on Antics Roadshow now, being told that these two rare books he was given for free are worth £250,000......

Not heard of cup matches then?

Fair enough no council tax rise. How about a whip round then? circa 236,000 people live in southampton if everyone of them donated a fiver a year the council would get another 1,180000 quid a year should be enough help to keep local refuse services running.

Can't the council just raise council tax? it seems everyone in Southampton supports the binmen so they'd all happily fork over another 1-2% on their council tax to keep all the refuse collectors in a job at their current wage wouldn't they?

Unless it was griffon engined spitfire.......