doddisalegend

I hate to say it (becuase I understand peoples frustration with Alpine), but just becuase most people are feeling postive doesn't mean Alpine has to. This is a message board it's about opinions Alpines (no matter how bizzare they can be) are no less wrong/right as anybody elses opinions. There's rather alot of playing the man not the ball going on with Alpine at the moment. I'd rather see reasoned debate than people telling people to shut the F uck up (and I'll hold my hands up to being guilty of that too though I try not to)

probably but I was clutching at straws that it all kicked off and he was just defending himself.

yeah could be.... well I'm sure it will all come out in court.

I notice two of the guys involved (one charged one not) are from Billericay Essex which is about 16 miles from Southend. I wonder if thats what kicked it off disgruntled Southend fans?

Man city are looking to loan out SWP he do as cover........

TBH three of those I'd forgotten about Holmes - has had it I don't have problem getting rid. Forecast - get rid never going to play for us. Pulis - to be fair has at least gone out on loan (though I believe we're still playing his wages) don't think stockport can afford his wages but if they want him surely we'd give him away for free. Wotton - if we had a major midfield injury/suspension crisis I think he could be re-called from loan and do a job for a few games. Get rid in the summer though.

Who you got in mind? we had a big old clear out last summer (was it 14?). Wotton probably isn't in our long term plans (but I get the feeling he is being kept so he can be re-called in an emergency) I can see him and Jiadi going in the summer. Other than that I suppose it's the players who have come up from the youth Like Doble who seem to have no chance of getting close to the first 11. However that would go against NC stated plan to build from our youth players if we got rid of them.

Fair enough, that makes Chaplow a bargin basement signing then:)

Bit unfair on Chaplow hasn't he played PL?

True, but were is the cut off point how much cover can we get in without bloating the squad? How many really good players are going to come in to sit on the bench knowing they're only there in case somone gets injuried? At some point we have to let our youth players come through the ranks and take a chance on them don't we? Players like Harding, Butterfield and Connolly would walk into most league one sides and are becoming mere fringe players for us. I doubt there is a team in the division that would have Barney starting on the bench most weeks. I see your point I really do, but at some point we have to say we have enough players don't we?

On the loans front I'm amazed how many of our league rivals seem to bring in PL youngsters, it's something we don't seem to do. Mind you that could just be becuase we're not your average league one side we seem to loan players out to higher divisions rather than bring loans in. I don't think a lot of teams in this division could put out a decent team without using the loans system to full effect. Having said that if there are promising PL youngsters out there for loan I'm not sure why we don't chance our arm a bit more on the loans front.

Considering our stated youth policy aim, shouldn't we be looking to sign up good young talent for the future at reasonable cost rather than signing players in their prime for top whack? we have a strong squad and we can always use a few loans to cover the second half of the season.

After lasts nights match against Ipswich me too, if Arsenal played like that against us we'd win.

I see it as a chance to test ourselves againt the best team in England. I'm not expecting us to win (although you never know) I'll be happy if we give them a good game and make it close. I'm looking forward to it though. Sorry.

^^^^ this While I have no problem with the Northam boys having a good time, some of what is a good time for them isn't really compatible with what the family supporters want. You can't really put the Northam crowd in with those who (for whatever reason) want to use the family area. So you have to move the family area from the Chapel to somewhere else. I can't see that being a straight swap though as I'm not sure little kids and mums being abused by beered up away fans is exactly what you want in a family area either. So to me that leaves putting the family area either in the middle of the Kingsland or Itchen so they're equal distance from both the new Kop end and the away end.

Stay at home and watch it on TV I expect.

A couple of months ago it seemed like we needed loads of players so many of them seemed off the pace. In the last few weeks everyone has started hitting form and right now I'd be happy not to upset the apple cart so to speak. The only question mark is Puncheon if he wants to stay and play then no problem, if he really wants to leave then I think we need a replacement for him.

Let me see I started with this Then after spouting off in your usual style. you say this Right question answered thanks for your input

Damn I was hoping Blackpool would lose this one just to make the grumpy little dwarf look even more stupid, sadly now he'll claim he was totally right in sticking two fingers up at the FA cup.

Surely what we need is a fat, half naked bloke, covered in tats, with a big bell and a funny hat on. Then we could be the greatest fans in the world............ Any takers?

When we play them I expect to see Chaplow single handly destory the Posh just so he can stick two fingers up to fergie Jnr, who basically killed his Preston career.

The thing is down here we are a big fish (massive fanbase for this level, PL facilities) we win a lot more than we lose which is of course fun (although it feels much worse when we lose to brentford than it does when we lose to manure). The higher up the smaller a fish we become which is not so fun. Sadly these days PL is everything (and I hate that) if we don't keep moving forward the club will suffer, I've said it before but I could live with being a yoyo club myself smash the championship out of sight one year, have a year of PL football then back to snmashing the championship and repeat (throwing in a nice cup win every couple of years). I just can't see saints every being a regular top four club in the PL or a frenquent member of the champions league.

This ^^^^ As a ST I've got until monday (right?) to get my ticket if I go to get mine on sat before Notts county and they've sold them to someone else then they can put me up in the direcors box next to NC ............

Steve Claridges take on it is quite funny on his video blog, once you get past his presentation skills he makes an interesting point http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/steveclaridge/2011/01/claridge_kicks_off_9.html

At no point have I said that (or a lot of the other words you've put in my mouth). I was merely pointing out that his success has to be taken in context that for the last twenty years he has had resources avaliable that most managers could only dream off. How can resources not make a difference? As you pointed out if he had spent the last twenty years at stockport he wouldn't have achieved a quarter of what he has done. A good manager alone is not enough for success (since the arrival of the PL and champions league) it requires the resources of a big club to do what he has done, yes he might of earned the right to be there but so what? that doesn't alter my point that without Man utds resources he wouldn't have achieved what he has.