egg

If you are and understand football why crtticise a holding midfielder for not bringing anything to the team in terms of attacking? After all you would not expect a centre back to score with an over head kick or a centre forward to clear a shot off his own goal line would you? FFS people need to realise that players are picked to do a particular job and should only be judged ob how well they do that job.

James looked good in that team. A decent looking holding player who linked play well. That is his game. He's not a playmaker like Schneiderlin so won't catch the eye which perhaps doesn't help him. Sparv was class though and someone should be shot for letting him go. A full Finnish international now I think.

I wander how many people posting stupid anti James posts were actually at the game tonight - very few I would think. For what it's worth he did ok. He looked a little rusty but actually used the ball pretty well and helped us boss the middle of the park. James was subbed cos we needed a goal, not cos he was playing badly. Please, please, please do not post a view on a players performance unless you were at the game.

He was a hell of talent, had the ability to be a top top player. He went to Leeds as a makeweight in the Wallace' transfer but didn't make it. IIRC he came back here and got sent off for smacking someone in a reserve game or trial game. Out of interest anyone remember the name of that Aussie kid who was touted as the next big thing (I don't mean scott macdonald, was years before him).

Anyone know about James though? Surely the best CM stand in we have. Strange he not even on bench if fit.

What was the alternative though? Where is James at the mo? The os does not report him injured.

Solent know the line up but not the tactics/formation. Will be 451.

Will be 451. Lallana wide right and Lambert up top alone. James will hold in front of back 4.

Put your dummy back in mate. The post informs us of a link rather than dealing with your shiny new thread. I for one did not know that link Nick, so thanks.

If Hammond is injured I think we will move Lallana into the middle with MS sitting a little deeper. Mills, Holmes or even Antonio could play on the left. The beauty of this 451 (or whatever it is!) is that it is so much easier to slot players in and out of the team, and to give players slightly different roles, than a typical 442.

You're an idiot mate. Whether Yeovil fans were coming into the pub or not, nobody can justify 2 lads getting kicked and stamped when on the ground. Simple as that.

Ian Baird is managing Eastleigh. Kevin Gibbens is playing for VTFC. Keith Granger was on the coaching staff at Saints but is now back at the docks. Reuben Agboola is into property (I think) after getting rid of his pub. Many, many more have drifted out of the game and achieved very little - sadly.

Nearly. His kid brother could not say Joseph properly and pronounced it "fish", hence the nickname. I feel really sad knowing that.

Disagree. Lallana will play down the right and has only been playing left side due to injuries there. Melis and Thomson give alternatives/back up. People forget that James is a CM and only played RB last season because the dutch boys were idiots - Pardew realises his best position is CM and will play him there with Hammond. We have Wotton and Gillett as back up. Left side between Holmes and Mills when fit. Gobern gives back up. Those are no bad midfield options at this level. With that said a proper winger or two would help, particularly down the right. Pardew is no fool and I have faith that he will address that.

Gillett is not the answer imo. He is very lively but offers nothing. He is neither a playmaker or a ball winner. The best holding midfielder at the club is James. He can tackle and pass and is a lot bigger and stronger than Gillett. I would play him in the middle alongside MS until we get a new man in.

Would go with that XI but with James wide right and Lallana wide left. Mills on the bench for either Thomson or Gobern.

Water Boarding, brilliant fun.

Wrong choice! If you don't go to court the Judge has only one side of the story and does what he wants. No leg to stand on I'm afraid.

This does not make sense. If you are alleged to have attacked someone he would have obtained an Injunction, not the Housing Association. I cannot see why thet would injunct you. Either way an application for an Injunction would need to be served on you. That application would tell you the court date. If that happened and you did not go you got nothing to moan about. Sometimes an Injunction would be obtained without you having notice of the hearing. The Injunction Order would, however, have to be served on you. It would always give you either a date for a follow up hearing or a date by which you should object if you do not want the Order to continue. Again if you did nothing... If you have not been served you apply to set aside the Injunction and costs Order. Different to an appeal - basically you are saying that you have never had a chance to oppose the application rather than saying the decision was wrong as such. You need to sort this. Forget the CAB - spend some money on a proper lawyer.

That is an old article. Back in 2006/7 he was rated as worth in the £2-3 billion bracket, not "several hundred million" as per Lynham's letter. Ratcliffe was 10th in the 2007 UK Rich list, slipped to 25th in 2008 and does not feature at all in 2009. Very, very strange. Either he is so elusive that the Sunday times forgot to include him - unlikely, or his wealth has reduced massively. If the latter is the case would he really want to throw money at a football club?

Can't believe was only that. Others on much more. Dodd was on a basis more than double that near the end of his time as player here. MLT's last year was awful though. £1k pw basic. Am pretty sure was same again for squad selection and same again for an appearance. Although the guys from that era were paid poor basics they were paid high "appearance bonuses". It worked by getting a big lump sum for appearing in X number of games or matchday squads. Some clauses provided that "absence from games through injury suffered in a game or training after being selected for a squad" amounted to an appearance in all susequent games missed. Example, picked in squad then injured in training. Then miss 20 games but chalk up 20 "appearances". If you think about it many players would have been (and may still be ?) picking up bonuses without kicking a ball.

Disagree. The whole point of a 42121 (?) formation is that the widemen do not give defensive cover - they play in attacking roles. This is why strikers are being played in those roles. In a 442 system the widemen operate in front of the fullbacks and get up and down the pitch. I agree that if we went 442 and played McG and BWP were out wide then things would not be much better. I am suggesting we go 442 and play wide midfielders/ wingers in those roles. They will know the role and offer support to the defence and attack as needed.

Are you serious? In this system our full backs have no cover whatsoever. The wide midfielders/attackers (for the last half hour they were in fact BWP and McG - 2 alleged strikers) do not know whether to get back or not. The point was in fact made by the sky commentator. The 2 midfielders cannot get over to support otherwise we get overrun in the middle of the park. The best 2 full backs in the world would have a tough time with no cover. Lloyd James is never going to be the next Cafu but he is so exposed he looks worse than he is. Further up the pitch the widemen looked awful and the rest of the team completely disjointed. We looked a whole lot better when we went 424, or whatever it was, following the subs. We had 2 "normal" strikers and 2 "normal" CM players and looked much better. If we went 442 it would give cover to the fullbacks, give us more strength and options up front where we are plainly lacking. Based on the last half hour, and assuming Schneiderlin is still crocked, we have 2 of Gillett, Surman (those 2 would be choice), Cork, Wotton and James (before you laugh I have seen him play loads of times at CM paired with Gillett and they play really well together). The wide berths could be filled by Lallana, Smith, Surman orThomson. I know we have loads of centre forwards with recent expereience as wingers but I prefer to see round pegs in round holes. I have never really been a believer that systems make much difference but having seen us get battered down the flanks and look gash up front most of the season it is bloody obvious to me that this system is not the best for us.

Oh please, only Morgan and MCG of those have been all but ever presents this season. They are tall but hardly powerhouses. If you really think that a big guy in goal and a few other tall but slight and/or inexperienced and/or crocked players render us suitable for an injection of Billy Davies "style" then you are as mad as a box of frogs on acid. We have a squad of inexperienced footballers. I would much rather see them play football this season than see Billy Davies "educate" them in his psycho football ways.

While I agree it scares the life out of me that we have a coach who is making it up as he goes along. With that said. I can not see what on gods earth Billy Davies, or many other coaches, could do better with the squad we have and the resources available at the club. His teams play with a big lump at the back, one up front, and 9 filling the other positions. Our boys weigh in at about 9 stone 6 a piece. Hardly the ingredients for the Billy Davies pub team approach is it? Some people need to wake up and smell the reality. We only have kids available so need a coach to get the best from those kids. Billy Davies aint that man.