Badger

Why do we manage to fu^ck it up when we have a route to a Cup Final mapped out in front of us? Last season I don't believe we had the intent to win at Sunderland, and although we had an injury hit squad tonight, that does not explain the inept performance of some. Why did we sign Mane, and Long ? Mane was a gamble of the unknown, Long has a proven record of being a non-scorer? What did we expect?

Is that article supposed to imply the yids had never heard of Virgil Van Dijk before they appointed Paul Mitchell? If they had come across him on their scouting radar,as I'm sure they will have, then it hardly proves Mitchell to be a great coup for them, just the bloke with a glorified notepad, listing names and crossing them off again.

Well put Ron, think we can take heart having him at the helm to get things back on track, but porr bloke is not a miracle worker when it comes to injuries.

That and the fact they have depths in the squad to cope with a few injuries.

Bit of a theme developing here. But Pangy, don't you realise Mane is the £12m Mayuka ?

Similar to Burnley last season then.

Home draw please, with a view to progressing.

Whenever I read of outstanding talents at 15/16 I remember how Paul Rideout was going to be an England sensation after a hattrick v Scotland Scholboys at Wembley c1980. Although he did make a career for himself, he did not fulfill his 'expected' potential after that day.On the other hand Rooney with his strength was comfortable in the Premiership at 17. This lad does look a good prospect, and you'd think he might turn into the mutts nuts in a few years from those highlights. He does seem to have an 'attitude' as well though, (witness his goal celebration at 2.09 where he just pushes a team mate off, and charges into another),no doubt our careful nuturing and the 'upbringing' provided in the Academy will knock him into shape.

I like the idea of Clasie, and some of the suggestions made on here, but one position not mentioned so far is back up GK.

Surely we can find another world beater from Ecuador, can't be that difficult can it?

Oliver Bierhoff ? Of the English players you mention, Ings might not be excessively expensive owing to his contract situation. Austin would be a good signing on the face of it, except probaby an inflated price, and from the snippets of 'info' often trotted out, is that he has a reputation of being a bit of a knob, so you wonder if he'd fit in with 'the dressing room'. On the subject of Austin though, I wonder where he might have been now had we signed him in L1 when we were rumoured to be in for him (and Swindon declined to sell to us).

Yes, although I think The9 may have part of the answer following Gardos poor display at Stoke. I thought I'd read somewhere though that Gardos could also play DM in which case he'd have been a better option there to keep Toby at CB.

Any ITK's who can tell us this deal is nailed on ?

So that'll probably be games on26th & 28th then. Just hope neither is Newcastle or Sunderland away

Interesting link on the Sky Sports page, one of our former edefenders also targetting top six, http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/9576353/seaborne-targeting-top-6- Its not Lovren either.

Yes they thought they'd revolutionise football coverage, at 7pm as prime time family viewing. F'kin dreadful. Not sure if it was at their first attempt they introduced the awful "Its a beautiful game.." theme tune as well. They certainly seemed to be trying to take the football out of footbll coverage as best they could. Overlooked the critical fact that much of the viewing public wanted football as post-pub viewing in those days. * * yes, for theb younger readers, it was 11pm closing in pubs on a Saturday back then.

What a tart..

These games are only interesting now because they are played so infrequently. If you are old enough to remember the old Home Championships they became very tired, and would often be played by England, and to a lesser extent Scotland, with experimental squads, after players were withdrawn due to club commitments (if in European finals etc).

Perhaps his role was to help the team gel...

Hopefully they'll still be out on December 8th.

Fond memories of Radio Solent's Saints coverage, especially in the mid 1970's. Living nr Newbury at the time and it was just audible on a radio, upstairs bedroom, with the aerial fully extended, and often had to be positioned correctly, if nudged it would lose signal. It really was that delicate an operation.It was against this that I listened through the 1976 cup replay at Villa Park, and the away win at Bradford for example. Yes, recall the goal jingle, second half only - occasional- commentary. At or around this time, and long before Bruce Hornsby, and a few years before John Miles, I think the music used was the old 'Freewheelers' theme tune. I remember John Barrett was probably the main commentator, and Tony Mitchener (?) seemed to be at Dean Court, his reports/commentary seemed pretty relaxed and he'd tell you Cherries had taken the lead, then play a bit of 'commentary' as how he'd seen it, usually at talking pace, re a corner to Bournemouth...up go the heads...[ loud roar from the crowd and clapping] .. then he'd say they'd scored... Also used to try listening to the Solent Friday Weekend Sport feature at 6pm, where you even had the luxury of interviews with Lawrie and a player. All of which must seem in the dark ages to those growing up with the internet.

Exactly. His performances time after time in major tournaments have been pitiful. Every time he fails to live up to even his own standards, never mind those of an England 'great'. 100 caps, but the ar$e-licking tabloids have forgotten the statistic bandied baout this summer, one goal in a World Cup finals series. The debate should be about whether he should be in the side at all, not about anything more.

You'd expect Mitchell has a few restrictive covenants on his contract preventing him from being able just to move into his new job seamlessly, better still a few months gardening leave before he starts. Trouble is though that 'data' and systems might be owned by the employer, but it is difficult to impose a restriction on what is in his own knowledge and simply 'how to do the job'.

Carrick Rangers perhaps ? But definitely don't want a return to Norrkopping in case history repeats iteself.

This is perhaps the critical bit, no matter how good the scouting network, Koeman was probably the biggest factor in signing these two, and Toby.