Badger

Yes but come next season he’ll be like another new signing to propel us to automatic promotion. Until he gets injured on September 2nd after the window has slammed shut.

Should we go up then you’d hope for some squad improvements. As for the skates, I wouldn’t take beating them as a given, if we still have Bazunu in goal, and Martin in charge.

Nice memory David. For me, "Middlesbrough" conjures up two immediate memories of away games i was fortunate enough to attend~: Jan 1981 - 1-0 win at Ayresome Park , going top of the league for the first time in our history May 2012 - Riverside, losing 2-1 in the promotion run in. Still beyond belief their defender wasn't sent off at 1-1 when pulling back Lallana when clean through on goal.

Some absolute horror shows in that range, possibly the neatest kits are the Sporting Gijon, their plain halves, and a quartered shirt. Even when they get a home kit okay, the aways are a monstrosity.

Steps 2, and 3 - to the inevitable backdrop of " It's coming home..."

Surprised the tabloids haven't obtained an(other) exclusive with Ulrika yet. Can't be far away.

But wait till Hendo's back, he'll sort it out.

Not April 1st until next Monday, have they released this too soon ?

As bad as the number of games they're facing, its also the travel, with home games in Gloucester (195 miles from Truro according to the BBC article).

Persoanlly I'd like to avoid Leeds to currently seem to be the complete package. But the farce or 'lottery' of the playoffs is such that any one of those teams might slip up to WBA, Hull, Norwich or whoever in their SF. Added to which we're not guaranteed to win our SF either.

No mention of a Lamborghini so has to be questionable how reliable a source that is.

Well done Totton. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68499793

Has he been fired ?

Could be restricted access

Well he will now be at home at The Abbey (before sponsorship and naming rights). Perhaps he’s still on that path.

Something for the Statto’s out there: Swansea 0 - Luton 2 ( Swansea had 75% possession) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62517792 Luton 1 - Swansea 0 ( Swans 58% possession). https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64760949 Second match - Nathan had left Luton at this stage and was about to get the push from Saints. Martin sent off in this game.

Perhaps this is the first recorded use of ‘Brian’ in football speak. Growing up in the 1979’s I thought ”Well Brian, the wife and kids come first ..” was due to Brian Moore, but seems to predate him by a couple of decades.

Players making dummy or decoy runs whatever they are called now, seldom get the recognition for this. For one thing it might be difficult for the analysts to ‘measure’ or record it as opposed to factually who passed the last ball to the scorer. So from yesterday, Smallbone has his straightforward pass registered as an assist, but his subsequent play in making space for Brooks - probably more significant in the goal - goes unnoticed. Tends to support the question over the reliability of such stats, in my view. Or perhaps he deserves two ‘assists’.

Fair point perhaps. But it was probably more to do with the calibre of player suiting the game at the time.

Probably true that it coincides with ‘fantasy football’, but playing my MLG card on this one, doesn’t it still rely on goals scored ? Creating missed opportunities does not register as an assist.

Shame Saints didn’t employ a Data Analyst in the 50’s and 60’s,interesting to know how many assists Paine and Sydenham were credited with. Would no doubt come as a shock to some of the ‘new age men’ who think they’ve reinvented football.

I’m with you two on this, Xg complete headwank in my book, “assists” not far behind. But if the modern hipster social media generation want to get a ‘hard on’ over it then fine but don’t spout it as if it’s written on a tablet of stone. The difference in making a goal strikes me as a Paine or a Sydenham beating a player, or an individual bit of skill setting up the opportunity, not the last player to pass it (possibly sideways a few yards) for someone else to do the business, Brooks yesterday for example.

Presumably this is in jest. Seems to me they’re cut from the same cloth, obsessed with possession based football. Would be like replacing Tweedledum with Tweedledee. Have said before, I don’t think Maresca would have done any better with our squad. Although that’s completely hypothetical, like how RM might do with their squad. On balance, I think RM was the better choice of the two for us (however he ended up here as first or second choice).

Easier said than done. Once published it’s clearly ‘out there’ and in the public gaze. Don’t fully understand it as I’m not of the Social Media generation, but once published others repeat it, even to condemn it. Press pick up on it and it’s then news rather than just being laid to lie low on an obscure account no one would otherwise look at. Whether the target is going into school or a training ground the next day, seems every likelihood that colleagues would be aware of it.

Going forward it can be, I agree. But not between Bazunu and the defence across our own penalty area it isn’t. Well not for me anyway.