Badger

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.

I find the cretins employed to front these call-ins more off-putting than the half-wits from Kent and London who’ve followed ManU and Liverpool “all their lives” . Trying to make Sutton and Savage into celebrities and “personalities” is beyond me.

Credit where due, Martin is spot on in his response here and defending the player publicly.

With Downes alongside him. That is probably the key.

Do TV get a say in rearranging of the fixture ?

Not sure why RM shouldn’t be fully aware of how pitiful we are in front of goal. Most fans are acutely aware of it. Barn door, cow’s arse, banjo … choose your metaphor, but in short the two you mentioned are hopeless, as shown last night. And Charles, as a professional footballer you’d expect at least to get a shot on target rather than drag it wide.

I'd settle for one. Preferably one that is fully fit.

Although Saints sacking a manager then was unheard of ( CN the first I believe), it wasn’t a great surprise at the time. We’d run out of steam towards the end of season. Didn’t we lose 6-2 or something like that at Derby in the run in ?. Several people said after that was the game that sealed his fate.

Presumably he’s an addition to our recruitment rather than replacement. Never heard of the bloke, but name vaguely familiar. Then remembered the punk single “ looking through Gary Gillmore’s eyes”.

He had been under pressure a couple of times during his time as I recall but not immediately before he left. There had been the fall out with Mark Dennis where many would have preferred to see the player stay. We also had the barren run of about 20+ games without a win (was that 88/89) which came to a dramatic end with the 1-0 win at home to Newcastle ( Ruddock’s last minute penalty). The following season though was the exciting one incl the 4-1 demolition of Liverpool. As you say, that season probably set a standard that was difficult to maintain. In his last year we lost at Forest in a cup replay and CN offered his resignation. It was rejected by the board, although they sacked him a couple of months later at the end of the season. Thought that was poorly handled by the club really, and he should have been able to walk away without the sack.

Sad news. He took on an impossible role of following on from Lawrie, and took the club close to glory but for some bad luck. The job he did and style of play wasn't fully appreciated until it was emphasised by what followed.

Same with those suggesting Enzo when Leicester sack him.

Just make sure you don’t overdo it, and win too many games otherwise me might miss the play offs and go up automatically.

Seems an unlikely outcome if we have to win the FA Cup Final and Play Off Final in consecutive days. Expect Manning to play in both days though.

But he was coming from City, so had to be good. Just as Angus Gunn had been before him.