Saint 76er

Don't think there will be any clear out of players in January, reason being wages. The not required players are NPC standard at best, but are being paid PL wages which can't be afforded by lower league clubs. All players seem to have got promotion wage rises to PL level and some contracts appear to have had one year extensions on promotion built in. In Dickson's case there is a suggestion that one more game would trigger an additional payment to Brentford, hence he don't turn out for us anymore. Different story come summer when contracts will start to run out, then players will leave for whatever deal they can get elsewhere.

I think Nigel's reclaimed this team! No question the lads are playing for him now (if they weren't before). Think Punch must be on more than punch ...

Chinny doesn't have ownership rights to Fatpipes, but he has a lien over "all assets" for about 17 million. The court appear only to be deciding the amount any buyer (PDT) needs to pay the administrator for the keys. If the club is sold the proceeds, less admin costs, go to Chinny, presumably in full settlement of his charge, hence he wants as high a valuation of Fatpipes as possible. What stunt, do we think, can Chinny pull before or during the hearing to improve his position or even to grab the keys to empire out of the bumbling clutches of the seriously underfunded PDT?

Simple explanation ... with Dickinson leaving they can't afford to waste a shirt, so Dumbuya had to wear the Dickinson shirt just to get wear out of it. Suspect he may have to get used to it for the rest of the season! Dumbuya - is that a new name for the PST? ........

Should other clubs come sniffing, what sort of value do you think we could ask for Punch now, assuming we would sell? Back in the summer we couldn't give him away and most on here would have grabbed 500k if it was forthcoming. Now, he has been MoM in the PL and is a regular and probably important first team player. That is a status level in the PL that would probably bring in, say, 4-6 million. Players that have established they can play well at that level don't often fetch much less in this day and age. Quite a premium in a few short months should someone want him and should the club want to sell ...

Firstly, may I say how nice it is to see that we have Saints fans from as far away as the planet Melmac. By the way, how is our old pal Gordon Chumway these days? Back to the football and it may be that the Swansea goal highlighted certain coaching deficiencies. Yes it does appear the GK is still instructed to play it short but with so many stuff ups already this year and until we can effect a recovery surely a safety first policy should be strictly applied? Anything less is asking for trouble with our defence, as we found out. If Nigel indeed wanted extra defenders he did not get, then he should perhaps have been aware from the start that champagne football would have to be delayed until reinforcements arrived. Our league position is the vital thing, effectively overriding style over substance. The other thing I noticed was the apparent non-comprehension of Gazza/Maya about the speed threat posed by Dyer. Every fan (of both clubs) in the stands could have told them this and most would have read the unfolding drama like a cheap novel and anticipated the inevitable ending. Can we surmise therefore that the coaching staff did not hammer home to the players in their scouting report that if Dyer gets on the pitch his main weapon is extreme speed and to take no chances with him in the vicinity?

Most telling image was of Cortese and Les Reed deep in discussion at the end. Will we have the bottle for the game we dare not lose next week? The losing manager is probably gone in that one. If a draw, maybe both will be gone (that may be some sort of record!). It really is all about points for us and I didn't like the set of Cortese's jaw at the final whistle, have to say ...

de Matteo unlikely to be available until next season at earliest. However, Martinez could be interesting IF the end of the road really is near for Nige. Martinez has done a quality job at Swansea and Wigan and seemingly would fit the bill perfectly for what NC wants in a manager. If we had to make a change he may be the ideal candidate. Would be worth paying whatever is needed and NC probably would be prepared to do so, however, Dave Whelan would take a lot of convincing to let him go as we all know. Somehow DW fought off LFC to keep him, but Martinez won't be at Wigan for ever and a suitable replacement would presumably be a key issue. Like, shall we say, a young up and coming manager with a superb CV of success in the FL who many believe is ready for PL success in the right circumstances. Oh, and if that manager happened to be a former Wigan player then so much the better. Perhaps we may end up with that rarest of things, a manager swop ...

Keystone cops defending again. Will we stop gifting teams goals? Will the second half gloss over our problems? Will it buy Nige more time? Will Cortese have watched the first half and decide he must do something? One way or another we must start picking up some points and SOON ...

Yeah, I agree with that! But, FFS why replace Nige with one of the sad sacks from the failed managers merry-go-round, it would make no sense. Why do we have to limit ourselves to that level of manager (dell sized mentality), cos I'm damned sure Cortese will look to some sort of foreign super manager and probably will be prepared to pay for him. My list was ambitious as I'd heard of them due to them being famous, but other quality guys must be out there and Cortese would clearly have inside knowledge of the Italian scene. If he is actually wanting a change then I'm sure he is lining someone up ready to step straight in, otherwise we are going to have another month of Dean Wilkins in charge ...

We need to get our Mojo back and quick. This is Cortese's opportunity to instal a big name manager with a bit of wow factor, as has long been rumoured he wants. Alternatively, he could just stick with Nige and hope for the best! No idea of their availability, but these are some names that might suit .. *apologies in advance for the spelling* Pep G (this if he would come) van Marwjck Rikjaard van Basten van Gaal Ranieri Donadoni Benitez (probably the most likely) Even by his standards Cortese has been especially quiet whilst our form has been going down the gurgler lately and I wonder if he has been busy drawing up his own list of potential candidates ...

You moron, it should be obvious even to you that the trust simply doesn't have enough money to buy and operate a FL club. What's actually being proposed, apparently, is that a property developer is going to buy the club and it must be obvious what his motives are for wanting the land. The proposed new chairman allegedly has some involvement in the liquidation of various previous companies and who knows what other types will sling in a few bucks and get on the board and what their motives will be? It may be that you will simply end up with a localised version of what you had previously with international "investors". One thing seems fairly certain, it will not be a club run by fans as you blokes simply don't have the money for this malarkey, thus opening the door for a further parade of "investors" whilst you lot chant their names from the sparsely populated wasteland that is Fatpipes Park. It will all end in tears, I tell thee ....

Unusually, it would appear they have the pantomime season in full swing well before the Christmas festivities this year down at Krap Nottarf ...

Just to take the discussion in a slightly different direction .. Nigel himself looked like a man expecting bad news. His demeanor was a radical departure from his normal ebullient self both at the match and PC. He spent a fair amount of time sitting on the bench just looking miserable and seemed not to want to celebrate when we opened the scoring, finally giving a desultory clap whilst staying in his seat. This is very unlike our Nige and I have to say he did look like a condemned man. All the above comments about it only being fair to give Nigel more time are correct, but something has changed, something doesn't look quite right. Nigel appeared to be looking over his shoulder after the Coventry game and his current body language tends to suggest that some pre-determined time frame is expiring and he fears the worst. I couldn't begin to second guess someone like Cortese or what he may do, but he may not be as time generous as some on here should he decide that a different direction is necessary.

Nigel's body language did not look good today and hasn't much this season, but today he looked a man resigned to his fate. These days he sits a lot and didn't even look as though he wanted to celebrate our first goal whilst others were leaping around him. Normally he celebrates enthusiastically. Unfortunately Nige has taken to channelling Burley with his substitutions and this may well cost him. It may not be to Nigel's advantage that there is an upcoming International break as it might just be that Cortese is a man with too much time on his hands over the next couple of weeks ...

Think the recent loan was merely to cover early season cash flow for the football club, pending receipt of TV monies etc later on. However, I suspect some sort of waterfront development has always been in Cortese's plans. He did a lot of research for Markus on which club had most potential to buy into and the underdeveloped waterfront over the road may have come into it. One persons eyesore can be another's opportunity and this may well be a project for the Liebherrs to invest in and if it has a tie in with the football club such as bars/restaurants to keep people in the area before/after games then so much the better. There is, of course, the issue of a casino but not sure the L's would go for that. I'm sure Cortese has long had his eyes on the aggregate wharfs directly opposite SMS and the stadium redevelopment drawings on the DVD clearly show a walkway from the stadium frontage across the road heading straight for the wharfs, which at present would quickly end at a high fence and locked gates. However, gaining access to that land and redeveloping it may make the L's a lot of money as well as showcasing a revamped stadium and making that area a hive of consumer activity. Problem is that the wharfs are said to be on a very long lease to the operators and that no other site is really viable for their aggregate business. Can they still be bought out of the lease? Well, who knows but that site is the jewel in the crown if SMS is going to represent a more glamorous image that just being a workaday football stadium. Maybe Cortese wants to get some waterside development happening in conjunction with any stadium revamp and just possibly that is how he is hoping to finance it?

Yes, I tend to agree with you SC, and NC does appear to be giving Nige a decent go at it. However, by his look at the match it's not hard to guess at the thoughts going through his mind. No, we don't need such a thread after every game and neither do I start them. However, I do think the Fulham game may be something of a watershed in our season and I can see assessments being made should we lose it, because that would mean losing every away game and every home game, bar one. Although still relatively early, I'm sure alarm bells would start ringing as the form would then simply have to improve and pdq. The OP does suggest different ways this might be achieved and I have no doubt fans on this forum will want to discuss it. Bottom line is that losing to Everton is probably acceptable, but I suspect that losing at home to Fulham may not be. Obviously, the answer is to beat the Cottagers and problem is solved (for the time being!).

Not a happy thought and things would begin to look a bit precarious, losing all home and away apart from Villa. NC did not look a happy man during the match (understandable) and is not noted for his patience with underperforming staff. Lose to Fulham and I think he will want to do something. He may of course restrain himself, or he could look for someone to sack. He may instead perhaps bring in some coaching assistance, or he may have a free agent defender or two on the radar and may be induced to pick up the phone. He may indeed have to bear some responsibility for not bringing in PL experienced defenders in the summer. Can't help thinking that NC will have someone in mind as a managerial back up plan, but don't know if or when he may decide to activate such a plan B. I just think a loss to Fulham and things would start to look decidedly ugly. This board would succumb to meltdown and NC may be tempted to follow suit.

Watching any of the major league teams in Philly is never boring WC. After two one point wins to open proceedings the Eagles were just diabolical on Sunday. Andy Reid's game management was embarrassing, highlighted by using his last timeout straight after a break and then having to pass on the one yard line as not enough time to run and no TO's left, resulting in another sack on Vick and a 98 yard TD to send the Cards in 24-0 at the half. Reid is pass happy, despite having a short QB who gets sacked a lot and despite having an elite RB in Shady McCoy who is rarely getting to actually, er, run with the ball. In typical Philly fashion the natives are not happy and it never takes much for them to call for Reid's head at the best of times, after all he's been there 14 years and no SB at what should be a powerful club. Still, have to say those Sixers look pretty good for the coming season (Andrew Bynum and all) ...

Zonal marking sounds very American, whereas football always used to be man to man marking whereby all opponents were covered. In a zone thingy what happens if two or even three opponents come into your zone and does this mean you are swamped but other teammates are standing around with nothing to do? If they can follow their man into your zone then how is that zonal and not man to man and can teams not target the weakest zonal link to put extra pressure on an underperforming player? Confused of Hampshire ...

Surely, Ramirez is the ideal candidate to take on this role ...

This is so true, we had good spells against both Manc teams but ended up losing. People only look at the league table and think we must be hopeless, but it was such a tough start for us and apart from Arse hardly outplayed. God, Villa were awful today and look serious relegation candidates unless they get there sh*t together. They were lightweight in midfield and largely clueless up front and if this is the standard of the average PL club outside the top six, then we should finish seventh! Ramirez puts us above this type of team as they don't have his quality and the other new signings along with the likes of AL & RL should mould into a side well above the "ordinary".

Possibly for a "Pep talk", but also where does Benitez reside in Spain? They could have simply been looking at players, of course. For Hoddle references, you will need to refer to Dalek I believe ...

There is a lot of differing opinions on this board right now, but only one man's opinion actually counts and that is Cortese. Nigel has been in job survival mode since the Coventry game and I would guess that Cortese has been viewing these first few games as something of an audition of NA's PL ability. It's painful to say so but it seems likely that so far he has failed the audition. He has had trouble getting the players to adapt to his new system, sometimes doing okay but other times failing spectacularly and all for the return of precisely zero points, despite tough opposition admittedly. Substitutions used to be Nigel's strong point, but this season have been a liability. Clearly NA is learning on the job in the PL, but how long will he be given? With so many rumours of Cortese wanting him out for a high profile candidate I suspect that time is limited (AP was sacked after a 4-0 away win!) and results against Villa and Everton may well prove the tipping point as Cortese is not noted for drawn out managerial sagas! One final thing, which is very likely of nothing. However, in the transfer window there were reports that Les Reed and other club officials had made two or more visits to Barcelona and it was assumed they were looking at a couple of Barca players who did not end up signing with us. This may be so, but LR's remit is not strictly scouting and neither is any club officials. Normally only bone fide scouts would look at players and Les and others would then read the report or view the video. I wondered at the time if the real purpose was to make contact with a possible high profile replacement for Nigel if the early season did not go well. Cortese may possibly therefore have a replacement waiting in the wings and if so and it will be expensive then I suspect NC will be prepared to spend whatever it takes to truly put the club in the world spotlight. After all he spent 15-20 million, or whatever all up, on Ramirez and is unlikely to baulk at paying top dollar for the manager of his dreams.

Worried about Kelvin, he's been really poor all season and was a nightmare today. All his invincibility of last few years has dissipated and he looks slow and indecisive, usually the beginning of the end for a GK. A confident PL quality keeper would make such a difference to our shaky defence, but that's for January. Our options currently are continue with KD, start Paulo or bring in an out of contract like Gordon. Maybe will have to think about starting Gazza, he appears to have a lot of potential and may well surprise with his progress. As things stand Kelvin will cost us too many points, I suspect.