Saint 76er

It's really hard to know what was up with Bart today. It was seriously like they had brought a bloke down from the crowd and put him in goal. I've never seen a goalie (at any level) dive and chest the ball away rather than use his hands, simply bizarre. Bart stood and watched a shot hit the post that he could easily have claimed, it was true rabbit in the headlights stuff. I know it's not easy sitting season after season on the bench but Bart is paid big money to be professional and that performance was pure Monty Python. I have truly never seen a worse gk performance ever and it wasn't just the 'blind venetian' goal but the whole 95 mins was utterly bizarre from Bart. Reason Blackpool almost won it was because they had Gilks in goal and we had Bart ...

I wonder what their women are like ...

But surely that would make those Hacked Off Young people legally liable for all Poopey's debts, as well as repairing the bogs, paying TBH his wonga each month, funding the next wave of superstar signings in Jan etc? It may sound good to say the idiot football club is not in admin, but somebody has to be held responsible for legal liabilities such as VAT and NI amongst others. Whichever way you dress it up these crooks can't keep playing pass the parcel with a legal entity, for the express purpose of staying ahead of the law. Surely, even the weak courts and weaker FL would baulk at such a scam as outlined above ... wouldn't they???

Chanrai will liquidate the thing if he has to come back. Don't think he'll waste any more time running a football club he never wanted in the first place. If he has a lien over all assets, my guess is he will simply sell off the component parts for what he can get and then walk off into the sunset ....

Not sure if they need to wait until April to be in trouble. We all know the figures at FP don't stack up re incoming/outgoing expenses, therefore they can only be being propped up by outside money. Big question is, where does this money come from and is it legit? Seems to me that the Lithuanian authorities are saying that vast sums have been fraudulently transferred overseas from Snoras bank, allegedly by Vlad to presumably use on his other business enterprises including the hapless skates. Should this be proved as the correct version of events then illegal money would have been used to pay the skates expenses this season. We know their income doesn't come close to covering operating costs so someone has been funding them. However, now it gets interesting as the even bigger question is, who will be funding them from this time forward if the money trail to/from Snoras has been cut off? If the funds keep arriving to pay TBH's wages and all their other costs, then an interested party like, say, the fraud squad might wonder if said funds were part of the alleged illegal transfers that the Liths are trying to recover. If those monies did disappear abroad then they must be parked somewhere for the use of and if that use is perceived to be PFC then Poopeys continued existence may be viewed by some as a defacto admission of guilt, unless proved otherwise. Of course, if the funds do now dry up then gloriously, at last, the cheating bast*rds will be (wait for it) ............... TOAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That would be ... Supercalafragalistickexpeealidocious!!!!!!!!!!! (Don't worry, I never could spell simple words)

Can we draw a blue line under all of the above please ... It's all about scenarios this week! Do keep on the bus everyone ....

I'm quite sure this is the correct version of events. We were sh*te that season and had never been much good under Dave Jones. It seemed fairly clear he had lost the players and relegation loomed even in Nov/Dec. He was odds on to be sacked, for football reasons, when the court case turned up and you could almost read Lowe's mind after that. How could he sack him in the circumstances when it would look as if he were casting an unwanted problem aside and who would believe it was for football reasons at that juncture? So Lowe appeared to reluctantly back him and muttered a few lukewarm public statements of support. The playing side did not improve and obviously Lowe took the opportunity to sound out Hoddle, who clearly had no qualms about taking over in such circumstances. But how to parachute him in without making it look as if he was booting Jones out in case he really was guilty? Rupert's leadership skills seemed to desert him at that time and in the end he could only come up with some hamfisted 'gardening leave' scenario which he claimed was for Dave Jones own good! It's fair to say Dave didn't agree with him and, if my memory hasn't failed me, I seem to recall Rupert delivering the bad news on Dave Jones doorstep and Dave hanging one on him for his trouble (or was that Dave's wife?). In any event I seem to recall Rupert sporting a black eye for a while! Regardless of the above, it was a pretty awful situation all round for Dave Jones who always seemed a really decent guy and didn't deserve the crazy situation he was thrust into. However, he was not the best football coach in the world imo and I think Dave's version of our prospects under his continued management are a little fanciful to say the least. It's all water under the bridge now, of course, but thank goodness things eventually turned out as they now are for us. There is no way on God's earth we would be where we are today under Lowe and Jones had they actually continued together. Sorry Dave, but that's the truth ....

We might test Celtic's resolve with a dual bid for Jos and Gary Hooper and could throw Punch in the mix plus cash, maybe around 2.5 or 3 mill. Rumoured names that won't go away are JayRod and Nat Clyne. Think they may see these two as PL ready, so could push hard for them in January although unwilling sellers will want big bucks. Apparently the Sun are linking us with Grant McCann of Posh, maybe cos he's ex Scunny but he would be an experienced head for the run in, don't know about PL quality though. Boyd from them would be a nice signing though.

Rumours at the time suggested that Celtic wanted 2 mill and would not budge, hence the last minute loan deal as NC would not pay that fee. So probably no option to buy clause, as miles apart with window closing. Goodness knows how all parties view the situation now though. Celtic will know Jos has starred and may even want him back, in any event his form may cause them not to want to drop their fee. In which case negotiations may well become protracted, so just as well they are starting them in mid November!

Phil ... forget the law of the land, the FL (who currently are stuck with Poopey) are a law unto themselves and they say decisions made by the guy running the club are deemed to be the club's responsibility. No excuse to say he did it underhand and didn't tell anyone (just ask Luton). Consequently, if the court case goes the way we all hope it will, then logic suggests the FL will revisit their little spat with Luton (and Swindon years before) and seriously consider if they shouldn't chuck a few penalty points at the phew. I agree with your observation about carpets, as that's how everything has ended up with them so far. However, this case may break the mould whether they like it or not, as the charges are very serious and really couldn't be ignored by the FL if proven. If the Revenue gets a conviction on evading tax on $300k by a club owner to his team manager then it's hard to see how that could not be viewed as an irregularity for FL purposes. One could wonder if there is a carpet big enough to sweep that under, particularly with the attendant media exposure the case will get (suppression orders notwithstanding). Unless, of course, it's one of those flying carpets from down your way Phil, which may in fact prove rather handy for 'Arry and his mate around about the time the Beak reads out his judgement ....

Quite right ... Dirty 'Arry was employed by his Balkan buddy to manage the playing affairs of PFC (inc negotiating transfers). Surely the defence will have a hard time convincing the court that the alleged payments were for other matters totally non connected with 'Arry's employment at PFC (if they do then their story will be worth hearing!). If convicted and payments deemed PFC related then the FL must surely think seriously about a points deduction. Haven't the FL got some charter of cooperation with the Revenue these days (?) and we know the latter have been gunning for Poopey for some time now. What better time for all concerned to make an example of them as a warning to others ....

Clearly appointed as the cheap option, if the 2k per week rumour is to be believed. Perhaps sensible for them, however as the manager is the most important person at any club, then skimping on that appointment may be just plain mad. Big risk on an untried 35 year old, but will at least be a cheap payout if/when they have to sack him. When that day comes let's hope that Stuart Gray is still waiting in the wings to take over ....

As long as the stadium remains where it is the name St Mary's (SMS) will always be associated with it and probably used as the generic name by most fans. Also as the club has no debt there is no pressing need for such sponsorship moneys (to repay build loans etc) and any deal done now would be "peanuts" as not in PL (as would appear to be the case with AAP3). However, if/when NC decides to extend SMS (or build new) then funding will have to come from somewhere and stadium rebranding may play it's role. Best case scenario is if Markus' siblings provide funding and/or equipment from their company for rebuilding and then we will probably all be happy with .... "The Liebherr Stadium"

Personally, I just think it's a shame to see a good man give up a perfectly good coaching job at WBA (P/League) for the certain ruination of his career ...

Many good points above, but the major advantage to promotion this season is surely to keep the Liebherrs on board. Saints in the PL is what Markus wanted and it is enough to be able to honour his memory. However, the level of commitment of his family is an unknown factor, but they are probably not keen on faffing around the lower leagues (inc NPC) for too long. The PL, of course, is a whole new ball game for owners and the Liebherrs may well come to the party big time and can only have been impressed by the progress the club has made if we promote this season. Alternatively, they may want to cash in on PL status and sell, but we should still be okay as NC has promised to find a good buyer (ie cashed up) in such circumstance and someone buying a PL club would presumably want to invest in it to try and make a success of it. Still think the Liebherrs would want to stay on board almost like a proxy for Markus who would have had so much fun with "his" club taking on the PL big boys! But, all of this is dependent on PL status (even if it is a s**t league!) and we really need to keep the momentum going to maximise the clubs opportunities. Whose to say we are guaranteed promotion next season if we stuff up this time around and we couldn't be in a much better position than we are right now. All the hard work's been done so far, it would be tragic really to miss out on such a glorious opportunity to advance our great club ...

The day Rupert Lowe packed up his train painting and left the building for the last time ... Followed by an even better moment when dear Markus first walked into the building ... The day Nigel Adkins parked his bus outside and walked into the building for the first time was pretty special too ... It's as simple as that ...

More like one of their wives or sisters surely? ....

The phew get more like the real Bompey every day .... small club, dwindling fan base, and SOD as manager! With any luck they'll get to play each other in L1 next season. Unless, of course, Bompey Mk2 end up in the Blue Square if their irregularities catch up with them. Oh, and coincidentally, both of them have a major powerhouse club just down the road .....

In that case then swop Jason to Celtic for Jos, problem solved ......

Isn't that as many goals in one game as Boro have conceded away all season?

Dear God ... they really are the last of the big spenders this lot. Do they really need to wait for some future budgetary profit (never) to complete works on the toilets? Yet amazingly the phew still seem to think they are on the cusp of building a new mega stadium! When will the numpty fans realise that the shysters currently pulling the strings will only be putting in the barest minimum necessary until they have completed whatever finagling they "bought" the train wreck for and probably won't be seen again after that? Can't see the Ruskies hanging around to pay off the CVA ....

Well they would, it's their song (we just borrowed it from them). OWTS is, of course, a New Orleans marching funeral song from the late 1800s. Dirges were played on the way to the cemetery, but up tempo tunes on the way back in celebration of the departed ones life. OWTS proved so popular it was quickly adapted by the emerging New Orleans jazz players as part of their canon and spread around the US as jazz took off up the Mississippi and indeed eventually to foreign parts including a famous English seaport with a rather good football team ...