cambsaint

Too late for any sensible Prem team to let key players go unless for silly money. Best tactic imo is if one of the Mega Clubs is interested look for a replacement ( we just can't compete with wages and CL football) and let them go for a sensible fee next window or season with mutual agreement; but if a club with ides above their station (Spuds, Liverpool) come asking , find a replacement first and screw them for a ludicrous fee and preferably make the player put in a request so the buying club has to pay bonuses due and percentage of fee.

Perhaps we should reclassify The Daily Snail "reporters" (sic) as PR employees of THFC, and refuse them admittance to the press box and make them come as PE employees. The so called health reportage of The Snail is loathed and derided by many health professionals as frequently scaremongering and inaccurate, as is their reportage of the migration issue; so one would hardly expect accuracy from them. PS To lessen my irritation at the Saints' situation, I have just watched Dafne Schippers in the womens' 100m heats-what a woman!

Saints would have to have a death wish to sell anybody this transfer window. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mane go to Man U next year if still wanted, and it all to be quietly agreed. Only a fool would sell this transfer window as no time to make replacements, and we cannot cope with any more upset this window. It is a moot point whether Wanyama will look as good without Schneiderlin at his side, but we'll see next window.

It has probably brought a touch of realism. we were well beaten by a good team with a good manager who had three players of real quality playing at the top of their game. In the second half after reorganisation we weren't disgraced. But why on earth did RK think it unnecessary not to allow for a quick breakout from a corner. With the pace of Konu and Lukaku it was suicidal. I am absolutely disgusted with some of the ridiculous criticism of Targett, his professional foul saved a certain goal earlier. IMO he was fortunate only to get a yellow. You can't sell two top class defenders, miss out on signing one from a loan, and suffer two key defensive injuries, and get away with it with the top half Prem teams. We need to buy well, and it's not impossible on a budget, look at Palace. What is difficult is not to get screwed over when everybody in the game knows your desperate for a central defender.

Over two weeks ago.

If the Yellow and Blue weren't so iconic and reminiscent of our greatest moments, then I wouldn't be too bothered about the green. However for me and I suspect most of my generation the yellow and blue is as sacred as red and white stripes. The mention of black and yellow brings back memories as it was the same colour as my Manchester University engineering faculty scarf, so it served two purposes.

I'm seriously considering putting a few quid on Man U to win the EPL and possibly even The Champions League now. I rate Morgan that highly and believe that with the two SCH's in front of any defence very few will score many against them.

The way to improve is to carry on the way we are and show that we are a financially stable club, with the best youth scheme in England, and a committed financial backing from Ms Liebherr. If we can do that and stay in the top eight or nine , challenging for an Europa cup place, then we will persuade sponsors, players and agents that we are here to stay. We need to consolidate our fan base, probably expand the stadium and improve our commercial side. This will take a few years and if so we should be the equal of Liverpool and Tottenham who are probably wondering just how they can break into the top four on a sustained basis. At the moment we are in the same position as clubs like Everton and Aston Villa. When I first started supporting Saints we were in the third division south and Portsmouth were considered the big club and almost everyone from Winchester went there rather Soton. I think that as impoverished schoolboys it was much cheaper for us to watch Saints in those days. I'm very content where we are, in the second tier of the EPL and long may it stay that way. Realistically I see no way we can break into the top four as long as it stays as it is. Also remember that Arsenal or Chelsea could probably take any Spurs player they wanted, and Man U could certainly take any Liverpool player they wanted and they are rivals amongst supporters ( although it's now a money game for the owners.) Apart from the early eighties when football wasn't ruled by money, and Saints could come second and Man U be relegated its our best ever period.

I've lived in many pleasant parts of the country, and South Hampshire where I was brought up still has it all as far as I'm concerned. Beautiful countryside, excellent climate, New Forest, the Solent for sailing. Winchester which is where I was brought up seems now to be one of the most fashionable places to live, and is easily accessible to 'The Slagheap of the South Midlands' (which is what we used to call London), if you wish to go there. It also contains Southampton Football Club. What more could one want except perhaps Yorkshire CCC? If my children weren't in stable jobs here I'd return like a shot!

Its a very good idea for me. I live in Cambridge and don't enjoy the best of health so a round trip to St Marys is now out of the question as none of my family live in Winchester anymore. Hopefully I'll now be in with a chance of getting tickets for matches within easy travelling distance. I notice with regret that there is no seniors discount, and I just wish that like many cricket clubs they would offer a reduced membership to those living say over 100 miles away. Before anybody suggests that I should try to get to away games, then as well as health problems I'm on a relatively low pension and couldn't justify spending over £100 to watch a match regularly. I have to make do with Sky, but the extended highlights on Saturday night keep me in touch with the club I love. I still cannot understand how as a reasonably mature, intelligent professional my mood on Saturday night is largely determined by the weekend's result.

Don't see Liverpool or Spurs or Saints for that matter breaking in to the top four for many years. Realistically the top four are pretty much sewn up unless a mega-rich buyer comes in who can within the confines of FFP upset the status quo. This means that any player with serious interest in playing CL football has to get into the top four-v difficult or go to Europe. Europe wouldn't be a problem for Schneiderlin but Clyne's background suggests he may find it difficult to settle abroad ( Bale is reportedly finding learning Spanish v difficult).

I think the dirtiest players are the most malicious or the ones who make career threatening tackles. I don't put Wanyama in that category. Also no account is made for the ratio of bookings to tackles. surely also a red card should be heavily weighted as some yellows are pretty innocuous and are tactical rather than nasty. Also if you're built like a brick outhouse then skinny little runts just bounce off you making it look worse.

I think the best footballers of any age all had the same degree of inborn skills, and if brought up in today's era would have been very good players. Some of the hard men may have become rugby players now they can make a good living from the game. It's like comparing the old Grand Prix cars which weren't as fast as a modern sports saloon, but they were the best of the day. Players like Best, Gascoigne and MLT all had skills that most other players could only dream of, and would still be superstars providing they kept fit. It's obvious to me that superstar sportsmen and women all have some kind of inbuilt ability that others don't. Cricket is probably the only game today that you can directly compare abilities as bowling speeds and balls haven't changed so the hand/eye co-ordination is still the same. Even with modern fitness and coaching the ablilities of the great West Indian fast bowlers have never been equalled or bettered, and you know for certain that the greats of yesterday would have been great today, and I am confident that it applies to all sports.

Revenge is a dish best eaten cold! Listening to their former players talking about Sterling was the funniest thing I've heard for a long time! The Germans have a perfect word for it-Schadenfreude!

Regret i didnt log down far enough to see there was an existing thread.

Currently FFP gives established clubs a huge advantage and just allows those who were well established to retain the hierarchy. It's to be hoped that the new rules that are being discussed prevent the worst excesses but allow ambitious new owners to compete with the establishment.

Positive support rather than unpleasant criticism is likely to help him find his shooting touch. Do you really think RK would play him if he didn't rate hin and do the job he's asked to.

An iconic legend along with Jimmy Gabriel and Big John McGrath. A true member of the legendary "Alehouse Brawlers". I shall remember him with great fondness as lacking the requisite skills to be creative, I modelled my game on him. Regrettably he has left us early as have some other notable ex-Saints. If he had played today I can imagine the ref saying to him in the tunnel: "Is it really worth you coming on the pitch or shall I red card you now?" (To paraphrase one of my old PeterSymonds GS schoolmasters sayings.-Original-"Is it worth you bothering to sit down boy, or shall I throw you out now?"

Stay up Burnley because they're my cousin's club and I watched them a couple of times in the 60s when they were a force at home. Hull because an away game gives me a good excuse to spend a weekend with above coz, in God's own county. Go Up-best for me would be Norwich, Ipswich and Watford-three easy aways for me to get to, but I hope Bournemouth go up. Since my parents moved and passed away, and due to illness it's not practicable to get to home games any more.

The front Page of todays daily Telegraph 100 business leaders urge you to vote Tory. Well they would wouldn't they, to quote mandy Rice-Davies-showing my age there! I think Labout missed a trick bu not asking if it was an April Fool's Day trick. The Guardian ran a good feature on Jeremy Clarkson changing his ways and becoming eco-friendly.

The best goalkeeper who ever played for Saints must be Peter Shilton. Over 100 caps for England, and rated as in the top ten of the worlds best goalkeepers of his era. An opposition forward was once quoted as saying you get through the defence and see Shilton in front of you and you realise the this is the most difficult bit-or words to that effect. If we keep Forster I think he will also be great, I was directly behind him at Arsenal in the league cup and for the life of me I don't know how he made that save.

Unspeakable refereeing in the first half, but a brilliant goal which allowed Liverpool to play a back five and an inexperienced youngster slipping on a greasy pitch, doesn't hide the fact that we cannot score a goal against a packed defence. Pity that at the end it sounded like a Liverpool home game though. I use the phrase "unspeakable refereeing" advisedly as my real thoughts might be libellous, even though the truth is a defence! Making the Champions League looks unlikely and realistically we aren't ready anyway.

I saw a Mitsubishi Outlander demonstartor plug in hybrid priced at £28K today. Quite interesting I thought. £5K contribution towards a plug in hybrid from government. I have an aging BMW 3 touring that I can't praise enough, but now it's going to be run into the ground as a dog car and when I find an interesting small plug-in hybrid with rapid charging then I shall buy that as my everyday car as most days I could easily just use plug in power. I'm certain that a small turbo petrol and plug in electric hybrid is the way to go, but not many out there yet. If you feel the way I do then you could buy a second hand quality estate for a couple of years and then change.

Watching it on Sky for most of our chances the penalty area was packed. Did we have too much close possession, was our build-up play to slow and deliberate. whenever we put the ball in except for the first saved chance we seemed to arrive too slowly and allow Swansea to pack the defence, giving our attackers virtually no room or time. Compare with Arsenal's pace and quick build up. Do we pass square and back too often to retain possession? I don't claim to be an expert tactician, but the longer it went on the more I thought we'd be done by a break away or a long-range shot. I did think Davis was very good today though.

I suspect and hope that it is part of a jigsaw. I read a rumour that Schneiderlin might be sold to Arsenal for a good fee now instead of the summer so as to enable Koeman to bring in other player(s). Pretty pointless us speculating when we haven't a clue what is really going on imo.