spyinthesky

There was a group of ant vaxxers holding up signs outside if the Red Funnel Terminal yesterday. The signs were all professionally produced so money would have to be spent on them. I wonder who paid for them? One of the signs said 'Dont believe media lies' It would be interesting to know which information source the ant vaxxers rely on.

Change of tactic this season from Ralph. Whereas we previously put pressure of the opponents defence from the front we played a much more defensive line which, hopefully, will see our relatively high goals against tally reduce. However this means using an isolated striker which didnt aid opportunities to score. That said we had more clear cut chances than a decent WHU team. Need to sharpen up our passing, otherwise a fair result against strong opposition. We certainly look to have a stronger squad this year especially once Stuart Armstrong is fit.

Going to be at St Marys today as part if a our to promote his book 'Wembley Wins, Wembley Woes' He is doing the rounds of local pubs and clubs doing Q & A's. Attended one and found him an engaging speaker with lots of interesting snippets about the Saints and the game generally.

I have met MLT and he came across as a relatively humble, approachable and fairly bright individual. As a consequence I am really surprised at his conspiracy views on Covid. At first I thought it was someone purporting to be him so I feel really sad that the views expressed are definitely his. Such a shame.

Doesnt the standard 20% VAT payment have to be added to any deal between British clubs which makes Foreign players cheaper. There is also a 5% transfer levy but not sure if that only applies to transactions involving Football league clubs

I suppose the KWP situation is a difficult one for any Manager. The club has brought in a young right back who has started the season very well but players of this age often experience a dip in form at some stage of the season. Meantime KWP has been an excellent buy and has probably increased his transfer value. KWP can fill in at left back but this is not a natural position for him. There is also adequate cover at right back provided by Valery. So does the club stick or twist? Subject to the expected transfer value of KWP, if I was Saints Manager I would look at reluctantly selling KWP and use the money strengthening at defensive midfield and cover at left back. A difficult decision as KWP has been an excellent player for us.

So Squad is? 1. McCarthy/Forster 2. Livramento/KWP/Valery 3. Perraud (KWP)/Small 4. JWP/Diallo (Smallbone) 5. Bednerak/Stephens 6. Salisu/Lynaco 7. Armstrong(S)/Redmond/Elonyoussi 8. Adams/Walcott/Long 9. Armstong(A)/Broja/Obefemi 10. Romeu 11. Tella/Djnepo 25 plus the injured Smallbone I suggest the squad is stronger than last year especially if the new players can make the grade. Another defensive midfielder would assist and hopefully our 'keepers will be less exposed if the spine of the team improves.

Any news on Will Smallbone?

Presume Voakes and Ferry are likely to be offloaded?

I ran a team for many years. To be fair I enjoyed most of it and still remain friends with many of the players However I still have recurring dreams about pre game phone calls advising me that players were injured or unavailable trying to get subs off of certain players was always a challenge.

My ratings Mc Carthy 6 Punched well from corners. I good save in the first half. Possibly could have done better with the goal Livramento 8 Great debut from a young lad Perraud 6 Decent debut. JWP 8 Apart from a couple of less than successful corners he played very well Stephens 7.5 One of his best games for Saints. Gave away possession in the first half which led to a Fernandes free kick Otherwise he did really well and liked his attitude. Romeu 7.5 Full commitment as ever. Occasional bad pass and lack of pace is a downside but great competitor Salisu 7.5 Looks a good addition. Keep it up Walcott 5.5 Disappointing. Can see him only being a squad player Adams 6.5 Battled hard and really should have been given credit for his goal Armstrong 6.5 Fought a largely lone battle up front. His pace caused problems at times. Would have been a hero if he had taken his chance. Djenepo 6 Tried hard> Shows good ability at times but sometimes runs around like a headless chicken Manager 7.5 Made the right subs Crowd 8 Good noise around the ground. Could do with more variation of songs

I wish we had more height up front even someone coming off the bench. When the ball is played long up in the air it comes straight back

Parking is currently free at Council sites in the City on a Sunday. You might find a meter free near the ground if you arrive early enough

Well done JWP Sods law he will get injured soon!!

Mack Same as last year. You started like a train and then fell away after looking that we would reunite in the Championsjip

I have £100 on for relegation at 3/1. Hope I lose the cash.

We once employed some people from Newport. Nice enough individually and hard workers. However you wouldnt have wanted to get of the wrong side of them. And their male partners looked even tougher!!!

I have to disagree with your comment re the.. 'lot of 'hate'.. directed towards Shane Long. I think a majority of fans recognise the fact that Shane Long is a trier who always tries his best whenever on the pitch. In recent times his influence has been greatest coming off the bench. Primarily he can be described a 'striker' but does not have the capabilities nowadays to perform the task. A mate of mine is a Hull City fan and was amazed and happy at the £12m fee Saints paid to sign him. I had to agree with this#.

Live broadcast from SMS on the 20th anniversary of the opening game. Fitzhugh Fella and Nick Illingsworth from Ugly Inside being interviewed. Whilst I was sad to lose the many good memories of The Dell, must admit I was really pleased to be able to move to a modern stadium with a decent capacity. I was also really pleased we were able to fill it!!

I wonder if there could be an experiment where all the 'singers' from the Northam moved to the Kingsland for a cup tie in an attempt to fill one end with noisy supporters rather than move them around the stadium with fragmented support?

The overall Player Wages in that table amounts to around £62m per annum If Bertrand, McQueen, Ings, Lemina, Hoedt and Gunn's wages are removed this takes almost £18m off the wage bill Have to add on say £50k for the new guy, £30k for the new Chelsea lad and perhaps similar for another up and coming player this adds around £6m to the wage bill. in addition we could possibly see the likes of Valery, Obefami and Long joining Vokins out on loan so a bit of wages could be set off against their wages. On the reverse side I guess players agents representing Bednerak, Salisu, KWP, JWP and Tella (in particular) will be looking to obtain increases. Meantime the wages for Forster, McCarthy (and Lewis) and Shane Long seem far in excess of the value they provide on the field of play. Finally no mention of Elonoyussi and the new French full back in the figures. I reckon between them they would add between £5-6m to the wage bill.

Poor negotiating. Should have been no more than £1m plus Shane Long (a proven goalscorer in the Prem)!!! Edit - sorry notice S-Clarke was on the same page!!!

I think we need more height at the back especially with two small fullbacks and not much height elsewhere in the team. Our defending for the first Bilbao goal from a corner (notwithstanding McCarthy's flap) was not good. Perhaps if Vestegaard stays we play Bednerak Vesty Salisu KWP Peraud Armstrong JWP Romeu New Striker Adams

I forgot to say how disappointed I was with Valery> I always thought he had something in him but he was poor although, to be fair, he was asked to play as an attacking midfielder second half which was completely beyond his capabilities

My view on today's friendly. 1. We had a scratch side out. 2. So did Bilbao as they are playing Liverpool tomorrow!!!! 3. Good points: Salisu Romeu Decent cameo from the new lad from Chelsea 4. Worrying points i) All three goals came from Saints mistakes ie McCarthy plus lack of height in the side for the first goal Armstrong falling over the ball giving possession away for the second Obefemi losing possession around the Bilbao penalty area then Bednerak OG for the third ii) Although Djnepo looked good going forward at times, he is DEFINITELY not a left back. iii) Shane Long(!!!) - Nice guy but totally useless as a Premier League forward. iv) Obefemi - cant see him making any consistent impact in the Prem. v) McCarthy - today I can understand why he is criticised by many on here. Forster has to start as No 1 keeper. vi) Height up front - we need this if only as an option off the bench. vii) The standard of top level Premiership football has moved on in contrast to us who have regressed. That said I have been a supporter for longer than most on here and I have suffered such situations many times in my life as a long standing Saints fan. All I can say is I guess it is better to struggle in the top league (where I never expected us to reach when I was nipper) than to be nonentities in the lower divisions as so many other clubs, including those not too far away, are experiencing.