AussieDog

So....we're not selling the club well enough and the corporate boxes are empty because the food is cr4p (well it can't be because the football isn't up to it!). Let me see....who should pay the price for that....hmmmm.....

The reasons behind their departure has not been made public so it's all just supposition. With high salaries comes high expectation. Maybe they were given agreed targets which they failed to achieve? Maybe Cortese has someone with an even better profile already lined up. His decision making so far has led us from the edge of extinction in the 3rd tier of english football to the brink of promotion to the top tier. I'll cut him some slack.

I've just done the predictor up to the 17th of April (Peterboro) and a point in a 1-1 draw in that game puts us 6 points clear of 3rd with 2 to play (and a massively superior goal difference). This is the last game of my trip over, and to be honest I wasn't going to bother as I thought tickets would be too hard to get....The other two occasions we got promotion to the top division were both 1-1 draws with the no 7 scoring our goal in both games. Is this fate or just wishful thinking on my part??? lol

Apart from having a natural dislike of the blue few, what really grates at the moment is this "poor me" attitude they appear to have. What a load of claptrap that was on Saturday when they could "only" put 3 subs on the bench. They have a youth academy don't they? Would it hurt to take along 2 of them for the experience? No...they'd rather play the sympathy card. Well, after their 3rd admin in my memory they won't get any from me. I don't want to see them out of business though....I'd much rather see them prolong the agony for as long as it takes for them to pay every bill back, even if they have to pay ALL their youth team. After all...they'll still get "massive" crowds because of their "fantastic" supporters.....right????

Have managed to find car hire for the month for $1200 with a Vauxhall Insignia Estate at http://www.rentalcars.com - has anybody used them or get any cheaper alternatives?

Bale is heading that way - but I don't think there are any truly world class players who play for England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales any more. Cole has flattered to deceive (similar to Lallana really), Ferdinand has been the best of a bad crop of centre halves (he's prone to serious lapses in concentration) and Lampard has always struck me as a flat track bully, who hides in the big games. Just sayin'.....

I think the winners of this will win the league (although Birmingham won't be far away) - having said that, I'd take a draw

One advantage of living in australia...the match kicks off here on Feb 15th so no worries about Valentines Day!

I had also thought it might be cheaper to actually buy a car for 1000-1500 pounds and just give it to my brother to keep when I go back. Any thoughts?

Hey everybody, Just in the final planning stages for our trip back in late March. There are 4 of us coming back and we're trying to work out the most cost-effective way of getting around. We thought about car hire but we don't need it for the whole month as we're spending at least 5 days in France, plus I'm happy getting around Southampton on bus or train - it's just all the other trips we need to organise. So my question is - has anybody got any good links to either cheap car hire or for discounted rail fares? Thanks

We arrive on Frday 23rd and will make a quick visit to the Saints shop that afternoon to stock up (although I'm gutted we can't wear our replica shirts in hospitality though!). We will be going to all 3 and hopefully Palace away as well if I can get the tickets (probably just me and the missus as I don't think the kids will be that interested). I was hoping to go to Blackpool on the 31st but apparently I am taking the wife and kids to Paris the day after so it's too much of a squeeze. At least I can watch the game in a pub somewhere with a bit of atmosphere! I knew there was a possibility that Reading game would have been moved if we had got to the semi, but obviously that is one less thing to worry about now after last nights result (would have been happy to have forfeited the tickets for semi finals ones if it had worked out though!) I'm hoping we can get our form back bl00dy quick though as I was sort of banking on the home game against Reading as being the promotion clincher. I don't think I'll have time to fit in Peterboro' as well because that's the day before we go home, but if that's got the possibility of being THE game...then I may have to find a way.....

Missing those games, but try Bronze hospitality for Doncaster, Portsmouth & Reading, plus airfares from Brisbane. Had to get all 3 matches to guarantee Pompey tickets before I booked the airfares. Then times that by 4 as the wife is a convert (although she'd be lucky to name half of the team) and both the kids want to experience what a reall "soccer" match is all about! I'm going to be gutted if Pompey go under before then! lol

nah...keep 'em alive, but string 'em up. Place a transfer embargo on them until all debts are cleared. Don't even discuss a points deduction until the season's end, otherwise if they know they are going to get relegated they may not give everything between now and the end of the season. And just when they think it's safe....relegate them out of the league (just like what happened to Aldershot FC and Newport County) and THEN still hit them with a -30 point penalty At least that way we get one more derby game in before Crawley Town become our closest rivals, albeit 2 divisions apart as we'll be in the Premiership (and no, I haven't forgotten the our Dorset rivals but I think this time next season Crawley will be above them!)

He's a **** and this isn't the first controversial moment. He may be a good footballer but he is NOT a good role model and as such I wouldn't want him to be captain of ANY team.

I thought the rule was if the game is abandoned before half time you were entitled to free admission at the re-arranged game, but once the 2nd half kicks off it's discretionary (ie most don't)

I think this has the potential to be game of the season in the Championship. Birmingham have finally got over their relegation hangover and, hopefully, we have come through the other side of our (extremely) dodgy spell. I think both teams are by far the best footballing teams in the division and the result is too hard to call. Yep, Brum haven't lost at home in the league - but there again we hadn't lost for 364 days until the stupid Bristol game!

I'm bugger all use to anybody, but I'm looking for both landscape gardeners and someone to lay me a driveway in about 6 months. Oh...and need to be in commuting distance of the Gold Coast too

Did I miss something? Have we won the FA Cup twice now then? As far as I can recall he joined us 20 years after we won the FA Cup

In which case, Please Mr Cortese would you like to invite me to dinner when I am over in a couple of months? Just send me a PM on here and I'll get back to you with some free dates

Didn't like him before. Don't like him now. Worries me that someone with his attitude is anywhere near our first team. However if he plays his part in a successful promotion season I reserve the right to change my mind

We only missed out on the playoffs the season before last because we had points deducted...how's that any different? You win some you lose some. My preference is that Pompey see the season out and then a decision is made, but at the very least they got relegated a minimum of 2 divisions. I want the satisfaction of beating them at St Mary's one last time

I wonder if the real reason they haven't been deducted points by the football league is because the FL expects them to go belly up during the season anyway? I would much prefer to see Pompey survive to be truthful. There needs to be some inter city rivalry (plus of course I have already booked my flights and got my tickets for the St Mary's game....)

Have to say, after the initial hype I have been disappointed with DeRidder, but I do think people are being unreasonable in expecting multiples signings at the moment. we have a very large squad by Championship standards, but we have a lot of players out injured or unavailable, of which 4 have shown to be key players this season (Fonte, Chaplow, Lambert, Lallana for sure) and the rest could be considered adequate replacements when fit (Seabourne, Jaidi, Barnard, Butters, Richardson...and I'm sure I've missed some others as well). ANY team would struggle with that amount of players unavailable, and very few could afford to bring in replacements - both on purchase costs and wages. I for one, do not want to see the return of the financial strife we found ourselves in in the not too distant past, and if that means we have to make do with the squad we have then so be it if we miss out on promotion (although it will be a crying shame).. My only caveat is that I don't feel we have utilised the loan market well enough to cope with the absence of some of the more key players.

I agree. Not sure who with though, but judging by all the comments above I mustn't side with Alps as he only ever says something negative (even if it occasionally makes sense like this one). At least I did bother to read the OP, unlike alot of the people who have commented on here so far! PS Still couldn't find the negativity in the OP post so I will keep reading it until it does.....because it was negative, right?? Must be. It's Alps.

As a club, Saints have every right to use (or not use) any player as they see fit. The player also has the right to ask for a transfer. The fact that this arrogant little tw*t thinks he can spit the dummy and get his own way is laughable and I commend the club for sticking to their guns even though he is costing us money.