shurlock

33 mins and we get our first chance - Oxlade-Chamberlain

"Un peu moins d'occasions depuis quelques minutes pour les Sochaliens qui poursuivent leur domination et restent bien en place" Well at least things have calmed down and they're not creating as many chances but still sounds like there's only one team likely to score - and thats not us.

Yeh they're all over us

Think the current squad could do a job and hold their own - unlike the XI that started last season; but why should we leave anything to chance. A dip in form, an injury, a suspension could all derail things, especially if a setbacks gnaws into team confidence. A few things: a) The problem with losing Papa and Antonio is not what they brought to the team as individuals but that together they represented our i) main outlets of pace and ii) wildcards from the bench. Where is the pace and guile from the bench now? b) I can't see us changing our gameplan of relying on Lambert and the direct ball - but that puts a hell alot of pressure on Lambo both when opposition teams single him out and when he's asked to lead the line for a whole season. Another target man seems sensible. c) A CM who can get foward would be nice - both Schneiderlin and Hammond tend to stay deep and not give us much movement - nothing wrong with this, especially if we're looking to the widemen for space and crosses. But i dont think the balance is quite there, especially as its the one area where we dont have back-up (Wotton apart). Hence Pards has experimented with Punch in the middle but it hasn't really worked. Am not knocking Pards - I think his prioritisation of two full-backs has been underestimated by others. It is shrewd, clearly anticipating the challenges that being league favs will bring. As games like Swindon showed, teams will look to stifle us this season. They will congest the midfield and put men behind the ball, making it more important that the fullbacks can bomb on and give us an extra man upfield. Am also confident that Pards will dip into the market to strengthen the two or three areas identified above after he returns to England. Makes sense that he would wait and see how others have performed on the preseason tour before making any big splashes. Thus I'm not worried but there are clear gaps that squad players like Wotton or emerging prospects like Oxlade-Chamberlain or McNish will not fill overnight, so am not complacent either. Ask me the same question in two weeks time, assuming nothing has changed, and I'd probably give you a different answer...

B/B+ and running a football club is unlike running any other kind of private organisation and so will only learn and improve with time.

Thought the rumours were suggesting £8m anyway... http://www.caughtoffside.com/2010/07/07/chelsea-linked-with-move-for-8m-england-under-21-international-ancelotti-keen-on-lallana/

Connolly is a class above - he's probably underachieved over the length of his career.

Tyson to fill Lallana's position should he leave would make sense. Would have played for Pards at his time at Reading as well.

Unlikely gone to boro

Great signing - what does it mean for Harding as he def won't now be going to RB....

Absolutely- even after he had been ousted out, would see him at hard-to-get-to midweekers (Sheffield away ) - wasn't lapping up the publicity (unlike some), just discretely minding his own biz and supporting the team.

England blew it - within whiskers of an arguably easy passage to the semis (ghana, s.korea and uruguay) - even without the US winner, a second goal would have been enough to secure that route.

In Baltimore/DC for a couple of weeks but its odd watching ESPN and thinking games are more 'authentically' English with the SKY heavy-hitters of Tyler and Darke.

http://www.calcionews24.com/fiorentina-ag-papa-waigo-non-tornera-al-southampton.html according to my patchy italian - his lawyer/agent seems to be ruling out a return to england here...

No doubt Lambo could take a better freekick than anything we've seen in the world cup so far - new ball or no new ball....

Obviously they can be the same logger, logging in multiple times? any idea how many different loggers or at least different IP addresses you get (could be the same logger but logging in from different locations eg work)?

Yeh or can't spot loan sharks a mile away

Can you give me the telephone number to Zebra Loans as you've actually spoken to them. Want to do the same.

Illingsworth and other washed up muppets from the Saints Trust have demonstrated quite literally they cannot organise a ****-up in a brewery. Sour grapes that they have been sidelined and they've had their trough snatched away. and the cr*p on here from usual suspects preaching fan unity - is unilaterally going over our heads on account of some dubious grassroots legitimacy any way to treat the rest of us who might happen to disagree but at least are respectful enough not to put words in other fans mouths.

IMO the season only finished last weekend - after the playoff finals were completed. Is it any wonder that season ticket prices were released straight after Dagenham were promoted to complete the set of 24 teams for the 2010/11 L1 season? While that result didn't really materially affect anything in terms of STs, I can imagine how knowing who was going up from L2 and more importantly L1 would affect our transfer activity. Maybe we've bee targeting players from playoff teams (after all, don't they have the best players) - and is someone likely to move if they've just been promoted? Hence Paynter has just f**ked off to Leeds. Would Bailey be a realistic target had Charlton gone up. Alternatively maybe playoff teams have been looking at similar players as us - so players were waiting and seeing who came up - in theory any given player is now much more likely to go to Millwall than before last weekend (coincidentally remember how last season Trotman turned Millwall down and came to us). The permutations are endless. Point is it makes no sense for players and teams to make decisions against a background of incomplete information. And the picture has only started to become clearer in the last week, not month....

How the hell are we going to know whether to buy Xavi or Messi (or both) if haven't had a full world cup to watch them?

Simple economics - why would Zebra or whoever offer better terms to a supporter from a club that is endorsing an installment package than one that hasn't if as you say, that club is not bearing any risk e.g. Zebra or whoever is bearing all the risk in both cases?

Agree 100% (apart from the idea that this is specialised finance provided only by two companies - a loan is a loan whether its for a ST or cosmetic surgery which Zebra also offer loans for) As above: People can get fill in this form http://www.zebrafinance.co.uk/seasonticketappform.pdf and hey-presto they're up and running - btw, the form is exactly the same if you hit any of the club badges - its ultimately the same package and relationship - endorsement or no endorsement. The club is irrelevant - the idea that it must be party to the relationship is the main reason for the misunderstanding and misplaced finger-pointing. Was thinking of it giving a go for the purposes of science and enlightenment but think RomseyStu should be the guinea-pig.

Think you're complicating something that is somewhat simpler and cruder than you believe it is- the club need not be involved in any of this, the assumption that they do is the main reason why Cortese and the club are getting unfair flack. The relationship is between the individual and the provider - and between them only People can get fill in this form http://www.zebrafinance.co.uk/seasonticketappform.pdf and hey-presto they're up and running - btw, the form is exactly the same if you hit any of the club badges - its ultimately the same package and relationship - endorsement or no endorsement. P.S. A loan is a loan whatever you call it - you are required to return more than you borrowed, its interest whatever you call it. A turd is a turd whatever you call it....