david in sweden

Sorry ...no comment.. beam me up now Mr. Sulu

nice bit of nostalgia there, Turkish and a good chance for younger fans to see the '76 Cup side in real action, (especially as the Final itself was a bit of a nervous affair). Great performance from David Peach, whose record of 35 (?) career penalties is still a Football League record. Missed only 2 of 26 for Saints.

......as someone who appreciates the value of stats. I'd say it is interesting to see, but it surely reflects; the consolidation... and steady, upward progress that a successful club can make after being promoted. Although it's true that (in some way) history does repeat itself....I can't think of too many other clubs who, having been promoted, have made the same sort of improvement in form. However, I don't relish the thought of waiting.... until 2037 for our next FA Cup final appearance.

.....and he is a far better player ....when he is playing, which unfortunately ...he will not be doing against Stoke ...and Spuds.

not met him personally, but am good friends with someone who knows him personally. ...said that Lawrie Mac asked DM to come to Saints as he was disturbed by " some of the bad influences in the club "....and wanted a youth team leader with a good moral standing to guide the youngsters, and chose someone whom he respected. Personal beliefs aside, (if you like).....think most of us would admit he did a good job in bringing on the youth team players of that era.

whatever I thought then, it seems the media considerably over-estimated his qualities, after he scored (for Celtic) against Barca' in the CL , which seemed to suggest he was a goal-getting midfielder, and although he has scored a few since..... he often shoots closer to the corner flag, than the goal. Saints were "stung" on the fee, as his agent had claimed there was a £12 million bid on him from Cardiff (then Prem.) but Cardiff later denied any such interest / bid. Of course " a mere £12 mill" . is only chicken feed in the Prem.- isnt it ?... but he's one of our most expensive signing, and maybe I expected " something more " but then again ...Ramirez, Osvaldo and Long all came for similar fees and also failed " to set the world alight" . It's not that I don't rate him, but somehow he's lacked the same aggression and enthusiasm that we first saw - since returning from injury in winter 2013. However, I'm only one man with an opinion, maybe everyone else disagrees with me, too.

can't make my mind up about Victor. He's a powerful presence in midfield, and although he isn't a clumsy tackler, it always seems that the opponents come off worst, and he gets yellow-carded far too easily. He's put in some very good performances but lacks consistantcy, and that's important in his role. I don't believe there is a great deal of interest from other Prem. sides (according to certain media sources), and so if a good offer came along... I think we ought to consider it as he is yet another £12 million signing who hasn't quite lived up to expectations.

......just 5 goals in the last 9 League games ....and one of those was an " own goal.":scared: It's obvious that people seem to blame Pelle and Long, but there is nothing from the midfielders either.....

another was in a game (forgotten which) he hung a brightly-coloured towel in the back of the net, and the opposition's striker hit it directly when he scored.

There is still time for JWP to develop.....goals aren't the only measure of success in a midfielder. I always felt ** Beckham was greatly over-rated. Statistical note; David Beckham didn't score his first international goal until his 20th game for England. He scored his second ......in his 37th England game. In 115 games for England, he managed only 17 goals. Beckham's goals were often more spectacular than they were frequent. ** As far as career / goals......Beckham wasn't in the same class as MLT - who played in the same period in Prem. ..........................................Prem apps only.............Career total Beckham (MU) 1992-2003....265 apps........62 goals........523 apps......97 goals. MLT....(Saints) 1992-2002... 313 apps. ....124 goals........558 apps.....213 goals.

After that long, boring winter, which was neither very cold or snowy - and full of Ice Hockey games ....at last ...the football season has arrived in Sweden. The kick-off this weekend, and no game with more interest than the return of the Stockholm side Hammarby to the Allsvenskan (read Premiership). Hammarby's club history might (to some) seem to reflect that of the Saints. An inner city club, who were for many years based at the (now demolished ) Söderstadion, a delapidated arena (not disimilar to The Dell before renovation), which they held as those own for decades past. Never a big trophy-winning side, (though they did manage to win a title and a cup about once every decade) and like Saints, were relegated a couple of times but fought their way back up to the top tier last season, with their fanatical supporters who are amongst the most vociferous and dedicated in the country. Twice last season they broke the ground record at the newly-built Tele2 Arena which accomodates over 30,000 and which they controversely share with their biggest rivals Djurgården (Can you imagine Saints and Pompey sharing the same stadium, now both clubs want to claim it as " their own "). Today Hammarby start the season at home against one of their "bogey sides" Häcken, who travel up to Stockholm from the other side of the country. There's sure to be a capacity crowd - yet again, and if they get past; the fan rivalry, the occasional fights and the traditional display of fireworks on the terraces that accompany such games.... then the fans maybe in for a great game .....result later. Of course, neither of these sides is likely to win anything this season, especially as Malmö have taken the title for the last couple of years and gave a good showing in the group stages of the Champions League, and show no signs of weakening, but they'll be some good summer games in between. Most of the former Swedish players who were in the Saints' squad 10 years ago have retired into obscurity - except Anders Svensson turns 39 in July. Although he rarely plays full 90 minute games now, his commanding presence has held the Elfsborg midfield together on a few occasions in recent years. His Elfsborg side often resemble an Arsenal side who play well-organised, controlled football ..but are never quite good enough to win anything. So..it's back to the real season for all football fans, although to be fair, the overall standard is no better than the top end of the Championship these days, but you can be sure most games will be pretty entertaining.

Oh yes, ..agree totally.....Hernandez won't have any problems with English - will he ? Hopefully, we can safely leave Osvaldo where he is ...

would be nice if that was a comforting thought.....but; 1) some Spanish people can understand Portguese, but don't know how it is the other way around? 2) Toby had ..one season?...in Spain, so perhaps he 's a bit limited there.... 3) JayRod was asked the question .(by someone in an interview when he arrived) ...and said that despite his Dad's Spanish heritage, he never learned any Spanish.... Maybe it wouldn't be a problem, and everyone will speak English...(after a fashion), but anyone who has lived abroad knows that having someone around from your home country is a definite step up on " pigeon English conversations " with the locals..... Looking back....for those who are not English speakers to any great degree, we used to " buy'em in pairs" some years ago.

who can we choose from ...Sky, BBC ..? ..BT?.....or .. ....I can watch almost any Prem. game I like with cable / or / streaming over here.....of course, our games are always first choice....

You are !..the last stat. I read suggested he'd hit the woodwork SEVEN times this season....

Yes . It's one thing to be sad because you miss a game, but with a result like that one (0-2)....you can be pretty thankful....even if it was a friendly.

as if the prospect of a longer term injury wasn't bad enough....latest stats. show that Forster may miss the Golden Gloves Award. he is (currently) top of the list of Prem. goalies .....with 13 clean sheets......ah well

an impressive list of names, but I think you hit the nail on the head with this comment....at their peak. I'm sure they would be good... as a back-up, but for a whole season.......?

it's also a lot do with "settling in" from the cultural aspect ,and having a team mate who speaks your own language. At present, the only other native Spanish speaker is Gazzaniga...and his future must seem rather uncertain.

..or alternatively ... what if ?....on the last day ....Citeh must win to get the Prem. tltle.....and Saints must win to get the 4th spot....then it'd be a really interesting game.

comforting thought, but I wouldn't bank on it .....if we start a good run-up to the final games, I'm sure we'll be televised by someone.

Q- Would we really want to lose Pellé to an Italian club..or ? Personally, (like Toby)... I've quite grown to admire him from amongst the crop of " new players " we've acquired this season. Admittedly, his "goal drought" has been a bit of a worry, but for him as a person, it must he a bit galling to have played most of his football outside of his home country. He surely deserves the attention he's got from being a Prem. player, but now he's going on 30, and has finally got recognition in Italy. I see him as " a sort of Rickie Lambert figure " who deserves some real adulation in the final years of his career. I'd be sorry to see him go, but I also think it'd be a deserving tribute if an Italian club finally realised his value, and his country....as someone with international status. Note: there must surely be a potential " replacement " somewhere in a file in the " Black Box ".

I agree, he just seems to be trying too hard!

An enclosed encounter .......just play the 5 tones and we can we expect to see Steven Spielberg leading out the under 8's........ ..... just as long as it doesn't take off in the wind.

Yes ..they'll be visiting all the best .....ski-resorts..