david in sweden

....old memories:rolleyes:.....must remind myself this thread is about the Stekelenburg " rumour ".

remember him well....after our two "ex-Spuds" goalies; Reynolds and Hollowbread (who DAJFU when it mattered) it was a real change to see (and hear) Campbell Forsyth as custodian for Saints in the mid 1960's. He was tough, dominating figure in goal and regarded everything in the penalty area as " his ball ". Unlike his predecessors, he didn't like the idea of having full backs dawdling around in the penalty area, and on a number of occasions bellowed at them them to get upfield ...in a voice level that could carry to the other end of the pitch. His " fluke " injury, (coming as it did out of the blue - rather like Forster's) occured when his leg became trapped between Denis Hollywood and Liverpool's winger Ian Callaghan, when they collided, going for a loose ball, in a League game at The Dell. He never discovered the tremendous form (and perhaps also the confidence) that he first showed when he arrived. At his peak... He would have been in a class with Niemi and Shilton.

that was on the cards......right county, wrong club....or in this case ...." right club ". Think he'll get a better chance of success at Wednesday than at Leeds. Isgrove is one of a number of former Academy lads (maybe also Sinclair and Rowe) ...who are now too old for the U21s..but not made it to the first team squad properly. He needs a good season loan-out (like Stephens and Turnbull have at Swindon) to make a name for himself, otherwise he'll drift out of the picture and into an L1 side.

.whilst everyone is lamenting Fraser Forster's injury and long absence, there has been a big void in names as a possible replacement..until now. One media comment from ..Holland?...has suggested that Saints are looking to Maarten Stekelenburg (who although contracted to Fulham until 2017) has been wiling away his time on the Monaco bench - in what is proving to be - a most unsatisfactory loan period, in which he has hardly played at all. The fact that Stekelenburg has previously had club experience with ...Ronald Koeman...may have absolutely nothing to do with it ... but who knows? .... Don't hold your breath on this one.......but we surely need to good class international keeper, if we are to be without Forsyth for the forseeable future.

agree Hypo. They'll never be a better time for him to move on, and it's a win-win situation for the player ....and the Saints' bank balance.

- but it will only go to strengthen his position if the " whoever plays LB " has a bad game. Bertrand has at last got someone (Saints) to believe in him, after Chelsea farmed him out every year. It may take a while longer for Woy to recognise his talents... although Baines has his feet under the table, and Shaw is out, I fail to see how he can choose Rose ...ahead of Bertrand. Must be " The North London connection ", I suppose. Gibbs on the other hand, being an Arsenal player will help swell the crowd at any Wembley game, although he also fails to impress me very much.

I'll go with that comment, Colin. Every Prem. side has a lot of foreign internationals nowadays, and I think it's vital that our lads come back injury-free. I'm not anti-England (of course), but every bad game England play should only go to show how badly the present set-up is flawed, and give hope for a genuine re-vamp.

Gazzaniga (23) is no great shakes, even at U21 level, I'd still think I'd prefer Kelvin Davis at the moment. Cropper has been sharing U21 games with PG , and I think we should keep him in preference....except that Gazzaniga (reputedly cost us £2million )

I watched the replay several times.... ...Vokes ran in, as if to challenge ....but there was no actual contact and Forster tried to avoid him and went down under his own weight.

Dec.18th, eh ........and hope we can bring the boys home for Christmas .......(where have I heard that before?)

I like his style, too.... but I also recall reading a quote from French President De Gaulle (a former General) he said....the graveyards are full of irreplaceable men .. sounds a bit gruesome, but if Clyne goes, we're sure to find someone else in..." The Black Box ", but one of the few players I felt it was impossible to replace was MLT.

...and even if we did ....a platform for trains to stop alongside SMS ...and a larger car park .....would be in order......

which maybe something to do with ...who he is partnered with. If he's so good playing with Toby for Belgium - why is he so poor at Spuds? Many agreed that Lovren looked really good last season just because he was playing between Wanyama and Fonte.

.and ...ironically having been converted from a midfielder to fill in when Clyne was out injured...

..and again, it really annoys me when I can't recall such things.....but Wikipedia to the rescue..... they credit the following phrase to Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens) " a lie can travel halfway around the World whilst the truth is putting on its shoes... " anyway ...it's something that a lot of journos' could learn from, and follow .....instead of creating fantasy " space-fillers ". NOTED: since end of February.... I've read of ..14 players who " someone or other " claims we will sign ....sounds like another busy summer.

yes indeed ....but Churchill wasn't above ..." stealing " ..sorry quoting from others who came before him ..which is what made his speeches so powerful.

Wow ! ....I have to take my hat off to Redslo .....who made this final table prediction in August 2014 as post #1 on the thread. looking at today's table ...with only 8 games left......he has predicted 12 teams EXACTLY correctly. 7 others are +/- one place, and Palace are two places better off than he predicts (the Pardew effect). I think the top end points tally may be a wide off, but have great admiration for his judgement....hope he bets just as well on match scores.

...or maybe.... .the Belgian, or the Swede ...or the Pole who have also been posted..? ......most likely be someone in " the Black Box" ..who no-one's ever heard of ....

Brendan wants to give him more responsibility, and has asked him to take penalties ......now that Stevie G. has been suspended...

I find Clarkson's prog. very entertaining and although having been a driver for over 40 years, I'm not a " car person " as such, however....few people can have garnered such a huge audience " world wide " ....(350 million in 170 countries did I read)..... as Clarkson apparantly has. ...it should be understood that despite his outbursts and occasional dubious public comments, that Clarkson has become a media superstar with a following as great as that of any Messi or Ronaldo. The Beeb (in it's wisdom) has taken the high road and thrown the baby out with the bathwater.... Clarkson's shows earn (a reported umpteen £000 millions) which is now unrepeatable / irreplaceable business, and you can bet your TV licence that the loss of income will eventually be passed down to the viewers...... Though not my favourite person....I hope Clarkson gets a big redundancy settlement, and a new contract from ITV .....with an even bigger salary.... The Beeb in turn will (hopefully) find producers "savvy enough" to know how to deal with "superstars" and know how to "fix things" like a meal of steak and chips. (surely a local restaurant / hotel would have done a suitable takeaway in such circumstances ..or didn't anyone think of that ?)

as memory serves....Saint Armstrong has come up with some accurate info. before. I wish some others who come up with more outrageous posts were a bit closet to the truth.... "forgotten" by me quote.. (maybe Mark Twain? )... " a rumour can travel halfway around the World....whilst Truth ...is still putting on its shoes..."

most of us would admit football has a special place in our lives, and life is planned around the next kick-off, although easier when it was always Sat. @ 3pm. Saints are beginning to look like a successful business ....who mean business, but as "customers", we fans maybe expecting something... that isn't there. I won't use the word loyalty....but for those of us who have / have had jobs that we enjoy...and can survive on the salary....and are content to stay in the one job for decades - even their entire working life....and even turn down promotions ()..so as to stay somewhere they are satisfied with. But what about those with a limited career span....like footballers. At the highest level...10 years (if you're lucky). A bad injury... and it may not be that long, and so the prospect of a job in another city....or another country, with a higher pay scale may seems quite attractive in the short term. This thread was prompted by yet another " scam article " this time about Toby Alderweireld's " suggested " preference to move to another (nameless) team, and that (it suggests) he doesn't think Southampton is an exciting place to live....(there are surely mixed views on that one - even amongst fans). Players will move for different reasons, and not JUST money. Older fans remind us that the legendary post-war Saints striker Charlie Wayman enjoyed his time at the Dell, but that his Northern-born wife....didn't like So'ton quite so much, and so they moved back up North. Although some on here have argued with me on this point - it seems very few players born in the Greater London area are happy to stay on the South Coast, and return to the Capital....for various reasons. The bottom line is that our favourite players are, on average, employed by SFC for a period of 2-5 years, and at this level - very few for much longer than that. If we see another exodus of players in the summer (and remembering that Toby A. is only on loan, anyway)....then so be it. It's their choice. We may be sad to see some go.. and for those others, who just don't fit in ..we'll be glad to see the back of them...such is life. At the end of the day ..(or better said - at the start of the next season)....we want a squad that is content with their lot, and enjoy life at SMS. ....the others....in search or glory and wealth, will make life-changing decisions that they ....may /or may not regret in times to come. Whilst money may give security in the long run - it doesn't always buy happiness, as many discover - sooner or later. For those who are transferred out, Saints may re-coup their investment, (and hopefully a bit more, too) ....and will be left with some fond memories and a bigger bank balance ......Such IS life.

seems the bad luck is " evening out ", because Spuds lost their goalie Lloris, with a knee injury too. Don't know how long he's out for though.

and of course ..if we qualify (God willing )..and they don't ......all those sad journos, will been " amazed" that Saints suddenly "sneaked into the last place " ..... ...and what a shame it is that a great club like Spuds missed the Euro's ..YET AGAIN! Not worth the breath to argue it, after 24th May...it'll all be academic anyway.