david in sweden

Some of those suspension games were last season. The game that we won (1-0) at Anfield in September was the last game of Suarez' suspension. He returned the week afterwards and helped keep them there with all those goals ever since, but...without him they might not even be above us. You might also remember that Saints were 3rd going into the Chelsea (away) game with one of the best defences in Europe (at that time).....but after Boruc broke his hand, then our decline began. Losing key players is most often the reason for failure to win. (see Arsenal).

In an SNS interview ..Arsenal's David Dein (said of Wenger) that he had been with the club for so long when the average League manager (today) is .....11 months (recent stats.) At any level, especially at the top, it takes a lot of money to succeed, (and although a few clubs have owners willing to do that), we've seen it's no guarantee of success. Nowadays, impatient owners, and a great many fans ...seem to be expecting the " quick fix " and are ready to sack managers after a poor /indifferent run of games. In reality, very few clubs who spent " big money " ever succeed and some (Leeds and Pompey are prime examples).. implode and never regain whatever their " former glory " was. Arsenal's debacle on Saturday, shows that Wenger hasn't yet succeeded in re-building a team to win things and next season will be his 10th without a trophy (unless they win the FA Cup). but I maintain that doesn't make him a bad manager. David Moyes was regarded as " a success " at Everton - even though his team(s) never won anything, but he's getting a big " reality check " at Old Trafford. He'll feel lucky to still be there in August. Those of us with longer memories can recall the teenage Matt Le Tissier single-handedly humilated Man.Utd in a League Cup game .....and got their manager Ron Atkinson booted out 2 days later..and then landed us with Alex Ferguson .....for the next 26 seasons. Let's not forget that it took time for him to get Man U on the winning way, and everyone says he can never be compared; why not let's try; Ferguson was appointed in 1986. The following season Man Utd finished 11th ..(Saints btw ....were 12th). Season after that they got to second place, but still finished 9 points behind ....Liverpool. In his third season ...11th again (Saints were 13th). Ferguson didn't win his first trophy until the 1990 FA Cup and despite finishing 13th in the League. (NOTE; Saints finished 7th.) It took him time which managers are not allowed in today's game. When Wenger eventually retires / is sacked) .....the longest-reigning manager in the Prem. will be ....ALAN PARDEW .. (who has an 8 year contract at Newcastle). Start to compare English clubs with those in Europe, and we see foreign clubs who buy players for " funny money " fees will nearly always succeed, and those who don't quickly sack the manager. The English (and perhaps) Saints' reality check is build slowly and properly, have patience and hope your best players aren't "the maverick type", or get career-threatening injuries...and Good Luck. We've tried having 10 managers in 10 years ...and it didn't work then either.

NC was out to succeed without spending big bucks in L1. Cortese (along with many others) thought £1 million was a lot to spend on Rickie Lambert in 2009. Pardew saw it as an investment. Pochettino was employed because he had a proven record of developing young talented players. Incidentally, I think he would struggle if managing a team of " big name players " because of that reason. However, (this project) ....is a recurring phrase in almost every Pochettino interviews, and I thought it an odd choice of phrasing, too. It is ...a project or experiment ...to build a team from teenage talents,and we have a few (thank goodness), but it didn't work out so well when we had our " Double Dutch " pair in charge 2007-8. NOTE: My Spanish is not so hot, but I'm assuming that the translator hasn't chosen the best synonym when translating MPs comments.

one who can score goals, anyway.

1).Precisely because...... they are inexperienced and haven't learned enough yet. It takes time to aclimatise to the Prem. Shaw has done well.......but some players never adapt. Don't know till they're there. 2) Pace ?...we have 3 full backs who are pretty nippy, Lambert is slower, but good on assists and Jay Rod has scored a few goals by outpacing defenders...do you expect to see a pacy midfielder ? 3) ........see answer 1.

you mean... like Liverpool depending on Suarez? (Yes ... Sturridge is good but it's Suarez who's got them where they are in the League.)

He is definitely a confidence player, and seems to think he's not quite good enough but he's a real trier. Ralph K. should convince him of how good he can become and hope we can see more positivity in off the pitch interviews, because he convinces me he can do it on the field.

The maturity of his manner (especially in interviews) shows he has a brain and is a cut above many of the so-called stars in the " bigger clubs". He's been with the club for about 9 years (?) I think, and has stayed when the Bale's, Walcott's and Alex O-C's has moved on, and dedicated half of his career to Saints' and to my mind that gives him a very special place in the club's history - and if there's any justice - an England career in front of him - starting with the World Cup.

firstly he has to be seen as our long term answer for the managerial post. As soon as he signs a new contract (assuming he does) we'll be expecting to see a couple of v. good signings in the summer. Long-er term, we need another striker. We all want RL to carry on forever, when in fact his future is likely to be a place on the bench with a new striker taking his place. (not Osvaldo)...Sam G isnt there yet. Both Fonte and Hooiveld are 30-ish and we need a new partner for Lovren AND some good back-ups in defence. Aside from today's result, the start side looks good on paper, but the bench is very poor. No manager (except perhaps Mourinho) is going to start next season promising to win the title, so unless MP (if still here) gets another whirlwind start, he'd be stupid to start predicting anything.

mistakes can (and do) occur at every level of football. BUT at the highest level......every possible technical aid should be used to ensure that games are "as fair as possible " and referees are only human.... (although some players might not agree). Any one of the millions who watched the game on Sky could have seen that straight away..but not the ref. It makes a mockery of the whole idea of fair and just decision-making on the ref's part. Sending off the wrong player is more than just bad luck, but the worst of all..... is that the " offence " (in this case handball to a shot that went wide anyway)....isn't a red card offence.

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you're joking right ?.....any time that Saints' fans can gloat over Pompey's downfall........ it's Saints-related:lol:

it would be even more ironic if the local derbies in the south were; Eastleigh, Salisbury, Aldershot....... and Pompey

or..... because we are one of the very few Prem.clubs with exciting ENGLISH prospects who people know something about ..or may even have seen them playing in a match. ...whereas if people mention the name of ..a South-American who plays in a mid-table side in a European country, it's not so exciting when you only have a 3 minute clip of his best game on You Tube to go by.

.....which is exactly what happens to injured players in their late teens, or those who lose form at the wrong time in their career. L1 and L2 clubs are littered with former Saints' youngsters who - didn't quite make it when it mattered, and they are getting younger and younger. Any 21 year old, who hasn't made some impression within the first team squad.... and is still around ....can consider himself extremely lucky. Usually, by then it's the end of the road. There are more waiting. RECENT DEPARTURES of former Youth / Academy lads who " didn't make the cut " after a promising career at U18 / U21. include ; Jack Dovey, Harlee Dean, Ryan Doble, Aaron Martin, Sam Hoskins, Ben Reeves, Alberto Seidi, Fraser Colmer and just this week Corby Moore ...and thats only since summer 2102. Before that there are scores of them. perhaps... that's the really good thing about "the Academy " in that youngsters can get some sort of education, too ....in case the worst happens and they drop out of the game, and end up in a beetroot factory.

Not much I would think. In that summer prior to our first season back up in the Prem. I counted ....SIXTY (yes 60) different close-season " rumours " from journos who must have through they were ITK. (Echo listings). Many of these types only live on " Planet London " and think the mere mention of " a big name club " - (even one who haven't won a trophy in the last 5-20 years) means that we will bow down and thankfully accept these ridiculous offers. The " transfer fees " they quote might impress some clubs, (but not Saints) ....who don't need the money - especially as many are hilariously under-valued. The more unscrupulous agents use the media to " frighten " clubs into giving a new long-term contracts to players who, in some cases, are barely more than average - or who are just having " a good season". Bringing in foreign players - even good ones - is always a gamble, as Spurs have seen this season. After banking the largest transfer fee in English history (for Bale) they spent it all - and more - on half-a-dozen players who didn't fit in, and then proceeded to sack the manager who bought them and appointed Sherwood - who went back to the old favourites in the squad. (Glory, Glory, have a laugh you:lol:). If and when we get real success in the Prem. it will come by retaining players like Chambers and even Shaw ...(although I think he may move on after World Cup). If he stays, some people may say he lacks ambition, but an 18 year old playing regular Prem. football is unusual enough - and it will benefit his career if he stays a few more seasons...and becomes even better. Arsenal bought two of our best Academy products (Theo and Alex) ....but should expect to bid real money for Schneiderlin now ...who deserves a bigger club after his service to Saints. The Gunners' large squad is riddled with injuries, but still good enough to stay near the top - even with injuries to; Ramsey, Wilshere, Walcott and a somewhat out-of-form Özil. We need to do the same. Nothing is forever, (and certainly not an unchanged football squad). Eventually all players find their level - and some even move on to " greater things ". We can only hope that the next generation of Shaw's, JWP's and Chambers' are ready when the call comes, because one thing we have learned this season is that injuries and suspensions knock a big hole in a small squad - especially when there are no suitable " quality " replacements. If the Academy is all it's cracked-up to be, then we can build such a squad and without spending £500 million to do it. So far ....Man.City, Chelsea and Arsenal seem to have coped with the problem. We haven't, and selling off all of our best talent won't improve that.

I stood ...together with 20-odd thousand others..... on the Dell terraces watching games for nearly 30 years, whilst those with deeper pockets and thicker wallets were able to sit " in the stands". Yes it was cramped, people pushed and shoved a bit, and if you were too near the touchline, you got rain down the back of your neck in inclement weather, but I don't recall a single fatality in all that time. The Hillsborough tragedy was terrible, but the circumstances around it were most unusual and made it a one-off incident. A terrible case of human error. The Football authorities (perhaps rightly so) had to be seen to do something positive, but in all honesty there was little need for the drastic action they took then, and it surely is time that it was reviewed. Ground stewards are better trained, very much more aware of safety factors and crowd disturbances are very few nowadays. We know the permitted ground capacity and tickets are now required for all games, if standing is permitted again, and an adjustment to the number of paying customers can be agreed with Health and Safety Dept. We should never forget Hillsborough, but was the standing ban really the right action? As a " senior ".... I enjoy sitting through a game nowadays, but it is obvious there are many thousands who would prefer to stand and shout, cheer and clap, as I used tothen.So I say ....why not ?

they probably went to around to different wards, and most photogs would have followed Rickie and Adam anyway.

I think it will read . The players. Most fans will be satisfied (though some can never be so ) but our real fans are with us through thick and thin. IF we can give MP a good deal, he'll be happy and many of the players will be happy to stay on ...instead of moving, (although I agree one or two will surely move.)

mainly I suppose that 's because nearly all of the " top sides " have players leaving or retiring in the near future. Chelsea fans have likely seen the last of Frank Lampard, and John Terry doesn't look as sprightly as he once did. Ashley Coles's contract goes out in the summer, I think...and so on. Despite paying Rooney £1 million a month ...Man U still have problems in midfield and certainly in their defence. Giggs must surely retire sometime, and Carrick is very poor, Ferdinand is on the way out and Vidic has already said he's going. Some others; Cleverley and Smalling have been found wanting, and Welbeck always looked good ALONGSIDE Rooney, but otherwise looks rather ordinary on his own. Arsenal haven't won a trophy in almost 10 years, but have taken advantage of buying Walcott and Alex O-C.....Wenger will come back for Schneiderlin in the summer. Man City have enough money to buy anyone they want, and may well look in our direction. We have attracted a lot more attention from the media this season, and people are beginning to take notice. Maybe it's time for one or two to move on ..and bring in the next generation Acceamy lads? .....however, I don't expect to see more than one player on the move in the summer....the rest is just media hype. There aren't enough good young English players around, and we have the best of them.

all a lot of dis-information aimed at unsettling the fans and players. Can't see us selling our best players for money the owner doesn't need and replacing them with even newer Academy recruits - can you ?

if these journos publish enough stories like this, they're bound to get ONE right sooner or later....and then they can print ...." you heard it here first " sad really

I looked at this too, but it may have been used as an allegory. My take on this is : I've heard this type of comment myself in speeches and presentations. Not that they physically attended the same " school " at the same time, but that they both had careers that followed a similar pattern and had similar experiences (although in different sports) and so in a way, they both understand the problems / situations.

interesting point well made. Carroll has had " incidents " both on and off the pitch ....and the occasional brush with the law.(according to Wikipedia). Foreign referees have different interpretations of " physical contact " on the pitch than we tolerate in England, and he'd be on a yellow card before HT in most games. If he a got a red card.....he'd be out of the reckoning, and consequently out of the whole competition, and we'd be one striker less and we don't have a lot to choose from in the first place. One goal in game back doesn't prove anything. If he outscores Lambert / Jay Rod upto May - then he might be worth a serious look, but if the yellow cards start to mount up - he'd be a walking time-bomb.

I didn't regard Rasiak as one of our best strikers, despite his goal tally, nor did I suggest it was a low fee, but we had already paid out £4 million for Delap and £3.5 million for Delgado some years before. Looking at the all-time list of goalscorers ....Ron Davies was the only one who cost " big money " (at the time), most of the others ..." came through the ranks ".