david in sweden

the answer to any of those " thoughts / questions " is .....let's wait until we see him performing against Arsenal, Chelsea and Man.Utd. IMHO far too early to give any opinion. Some players show up better against good teams, where there is skill and flowing play, and not a defensive wall conceding free-kicks every other minute. I'd like to see him up against some class defenders, and top goalkeepers before making judgements.

this is another of those ...... " wouldn't you like to play for your boyhood favourites **Manchester United one day " ...type dumb-journo' questions. trying to make a story up where none exists... As for the .." tough physical game in the Prem" question .....what do you expect?..its the Prem. Gaston Ramirez had the same type of darn-fool question and gave the same type of response, and suddenly they said ....he wanted back to Italy. ** depending on the player who is the interviewee......read Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool etc, etc )

I can remember us being 4th in 1984... .and even better than that at other times, but we haven't played any top sides (except Liverpool ) yet. ....better to be able to make a good judgement on our form until after fixtures like Chelsea and Arsenal.

same difference surely. If someone's having a bad time, they don't play better if they don't get some encouragement.

I don't always agree with all of your utterances Turkish, but on this one I'm 100%. I find it sad to hear Saints players booed during a match, the time for reflection is after the game - not during it. I didn't hear a lot of enthusiastic cheering when Rodriguez came on either, but he waltzed around two defenders to score a good goal and tie up the points. If people feel they want to abuse a player ....can anyone look forward to a time when they might boo Rickie Lambert ?

If you want to abuse / boo our own players then you should be sitting at the other end of the ground. (Likewise, I felt embarrassed to hear Guly getting booed - even in the last 5 mins). There were times in the Championship season when Fox looked good, and he DidAJFU, but still showed weaknesses. He is clearly not Prem. standard, and is certainly no competition for the younger Shaw, but in the event of a longer term stint at LB, we have no suitable option (at present). Whatever the situation, I would NEVER boo a Saints player ..and in the last 50 years..... I've seen quite a few miss open goals you'd never believe.

I think there are several issues here. No-one has ever claimed that it's easy to referee a game - even at schoolboy level, and some top flight proffs. are expert at " diving and faking off-the-ball incidents ". Being in charge of a game and out in the middle of the pitch, running at the same rate as players calls for remarkable skills of energy - and perception. Refs. are bound to miss things and make mistakes. Of course may of them are very experienced and "don't miss much", whereas others are often diabolical in their interpretation of the same ruling. What really angers me is that Sepp Blatter refuses to allow referees the benefit of the modern technology that I have at home - when I watching a game on TV...namely a quick replay of any incident. It doesn't take a lot of time Mr.Blatter. A throw takes about 10-15 secs, a corner or free kick can mean a stop of around a minute in active play. TV replays come in a matter of seconds. It's a small step forward to have wireless contact between officials, and thats positive..but the Lampard incident of the " goal that wasn't given " goes to show that the whole scenario was a fiasco when a game played at the highest level can have a " miss " like that one. Two billion people saw that the ball crossed the line - but not the ref. and Blatter's " apology " was nothing short of embarrassing. Goal-line technology is only a small step of improvement and may only be called upon a few times a season. Disputed penalties, and doubtful off-side decisions happen in every match. Such incidents may " level themselves out " - over a season - but in a one-off competitive game e.g. World Cup. It's over and done with - and if missed, may cost the game. If we can have a fourth official .(or even a fifth) sat in front of a TV, then we'd have a much higher % of correct decisions, and much fewer embarrasing "game-changing " mistakes. In most games, the Sky commentator has a better glimpse of the reality than does the man in the middle. Finally, we have to admit that as human beings we are all fallible - even refs. A study published by a Spanish researcher proved that the human eye is not capable of changing its perception of visual fields in the split second that is needed to make key decisions in a game. Example, watching an incident 20-30 yards away and then suddenly changing to focus on something that is perhaps only two yards away in the next second. Given this sort of information, it's no wonder that there is so many disputes and discussions in the game.

give up my British citizenship ?........ when I'm dead perhaps. Was it Dr.Samuel Johnson who said ....to be born British is to win the lottery of life...? ..or something akin to that. ( oops I see Hypocondriac got there before me. (same thought)

give up my British citizenship ?........ when I'm dead perhaps. Was it Dr.Samuel Johnson who said ....to be born British is to win the lottery of life...? ..or something akin to that.

IF you want some Saints-related questions? TRY: Which Saints goalie let in 18 goals in his first 7 games for the club ? OR: In season 1976-77 Saints used 5 different goalies in various League games ..name them? Only one Saints player has ever scored a hat-trick in a competitive match... at Fratton Park . .name him ? Which Saints player scored in three successive Premier League games - when coming on as a sub.? If these type of q. are of interest - mail me for answers.

I was there, too. FA Cup 6th round, 1st replay. April 3rd 1963. 2nd replay at The Dell..we were actually losing 0-3....until the 76th minute. then came goals by Kirby, Grummit O.G. - (though Kirby " helped " him and the ball into the back of the net ), and David Burnside (a classic midfileder of that era.) in the 89th min. How we didn't score in the 30 mins. of extra time...... I cannnot think even to this day. the replay at White Hart Lane) with a gate of over 42,000 ....and a lot more Saints fans locked outside the ground .....was a 5-0 slaughter (and we didn't even let them get one goal). Wimshurst' finest game. Sadly:( the Semi Final at Villa Park (I was there, too ) was played on a mud pile, and the worst game of football I had seen in many a year.

if you mean the 31,044 ?.. (the old Dell record attendance).....I was there, too. 8th October 1969. (wow, it makes you feel old - doesn't it ?).... Sadly we lost 0-3 to ...Man Utd. (Best, Burns, and Kidd for Utd, but there was no way we were 3 goals worse than them.

where do they get this nonsense from ?. First.... its Man.U "plotting " to buy Shaw for £ 25 million next summer, and now Spurs will offer £15 mill...? for goodness sake someone tell them......a paltry £15 mill. wouldn't buy his right boot, let alone his left. .and for everyone else ..Hey..... WE DON'T NEED THE MONEY !

A good fixtuer. Swansea play a similar style to us and can get goals. Holding on to those much-vaunted top four /six spot(s) is dependant on beating teams above you, but in general Swansea are the sort of mid-table side that we must look to beat if we are to stay near the top.

now where's the thread that will state that Nigel Adkins would have been more successful ...(than Pottechino)... had he been allowed to stay .....?

now he's going to see if any of the lads in our Academy has an Irish grandfather.......

Do Tottenham still have Freidal (USA) and Lluvis (FRA).?...not totally sure about Gomes?.. (think he was capped by Brazil). Arsenal until recently... still had (POLISH) Szeczeny and Fabianski (both understudies to Boruc), and Viviano who has been capped by ITALY. West Brom. have Ben Foster (ENG) and Boaz Myhill (WALES) Aston Villa have Guzan (USA) and Given (Rep. Ireland) but do come back if you have some alternative stats. although I omitted mentioning; Man.City, Liverpool, Fulham and Hull who all have at least 2 goalkeepers who have been capped at international level. However, the basic issue is : Only one top class goalie is not enough for a Prem.side.

- or looking at it another way.....getting £500K for two months of " unemployment " sounds a good deal to me .....at least he could still pay his mortgage.

....it's Sam, what did you expect? With that old-fashioned " northern charm " .......he complains more than Ferguson used to.

if the child (boy) is born in So'ton - can it play for England in 20 years time, though?

booking a midielder for a rough tackle is one thing, but penalties can be " game-changers" and having seen the TV replay several times ...I think the ref. got it absolutely right. Nice to praise a ref. instead of slagging them off every week. Just hope we don't get Howard Webb too often.

well I should think that; Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Aston Villa, West.Brom and Stoke certainly do.....and there may be more, but if you don't believe it, sorry I don't have the time to convince you. (one might argue that De Gea is not a full Spanish international but he does have 27 U21 caps, but as Man.U's first choice keeper he surely has some international level experience (?) but Lindegaard has certainly played in goal for Denmark.) The main point is that any team with pretentions to Euro football cannot rely on the form and fitness of only one keeper, no matter how good, and I'm sure it must be in MP's mind if he's considering that.

I've noted that a many Prem. sides have at least two international goalies on their staff. Like many on here, I am very impressed with Boruc's progress, although KD might be OK for a one.off sub. He's no candidate in the longer term, (though his contract is well-earned for his previous service.) It might be that " a bit of competition " could keep Boruc on his toes, but holding his current form .....I don't to see that as a problem at the moment. However, we do need experienced back-up, (in case of serious injury)... and I can't think of one in the UK...or ? Gazzaniga was Adkins' gamble, and it didn't come off and neither he or KD are good enough in the long term. Cody Cropper is slowly making his way into the USA sqaud, but is still a long way off serious consideration, and couple of heavy defeats this season, when standing for the U21's doesn't inspire confidence.