david in sweden

YES of course, you're quite correct MLG, but that's " nit-picking" a bit isn't it ?.......it's not as if we suddenly discovered a youth system in 1998 and decided to call it .. Academy. ......even Rupert Lowe was talkng about it in his first year as Chairman, and we already had a reasonable base and good history for producing young players before, and Dave Merrington's 11 year stint from 1984 - on..as youth team coach (or whatever title he had then) produced that often quoted list of someof the best players the club has produced - MLT, Shearer, the three Wallaces .and the list goes on.....and could even be said to be comparable with the latest crop. Wayne Bridge was a trainee for two years before his first team debut (in 1998), but it would be wrong to suggest he wasn't the product of the Saints' youth system, and because " the name - Academy " hadn't been thought of.... and wasn't over the threshold at the training ground.

Great comeback - wasn't it ? Didn't play that badly in the first 45 either, even though the score line favoured Chelsea at HT..... incidentally... I checked everyone's comments, and there were THREE negative copmment in the first 125 posts.......No I'm not going to bother to out them... .they know who they are .

this is a secret. Often seemingly mediocre players suddenly "click " when placed in a team and getting the right partnership. As mentioned, Brett wouldn't come in the top 20 strikers of that generation, but he served Beattie exceptionally well and made lots of chances for him. His own modest goal tally doesn't do justice to the service he was to the team at that time.

ohdear .... this thread has really got to you hasn't it ? here ....take one of these pink pills and go and lay down in a darkened room..........when you wake up we'll have signed Messi and all our troubles will be over.

Wow, thats a pretty dramatic statement, and he hasn't even got a shirt number yet, but you do know that anything you say in this site will be remembered and may be used against you ....?

......or looking at it another way........the man's got the cheque book, not much more to say really.

regardless of the result ......I wonder what this lot will say....... if he were to score for Saints tomorrow?

I suppose it depends what you call " old news " ....your post is number 347 on this thread, but your ahead of me as I've been out clearing 12 inches of snow away from my garage door this evening.

Don't recognise the name, but he's Norwegian you see, (Swedes don't take them seriously- unless one of their long-distance skiers trounces a Swede in the Winter Games).....we should ask Norway Saint for an update (a regular poster on the Overseas site.)

....to congratulate us on signing him - you mean ?

....and he wasn't a bad deal either (£400K in 1996)....ended up with over ** 400 first team games to his credit and bled for the cause on a number of occasions..... **one of only a dozen players (and the only non-Brit.) to pass 400 apps. for Saints

Swedes have been following him since he left aged 16 and went to Man City's youth side ...then onto Feyenoord...whoever gets him will have a real talent watch the video on #3 ..more than a bit of Shearer about his finishing... and a lot of James Beattie type celebrations ....

According to the report on QPR -----a few minor problems were found at Loftus Road ..they obviously hadn't spoken directly with Harry Redknapp

....but more importantly.....did we ever find the missing spoon ?

Agree with your assessment. Both Sinclair and Isgrove looked speedy on the wings but Liverpool were well organised and we had few chances with Lee Barnard as the sole striker. You could see why Liverpool were unbeaten in their group, and they featured a number of young players who'd have already had Prem. experience. Tough luck on Jordan Turnbull deflecting a near post shot past Cody Cropper (for Liverpool's only goal), but our defence held out well throughout a second half rainstorm. Cropper made a number of excellent saves, which L'pool might have won by a cricket score on another day. Not sure if Liverpool had more chances than they did corners, but they could have been 3-0 up by HT. In the second half, Matt Targett and Jack Stephens outstanding, against a rampant Liverpool attack and had good support from Calum Chambers and Matt Young who cleared a shot off the line. We looked most dangerous in the added time after 90 mins.when sub. Albert Seidi put a shot just past far post from an enormous distance, and then a Saints free kick was scrambled away inside the 6 yard box. As they say ...we're on a learning curve but it was a good defensive display against an excellent Liverpool side, and there will be some positives to take form this game - despite the result.

He was "very competitive " to say the least, but did no-one look closely enough at his disciplinary record before he signed? and none of the succession of managers we had around that time ever got through to him. I was at the Arsenal game (when he was sent off) and really couldn't believe my eyes. He screamed at the linesman for an ineffectual incident and then set about the ref. and had to be restrained by others and was led off the pitch. I've seen a few scuffles on the pitch in my time, but sadly this was the worst by a mile. Yes.. .the 10 game ban was severe by any measure but his bad record only made the judgement easier for the FA, and his subsequent long absence might well have been one of the reasons that we were eventually relegated that season. Nice guy?....most surely, but the "so-called " red mist that appears before some players is a sure sign that not all is well. It reminded me (somewhat) of another Saints' favourite from an earlier period....Brian O'Neil...a really nice fella and one of the popular " legends " of his era, but his talents were (sadly) overshadowed by his appauling disciplinary record.

a valid point I have highlighted many times in the past, but Mr.Blatter doesn't see it that way and he thinks it takes away the credibility from referees. The opposite is true - when the ref. makes a genuine mistake, or "bottles" the decision.......it only brings him and the game into more disrepute, when all TV fans can see what really happened. Goal-line cameras are a small step forward, but that sort of incident happens only a few times each season.......penalty shouts, off the ball fouling and the like are a regular occurance in every match, thats where the attention should be paid. If I can watch a game on TV ....with replays.....and see what really happened.....then so too could a fourth official sat in front of a TV monitor. NO, Mr.Blatter..it doesn't delay the progress of the game ....it's a 10 second delay to see the incident. Much more time is " lost / wasted " in taking corners, free-kicks, goal-kicks and throw-ins, whereas "penalty incidents " ....often change the course of a match. If a penalty is " legit ", everyone should see it is. So....why do we still play games in the " high.tech " 21st century ..... with out-dated 19th century ethical values., when most other sports have accepted the principle.

a good look at that convinces me that PL was a master of that particular "art". Talk about " the pot calling the kettle black "...... The third " slow motion replay "after the incident shows him clearly going down...... before he comes into contact with the defender, and then claims a penalty..... Fooled the ref. totally.

YEP ! ....NA said .....no more burgers!

let me guess.....someone thinks we'll do a straight swap for Hooper...right ? No chance.

However, he did keep a record number of clean sheets last season - didn't he ?.....but I forgot .. it was only in a s**t league - wasn't it ?