david in sweden

there are a few papers I enjoy reading on us ..but the rest... can follow the NOTW as far as I'm concerned...I'll take the TV money instead thank you!

Agreed Window Cleaner...PLUS the fact that we won't let the Press / Media come in and do what THEY want and try and run OUR show. Freedom of the Press is one thing.... abuse of priveleges is something else. If they don't like us, TOUGH I say...they don't have to come and report us. Plenty of others will.

not sure you grasped the background to your question?. we may be top of the league, but we can still only use 11 players at a time, and most people admit the "regulars" are those we should play. Adkins (rightly I think) uses different players according to the opposition, and other times rests someone to prevent injury, or keep others " interested". Of course we would always play Lambert, Davis, Fonte and Jos, Lallana etc, but the midfield can be changed as and when he wants. Why did we buy Sharp when he wasn't fit ? He (was) a good goalscorer despite his team being at the bottom of the league, and the reason he wasn't Saints fit - was probably just that. IF he (and his Donnie teammates) had been fitter.. they might have won more games and Billy might have scored more than he did. It takes more than a few training passes to get up to speed when you haven't had a good pre-season and are still learning the names of your new team-mates. NA knows him (from Scunnie days ) and obviously thinks he can get him up to speed soon, and we may still see him in the goals before the end of the season. WHY we bought him is in the results. After his Brighton hat-trick, Ricky injured and then suspended after second Brighton game..when back he scored only twice in 7 games. We needed cover before the window closed.- it was Billy. I'm happy to go along with NA decision. Finally, with Lee injured and Lallana back on form, it won't do harm for Billy to sit it out a bit longer. When everyone is fit again, there will be lots of competition for places.

.of course , but it was an event and it did happen. I also had a father who was a fan at that time , and every time he talked about it he was devoid of adjectives - it was so sad., he'd say. However, those of us who like (and have a little more respect for history) also remember the old adage ..History repeats itself . I sincerely hope that in this case it doesn't - as a fan of 50 years standing - I don't want to have to tell my grandchildren about the sad season of 2011/12 ...but Fitzhughs cautionary tale does have a place in this discussion - even as a warning to those who just see promotion as a foregone conclusion. btw - did you duck out of history lessons - or was it just that the teacher was boring ?

....... +1

well YES, I did, too !

not wanting to brag,(well not too much) but I had binoculars since the first game v. Leeds.

well can't be right all the time, but bet you're glad of the outcome anyway ?

well ....... according to In that Number..he played 19 reserve games 1998-99 scoring 12 goals (!) -after which he seems to have disappeared off the radar - in Feb. 1999 (was that when Hoddle came ?)... ....always sound good, I agree but in the Premier League ..Reserve football is a universe away from the real world ! WIKIPEDIA states he is (now ) 33 years old. Has played for quite a number of Italian minor league clubs (not even Seria A) and seems to change club registration every season.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I read your epistle above Vectis, and agree with some of your comments but I think you've omitted a few other facts. IF.. we are calling Guly and Lallana our wide midfield men then you maybe correct, but the facts are that De Ridder's three league goals have all come when he came on as sub. but the efforts of the remainder make rather poor reading. Schneiderlin has scored 2, Chaplow 3 till injured) Hammond 1 and Cork ... has yet to score - not that inspiring when you consider that Jos has 2 to his credit, as does Martin. (Forte has scored twice, but in cup games). The criticism of Fox and Richardson especially is surely unfounded when you consider they are both amongst the highest number of assists - in any League this season. In growing up watching the likes of Stuart Williams, Tommy Traynor, Hollywood and Kirkup - you got used to the idea that a full back scoring a goal coming once in a blue moon ..with the rare exception of David Peach who managed 34 in his time with Saints, but most of them from the penalty spot. I think we did miss Chaplow - at first. Looking at results our run of of 8 games unbeaten really started when Chaplow (and Lallana) both played and we lost momentum when Chaplow was injured and Lallana got a few small injuries and lost form - at the same time. Our recent revival is IMHO - due in the main to Lallana fitness and re-discovered form, along with Lee (who although not scoring) has given opposition defences a new dimension to worry about, besides trying to keep watch for Lambert. Thank goodness that Lambert has this great record of penalties. Of course someone else (who would you suggest?) would have taken penalties in his absence, but I seriously doubt if we would have scored them all - as Lambert has done. I think Morgan is (still) very underrated by some fans - perhaps if he'd also scored 10 goals - they'd be of another opinion, but the combination of him AND Jack Cork AND Hammond (all good in thier own way) is a bit too defensive ......and without Chaplow, Lallana, SDR, and even Puncheon, we lack that extra agression going forward.

No I won't , I'm inclined to think the same myself. Don't see us hitting the top six straight away ( even with new signings), but do expect to give a good account of ourselves.

if you call it ..one man's team (instead) ..then that man has to be... Nigel Adkins. IMO he has got " that bit extra " out of every player in the club - not just Rickie !

to be honest.... I thought the same at first. Maybe because we are used to seeing our goal aces scoring all the time - it just seems like more. and Mick is still club record goal scorer. In fact Mick also scored 2 goals in a league game a whopping 23 times (not counting cups). Ron Davies showed his qualities in that he was with Saints only 7 seasons (half that of Mick) but managed to score 2 goals in a game 20 times ! in addition to the above. Martin Chivers' career being much shorter - only 5 complete seasons but he scored 2 goals in a game no less than 17 times, including 7 times in 1965/66 the "first " promotion season (in addition to those figs. above.) A special mention also for Norman Dean (reserve centre forward 1965/66) and the only Saints player ever to have scored a hat-trick ..at Fratton Park!

the final figures must surely be those Saints players who scored most career hat-tricks, and here they are; top man was 1920's goal legend Bill Rawlings scored 11 career hat-tricks (3 of those were 4 goal hauls ) next comes George O'Brien who scored 9 hattricks ( 4 of those were 4 goal games ) plus 2 more in various cup games. he is also the only player top score a hattrick in each of 6 consecutive seasons he was with SFC. (1960-66) Derek Reeves 1950's record holder scored 7 hat-tricks (2 of those were 4 goals ) but he also scored two 4's and once 5 in Cup games. Matt le Tissier scored 7 career hat-tricks, Ron Davies 5 (which included 3 four goal games ) Mick Channon and Steve Moran both scored 4 career hat-tricks, and Terry Paine and Martin Chivers scored 3 each,and also Phil Boyer (mentioned earlier). around 36 other players have scored 3 in a game (since 1920) the prolific Charlie Wayman scored bags of goals but never a hat-trick - but is the only Saints player to score 5 goals in a League game. (1948/49) For younger fans - you really missed a lot in those early days - thank goodness we have Ricky to cheer.

No, of course not, but it's nice to have some reasonable back-up in the event of a serious injury - don't you think ?

Him ... and a few others, too. Nice feeling isn't it ?

every player (and manager for that matter) surely wants to play football at the highest level they can .....and if that means mid-table in the Prem. instead of top of the Npc - then so be it. There are some poor sides at the bottom end of the Prem. and if Swansea and Norwich can survive - then so too should we.

On the matter of penalties, Ricky has scored every time he's taken one (?) since signing and a while back someone wrote that he had around 22-24 ? and he's scored a few more since then. Now I'm wondering ....how that might compare with MLTs record of consecutive penalty goals..? OF COURSE ! We know MLT scored 48 of 49 attempts...but does anyone know which one (number) Matt missed (?). Was it early on in his career, or .....when ? Ricky still has a way to go before he catches up to MLT s record, but I have a feeling that he might now have broken the Football League record for the number of consecutive penalties - without missing, that is...

according to a couple of sites, the three today also bring Ricky upto ........28 for the season (so far ).

yes that's an " almost " question, because Phil also scored 2 on two other occasions in that same season.

Without going berserk and starting another *** Ricky for England thread, can someone at least consider that a player with his record of converted penalties must surely be good to have on the England bench - if we have a tournament with games that may go to extra time... and penalties. Whatever common sense / logic there may be NOT playing a Championship player in the national side, it surely is more sensible to have someone with his record available - especially with abysmal history of England exiting from competitions because of the lack of players unable to convert a penalty at a crucial moment. I noted that Ricky scored from penalties twice in 3 minutes at the end of a hard game ... and against 88 times capped Maik Taylor. *** There is a precedent for players outside the Premiership playing for England. Of course, Terry Paine in the 1960's and in the 1966 World Cup squad. Most of Mick Channon's England games were whilst we were Div.2 (as it was then) and the legendary Steve Bull of Wolves played 14 times for England (1989-90) ...whilst Wolves were still in Div.2.

after the prayer and a shout or two.......I was reaching for the record books ......see 4 hat-tricks thread and #4 .

with help of the trusty Saints record books, I think we can safely say that Ricky Lambert has indeed set a new club record at least in League games . there is an illustious list of players who have completed at least 3 hat-tricks in one season dating back to the legendary Bill Rawlings who did it in 3 seasons in the 1920's. Derek Reeves did it twice in the 1950's, as did George O'Brien in 1964/65 Ron Davies scored 2 hat-tricks (and a 4)in 1966/67 and (as mentioned above)... Phil Boyer scored 3 hat-tricks in season 1979/80. It is indeed a remarkable thing when you realise there are still 9 league games left.

Paul Merson on SSN said both were clear penalties, but it won't stop Big Sam complaining tomorrow.

I'm sure you're building a case against Billy, Professor, but to be fair if we relied on the words of the commentator to keep us in touch with what's n't have to drivel on about whats happening in any game we'd surely get a totally different report from others watching it. If Billy did nothing right, then OK but I'd never rely on what reporters say about a game ...BTW another comment here said that Billy was involved in both penalty incidents ..was he ?