david in sweden

..and he's been in the game man and boy for´over 40 years..is it just his Lancashire dialect you can't handle ?

Thanks for the tip Eric, but it'a always difficult getting Solent. Actually I am quite enjoying my TV game ..Swindonahave equalised v. Wigan ...now 1-1 good game. Still can't figure out which is the L2 side ... also saw James Beattie is on the bench for Sheff. Utd v. Salisbury ...wonder if it's upto his standard ?

no stream to watch, or commentary to listen to...sounds like I'm not missing much though. Meantime watching Swindon v Wigan on cable TV here ..and asking myself WHICH team look most like an L2 side ? oops-spoke too soon. Wigan awarded penalty WRONGLY, player took the ball not the man. Goalie saves it, but someone nets the rebound - SHAME !

Good comment Vectis, I had the same thought before I read your line.

.....and what sort of form he will have - when he does eventually come back !!!

here..I am actually agreeing with you dell days, btw.. you weren't one of those who said; we didn't need cover for strikers in Nov., or newcomers would upset the established players..were you ?

Don't really disagree with your reasoning Turkish, but it looks like Dickson's sojourn with Yeovil will either be ; a) a month of games to bring him upto scratch to challenge for a first team shirt when he gets back, or b) a loan...leading to an extended loan ..and an eventual move at the end of the season. Have to wait to see the outcome of the other two you mentioned. NOTE : Butterfields contract goes out in June, anyway.

well that's much better ..why didn't you say that in the first place ! (English humour)

the Swedish Jultide culture extends from Dec. 24th.....until January 6th ( and...as many free days in between as you can manage).

remember Alan Ball signing him ( during in his brief managerial spell with us) 1994 in the early Premiership days. A good tough midfielder who won 19 caps for N.Ireland whilst with us, but was eventually transferred out (by Dave Jones 1997) after 148 Saints games, and eventually went onto even better times with Ipswich. Seems to have been less successful as a manager !

SOMETIMES maybe, but I quoted only three of the best prospects we've EVER had over a period of the last FIVE years ? The majority of youngsters coming in take time to settle, and shouldn't be faulted for that.

Of course, Ward-Prowse wasn't the only player to get criticised in the fiasco League Cup game v. Palace, but Ben Reeves sub. app. at Brighton brought some rather vicious judgements from " some fans " - and it's hardly logical to condemn someone on the basis of a 30 min.sub. outing in a poor game that we lost anyway!

well, I don't know what you call OLD?, but I saw that game too, and Steve W. was actually selected from the start (he played in a nr. 10 shirt.) although I agree with your description, he seemed to have a maturity far beyond his years (he was still 17 at the time) in a side that was basically the one that would win the FA Cup two months later. Like Walcott, Bale and AOC, he wasone of that rare breed of youngster that seemed to fit in from Day 1.

correct, but That Arsenal game was a one-off at the time. He didn't get in again until 9 months later and played 8 games without scoring. the year after that he managed 3 goals from 19 starts , and then 4 goals from 32 games..hardly earth shattering peformances and quite a few fans were impatient with him. Of course he did come to the fore and had a great (final) season with us (13 goals) before his move to Blackburn. The point really is ..the less patient types in the fanbase tend to judge a player on his debut ..or his first couple of games -which is hardly fair. Even if someone looks good in training, expecting them to make the adjustment to first team football in 90 minutes is no measure of a good player.

any part of it you think you want to read, or if you follow the advice from some others on the site - if you don't like ? - don't read . The bold parts are the headline message, The underlining - in this case - was the source. Italics -..is the past history.... for those younger fans who weren't around to watch 30 years ago.. I also write scripts and stories - so that this is probably a carry-over from that ..

for some people to make the negative judgements they do ...on new (young) players coming in. VERY few youngsters debut-ing hves set the world alight in their first games. (Rare exceptions were Walcott's speed, Bale's free-kicks and AOC speed. but they didn't all score in their first games, either). Those of us - with longer memories - can recall the likes of Mick Channon scoring on his debut, but not getting anywhere near a first team spot for nearly a year afterwards. Teenage Alan Shearer's hat-trick v. Arsenal is the most people recall of the young striker, who didn't get to be a regular spot for almost 18 months afterwards, and then wasn't any great shakes at scoring. Only in his last season did he really attract attention and start to score goals - before his move to Blackburn. I only hope that when the likes of; Ward-Prowse, Reeves, Shaw and Stephens are beginning to appear on the team sheet in the future that people may have a bit more patienct with them, and not expect to see a new Lionel Messi in the first month.

" Sorry. this is Southampton - we don't have that sort of money ..." now infamous comment to Kevin Keegan, from Saints heirarchy (Jan. 1982) when talking about Saints' success in topping Div. One (Premiership) - when the players were expecting extra signings for the squad in order to secure the title challenge. After signing players like Keegan (himself), Alan Ball and David Armstrong (all English internationals) Saints held on to the top spot for 10 weeks but everything went " pear-shaped "after Easter and we finished 7th. Saints were never a wealthy club then, and didn't have the wherewithal to invest in those extra players to seal the Div.1 title. Keegan was gone 6 months later - disappointed in our lack of vision. It took Lawrie McMenemy, another 2 years to build - yet another team to challenge for the title. We finished 2nd - behind Liverpool in 1983-84). (30 years on - Let's hope the current leadership does buy in the " necessary resources" and don't allow us to drop the baton again.)

aha, that means skintight shirts..and short ..shorts , then will they all wear hippie wigs to simulate the hair styles of that era ?

he's a football player for goodness sake (or can be when he wants to). The past is past, he didn't commit murder ...play him and see what happens, if it doesn't work out ..he was on his way anyway.

could be the only cup match where the away fans... outnumber the home fans !

...think it's good to find out about the golden eggs !

" working routines "..? .. may mean there's no-one around to check on, when he's out on the job, and when at home watching TV... I could say I was scouting in Sweden for Saints, but I could do that by reading gossip, watching games on TV and going to the occasional match.. but that hardly qualifies me to be Director of Anything ...

" once his fitness is proved ..." wasn't that the reason he wasn't signed before ?