david in sweden

me too , I thought I remembered the name .....

it would be some kind of record if he was sacked after ...ONE game but it's true....new management often like their own choice of manager, so QUICK ....buy Puncheon TODAY ..Mr.Warnock...before they kick you out ......

.....is an unlikely prospect I admit, but SSN has run a piece today on the uncertainty about CBs future at Fulham under Martin Jol. Those of us who remember Baird coming from Belfast as a homesick 16 year old..in 1998 and later spending 3 years in the Reserves as the resident dogsbody defender in all positions, only to find himself in Gordon Strachan's Cup Final line-up in 2003 and was one of the few to come out of it with any decent recognition. Then back into the Reserves until the injury crisis in 2005 when we suddenly saw that he had developed into a top class central defender...after which the succession of managers finally saw him moving to Craven Cottage for £3million....(which was about £2 million more than most of us thought we'd get). Since which, he's been a regular at Fulham ......and even captained the N.I. national side until...now he's come to the crossroads and new manager who doesn't seem to rate him... No inside ITN type info, but what do you think ....would a return to SMS for Chris Baird be a good move ..or ?

a quick look at his stats. played approx 100 games scored 30 goals. Perhaps, I've studied this a bit too much but the "average /good " CCC striker scores at a rate around 0.3 goals per game so an end of season tally ...around 15 ....is fairly good. Players who average 0.5 /game are much fewer this equates with around 20+ goals per season. Jay Rod...has just celebrated his 22nd birthday, described as a striker / winger ... and is 6' 1" tall. (seems to fit the bill of an Adkins recruit - so far....) so it's only the fee we're talking about. Well for once the money is there... and the Chairman seems to be happy to invest it. When we get to" record-breaking level " £5 millon- then a million or so either way is nothing to argue about..(at least not for NC).

Davies may be a better player but unlike Beattie ..Kevin Davies was glad to get away. Read somewhere, he wanted to " get back up North ".... He didn't hit it off with Strachan, so we don't know what the "aftertaste " of that is, but I wouldn't expect him to be in the top 10 on NAs wanted list

depends where you learnt your English...or didn't .... I suppose..

Mmm... great way to upset your best striker..eh? ......all good for team morale is it, guys ? .perhaps the ****** who sing it can think again before they continue.

Burnley ..

not wishing to diminish a 4-0 away win...Bristol Rovers were cannon fodder last season..and it just happened to be that our shots went in that day.

That sort of " free ticket marketing " is a bit of a gimmick to get some bums on seats... but in the long term, a new fan who really gets bitten will become a "paying fan " in the future, regardless of the price of the ticket. Even when we were struggling in L1, it did get our home gates up to around the levels of the teams who got promoted.

OH please let's put that behind us. We've had our share of historically buying "injured" players. Charlie George from Derby cost £600K ....in 1978(!). You can get your vintage pocket calculators out and work out what that might be in today's money. Charlie managed 50-odd games (14 goals) in over 2 years - after his arguement with the lawn mower. Agustin Delgado (a class 1 Rupert Lowe blunder) cost over £3 million in 2002 and played less than a dozen games under Gordon Strachan and disappeared back to South America after almost 2 years ... with no visible financial return. Let's not go too deeply into the cases of Staurt Ripley and John Beresford either... The relative value of record / or at least very big transfer fees for strikers, is difficult to gauge from one decade to another, but with the exception of Ron Davies 1966-1972..the best/most successful strikers Saints have had cost ..fairly small fees OR ..NOTHING at all. Channon, MLT, Paine, George O'Brien.... (there's a message there ...somewhere)

****ing themselves..I think there are a few geriatrics on the Bristol board, but my meaning was ..very worried! (bottom of the league and all that ....) wait a week longer...? maybe so, just as long as someone else doesn't come in sooner and begin an auction....

........nice thought, but maybe we ought to get this one filled up to 32,000 before thinking too far ahead....

..preferably a long way away in another league and as soon as possible. It's his type of negative attitude that destroy 's team morale......

Good to hear, but he is vastly more experienced than Martin who has only just started what is likely to be a very promising career but nevertheless ...nice to have an alternative choice, also.

From the bottom...Looking UP... at the rest of the division, the City Board must be pi**ing themselves. Already 6 points down and that following a weak finish last season. Maynard is their ONLY "golden egg" and they desperately need funds to buy - and quickly!. Whether or not Maynard will come to St. Mary's may be another question...but IMHO ..he will certainly leave Bristol ..and soon. Looking at his career stats. He's 4 years younger than Ricky Lambert and has a better overall goal average than RL (goals /games), but if you consider performances in their last clubs ..before moving to us Ricky scored 51 in 128 starts (Bris. Rovers in L1). Although his personal stats. have improved massively since his time at SMS, of course. Nicky Maynard had (acc.to stats.) scored around 40 goals in 100+ games for Bristol City (in CCC). Accepting that CCC is a tougher challenge he is on a similar level to Ricky..but of course for anyone costing £4 million+ ...one would hope that (we/they) would get their money's worth... Looking at it now....Ricky's deal was a steal..... even if £1 million sounded a lot in L1 at that time. Would we get our money's worth ? ..(doubtful in the first season), but if he ended up within (say) 3-5 goals of our eventual topscorer; (Lambert, Connolly, Barnard. Lallana, Guly... or whoever - if it's not him)... then perhaps we'd look for greater things in seasons 2 and 3 ...before saying he was worth the £4 million outlay. IF... he decides to stay at Bristol City he should realise that being the best player in a team at the bottom of the table is no great honour.

***obviously you thought better of it, then.

if you read between the lines after Saturday's game when QPR were trounced 4-0 at home. New signing Kieron Dyer, someone who is " injury-prone " (for those who accuse David Connolly) ...was injured after only 7 mins. and looks like being out for some time. QPR Manager Warnock said .." they've got two weeks left to find some new players ...!" (can't believe after all that press about Puncheon in the last few weeks that QPR have lost interest......and I'm sure they'll " find the money " to buy him from somewhere)

that was an interesting line-up though maybe Monk would take preference over Crainie ? Monk is captain of Premier side Swansea, whilst Crainie plays for.... Coventry! I think .. Is Scott McDonald at ..Newcastle ? if so... he's a Prem player, whilst Blackstock is ..with who nowadays ?

interesting line-up though maybe Monk would take preference over Crainie ? Monk is captain of Premier side Swansea, whilst Crainie plays for.... Coventry! I think ..

JB came to us when he was 20 y.o. A Blackburn sub. who couldn't get a regular game with them (cost £1 million + a 25% sell on clause ) that most of us didn't know about until he was transferred to Everton 7 years later. He managed 5 goals in 22 starts in his first season, but was shut out in the second when the forward line included Mark Hughes, Hassan Katchloul and Stuart Ripley.... and the in-form strikers were Marian Pahars and Kevin Davies. By 2000-01... he had established himself as a regular and was top scorer with 11 goals from 29 starts (incl.10 in 10 games) He was always a bit "in and out" and started the 2002-03 season going 9 games without scoring...then began a blitz with 11 goals in 8 starts (incl.hat-trick) and finished the season with 23 Prem.goals (best English player) and was third in the Golden Boot comp. for top Prem.goalscorer (won by Thierry Henry). As we said ..nice memories, but I can't see NA signing him again ..not even for " Old Time sake."

I watched my first Saints game in ..1959 and a lot more since. I don't consider 2 wins at the start of a season to be " a bubble " - do you ? - especially considering that the first six were in a lower division.

whilst OS blazed headlines about Ryan Doble's loan out to B'mouth, I can't see any real mention of " Fourpast's" sojourn to Thurrock. Maybe we are too embarrased to mention his name. Think I would be.

Agreed. Players making " Messianic or Prodigal " returns to a club looks good in history books and movies but in reality - it rarely happens with any degree of success and often only in dire circumstances by managers who like to sing Auld Land Syne to the fans tune...I think NA is far more realistic than that and doesn't have any sentiment for JB or any former Saints player. the few Saints cases that I can recall directly are; Alan Ball's second time signing, Mick Channon's return and Kevin Davies reverse transfer to/from Blackburn...and the return of Craig Maskell (when Bally was manager)... none of which were very memorable . Sorry Beatts. Nice while it lasted..Find yourself a lower league team where you can get yourself some games..before it's too late.