david in sweden

Simple answer... we need to train 25,000 home fans to return the ball into play ASAP when its ours, and "employ" ball boys with a minimum age of 65.

Totally agree. Even when we give our inspirational players an England shirt, they are asked to play defensive midfield roles that cramp their creativity. Glenn Hoddle (not my favourite as a manager) was a good example of this, but ironically after he became England manager he did the same to Le Tissier (as did his predecessor Venables), when MLT was by far and away the most exciting and talented goalscorer in the Premiership. Nowadays I'm far more interested in club football than I am internationals, and the Prem.is still the best league in the World. (Other "big " Euro lands ( Spain, Italy) play in Leagues that are a "two horse race" and sometimes only "one". As in Scotland where decades of dreary football has rarely produced a team that can crack the monopoly of the " Old Firm".)

Don't make the mistake of thinking that players retain their fantastic form ..forever With age and personal / injury problems... things change. Wayne did quite well in the period after he left us. But for the fact that Chelsea then signed Ashley Cole meant that he was always going to be second choice, both for Chelsea and England. In any other Prem. club he would have been first choice LB for 6-8 seasons. He did have an England career (of sorts) and got in when Cole was injured, and later had a very bad injury that kept him out for most of one season. Trying to regain get 110% fit and regain form was also an issue and Cole was still playing VERY well. I'm sure the " girlfriend issue " didn't help his attitude towards JT and the Chelsea clubs response. Of course he wants to play, but he has to have a chance in a club who are willing to play him and give him a role. As for the money ...it was the clubs who agreed to pay him enormous wages ..and then not play him . Can't blame him for that. Careers short enough and Wayne will be 31 when the season starts. I'm sure there are some Saints fans who'd like to see him back - even for old time's sake - he is still a hero to some, and providing he was willing to be more realistic about wage demands.

I can't understand why Club Directors think that a promoted side will automatically play better in a new £90 mill. stadium? OK they can get increased income from extra fans turning up, but their team had ONE good season and now have sold some of their best players. Surely common sense would have said cut a few luxury corners from the new arena and give the manager some more dosh to buy some better players instead. (!)

OF course it's only fans who get drunk at Christmas time. Footballers ..being well known for their sobriety do not inbibe alcoholic beverages during the Christmas / New Year period, are allowed to celebrate Christmas with their families. If they survive Boxing Day fixtures without injuries - if not - then they hopefully recover for the New Year.

no more than anyone else born in Eastleigh.

well come July1st. we'll hear .SOMETHING, I'm sure. But SOMEONE is very wrong and all these "reliable sources " and ITK rumours are just a bunch of media shi*e.

spells trouble for Stuart Pearce. OK someone will say Alex was too young ( ?) ..maybe or that Adam was too old, but over age players are allowed - aren't they. As it happened U21s lost to two late goals from the Czech Republic, with the winning goal coming from a certain.....Tomas Pekhart (!)... Now... haven't I heard that name before somewhere ?

well I'm not so sure. recalling the prev. cases with Martin Crainie, and Leon Best, where we got about 500K for each of them. Gobern had a good season even though he wasn't a regular, and he's already played more than either of the other two (named) did, I know we (were) L1, but I'd think we might expect twice that 250K or even more. we'll have to wait and see.......

sounds dangerous ..it might destroy the playing surface !

I go back a lot further but agree with most of that, except I must take Golac too, and maybe Katchloul instead of Belmadi

.....couldn't have said it better myself !

The Swedes always take a 2 week break around mid season, mainly because the short summer rarely guarantees good weather at any other time of the year. So..1/3rd. of the way into the season (11 games) sees Anders Svensson's Elfsborg team in top spot, closely followed by Helsingborg, Kalmar and Örebro whilst other big names clubs like Malmo, AIK and Gothenburg are struggling to find any lasting form. At last.. some light on the horizon for Djurgården (Stockholms Premier club) who have wallowed in the nightmare relegation spot since April finally moved off the bottom when they picked up only their second win with an impressive 4-0 win over Gothenburg, but both clubs have a lot to do if they are to impact the league this time around. We will have to wait a couple of weeks to see if there is any turn around in fortunes but at the moment it looks like Anders return to Elfsborg may at last be bringing forth some success. later update just to show that nothing ever goes according to form, Elfsborg lost their following game to a very mediochre Gelfe side (0-1), and now Helsingborg are back on top again after winning their "spare" game. . well ..that's football !

Oh !..are you going to become a Brighton fan, then ?

of course SHILTON was also the most-capped Saints player ever...49 caps between 1982-1987

I wouldn't want to disagree with that but..some of us recall a fellow called PETER SHILTON who played for us in the mid 1980's .. recognise the name ???

Nice headline Turkish...are you expecting a free season ticket as reward for your enthusiasm? Is there any other possible answer than ....YES?

I think we're on the same track ..more of less Dell days, but as memory serves.. FC Twente hadn't had any real success since the last millenium, and some time before that as well..of course they loved him. He got greedy and went to Wolfsberg without reading the small print. Should've stayed as the big fish in the little pool withTwente.

Surely no-one should have to plot to sign Seabourne, he never really made it in L1, so his CCC future looks a little gloomy.

Maybe we should stop bothering to sign headless, left-footed players ?

well..in the COUNTRY named SWEDEN , they have " counties " that are actually termed " län" (which means the same thing) (but I think it depends on which letter you have missing on your *eyboard.)

there is very little "quality " at the bottom end of the CCC, just an instinct for survival. If he moves.. (likely)... then he may do " as well as " Blackstock, Mc Goldrick and Leon Best (however one can assess that ?)

Considering the total media hype on this one since last Christmas; i've always thought it would be Arsenal. He will get the nurturing there that might be lacking in those " ...northern clubs ". IMHO it's just been a "bidding game" between Nicola Cortese (nice one Nico), and the Arsenal treasurer. I only hope there is a sell-on clause because even £12 million sounds a steal to me, when you see some of the prices being bandied around today. Is Wenger really serious about signing Alex? ..you bet he is. Alex is not the type of player for Chelsea and so the big question was not WOULD Arsenal sign him..but do they want him signing for someone else ? ...Man U...or Liverpool? There is an obvious answer to that one. I'm just waiting to see a few games with Alex and Theo on the pitch at the same time .

I'm not sure what " we " think ...? but I never really rated him at all. Admitedly, he was never going to do big things at 'Boro, but he did keep them up in the Prem. for a while. He seemed obsessed with his left winger (Downing) who he talked into the England squad whilst he was assistant to Sven-Göran Eriksson, and why on earth he got that job I'll never know. Did the FA want a " minder for Svennis," or did they think he couldn't speak English.? To my mind Eriksson spoke better English than one of two of the Cockney *wats who came before him ! After the media got Svennis sacked, McLaren took over the team and turned in one of the most disasterous record of any England manager to date. He was some sort of success with FC Twente in Holland, but with the state of Dutch football at present - that wasn't SO hard. He then moved onto Germany .....and failed miserably there. So do I rate him ....NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!