david in sweden

I think the point is - that even though we lost - there are a lot of Prem.sides who never even break nil, when playing United, and they are all in the Premier league.

thats what I thooght but apparantly, he's already on Man City's books.

Considering some of the money the club have squandered in the last decade, I don't think Lawrie's pay-outs are undeserved. I'm not comparing him with Ted Bates, (who was a one-off for the club) but after Ted ...there are few people who have given the club / fans more success or enjoyment. We'll have to wait a long time to see his like again..unless Nigel Adkins guides us to successive promotions in the next few years, and wins the FA Cup ..and gets us into Europe by 2016. No-one lives forever..and I certainly enjoyed the McMenemy years at the Dell and don't begrudge him whateverfreebies/ hand-outs he may be getting.

.......and in consequence don't give cover to their full back, as they should.

To be fair.. there has been a long list of injuries throughout the season,(and occasional lapses of form,) but in most cases NA had little choice

we should play the one who is fit and have the best form.

well I'm glad that commentator got it right (see opening thread from 1st April ) I was beginning to think that it was an April Fools Joke when I first heard it.!

He is certainly old now.. Sad ? ... I don't know, but the past we all lived with him was the best period in the clubs history.

You maybe be thinking of "someone else " as well as Drogba..? but I think we've had the problem a few times before. Seems Man.Utd and Chelsea never had problems signing players from countries where they had dubious international records and phoney passports.!

Matt Mills and Martin Crainie were superb in the centre when they were in the Academy, but could bridge the experience gap when faced with fighting for a place in our struggling Premiership side. Mills was (apparantly) very indebted to Steve Wigley (great trainer - poor manager) for his upbringing and left to go to Man.City after SW had moved there. Crainie always looked "competent" but seemed to lack the desire to succeed in a bigger club. Not sure where he is now.?

OK I'll make an exception if you want, but he's still got some profile as former leading scorer at Plymouth, even though they are bottom and Charlton who are little better....but you have to admit the rest look good.?

I suppose it just remains for us to buy up the remainder when we get up to CCC.

look slike one of the Italian sides - doesn't it ?

OK Turkish (and Bridgey) ..confusion of names, but the basis of it was about right I think. Part of the problem with Chairmen who want to run the team, as well as buying the players. It's the managers job to " tame the wild ones " if he wants to get them, the Chairman should stay out of the dressing room.

.......and Didier Drogba and the YOUNG Kevin Phillips, and the even younger Dennis Wise ..Ah well! (I read that Arsenal turned down David Beckham after a trial as a teenager !) - can't get them all right -can you ?

not to worry - just a bit of Alzheimers kicking in there, his long term memory is probably still quite good. Er ..what was your name again ?

Almost sounds like one of those old " Lazy Rasiak " threads a few years. He frustrated the h*ll out of everyone, but still ended up with 20 important gaols that season. If we win automatic promotion by 2 points, we may well be able to point to his (Guly) goal today as the deciding factor in our promotion to CCC.

You're right about the keepers. Very few top class keepers come through at a young age. Shilton did, and so too Joe Hart but many have to wait till their mid/late 20's before they get a regular spot, and many top keepers are in their mid 30's / Van der Sar is 40. Like wise young-ish central defenders are few and far between. Aaron Martin seems to have started well, but many of them "grow" alongside good CH's and learn that way. Saints have had a few examples in the past. Paul Bennett and Manny Andruszewski played alongside Mel Blyth and Jim Steele in the mid 70's, Chris Nicholl was the next "big name " CH, and Malcolm Waldron learned alongside him. England CH Dave Watson continued the trend until the young Mark Wright took over and partnered with Kevin Bond for a couple of seasons. By the time the Premiership arrived 1992 there was little chance of experimenting with young hopefuls although both Frannie Benali and Richard Hall filled those roles adequately in the mid 90's until we got the great partnerships of central defenders. Monkou / Lundekvam; Richards / Lundekvam; and finally Michael Svensson and Lundekvam sínce when only Chris Baird distinguished himself in the last days of the Premiership, again with Claus Lundekvam. Youthful goalkeepers are almost non-existent. Alan Blayney played a few good games but was never better than 3rd choice. Tim Flowers (came aged 19) and eventaully got the spot before moving onto Blackburn, but going back beyond that the only names that come to mind are Gerry Gurr in the late 60's and Tony Godfrey and Bob Charles back in the early 1960's. Goalies, it seems are not born, but take years to " grow old " in the job, before they can make it their own.

AGREE. Still a good keeper and stood by the club when he certainly might have done better elsewhere (financially speaking). However, sentiment doesn't win titles and if we are playing CCC football next season, then I'd want to sign the best keeper I was able to afford. (note: NC)..and I think NA might agree, too.

Not sure ..? the rest of my version says... that he wanted an extra thousand a week above the pittance we offered him in the first place..and RL said NO!. An expensive cost-saving exercise, as it turned out !

AGREED! of course everyone can be faulted for something they do wrong at some time or another, and if the oppostion have done their homework they'll try to expolit it. But IMHO he (Jaidi) and Fonte are as good a central defensive pair as we've had since our Prem. days.

I'd only say this in a whisper..but I had the same thought ! (hope it was only a bad dream !)

Although I didn't mention him..I agree with you about Baird. Surely one of the most patient players ever to pull on a Saints shirt. Came from N.I. aged 16 (with Alan Blayney). in 1998 and didn't debut until March 2003. Then had to wait till an injury crisis in 2004..05 ? to get his chance and looked very stable in the back line for the whole season before moving to Fulham where, if the truth were told, would surely have replaced him if he weren't upto standard for the Prem, but he remains a key man in their defence..and a regular for N.I. for seasons past and ...he's still not 30 ! **Blayney, of course made those unbelieveable saves from Alan Shearer in the Premier League game v. Newcastle (see U-tube) won Save-of-the season, and later released when (as now)we had a string of goalies, none of whom was really up to the job . As I recall ..Williamson came from Torquay as a .16 year old?. After time with the Reserves and was later loaned out to an up-an-coming Wycombe side for a couple of seasons before we released him totally. At that time the managers were playing musical chairs at SMS and no-one took a good look at him in order to decide if he should stay or not. Later moved on from there and now with ...Newcastle?... did I see ?