david in sweden

well....the 90's ..and the 80's ...and the 70's ....and the 60's ..and EVEN a game in two in the 50's... Not always fun, not always good results ..but Saints all the way. Classic moments ..big time goalscorers; Reeves, George O'Brien, Ron Davies, Mick Channon, MacDougall and Boyer, and MLT...etc. great goalies...Campbell Forsyth .(till he broke a leg 1967). Peter Shilton ..of course ... and later Antti Niemi. Memorable players (other than those mentioned above). Paine and Sydenham (naturally). Jimmy Gabriel - could (and did) play anywhere. Ivan Golac, Brian O'Neil, John McGrath, Peter Osgood, Nick Holmes (So'ton born, one-club man and team captain)...Marian Pahars...pity about the injury. Unforgettable matches. Three FA Cup games against top flight Notts Forest (complete with England players) ..before we dumped them 5-0 in a second replay. Beating Derby County 6-4 at home ...with only NINE men. Slaughtering Wolves 9-3 in our 65-66 promotion season. Beating Arsenal, Tottenham Liverpool and Chelsea at The Dell on a regular basis in the old Div.1.. winning 8-2 over Coventry. Those wonderful home wins over Man utd...(even when they did have the right colour shirts on ) ...ALMOST winning the league title in 83-84 and just behind a floundering Liverpool side... and for the rest..there's too many memories. still ... nice post !

steady on Alpine...what you mean is he scored a goal ..and we didn't . Sad but true !.

yes that wasn't so bad..but who can recall the Football Combination Cup Final in 1968-69 Saints Res. v. West Ham Res.? Both sides beefed up their starting line-up for the two legged tie, and although we lost the away tie 0-1 ....but the Dell game brought in a crowd of around 16,000 ...and we won 3-0. Those were the days - when the "stiffs " could field good sides, too.

£3 million ...ONLY £3 million .. CHICKEN FEED! - are they joking or ...what? besides I don't think he'd go anyway. ....another quiet day in the sports dept is it MIRROR ?

...and Anders Svensson for Sweden - even though the Dutch dumped them 4-1

James Keene is 24 and the better of the two. Ex Pompey youth, he had loan periods at Kidderminster ?..Bournemouth and Boston without distinguishing himself, but went on loan in 2006 to GAIS (one of the lesser known Gothenburg sides) and.... (not surprisingly) was a hit with 10 goals from 27 starts. A year later he moved to the more fashionable Elfsborg club (alongside Anders Svensson) and has scored 16 times from 61 starts. He's fairly tough and had some skill but should really score more considering the service he gets from his midfielders. Kenny Pavey is 31 and was a youth player at Millwall but didn't kmake the grade and moved onto Sittingbourne ? before making a move to Swedish side Ljungskile. He netted 22 times in 117 games (not bad for a winger) and later moved to AIK in Stockholm in 2006 and has got 12 goals in his 97 games. I'm not over-impressed and as someone who recalls the Milwall of older times, I'd say he was a typical sort from that era.

fantastic observation ..why didn't w figure that out, to WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW 35 more wins x 3 points would give us 120 points ! that would give us some leeway - wouldn't it?

For a player coming to play in another club, in another league ..in another country ..where he doesn't speak the language.. I'd say that was a pretty speedy transition...wouldn't you ?

I did say " comfortably " rather than commit myself to saying .." in the top two", which I think is more likely.

between now and the end of November. After Saturday we are 13th and just looking ahead I noted that FIVE of the next SEVEN games are against teams currently above us. Oct currently 16 Hudd-fd (a) 6 23 Oldham (h) 7 30 Notts C (a) 17 Nov. 2 Dag & Red.(h) 21 13 Carlisle (a) 2 20 Peterboro (h) 3 23 Brighton (h) 1 This should be a good test of the squad and if we pick up points from these games it could see us comforably in the top six by Christmas. A good chance to see if Nigel had got it right !

just what ...do you want him to say? maaybe you can come up with a better script for his next interview...!

..but not forgotten! still if he plays well, they might sign him ...no , sorry only joking ..

just as long as we don't get too many sarcastic comments about NA having to empty out the cells to make up a team !

I'd hate to think it, but IF such reputations come to the ears of the FA, then ..especially after his recent red card - he'll be in the ref's book before the kick-off and he'll end up like another David Prutton, which would be a shame. If " circumstances " force him to move on, you can be sure he'll be an early signing for Alan Pardew in his (eventual) next club .

Sounds great... if you couple his name up with players like Gareth Bale, but "qualifying for Wales " means only having a Welsh grandmother ..and you're in ! For many decades the Welsh (and N.Irish teams) included one or two world class players ..and the rest were from L2 and local league sides to make up the numbers. I really hope that Doble has a good career but young stars often develop when playing with good players in a top side, not coming in and suddenly becoming the teams " Saviour " ...single-handed. IMHO , he's at least a season away from becoming a regular ..even in our L1 side.

well I don't think we're likely to pick up a seasoned striker on a free or even a loan at this stage of the season, but I enjoyed the days ..way back in the 1960's when (in a generation with only one sub.on the bench) ...players had to assume another role in an emergency and playing with 10 men. I can recall full back Stuart Wiliams being injured in a derby clash at the Dell with Po*pey , coming back on the field with a bandaged head - and scoring from a subsequent corner kick. Jimmy Gabriel (ex Everton) was surely one of the most versatile players ever to don a Saints shirt, actually played in SIX diff. positions one season, including a spell at centre forward. As did Bobby Stokes and Paul Gilchrist who initially were midfielders. Left back David Peach played some useful games as a striker in the mid 1970's, and also still holds the League record for goals (mostly pens.) from a full back. Some of that generation of fans will also recall the " super sub legend " that grew up around players like Tony Funnell and later. the very young Steve Moran. Although Moran made the grade, Funnel could not repeat those goalscoring feats whenever he was picked from the start. Dave Puckett and Craig Maskell (both rattled in dozens of goals for Dave Merringtons Reserves sides,) and were useful replacements in the mid 80's period...then came Le Tiss. and the unforgettable Nicky Banger came off the bench to score in three successive games in our first Prem season 92-93) and later Jo Tessem, press-ganged into any number of positions in emegencies, often popped-up with point-saving /winning goals. So who do we have to turn to now?. Well we have quite a few big defenders available, and so Butterfield (prev Palace hat-trick star) is surely worth a shout, and as long as we have a good central defence ..so why not try Fonte up front for a game or two - as support for Lambert?. Certainly we must have a good solution for the rest of the season depending on the Barnard affair, and the injury situation with Connolly and Lallana. MY only real question is : WHO " wasn't concerned enough" to sign extra strike cover during the summer ..AP ..or NC ?

especially when they net income for us like the £300K that came from the Wolves signing of Jelle Van Damme..a very expensive reject at Saints who cost us around £2 million in the first place. Now it seems that homesick Jelle wants back to Belgium to comfort his very pregnant wife, (and who can blame him for that ?) ..but I was wondering if there may be other such deals in the pipeline that might net Nicola Cortese a bit more for his January transfer budget ..? There were rumours on here some time ago that we might have / had a % of the earlier Kenwyne Jones deal to Sund'land?, and did we get something when Peter Crouch moved from Liverpool? I rather lost track of these items that begin to sound like the Marx Brothers "sanity clause". Anyone ITK on other possible kick-backs?

you've hit the nail on the head with a few of those comments. The author of the article also pointed out that there are far fewer injuries of this sort in other Euro landa who do take a mid winter break. Although English fans would feel robbed, it may never happen as long as the TV sport monopolies control the fixture lists.

with only 4 games left before the end of the Swedish season (and the onset of winter weather).. the Allsvenskan (thats the Swedish Prem.) has been a two-horse race since the resumption of games after the World Cup. Two southern sides Malmö and Helsingborg are literally tied on points /GD and are at least 10 points clear of the following pack which includes the revived Örebro and the evergreen Elfsborg (for whom 34 year old Anders Svensson is still turning in star performances.) Mid table is a mish-mash of teams who have drawn far too many games, but includes top Stockholm side Djurgården and Gothenburg who recovered some form after a disasterous start. The shock of the season iis that AIK (now managed by Scot Alex Miller) are still struggling to stay clear of the relegation play-offs after having won the League and Cup double last year, they are in a poor state. It may be goodbye to Brommapojkarna this season. The Academy-based side who dramatically won promotion two years ago, are still providing talent (which often goes to bigger clubs..or even abroad) but have had a long list of unlucky results and an even longer list of injuries to their already depleted squad. The next three weeks will settle all these issues ..............but it is encouraging also for the new Swedish team manager (Hamrén) who has some good talent to call upon in his preparation for 2012 and 2014 international comps. They may not be good enough to get a medal in the Euro.comp, but could be back as a force to be reckoned with in the World Cup 2014.

used to be an encouraging phrase to theatrical artists to give a good performance..but it seems that it has taken a more sinister meaning in modern-day football - at least according to journalist Jan Majlard in today's Swedish paper Svenska Dagbladet. Swedes have long been fans of the English game since they started screening League football on TV in the 1970's, and modern day fans are as well informed as any in England. Majlard points to the disturbing number of serious injuries recently (esp. in the Premier League) where dangerous and often pointless tackles have put players out of the game and into plaster casts for many months. What is to blame he asks?. Players today - often defenders... are bigger and stronger than they were when Keegan and Best were names to be feared and they played in the days when a 12 stone, 6 footer.. was regarded as a giant! He lays the blame on ...the referees, who he says follow an unwritten directive from the PL to lay off the whistle and keep the cards in their pockets, whereas the same refs. often go beserk in international games and whistle continuously and will book everyone in sight. Fortunately - " leg breaks " have been few and far between in Saints' history, although older fans may recall players like David Chadwick - a contemporary of the young Paine / Sydenham combination was a serious challenger to both of them because he was able to play on either wing..until his tragic injury put him out of the reckoning. There have been others but few come to mind just now . The freak accident 1966 that saw Saints keeper Campbell Forsyth break a leg in a collision with his own full back Denis Hollywood, was ironically recalled when Hollywood broke his own leg some time later. Others come to mind, but few more tragic than the mercurial Marian Pahars whose career was effectively ended when horribly tackled by a nameless Swindon player in a pre-season friendly around 10 years ago. Majlard finishes his article by surmising that refs. in Prem games are ineffectual because they have been told not to whistle so often and keep the game flowing, and this winds up the tempo ..and increases the possibility of badly-timed tackles and subsequent dangerous injuries. Do you agree ..and what would you do to " punish " the offenders who may have been told to " stop " their opponents, one way... or another?

Nice translation in brief..Anders also said...an angry Strachan was a sight to see . He kicked the tactic board down ,screamed at everyone in the dressing room for 10 mins. after we'd lost. Anders said aside that from his (WGS) seemingly uncontrolled outbursts after sloppy results, he was a very fair and friendly man... in normal situations... and took a lot of time in building relationships with players, and in retrospect he came to like him. WGS told Anders that (he) and Fernandes were Saints' best players, but that he couldn't play both of them at the same time. Re-iterated (several times) that Redknapp had no tactical knowledge at all ! and Saints never did any tactical training..! but he knew how to get good players. Always managed to get right ones to play with one another etc, (cited his recent team-building at Spurs) but still maintained that HR had no football knowledge at all. Said that Harry was always OK to him. Talked about how we went to Brum (in relegation season) on the back of two wins ..but HR suddenly decided to drop 4 players and we got canned. No-one knew why and he couldn't explain why he changed a winning side and left his better players on the bench? By the time he brought them on as subs. the game was already lost.

I think you may find that some of the " departing " players did so because they either had clauses in their contracts that stated they could walk away / get free's ... if we were relegated, Some of those we lost were good Prem players (some still are ) and they didn't want to stay at a lower level when careers can be so short...and other clubs want to buy you. Overall the " pay-cut" clauses makes economic sense for the clusb but individuals made their own decisions..and some went. That happens all the time and one can hardly blame them for that.

Nice post..I think it depends on a number of factors. The mindset of the FANS ...and the BOARD...and a definition of SUCCESS. Apart from the " blip" of relegation in the mid 1970's. Most older fans would say that the period from 1960 -2000 was " fairly successful," given that Saints later had concurrent 27 seasons in the top flight. (albeit mostly in the bottom half of the division) but during that time our BOARD (mostly made up of your retired businessmen / well-meaning senior figures) seemed content with that at the time , and not even Lawrie Mac's successful years were enough to tip the balance towards a new stadium, which came much later. It seems that for many clubs (regardless of their status) avoiding relegation can be defined as success, whereas I don't believe any of our previous chairman ..(going back 50 years )..would have sacked AP for poor performance. I consider that with the -10 false start last season ..the final result was nothing short of a miracle ..even without promotion. As everyone else, I am glad that the late-lamented Marcus Liebherr bought up our bankrupted club, and whether or not Nicola Cortese made the right decision over AP... will be revealed after game 46 in May next year. Any millionaire buying up a failing club has many things to consider apart from the economy of running the club. Primarily the fan base and the catchment area for fans. At the end of the days it's tickets sold that defines success, but few clubs will " succeed " if they can only play before 10,000 crowds as many CCC clubs do. Saints (restricted to the 15,000 seater Dell) were never going to become " bigger" but the building of SMS gave opportunity for another 10 -15,000 fans to " walk-up " on match days. I was present at The Dell when the old record was still in place. 31,044 "sardines "... STANDING for a home game v. Man Utd..8th October 1969 ...almost 41 years ago. Now that many can sit in "relative comfort" on match days. As for the football. My first game was over 50 years ago and it was when Saints werei n Div.3 SOUTH (as it then then called)..not such a bad idea either. Better for the environment and easier for fans to travel to Charlton than Carlisle. Being more philosophical after all that time, I enjoyed good football..and there was a lot at the Dell..and anything other than that...(a good Cup run, or the "sniff" of promotion) ..was a bonus. Do I lack ambition for Saints ..? I don't think so... but I'd enjoy a good game of football in L1 rather than a dour 0-0 draw in Prem. or worse.. a 0-6 defeat by Chelsea.

whilst others you are glad to be shot of..(like the thought of 5 league games without scoring), but here's one that we won't have to bear any longer... " LEICESTER- bottom of CCC (having sacked former Swansea boss de Sousa after only 9 games) have appointed Sven Göran Eriksson as their new manager. SGE is their ...wait for it ...their FOURTEENTH manager since their relegation from the Prem. in 2004..and the sixth manager under Chairman M. Mandaric (who during his time at Po*pey always claimed he was superior to Rupert Lowe)....and now he has proved it ! Congratulations Mr.M.

Nice post Colin, ......reminded me of a quote I read the other day.. " every successful enterprise requires 3 men; a dreamer, a businessman and a S.O.B...." Depending on who you talk to.... RL filled all these posts as various times, and that was probably his downfall. Nothing against NC, but Rupert did have his own sort of charisma and for better or worse, I miss that .