david in sweden

Poll anyone ...? Now that we have (almost agreed) to sign Calderon..what happens to the other wannabe right backs on the books.? I know Dan Harding has played there but he IS a left back in my book. Otsemobor is on loan with an, as yet, undecided future. Murty looked good when he started but how will he be when back in training? James - never a first choice RB, but equally unimpressive in midfield. Wayne Thomas - stood in a few times but if he's OOC - what happens then..? :confused:

can't help thinking he looks... more than a little... like ....Alexander Östlund. (now retired and coaching one of the Stockholm clubs.)

that's the best type of signing...no-one can say we've got miilions to spend when you can pick up OOC players for nothing.

Naah! rubbish story. They could never sign Ricky ..who'd understand his dialekt ? they'd have better chance by signing Papa Waigo...?

is beginning to look like a parking fine... compared to the latest revelations coming out of Fratton Park. How can ANYONE allow a club to get so deep in debt? £135 million...:smt088 (Has Gordon Brown counted that into the amount of the National Debt ..?) Pom*ey have already had their 10 point deduction but surely the FL /FA won't close their eyes to so many irregularities when you consider how they punished Luton and Bournemouth a few years back.?

YES I noticed that, too. He's a very convincing talker is... 'arry. If Spu*s give him £40 million next season - they will soon be on the list after their Euro exit. I've noticed that HR is always first in the lifeboat, whilst the praisng the captain and crew for their courage and dedication. His farewell speeches bring everyone to tears, BE TOLD SPURS ..you heard it here first !

Olympics.?...it's already there as an event, but no competitors from Sweden . No summer ..No sand !

If I recall correctly...I think it was the game when Michael Svensson got his serious injury- whilst warming up in that game. The rapidly-reorganised defence was never ready for the Pompey onslaught.

If the problem exists at that level then the game should be modernised. Not that Kiribati are ever likely to qualify for the WC,but at the highest level it should be available. (Some years ago I think) ..Kidderminster were refused League status because they didn't have a ground that met FL standards - for my money a CC TV system available for the fourth official to view isn't so much to ask when it comes to winning championship or being relegated. See how you feel when one team will LOSE the world Cup Final when TWO BILLION people will see the " real game " and the ref. makes a wrong decision and someone loses because of it. Just say "hard luck old man - thats football" ? Football is still living in the 20th century. If Ice Hockey, Rugby and Cricket can use modern technology what is so "holy" about a game that is reliant on the attention span and the eyesight of one man - sorry not in my book. If a team scores a goal - they deserve to get the credit for it.

A lot has happened since, and a great many players passed through the dressing room, so I considered ..what has been our best side of the decade? I think it fair NOT to include anyone from the present Pardew squad.. so think back ..what is your team of the decade?.+ subs. if you like. Interesting selection guys, but I thought I'd choose my own side - just for good measure, recalling I chose no MLT /Deano and no AP signings either. Niemi - no competition. Best GK since Shilton. Dodd - not the best technically but a great captain and role model 110% red and white. Lundekvam - ( recent problems aside) 400+ games. Great CH when paired with Deano and Killer. M. Svensson - would have loved to see him and Deano (who left Aug 2001) together. Took no prisoners ! Bridge - easily best LB since Benali and Peach. Great as an overlapping full back. A.Svensson - ill used by Strachan, OOP - often out of position. On his day was top class! ](Is still good at 34). Oakley - Good steady midfielder, we should have kept him after he came back from 1 year injury. Delap - Do or die defenceman. Often forced to play OOP but did so willingly. (See how good he is at Stoke now) Marsden - Journeyman becomes club legend. Partnership with Bridge was truly excellent. Beattie - Blew a bit hot and cold, but knew how to score goals. (Even better when paired with Ormerod) Pahars - 2-3 seasons of pure magic. Who can forget the Great Escape season ! SUBS; (if we have seven on the bench) GK P. Jones- close ...just pips it from Kelvin Davis IMHO. Bale - very exciting-but too short time to compare with Bridge but a better player NOW after 3 seasons with Spu*s. Walcott - likewise. He's in another class NOW at Arsenal, but was great to have on our bench. Tessem - utility player not afraid to stand in anywhere when asked. (Unfairly judged by some as an alternative to BT). Baird - took a long time to get established but worth his bench place based on his last 2 seasons at SMS. Crouch - from A. Villa reserve to England CF ( via SMS ) in one season. Love to see him on pitch at any time. Surman - with club from 12. Still developing when he went to Wolves. wish he'd stayed.

Yet again with the manager's future in the balance..according to some sources..but I do hope that we do not see a mass change of palying staff ...yet again...just as we are getting used to a regular line-up again..BUT looking back to January 3 year 2000 our team line-up was ; Jones, Dodd, Bridge, Tessem, Lundekvam, Richard,. Marsden... Boa Morte (!) Pahars, Kevin Davies and Ripley. (we were 16th in the Prem.) A lot has happened since, and a great many players passed through the dressing room, so I considered ..what has been our best side of the decade? I think it fair NOT to include anyone from the present Pardew squad..so think back ..what is your team of the decade?.. + subs. if you like . SORRY MODS ...this was a duplicate of an earlier post.

It seems that some problems are pretty international. Similar incidents we've seen in English league football have also made headlines over here. Swedish media are featuring two soccer stories. Firstly the "goal that never " was in the game Gothenburg v. Mjällby ...when Mjällby keeper is clearly seen (on TV playback) swiping the ball BACK INTO PLAY when the ball is clearly a foot over the line - but ref. says ..NO GOAL ! (where was he ?). Gothenburg striker Selakovic went ballistic and was lucky he only got a yellow card for his protest. Result 0-0. The Swedish FA are now considering even more referees to ajudicate over the penalty area and goal-line decisions. How many refs. do we need ..when one person sat in front of a TV monitor has a better view than the three that we have on the pitch ? What we have now is pure "Hollywood " with the ref. making up the script as he goes along...and Man.Utd always get a happy ending - whilst Wenger is the "bad guy " who always ends up the loser (his version maybe) ...but not without cause sometimes. There's no chance of real justice whilst Platini & Co. refuse to use visual technology that has been long accepted in many other sports. FIFA's apology to the Irish is no compensation for the fact that the cheating French are going to the World Cup instead..but then Platini was never going reverse that decision - was he ? Gothenburg are also agrieved because their pitch has been declared to be "unplayable " by the Swedish FA. It really is in a bad state and after a bad winter isn't likely improve unless they re-lay the entire pitch. With memories of Saints game at Colchester ..where someone wrote ..they had a rugby game on the pitch the day before...why don't the FA have stronger rules about the state of the pitch. If it were waterlogged or ice-covered its obvious, but football is a ball game - not without skill - and being forced to play on a bad surface reduces the whole thing to the level of beach football.

no abuse, but I was wondering about that myself. I haven't seen it on TV here in Sweden, and wondered if the film had been "doctored " in any way and someone had posted ML's picture there instead?

Hi Alpine, I wondered why you hadn't responded... I had my own ideas and just wondered what others thought.. do you have any prognostications on the subject ..or ?

was it the -10 points ..or the first ten games ? (.or a combination of the two ...?) Either way it's wrong that AP should be blamed for either. The team he put together and added to in January produced results good enough to put us well in the promotion hunt... I sincerely hope that AP stays, as yet ANOTHER revamp of the coaching staff would be more than most fans could put up with ..let alone the the players. I don't think NC is that shortsighted to sack AP. He talked about a FIVE YEAR PLAN, that doesn't mean he 'll be hiring / firing a new manager every season - does it ? I hope not.

Note; the woman in the ad. (encouraging people to pay their TV licences BTW) is Stina Ekblad (a well-respected Finnish /Swedísh actress and a type of Judy Dench) ...and very popular in Scandinavia. She is a very pleasant woman... I've met a few times as her son is in the same class as my daughter at college. ...not a lot of people know that !

those Saints fans who recall some of WGS' controversial decisions won't be surprised to hear that the (now 'Boro manager) is " allowing " his first team coach, goalkeeping coach and Reserves boss - to go. (double talk for the sack):smt067 He may be buying new players next season but he's starting with a new back-room team first. Any bets that Telfer will be one of his first appointments?.

AP also mentioned TWICE that Fonte had been ill (during the week) and that he (Fonte) had declared himself fit, but it was clear that he wasn't hence the sub.at HT Had Fonte been 100% it seems that alongside Martin it would have been OK. Mills is still inexperienced and though he turns in occasional good performance, it's hard to be consistant when you don't play at this leve lregularly its obvious that players don't make a good show every time. James' place must be in question. He isn't good at RB, but better in midfield, however he won't get games whilst we have Schneiderlin to choose from ahead of him. It's clear (as AP said) we have to have good cover for every player, and at present we have too many players who are not good enough to replace the first choicer, and must decide whether we keep them and hope they improve..or ..?

if I'm not wrong ..I think he was signed on a ...FIVE YEAR contract ?????

me too, it was great fun ...remembering so much.. it was difficult to know what to leave out ... david in sweden

Agree with the part about Connolly, but also note Michael Poke has been on the Saints books since he was ...12, but it takes time with keepers and he's been loyal .

who are the candidates ?. and would they come ?

thats just LEAGUE games . Div.2 42 games Div 3 sth 46 games.

1963-64 Div.2 finished 5th Saints 100 goals for (73 against) 1959.60 Div.3 South (champs) Saints 106 for (75 against.) 1957-58 Div.3 South finished 6th Saints 112 for (72 against)