david in sweden

Interestingly.... a quick read through of the late 1950's match reports from IN That Number show; a fair number of good strong runs, often from 30-40 yards out. Quite a few close range headers and more than a few tap-ins ..but also seems to suggest DR had some good pace - good close control and positional sense - out running / beating defenders / goalie. He may have missed the 100 (prev.mentioned) but he did know how to finish.

Absolutely! ..and of those who are retained very few make it as first team regulars. We don't see a new Walcott or Bale emerging EVERY season .

...and 50 K was .. a £ot of money ...in those days, but well spent.

Obviously ..an honest man. Are they extinct, or ...?

Obviously winning on Sunday would prove something - and give fans a lift. BUT as someone who adores stats. I'd never rule out anything that wasn't mathematically possible - and in my estimation it may even go to the final game to decide the play-offs places.

Ignore the rude comments later on ladysaint. It could be that they just picked any pair out of the box, or maybe they like their socks to stay up, in contrast to Brian O'Neil who always seem to play with socks around his ankles (though from the stories I read it was probably 'cos Brian NEVER had any kit of his own and always " borrowed " from others. BUT I have heard tales of particular players wearing diff. colour socks - so they can be picked out in a crowded goalmouth ?..(but it's often a Euro thing and not so common in England.

Of course there wasn't the same banter about players wanting away in those days, but think Reeves and O'Briens goal hauls prompted a few scouts to the Dell, and Terry Paine was absolutely targeted as various stages of his career. (Comments in CONSTANT PAINE).

a bit nostalgic perhaps but a nice idea, especailly as Baird was some peoples MOM at Wembley 2003. Most unlikely as Roy Hodgson was praising him after their win over Juventus. (He came to us as a 16 year old and it took 5 years for him to get his debut game and then he was still ignored by numerous managers.???

...stranger things have happened ! there are already a couple of teams in L1 who are on the brink.. sadly not likely to help us much. (as too are Cardiff ..and they are in play-off places in CCC ..... and Palace are on the way down after there debacle with -10)

I really don't like to say this ..but I will. There are quite a few people who have gone on record criticising AP for having such a big squad. How we have too much "dead wood" in the club and we should have got rid of them when we had the chance. NOW ..we have an injury crisis (no surprise when you consider we have played almost 50 games already this season already) we need everyone who can lace up their boots for Sunday. Some of those who were heroes in earlier rounds of the JPT are already out. Thomas is on crutches, James, Jaidi, Antonio, Lallana and Connolly not 100% according to AP. and now Schneiderrlin has a hamstring problem. Holmes was back in favour - until he was injured in training. PLUS we have the cup-tied players watching from the stands ! AP's after match interview revealed that he is even considering Simon Gillet for a place on Sunday. If ever there was a reminder of the unseen problems that can hit a squad - now we can see it. If we are to win at Wembley - that " dead wood " needs to come in and show that it still has some worth at SFC.

I suppose you can't really blame him when he sees players these days making more in a week than he would have got in a whole season. Yes the game was different then, but some aspects of todays football (gamesmanship) aren't pretty to see, either.

I'm sure there are fans who would BUY him a ticket (as thanks) for his many years of such great entertainment.

I have same memories rpb. Reeves' season still stands in the record book (perhaps for all time,) but as one-old timer told me years ago at The Dell... ---" Reeves might have scored 39 in the league ..but he missed 100 ! " He and George O*Brien were a great combination ..(though at 5' 8" Reeves was the TALLEST of the two,) but they were a tremendous duo ..thanks to their wingers.

AMEN to that ! ....but Danish born Ronnie Ekelund was actually on loan from (wait for it ..) BARCELONA... in season 1994-95. His presence in midfield cannot be underestimated. He was a real crowd-pleaser from the first match and revolutionised the midfield and both he and MLT ran riot with opposition sides for 3-4 months - during which time he started 15 times and scored 5 very nice goals. Sadly, he had a lingering back injury but refused surgery that Saints demanded (before signing )...and so he went his way. His career never really picked up and he ended his playing days in the USA. However, regular fans have an elephants memory for entertaining players and Ronnie Ekelund came into that category.

If it takes 5 years ...very few. Lallana, Harding, Schneiderlin, Barnard... and Oxlade-Chamberlain ...(if he /they stay)

.and of course they don't actually have to lose ALL these games either. A run of defeats or even 1 point draws would have the same outcome..especially IF we can continue to pick up 3 points a game. Charltons form has dipped dramatically of late, and Colchester are looking a bit rocky, too.

Nice quote Andrew, I was thinking of the fantstic run-in in those last 3 months. It was (mainly Pahars signing) that produced those vital goals to keep us up, but one of two of those teams who went down under us (Blackburn and Notts Forest) wouldn't have expected that looking at the table the prev.Christmas. As stated I'm expecting (statistically speaking ) some fall-out from at least two of the present top six ..just how badly they perform and how well we can do to make up the gap ..remains to be seen. COYR !!!!!! .

Depends how far you want to go back...I recall................ ..Terry Spinner (early 1970's) who came at 16 with a phenomenal record for goal scoring. He'd scored over 100 goals a season and played for England Schoolboys IN Germany , in front of 70,000 German fans. England won and the lad scored a hat-trick. As a Saints Reserve, he scored more than 50 goals in just over 4 seasons, but wasn't the build or quality for first team football and when we were relegated he disappeared in the first Lawrie Mac " purge " of playing staff. During this period we produced an enormous number of young strikers who rattled in goals at the youth /reserve level but never quite made it at First team level. Pat Earles, Ally MacLeod, Joe Blochel, Ian Juryeff and that fantastic super-sub Tony Funnell. Academy coach Dave Puckett was one of the lucky ones to get " a career of sorts " with Saints and was the highest scoring Reserve striker at the time along with a youngster called ..Matt Le Tissier ..wonder what happened to him :yawinkle: but Steve Neville , Craig Maskell and Nicky Banger made headlines elsewhere. Later names like Mark Peters set the place alight for one season (over 30 goals ) but never made it to the higher level.

Chris Baird at Fulham. of course but both he and ANDREW SURMAN were only reserves at the time. Boa Morte must be playing somewhere, I guess ? .......is Neil Moss still active in goal anywhere ? ....and Scott Hiley was still in the Exeter line-up last season.

As I mentioned above. it's only sense to consider the possibility of a loan player at RB. There are lots of bodies, sitting on the bench in CCC and even Prem.clubs who would relish the thought of getting in a dozen games before the end of the season - without necessarily expecting a permanent move. Why not ?

Obviously other teams scout us out first to see how they can combat our formation - and if you play enough men back you could stop almost any side from playing ..but PERHAPS ..some players don't listen to AP enough sometimes... or, maybe we play against some good teams from time to time and lose or, perhaps like the rest of the world sometimes... they have .." a bad day at the office." If we followed the comments of some contributors we'd sack certain players twice a month! ..on the other hand when we don't get 3 points every match .. it's obviously the managers fault ..isn't it ?????

I don't believe it's so easy to use a phrase like "slow and steady building" in L1. There are a dozen teams in this league who SURVIVE every year, but little more, because you can do just so much at this level without a big cash imput. Those clubs who got fees from us were very grateful; Bristol Rovers, Exeter and Southend ...and Colchester are the only club with a chance of a play off but still couldn't afford to fund CCC football. If NC got impatient, he could sack AP, sell Lambert (for considerably more than the paltry £1 million we paid) and still have funds over to run an L1 club with players on 2K a-week. I've never used the phrase bottomless pit either, but it's clear we have resources available, if the owner wants to invest more...unlike those clubs who are facing administration because they can'tapay their tax bill!. It is possible to build a side, on youth, cheap buys and free transfers but it takes time and thankfully we don't have to go that route. I really don't see why some people think that big money transfers (if we rate £1 milion as big) should be an automatic measure to win every game and get promoted - even when you've started with -10 points. To be honest, I've read your (many) criticisms CB, but I don't see you have offered any clear resolution to what you obviously see is the main problem.?

I agree that it seems somewhat dobtful on paper, but as I wrote earlier....almost every season at least 2 of the top 6 lose form dramatically in the run in after Easter. They might not lose every game, but if they only draw and get 1 point a game, then a run of 3 point games from Saints would quickly close the gap by gaining 2 points over the opposition from each match. Those of us with an eye for history can look back at our copy of In That Number and see the dramatic end to the 1948/9 season when Saints were 8 pints ahead of the second club with 7 games to go. Saints lost top scorer Charlie Wayman through injury and then went into free fall, getting only 1 win and 2 draws from those last 7. (In those days it was only 2 pts. for a win.) It would indeed be a remarkable feat if it comes off and I believe it would go to the last game before we see the outcome..but ..remember 1949 ! NOTHING is impossible.

Agreed ! Should we get rid of the players, or sack the manager ? we've got money to start over again, but if you choose the second alternative..please name possible successors.

.sadly, only for UK fans, they never get as far as U.Tube