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of course, statments like " good numbers"... are all relative. If it was a Carlisle fan who told you, then 15,000 would be a lot for an L1 side and surely a lot to those teams who average 6-7000 per game. I haven't seen stats for this season so far, but we must be in the top 4-5, whereas teams in the bottom half of the table rarely get 10,000 to a game. The prospect of seeing half of Wembley filled with Saints colours sounds great !

Now we're at WEMBLEY (I like saying that, I'll say it again) WEMBLEY it isn't unlikley that the FANS might have the power to decide the match. Carlisle have done very well also. They gave Leeds a fight over two gamesand won the penalty shoot-out at the end of it. Memories of Exeter and Norwich ..(Never under-estimate any side-remember 1976 !), but looking purely at the stats. Be Glad we are'nt meeting Leeds, who also have home gates averaging well over 20,000..and surely lots more for BIG games. Carlisle have a very small fan base. When we played them there in the Autumn, there was a crowd of 7000 (some of whom were Saints Fans), whereas last night they got just over 9,000 ..again surely included a few Leeds bods. but with 30,000 home fans v. MK Dons surely every football fan in the city will be able to get a ticket for Wembley, cos even if Carlisle double their travelling fans, it'll scarcely be 15,000. Could we see a Wembley final with 40,000 ..50,000 Saints fans..? maybe not but When the Saints go marching in (to wembley) it might be hard to see any Carlisle fans in the tumult of Saints colours .

..but of course, this was a cup match and the team chosen from those players who were NOT cup-tied. Even in the final we can't play the new signings who played for other clubs in earlier rounds. I wouldn't like to have to choose a perfect team -just now. I look forward to seeing a fit MURTY and a fit CONNOLLY before the end of the season..what about team selections then ...?

the next publication will have a chapter on the history of the historians. There should also be a separate volume on the history of the Saints managers

The Palace manager " persuaded " Danns that he would be better off " career-wise " if he stayed with them. Now that they have -10 points (we know all about that - don't we?)..IF... they avoid relegation - he may be right .

Agreed Andrew, It's good to see someone who's close enough to the fans to react to this joyful event. I think Cortese was moved by the story (as we were) and what a wonderful humitarian response. At least, he didn't do it in the hope of getting a good coverage in the Echo !

They looked in their own archives and recalled that Ron Davies scored HIS 20th League goal on Boxing Day 1966. Ron went off the boil a bit after the New Year ...and came up with ONLY 17 more by the end of that season.!!!!!! ... As for Rickie, according to my count he scored his 20th goal last week against Stockport ? OR did he ? but of course, he did score one for Rovers before his move to SMS. ..His 3 other goals were in cup games.

is the key phrase in the coming weeks. Keeping top form and injury-free goes without saying, but a close look at the fixture list shows we have 7 games in the next 24 days.. around 1 every 3 days. 2 cup matches, 3 league games against sides above us in the league, and I suppose the only saving grace being that most of the first six at least, are in the south of England. Those cup games will bring enforced changes because of cup-tied players - and thankfully a rest for the first-choice League players. Good luck to all the faithful away fans - let's hope you're rewarded with some good wins.

perhaps.. he hadn't had a pre-season either ?

If there something that we can offer, that Pimp...(sorry) Pompey can't give him?

but it wasn't Danbert, what might you have written about instead.?

Successful people like success, in business or sport or whatever, (one of the new West Ham owners made a fortune from selling p*rn)? However, The Liebherr business had it's speciality in BIG cranes etc, and Marcus has his own success. For someone in his generation- its also fun to have time to spend money on something that gives you enjoyment. Charlie Walker (who once owned the family Steel biz. in N. England. He retired,(c.1990) sold the biz. for £300 million..and proceeded to buy up his boyhood club (then lowly) BLACKBURN ROVERS in Div.2. He installed Kenny Dalglish as manager, who in turn bought a whole new team for £40+ million - a LOT of money then - (incl. 3 SAINTS; Shearer, Flowers and Kenna)... and 4 years later won the Premiership title. Charlie Walker was still involved with his club at his death, years later. The idea that a BILLIONAIRE would buy a football club (for the sort of money that matches his company's stationery budget) ..and improve it ..just to sell it when it got to the Prem. just to make a profit really defies any logic for me. He's obviously appointed Nicola Cortese as his " crown prince " in this venture (hence the -" I'll buy it - if you run it " comment ML to NC). I'm sure the club will be run on good business-like lines, the financial clout is obvious and their determination - apparant. Bankers (foreign bankers in particular) may have different priorities and other ethical standards to those we are used to). IMHO the entire Echo " dispute" is a storm in a teacup. I recall a time when the Echo stood solidly behind SFC is good times and bad. After the recent trials and tribulations at SFC with RL & Co. I'm disappointed that the Echo has continued to sensationalise small issues at the club, instead of trying to re-establish some credibility to BOTH organisations. I'm only sorry that someone else hasn't taken the Echo to task before, but as we have seen the " power of the press " has a nasty side to it sometimes.

maybe you can find a few more similarities between them ..apart from having the same job ? if so please share them.

I think you're right . Trust the Echo.. right on top of every story ....:smt119

" ...you dirty rat, you shot my brudder !" :smt067 ( yes well, James Cagney didn't actually say that either ....) OFFICIAL I wonder what other journalistic jewels the " Echo/Express" will come up with.. I bet even they don't know when Rudi Skacel will sign ....

Amen to that epistle .. UP AND AWAY !

One of the best / nicest wins was the 5-2 win at FP in our promotion season 1965-66, when our Reserve CF Norman Dean ...scored a hat-trick. Norman remains the only Saints' player ever to score a hat-trick in a derby game at FP. It was the high point of his career....as Ted Bates (rightly) thought Norman didn't quite have " the quality " for the Division One level. Instead, Ted went out and paid a club record fee for (then) a little-known Welsh CF from Norwich named ..RON DAVIES ! (thank the Lord, he did).

but not one that has any dealings with the Echo; I suppose ...? I'm not suggesting that you are biased in any way ...just a question...

weird, maybe not ..depends who fed them the story first , eh?

The story is hardly of nationwide interest, so it's somewhat " suspicious " that it can turn up in a national "rag." Perhaps the Echo is calling in one or two favours and wants some help to rehabilitate its local image by shifting some of the the blame back to NC / SMS.

Those stats ignored the early 20th century games when both sides were in the Southern League. The first meeting at that level was 1898-99 season when the " other side " were known as Royal Artillery Portsmiff - they finished bottom in their first year. The two clubs were remarkably well-matched and often finished near each other in the table, whether high or low, although Saints had 5 championship wins to Pompey's 1. The meetings were also pretty equal upto WW1 with both sides winning 14 league games and 6 draws. Portsmouth won promotion in 1919-20 and Saints the following year. After that, as yr. stats show, they met very rarely which is somewhat ironic for two cities so close geographically. As some have commented the " hated rivalry " only really began along with the hooliganism in the 1960's but my (late) father sometimes used to visit FP in the post WW2 period, when his beloved Saints team were playing away.

Amazing that the FA don't have rules than ban clubs from having more than THREE owners in the same season. After all, players are limited to 3 clubs in a season ...FAVOURITISM, I call it !

YES to both . Antonio is on loan and free in May. Papa Waigo is worth the investment if he can be consistant enough to stay ONSIDE more often, and continue scoring vital goals in Cup matches. He's certainly a good change player (no insult to him) whilst Antonio is learning his game. The answer to that one should be clear to all by May.

Nice to hear about your son BB, but look at it this way... maybe it was a blessing in disguise ...I mean...what Saints fan would want his son to play for ...P-P-P-P-POM.....sorry I can't bring myself to say the name. Perhaps he'll be happier playing with his mates, and you won't have to live with the shame...