david in sweden

Of course....we all know what a good judge of a footballer Nicola Cortese was.... like Mayuka,Gaston, Forran and Osvaldo ...... ....this is the same man who once asked Alan Pardew ....if he really wanted to spend £1 million on a 27-year old striker (Rickie Lambert by name).

You are correct, but I think the cost of the loan fee /salaries for Papa Waigo....and eventual signing of Guly.....was far in excess of any potential fee for Antonio.

(on Rickie Lambert)...at the moment.....maybe put him ahead of Sam Gallagher....otherwise I'd give him a lifetime season ticket in a seat .....behind the dugout. without his contributions.....we might never have made it out of L1.

think Les Reed knows how to swing a deal, and he might surprise us all with a cut price fee.. I don't know how long Alex's contract has to run? but he clearly hasn't met Wenger's expectations...and with Ramsey and Wilshere in and out of the treatment room, I can't see Wenger wanting to hang on to a player that he doesn't even consider as first-choice when he must have his eye on more midfield cover. Of course the various injuries may give cause for concern, but at 22 ....in the current state of the market, it must be a no-brainer. Arsenal might just want to cut their losses to get him off the wage bill. I think Alex was right to take the chance to move when he did, but equally sure that those fans who remember him - would welcome him back with open arms.

good resolution to the matter. If he " can't play" ...then he can't be dropped...or left on the bench until the last 5 minutes.

...so what you are suggesting ..is that if Sheff Utd. don't get promoted....and if Nigel Adkins...doesn't get the sack...they'll sign Rickie Lambert for next season. At this stage of his ...fast-declining career....Rickie would probably play for nothing .... just to get on the team sheet every week. I'd think he could afford to play for fun.

I do appreciate your candour Gentlemen, although I suspect, like many other fans we think we know what "deserves " to be a penalty. What I seemingly failed to make clear was that an obvious (for the want of another word) goal-scoring chance isn't always that " obvious".....because even if the player is inside the box and facing goal..... there is no guarantee that he will " obviously " score... ..although what annoys me the most.... is the award of a penalty when a player is fouled half-a-yard inside the box....perhaps near the goal line - with no "obvious" chance of scoring ...in a hundred years.. I guess I'll have to leave it there....until the next time.

not unless Forster and Bertrand are in the same games. I don't feel bound to support England (in friendlies)- especially if we have a player on the opposition side. If it's a tournament game and we need to win...England of course... but I don't shed tears for Man U or Tottenham if they lose Euro games whoever they play. We all know that Roy will play half the Tottenham side - if the game is at Wembley......but imagine him choosing Rose ahead of Bertrand!

Vectis...Thanks to you ..and Whitey for the explanation - very interesting,I understand that the word obvious ....is the key, but having seen so many goals scored from acute angles, I feel it is not the complete answer. I'm sure we've all seen Pelle, Long...and indeed Mane scoring from such tight angles on several occasions. To suggest that someone has to be within the limits of the goal area seems to be rather unfair...as we've all seen players shoot over the bar from 6 yards ...and less. You (both) seem to be suggesting that neither Long or Pelle's were penalties !...but both were fouled by the defender....if not penalties...what would you have given? Also ..IF.. as you seem to be suggesting ....Long was anticipating the foul coming, then that's surely not illegal..if he doesn't dive...which seems doubtful. Long couldn't have expected to run on goal without being tackled ..which he was....and Lovren made a last ditch effort to stop him, and fouled him in so-doing. If it had been someone slower than Long.....he would also have been caught ..and fouled. I read a recent stat. that Mane was the 3rd MOST FOULED player in the Prem..I think many people can see why, but to my eye, he wins feven fewer free kicks because he has such a stupid way of falling to the ground, and it might even look like a dive. If he were diving he'd be booked far more often, but he isn't. How do you judge ..a dive?

with mention of car park... I recall a story from ...many years ago, when a ref. awarded a late penalty against the home side, and afterwards found his car in the car park...without wheels !

Managers clearly have their standard formations and favourite players.... fortunately Pelle got his chance for Italy when Conte took over, after having been totally ignored by previous regimes. Tadic may turn in a few good games for Saints at the same time that Serbia struggle and things may change under their next manager .....

It's pity that Messers Blatter and Platini weren't a bit closer to " the grass roots " and they'd have seen more problems than that. it's weirdly Orwellian in that ...." everyone is (regarded) as equal, but some are (clearly) more equal that the rest. I'd love to have been there..btw. but wouldn't have known whether to laugh ..or cry.

I do appreciate your professional experience in this issue, but it was surely clear that he was running towards goal - and not away from it . Given the chance ...he would likely have taken shot towards goal from an angle.... For My Info.... Do the rules specify that he has to shoot from in front of the goal?....and if he were fouled inside the area - but not in front of goal doesn't that not count? ......do you mean that you wouldn't have given a penalty in that situation?......also what about the Long / Lovren tussle ...penalty or no ? No intended sarcasm from me, I'm (vainly) trying to understand a referee's motivation for giving / not giving penalties.

If Skrtel had fouled Pelle from behind...it might have been a red. Nevertheless - a goal scoring oportunity denied. I think it's harder to red card a goalie in that situation.

Interesting headline to an article in the Telegraph stating that refs. are being hounded out of the game because of abuse from fans ...and players. IMHO the biggest problem nowadays is that the speed of some games is much faster that it was even 10 years ago, and it's simply not possible to expect refs. to take full responsibility for errors of judgment they have made made in good faith. FIFA really need to "get real" with games at the top end of the market and use the same methods that we all have access to ....mainly the TV action replay. One of the Prem. bottom four may end up bankrupted by a bad decision in a vital game that sends them down and they'll end up with a Championship budget next season. That idea was refused by Sepp Blatter who spoke about the authority of the ref. "being impugned", yet they already have contact with the other officials in making decisions. As seen in recent games, many off-the-ball incidents go unpunished - if the ref. is following the play and 30 yards away, but the camera sees them. AND...I don't buy the argument that such things as penalty decisions "even themselves out over the season" . Numerically? maybe, but its obvious that it's only important if it's a genuine game-changer /winning goal. Getting a penalty decision when you're losing 0-2 may not always change the result. Saturday's game will become legend...but had the game finished 2-2 instead, then Koeman's post-match comments about Lovren's foul on Long would have been all the more relevant. Most commentators I heard agreed it was a foul, and I asked myself if Fonte's recent red card was a worse foul than Lovren's? I read (somewhere) that they had a fourth official by the pitch side watching a monitor, but the idea was ditched because they were being harrassed by club officials. Goal-line cameras go some way towards getting a correct decision but the largest number of game-changing decisions get missed because the ref. can't be everywhere. The first viewing of the video on " Mane's red card " foul that never was" - quickly showed that it was purely an incident of colliding players and no foul was involved. If the good refs. continue to leave the game through bullying and abuse..we'll end up with a "generation of Clattenburgs" who dictate results ..according to their humour.

may have been a bit self-critical...... because he missed the penalty ....but he must have been happy about the result.

Agree, once again. He always turns in a shift, but rarely get recognition for it. He may continue to play well for a while longer, but after the age of 30 the beginning of the end can come swiftly ...especially at this level. I think that Koeman is looking to Clasie and JWP to be " the new midfield ", but we really need an experienced "midfield general " to make it all tick.

Although, I agree with the sentiment . the use of the word "utility" suggest (to many) a player not capable enough of holding down a place in the side, but who could cover - in case of injury/suspension. Perhaps another usage like " versatile" would satisfy more people I'm sure?.... I recall the "stick " that Rory Delap got during his stay with Saints, when he was continually played by successive managers, and always willing to play any number of roles he was asked in a team - without ever nailing down a regular spot. Alternatively, Jimmy Gabriel's contribution in the late 1960's (in one season he played in 6 different positions,as well as emergency keeper on one occasion) was legend. He never let the side down - regardless of whatever position he played. Players who can cover another spot are invaluable, but if like Yoshida, (whose better games were on left side) get canned when playing as emergency RB and end up making dire mistakes at vital times.

Of course - no disrespect intended....It wasn't meant as a comparison with Pelle. Both Chivers and Channon had longer careers with Saints but nevertheless, didn't always score that regularly, and Pelle is only in his second Prem.season. Like Pelle ....all the players named in my post had periodic spells when they didn't score, but the stats. I quoted are correct. The real point is that "some people" too easily condemn strikers who go a longer run of games without scoring.....and when it reaches double figures , they are all set to write them off and demand their transfer out. Shane Long went through that period a few months back and the campaign to "get rid of .and re-invest" ...was seen. Later on - when he was the only fit / in-form player available he battled on almost alone - and we saw that he really DAJFU.... There will always be the "Kane / Vardy" types turning up every season. Last season it was ...Charlie Austin..but even before / after their scoring sprees...but the stats show they had longer dry spells, too. Those Pelle and Mane critics who were so quick to condemn should take another look at the goals those two have netted in the last 2 games. Worth waiting for, eh ?

Both Pelle and Mane back in form. One goal and two assists from Pelle ..... "...Louis....I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship " .....

would need a couple of hat-tricks in the Prem. to even get his interest. He's surely got Harry Kane pencilled in for the 9 spot.

perhaps, but he didn't look too smart last weekend. If it's a friendly.... Roy will give them 45 minutes each.

nephew?.....Ben Rowthorn?. I noticed he'd started getting regular games for the U18's Even better result when you consider that the Liverpool side included some players with first team experience. Goalie Bogdan, Enrique and Jordan Ibe.

Saints U21s beat Liverpool U21 by 5-0 in their away fixture today . Goals by Hesketh, Sims and ..wait for it ....a hat-trick from JayRod.

This was at a period of time when Les Reed's voice was - yet to be heeded.... and Nicola Cortese kept a firm hand on the cheque book. Antonio, though young and predictably inconsistant at times, did show real promise, but Cortese was more interested in passing money back to his Italian-Swiss contacts. Instead we got Papa Waigo, Guly and Mayuka . Several millions spent on those loan / transfer fees, whilst only a fraction of that was spent on home-based players. It could be argued that Papa Waigo and Guly helped DAJFU - at that level, but observing the progress of Antonio now, he has to be labelled as... " one that got away". If Andy Carroll ever gets back to proper fitness, he and Antonio will be real force to reckon with in the Prem. next season.