M271

When comparing Saints points tally in the last 8 matches to those in automatic promotion places or around the play off zone. Leeds -2pts (Saints 2 points less then Leeds in last 8 league games) Charlton +2pts (Saints 2 points more than Charlton in last 8 league games) Norwich - 2 pts Colchester + 7pts Huddersfield + 1 pt Bristol Rovers + 8pts Walsall +1pt Millwall + 4pts MK Dons +8pts Swindon +3pts 'Just for a bit of fun' if that 8 game form is applied to the end of the season then the final table is: 1 Leeds 112pts 2 Norwich 99pts 3 Huddersfield 85pts 4 Walsall 84pts 5 Millwall 80pts 6 Swindon 79pts 7 SAINTS 76pts 8 Colchester 74pts So Saints just miss out according to this, however I can't see Walsall or Swindon carrying on with their recent good form or Bristol Rovers and MK Dons with their poor form so could come back into contention, so as long as Saints can carry on with their recent form we will be in with a chance of the playoffs. Ifs, buts and maybes !! Last 8 Game League 1 Form: P W D L F A +/- Pts 1 Leeds United 8 6 1 1 17 3 +14 19 2 Norwich City 8 6 1 1 17 6 +11 19 3 Southampton 8 5 2 1 18 11 +7 17 4 Huddersfield Town 8 5 1 2 22 8 +14 16 5 Walsall 8 5 1 2 16 7 +9 16 6 Charlton Athletic 8 4 3 1 16 9 +7 15 7 Millwall 8 4 3 1 15 10 +5 15 8 Swindon Town 8 4 2 2 12 9 +3 14 9 Colchester United 8 3 3 2 11 9 +2 12 10 Carlisle United 8 4 0 4 15 15 0 12 11 Hartlepool United 8 3 2 3 11 11 0 11 12 Yeovil Town 8 3 2 3 10 13 -3 11 13 Leyton Orient 8 3 1 4 9 12 -3 10 14 Brentford 8 2 3 3 7 9 -2 9 15 Exeter City 8 2 3 3 10 13 -3 9 16 Milton Keynes Dons 8 3 0 5 13 18 -5 9 17 Bristol Rovers 8 3 0 5 11 17 -6 9 18 Southend United 8 3 0 5 7 13 -6 9 19 Wycombe 8 2 2 4 9 15 -6 8 20 Tranmere Rovers 8 2 1 5 9 14 -5 7 21 Gillingham 8 2 1 5 5 11 -6 7 22 Brighton 8 2 1 5 10 17 -7 7 23 Oldham Athletic 8 1 2 5 5 12 -7 5 24 Stockport County 8 1 0 7 3 18 -15 3

I have to say that I am the other some might say boring extreme. I arrive at SMS or away match before the gates open, buy a programme and read it while waiting for the gates to open. I'm one of the first in the ground and have a pie and pint, get to my seat in time to cheer the team onto the pitch and watch the team warm up. I rarely move from my seat or standing position from the team warm up to the final whistle, and then I'm normally one of the last out of the ground and then sit in the car listening to the football results on the radio until the traffic clears. A lot of my match ritual comes from me being a short nipper in the 1970's arriving early at 1.00pm to stand at the front of the Archers so that I could see, and you dare not move during the match otherwise you'd lose your place. I think that modern seat allocation and catering concourses makes people more inclined to arrive late and move around to get drinks etc... It still amazes me how empty stadiums appear to be 15 minutes before kick off and how any real singing only starts just before kick off (the loud tannoy music in the grounds doesn't help this though!) It can be annoying people moving blocking your view during the match but it has never been a particular problem to me and people are normally understanding and apologetic. People enjoy matches in different ways and as long as it doesn't spoil others way of enjoying the match then thats OK.

I'm a great believer in playing your strongest 11 + subs unless there are injuries/suspensions that prevent this. The spacing of the next 4 games (6 days, 5 days, 4 days, 6 days) gives the players time to recover from each game with lighter training in between. If results had been poor lately then changes could be tried but with our good run of late unnecessarily tinkering with the team could cause disruption to the newly built team understanding, switch some players off that may not play for up to 2 weeks and put at risk the current team momentum. Yes injuries obviously can happen in games but as many injuries seem to happen in training, to protect players from injuries and suspensions by not playing them can be counter productive.

I thought that he played well for the Trinidad U21s a few weeks ago, he was according to the commentators their 'star' player. However there is a big difference between that and the 'heavy weight' play of Div 1. I hope that he does well at Torquay and comes back the better for it as I think that he has good potential. In Pardew we trust.

Another interesting website for stato nerds. Pity the league position and points section doesn't take account of the -10 start, but it does show where we would of been in the league without the deduction over the season. http://www.livescores.co.uk/index.jsp?comp=3

I would have thought that our attendance would be similar to the Carlisle match i.e. 950'ish.

They really need to look at the pricing now to ensure a decent attendance, something like: Adults - £10 (£8 in advance) ST Holders - £4 Concessions - £4 Accompanied Child - Free

Great result and a brilliant week of 3 wins (when did that last happen ?) All of the wins came from being pegged back to 1 - 1 or from 0 - 2 down which hopefully shows a change in mentality that hasn't been there for 5 years. 3 wins doesn't make a season with the likelihood of promotion but carry on with the league form of the last month 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss and it makes the playoffs possible. Knowing Saints, like we do, just as we think everything is rosey there will be some disappointments, **** ups and bad patches to come but we have to keep the commitment to the club and team to get us through these times. I got my tickets for the Oldham game 2 weeks ago and hope that we can get the same great following that we had at Carlisle and Southend to cheer the team on.

Just showed goal on SSN, seem to be showing them shortly after they happen.

What does HTH mean ?

One stage at a time - now only 8 points to get out of the relegation zone.

I take your point but he did see him play V Ajax last week (I have to say that I was under impressed), maybe he wants to see how Murty has responded to his coaching and training this week i.e. is he capable of playing how AP wants him to and with the stamina to get through a match.

If AP hasn't made his mind up about Murty he can't have impressed that much in training and you would have thought that AP had some historical knowledge of him. We don't want players that might be OK only those that are OK, this is what got us lumbered with realitively high earning reserve team players in the past.

I don't like it, in some pictures it looks like someone wearing a yellow bikini top on top of a dark blue shirt, bit too high up to be a bikini though I agree.

Stoke seem to do OK in the Prem with direct football and half a team of ex Saints players.

I would have thought that they would have made some tentative enquiries/arrangements during the buying process of the club, I hope that something will be announced this week. I hope that the team don't become an embarrassment for our new owner in front of his friends this Saturday V Ajax, I think that it also important that the stadium has a party atmosphere throughout the Ajax match whatever the score.

Shearer as Head Coach and Keegan as Director of Football might be a good combination. Shearer learning the trade at a League 1 club with Keegan to add his experience to the set up ? It also keeps Keegan a bit more out of the lime light which he may prefer.

At which stage will someone tell him that League 1 isn't the top division in England ! Sssssssssssh. I won't tell if you don't.

On South Today interview Wotte said that he spoke to the buyer a month ago and they seemed like decent people.

Have they talked to the FL yet though !! There will be more swings and roundabouts yet.

Why has everyone suddenly got such a downer in the Pinnacle bid ? I know that the money guy wasn't Branson, Lloyd Webber or Stewart but just because after some goggle searches it doesn't seem to show where MF's wealth is from everyone goes anti Pinnacle, and in my opinion downright disrespectful to people looking to save our club. If fans turn this quickly from 'good old Tony', thanks for the information etc to Pinnacle are s***, moneyman is a fraud, don't post again Tony etc.. I pity anyone who may buy/save our club. 1) Do you think that someone without money would spend up to '7 figures' preparing to buy the club, TL is a genuine guy and would not Bull****, and of course nether would MLT, MF also came across well in his interview on Thursday. 2) Fry has to look at other offers now that the exclusivity period has past, and maybe he feels that the FL standoff is unresolveable. It doesn't mean that he doesn't believe that the Pinnacle bid won't happen.He hasn't discredited the Pinnacle bid from what I've read or seen. 3) We don't know exactly what on top of the -10 points the FL are imposing on the SFC licence, Pinnacle described it as minor (can't be that minor) but because of it being unresolved maybe the conditions are unacceptable not just for Pinnacle but for any potential buyer. Please just give all interest parties a chance to get this issue sorted out one way or the other, don't over react to a few news reports, press articles or negative posters on forums.

What happens to the transfer fee ? As SLH are in administration and SFC is an asset of SLH does the money go to help pay the creditors or can SFC keep the money for operating costs ?

I totally agree with this view,it could cause real pain to the club to win back (unlikely) the 10 points but then be ill prepared for the new season and throw away those hard won points. Its a dangerous game that they are playing with the FL and the Purchase of the club, sometimes principles have to ignored to get the best overall long term resolution for the club. If in accepting the 10 points it means that more points deductions will come then thats a different situation.

No it's Rosemary the telephone operator.

Tony's posting on here states client but on the Pinnacle press release states clients, is this significant ?