SaintJackoInHurworth

Your Graham Baker is definitely Alan Ball - take a look at this link: http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/celebrity-autographs/unbranded-alan-ball-hand-signed-10-x-8-photo.asp

Looks like (maybe!) I wasn't far off! (OK I accept CB Fry's point that the Mirror won't have put much time and money into it but the basic argument still holds good) Of course, the other possibility is that there is some truth in the rumour (especially if the Echo are right in saying that Cortese is intending to appoint a DoF at some stage) and that Coppell has basically said that he isn't prepared to consider the role until next summer, when he has had some time off and had time to consider his options.

Hmm - I thought stubs were the bit of the ticket usually kept by the stewards. I thought the rest was just known as the ticket? Or is it the bit kept by the stewards that you are talking about? I have got a number of tickets from matches I have been to, especially the 1979 League Cup Final. I also have the programme and rosette from that match.

Hmmm... I doubt this is true... I think the reality is more likely to go a bit like this: * Cortese gives some vague hints as to the sort of structure he would like to see at the club.... Some time later... * The Mirror hears a rumour that Saints are talking to someone who has previously been employed by Brentford and Palace. * The Mirror jumps to the conclusion that Saints are about to sign Coppell as DoF. * The Mirror begins to put the story together. * Saints announce that Wally Downes has been signed as coach, thus bringing in a two tier structure with Pardew in charge of transfers and player management and Downes in charge of coaching. * The Mirror decide to continue with their story anyway having invested a lot of time and money into it.

LOL - that made me laugh! Can imagine someone clutching that thing with clenched teeth ready to hit out at the next person to make that joke!!

Hmm - interesting editing going on on the Wikipedia website now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Kluivert Sounds like the truth is out!

I agree, but also this also just about sums up why I think the usage of this stupid rule is so wrong..! The rule was introduced to stop clubs getting a competitive advantage of the sort enjoyed by Leicester, where they were able to use it to gain promotion. It was not introduced to hit struggling football clubs over the head with their debts in order to make things even worse... yet that seems exactly how these rules are now being used! Isn't it about time the Football League took a long hard look at this rule and re-examined the spirit of the rule and the reasons it was introduced, in order to get away from the situation where clubs are abused in this way?! Saints, Darlington, Bournemouth, Rotherham, etc... there are so many clubs that are being punished for simply struggling financially. It's a bit like if the government instead of bailing Northern Rock out, had told them they had to cut interest rates on all loans by 1%! Everyone would have riddiculed the government for being out of touch and unsympathetic to a British firm and its investors and savers, etc.

I thought exactly the same thing myself.

How can you say Mills looked poor?!! IMO he was one of our best players!! He made a number of teasing runs and linked up play excellently. He was streets better than when he played for us at the start of last season. He has matured loads as a player. In terms of Gobern, though, I agree he looked good too when he came on.

My view was that Harding was defensively solid and in defensive positions generally got the ball under control coolly and got it clear without resorting to the big hoof. He was also adventurous going forward and looked to build attacking plays from the back. However, on a couple of occasions he tried to dribble the ball towards the box but in that situation did not have the right level of ball control to be attempting any such thing and lost the ball. Of course, this may be because of lack of fitness rather than necessarily a lack of ability in such situations. Nevertheless, my gut reaction was that he would be better sticking to defensive duties and building forward plays rather than trying to dribble! With players of the calibre of Lallana, Rasiak, John, Mills and Gobern who all showed the flair to be able to dribble, I would say leave it to them and encourage them to do it more rather than expect it from Harding. Neverthless, I think he could do well for us.

Well, I don't believe that Lita is coming to Saints bearing in mind he has been connected with a number of Premiership and Championship clubs. And I can't see Bent dropping down two divisions, so that pretty much confirms your mate is pulling your leg and Saints are not losing 3-0!! lol

I'm going and looking forward to it big time for three reasons: 1. I am taking my three and a half year old daughter to her first ever football match. She is quite mature for her age and I think she is now starting to get to the age that she will appreciate it. As it is only a pound I thought it would be a good chance to see how she handles it. 2. I have only been to a match at St Mary's twice before as I live up north so, as I am down visiting my parents on holiday, I thought it was too good a chance to miss. 3. I am keen to support Saints in the new era and to see how things are beginning to take shape in the early days of AP's managerial reign. Anyone know if there will be a family centre area for this match and if it is open to anyone with kids or only members?

For those that want to criticise the young players and get rid of them on the assumption that they are the finished product and therefore not good enough, please remember that these are youngsters and they are still finding their feet in professional football. If they are not good enough in a particular game we should not just make a blanket assumption that they are therefore not going to be good enough in any game ever. I would suggest there are 3 things to be considered here: 1. They are youngsters and they will get better. I was at Sheffield Wednesday a couple of years ago when Theo Walcott was brought on as sub. Everyone was desperate to see this wonder-kid... and you know what? He was rubbish! His crosses were poor, he was forever getting caught in possession and his shooting was weak. His only plus point was that he had pace in abundance. Yet, we all knew that this was a player with massive potential (which he has finally in the past year begun to live up to with Arsenal and England). 2. Their confidence is very low after the failures of last season. Many of them need to be reminded of their potential and to begin again to build upon that. 3. The big problem for some of these players is not that they don't have potential. The problem is that they are being weighed down by unrealistic expectations. They have been asked to play regular matches at a level for which some were clearly not ready. We need to introduce these players sensitively and wisely. Some will mature quickly and soon reach the standard to be a first team player. Others may need experience at a lower level first. Still others will need to be used sparingly as substitutes to gain experience and confidence in the first team. Still others may never reach their potential and finally a few may only reach their potential by moving to another club. So, let's trust the new management to make the right decisions that will further the development of these players. And let us as fans play our part by getting behind these youngsters when they play and applauding everything they do right, whilst being prepared to forgive the inevitable errors that come from taking a risk on the development of young players.

I definitely hope to be at the Hartlepool game... but then it will be the nearest Saints fixture of the season for me as I live just outside Darlington!! In terms of what Hartlepool is like, I have never actually been there. I believe it is a hole in parts but then again there is the historic quayside, which is supposed to be quite nice. In that sense it's like an upmarket P*rtsm*uth!!! You might like to bear in mind that Darlington and Hartlepool are sworn enemies (a bit like Saints and P*mpey) so there would be a fairly warm welcome in Darlo if you were to stop off here. In terms of flights, it is quite difficult flying to Durham-Tees airport (which is actually in Darlington!) You can only get flights from there to Aberdeen, so you would have to fly up to Aberdeen then back down from there! Newcastle is a bit further but at least you should be able to get a direct flight. The nearest places to Hartlepool with a major nightlife are not Newcastle and Durham as someone seemed to suggest. Middlesborough is much closer, as is Stockton; or there's Sunderland if you're into Chav music! Yarm is also fairly popular despite being only a small town (though personally I don't see it's appeal, but each to their own!). There's quite a few places in the town and then there's Tall Trees (http://www.talltrees.co.uk), which has regular events (see for example: http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Yarm/Tall-Trees). Some of the Middlesbrough players have been known to hang out there, though if they are going out for a quiet meal out they are more likely to be found at Judges, which is also nearby (http://www.judgeshotel.co.uk).

I've just posted a message (http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=14706&page=8#388) thinking I was posting it on this thread so apologies for posting it twice...(well except that I accidentally typed Beckham instead of Joe Cole for some reason in my original posting!! lol)...

There is one name that I am suprised has not been mentioned in relation to the Saints job... ..and that's Joe Jordan! I know Skate haters won't like the idea, but consider the facts: Harry Redknapp has been pretty rubbish as a manager in a number of jobs - especially with Saints, but also when he was West ham manager (he had one of the most talented young squads in the country with Beckham, Ferdinand, Carrick, Lampard, etc. and yet they were struggling against relegation until he left). However, when he left us to go back to P*mpey, he suddenly became in the eyes of the media one of the greatest English managers around. So, why? Was it due to Tony Adams? Many people thought that his influence must have been significant, until he was given the chance to show what he could do as a Premier League manager and flopped hopelessly. That points to just one person - the brains behind Redknapp's more recent success has IMO been none other than Joe Jordan. And of course, Joe played for Saints for a few seasons. So, how about it? Joe Jordan for manager anyone?

You might be interested to know that there is a fans group called 'Northern Saints'. There are a few members on here (including NorthYorkSaint if he is who I think he is!) The group used to have a website but that is no longer there. However, group discussions are made using Yahoo groups. It's a useful place to identify other Saints from the north who are attending matches, etc. Here's a link to the group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nsaints

Surely 'Lieb' doesn't mean good (in German good is 'gut'). I would suggest 'Lieb' means 'Love' or 'Lovely' or 'Dear'. Therefore, the translation of Liebherr is 'Dear-man'. In terms of pronunciation, as many have said it is 'Leeb-hair' or if said quickly 'Leebair' or even just 'Leeber'.

Exactly!! Lallana has only had one full season in the first team squad - usually it takes a couple to make that step up. We have already seen the potential to a much higher degree than is usual for a player of his inexpereince. Let's remember what has happened with Nathan Dyer - he too had the potential and he has now gone on to begin to demonstrate that at Swansea. Let's also remember what Walcott was like in some matches - I remember seeing him in a couple of matches and thinking how unready he was for first team football at times! Lallana is the next in that production line. I, for one, hope that he stays and helps us to push for promotion despite the 10 point penalty.

So what would be our team next season? Davis, Murty, Mills, Perry, Thomas, Schneiderlin, Wotton, Lallana, Holmes, Rasiak and John. Subs: Lancashire, Saga or Thompson, James, Gillett, Bialkowski Or do we get two more subs this season? >>> 2 from Gobern, Thomson, Molyneux, Pulis, White, McLaggan or Saga/Thompson Saga/Thompson decision depends on whether we sign him and if he is any good!! Not that I expect us to keep all 3 of John, Saga and Rasiak, but if we do keep all of these players we wouldn't have a bad chance of catching up the 10 points quickly and making a good challenge! COYR!

Ah! But Guildford IS a city - that's why their football team is called Guildford City... ...although looking at their website it could be Saints next season!! http://www.guildfordcityfc.co.uk/

But then again... ...maybe it's not as bad as you pessimists think...!! You're believing this on the back of some big vendetta between The Echo and Pinnacle. Do we actually know anything of substance? Let's wait and hear what Fry has to say... after all, he did say that there would be no more drastic moves until Friday so that means his announcement must be an update of where we are up to as people are expecting to hear something today. Calm down everyone - we've still got a few days left with potentially 4 interested parties.

Perhaps not Larry David... but how about CRAIG DAVID?? Why do I say that?.... Craig David has strong link to Southampton. He is also half Jewish. And if you want a Russian link, he has recently completed a tour of Russia. Any thoughts?

Yes, you are right - both Arabs and Jews are Semitic. But they are two seperate nations/people groups within that categorisation, so perhaps 'race' was not quite the right word - perhaps I should have said 'nationality', though that can be easily confused because it is often used to mean something a little different. So let's just say that 'Jewish' refers to members of a people group rather than a religion. HTH

OK - looks like I was wrong!!! I should have checked out the stuff on his profile first! But it certainly looks great fodder for some conspiracy theory! In fact I suspect there will be a lot of conspiracy theories floating around should the Pinnacle bid fail and I must admit I am often one of the first to look for them (and have been known to come up with some pretty fanciful ones in the past!!) When the news about MF living in Barnet with his parents broke the other day my first thought was 'Is this some kind of Pompey conspiracy?' I keep seeing conspiracy clues in everything! But, the question still needs to be asked: If MF is part of a group, who is/are the main money spinner(s) in the group? I remember reading a comment from the other day about how MF has 'connections in his community': http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4461152.Saints_bid_leader_Tony_Lynam_is_pleased_Fialka_has_made_himself_known/ That seems to me to suggest his Jewish background is significant. Elsewhere I have read that Jews are on average more wealthy than any other race of people (and, yes, in answer to a question raised elsewhere, being Jewish is an issue of race not religion - while many/most Jews follow the Jewish religion to a greater or lesser extent, it is not unheard of to be Jewish and follow another religion - e.g. there are quite a lot of Jewish Christians) With this in mind, here's a link to some of the world's most significant Jews: http://www.scientificpsychic.com/search/famous-jews.html To the list on there can be added: Simon Cowell, Goldman Sachs, Claudia Winkelman, Lord Levy among others!!