Lighthouse

Your point is a bit of a cliche really. You are saying there are a handful of players who have been unpopular with a section of the crowd and gone on to play at a higher level. I doubt there is a club in the world you couldn't say that about. Everyone has unpopular players, or "boo boys" as you call them. Plus we didn't get from the Premier League to administration in League 1 without having a few bad players along the way. It's inevitable that a few of them get booed, even if I don't agree with it. Go to a game at Liverpool, Chelsea, Preston, Swindon etc. and you'll probably see a few of their players getting slated by a small minority. You've contradicted yourself somewhat with the bits in bold. Saying it's not just a couple of isolated idiots, then going on to name "some bloke... some dinlows... some idiot" spread accross the ground. If you'd said, "The entire chapel was stood up, to a man, arms in the air, all singing 'Puncheon, you're a c**t we all hope you die'" Then you might have a point. Not sure what you're getting at with Guly. He's had three excellent games recently. Good, but not good enough to alter the past.

1. You will be surprised how much noise a handful of people can make. I can remember being at the back of the Northam earlier in the season and seeing and hearing people booing Puncheon. It was certainly noticeable to the fans and players, but when you look closer you notice it's actually half a dosen drunk muppets a few rows down, a couple more behind you and a couple more over there somewhere. 2. I'm not comparing there ability, that's not my point. I'm saying that we've released several dosen players over the last decade. You're implying that many of them go on to better things because we didn't appreciate them. In reality most of them either retired or went on to a club the same or lower level. You name Crainey. He spent 3 years doing feck all at Leeds after we released him, he was hardly our fault. Same with Ormerod who had some very forgettable spells at Leeds, Wigan, Preston, Forest and Oldham before joining Blackpool.

1. They aren't whipping boys. There were probably only about 40-50 muppets out of an average crowd of 20,000 odd. Please stop taring our fan base with a brush that should only be used on less than 1% of Saints fans. 2. For ever player you name who has gone on to better things, there are probably 10 who've gone on to do absolutely bugger all. You've basically named about 10 players over the last decade or so. There are dosens of Jason Dodds, Jermaine Wrights and Neil McCanns who haven't left us to go and win the Champions League.

Was that the game where the steward planted one on a fan and got escorted out by the OB? Pretty sure that was the same game, was pretty funny. Hope they don't bring the drum on Saturday though. Feck that was annoying.

Yes, I'm not having much luck at the moment. I may consider becoming a chutney ferret.

I'd be p*ssed off if someone was trying to nick my shorts too.

Seaborne is alright. Doubt I'd lose much sleep if he left though, there are better options out there. I don't want him out, but if a decent offer came in I'd take it.

Maybe some of us are biased in thinking Niemi was the best that season, although he did have the highest percentage of shots on target saved in the Premier League that season (about 80% I think it was). I'm not going to go around in circles arguing about this. Yes there have been Saints players who have been crap and done it elsewhere. Conversely there have been a lot of players who have been unwanted elsewhere, then come good at Saints. The half dosen dubious examples you have given aren't enough to convince me St Mary's is a graveyard for promising football careers. Of the players you have named, only Fuller and Delap have been 'unwanted' and gone on to better things. We actually made a proffit on Fuller when we signed him, so it's hardly as if it all went wrong for him here. £90k shows just how highly Pompey rated him.

When KD left the first time he was a top player, but after a year at Blackburn they sold him back for a tenth of what they sold him for. Then he came back here and couldn't recapture his form from the first spell, left, then found his feet after a couple of seasons at Bolton. Beattie got in the England team with us, but has never been close since leaving. His first season at Everton was a nightmare, he improved after that but never set the League alight. He had a good season after dropping to the Championship, but when he went back to the Prem with Stoke he was pretty average. Now he can't get a game for love or money at Rangers. Niemi did alright for Fulham, but I'd say he was the best 'keeper in the Premier League for us in '03/'04. Why can't you accept that certain players do it at one club and not another? Why does the solution have to be, "the fans are all c**ts"?

What about all the players who played well for Saints, then flopped when they went somewhere else? Kevin Davies, James Beattie, Fabrice Fernandes, Dean Richards, Stern John, Gregorz Rasiak, Antti Niemi. Even in recent times Dan Harding and Jon Otsemobor were unwanted by their previous clubs, then came here and did a decent job. If you trawl through all the clubs in Europe you could find thousands of players who've done it for one team but not another. Clearly some people are desperate to believe it's just us and that are fans are all c**ts, but that isn't the case. Some of the examples you've named are bogus anyway. Jones was good enough, he just went on strike when a big money premiership move came up. Higgy I believe wanted to live further North, Puncheon was good enough, but clearly there is an attitude problem there. Delap was sh*te for about 2 years before he left and needed a fresh start. Blackstock moved on. He was nothing special and still isn't.

Would be great news for Saints. Would crap myself laughing if they did a straight swap and Burley ended up at Bompey. Probably as good as Whiskey George will get these days (I don't think he's an alcoholic, but if he was at least he'd have an excuse).

Cheers for all this guys. Will probably do Dubai in March now (for 6 days), seeing as it looks about 5 degrees warmer on average and the Caribbean is pretty hot at the mo. According to the website, the Meridien has a free shuttle service to Dubai, so I could do that and have a couple of days out in the city. Phil, Eric; I'll come and find you out there

Wins tonight for Wolves, Everton and Blackburn, plus a point for Wigan should have put the willies up them in the league. Maybe I'm clutching at straws, but I get the feeling that will have knocked their focus off this tie.

No, a 10 point deduction did. Without it we'd have been second in all likelyhood, haven't pretty much build a new squad from scratch. By far our worst run of results last season came in August and September, before the JPT had even started. Last time we got to the FA Cup final we finished 8th in the Premier League. Says it all IMO. Edit: Here's the League 1 table SINCE the first round of the JPT last season (2-2 draw with Torquay) Norwich - 79 Saints - 71 (Bearing in mind we played a weakend squad for the penultimate fixture, knowing we were already out of it, should really be 74) Millwall - 71 Swindon - 64 Charlton - 60 Leeds - 59

Cheers for that Phil. Was looking at Le Meridien Al Aqah, which looks to be on a nice secluded beach and has absolutely rave reviews on Trip Advisor. A bit pricey, but you only live once. I'm not looking to get baked. As long as it's warm enough to lie on the beach or swim, in only a tasteless thong, that's fine for me.

Looking to try and get away somewhere hot for a bit at the end of January. Has anyone been to Dubai in January before? According to Google, the temperatures are around the low 20s this time of year. Bit of a naff question, but does it 'feel' warm out there? I.e. pleasant enough to sail, swim etc. I'll take any other recommendations on board too, although I don't fancy much spending 15 hours on a plane.

I would have to disagree with you there. AOC has been bent over with cramp in a few of the games I've seen him in recently.

Austin signs!

I say play a strong team and go all out for the win. 'Pool have just lost at home to Brum, through a last minute goal. That will have been hugely demoralising and have them looking tentatively over their shoulder (5 points above the drop zone as it stands). It could get worse for them before Saturday with Everton, Wigan, West Ham, Villa and Blackburn all in action tonight. I'd swap a few players personally, but I'd expect Adkins to go with a pretty much full strength side. MY pick: Bart FR Fonte Martin Harding Lallana Chaplow Morgan Dickson Lambert Barnard

It's all down to statistics. If young men didn't crash more than young women it wouldn't be like that. I suppose it's mainly because girls are less likely to fit nitro kits to a 1.1 Fiat Punto and thrash them around a council estate.

Well, yes obviously, but how many people do you know who have been involved in a fatal car crash? I know quite a few people my age. Probably several hundred if I ever sat down and counted all of them and I don't know anyone who has been involved in a crash where someone has died. Statistically it's bound to happen one day and I just hope it's not me or someone I'm close to. I've known a few people who have had fender benders and a couple caught drink driving (without actually crashing), but £22k for someone who hasn't actually had a crash is ludicrous. I agree with your point about limiting engine sizes for teens, but in a way that's already the case. Insurance premiums are such that only a Premiership football can afford to run something properly fast.

I doubt I could do that much damage with a £600 Polo if I tried. They must be under the assumption that EVERY 17yo driver will definitely crash and write off someone elses £21,400 car. Nuts. I'm 22 and the cheapest quote I can find has never been with the same company. I didn't start driving until I was 19. Then I got a 700cc Daewoo Matiz insured for about £900. It's tough. When I was 17 I just didn't even bother (other than passing the test). Granted that's not really a solution here.

I think Kerry Katona is currently without a club.

Speak for yourself.

Swindon is pretty much the same time from Southampton as Birmingham or Loftus Road. Unless he has a family still living in Poole, I doubt that will be a factor.