Saint86

Can someone please explain this agreement concisely for me.

So Mo Farah and Kevin Pieterson shouldn't be allowed to represent their home either. I wonder how many Brits are of pure celtic blood....

People moan about Lambert getting less goals because of mopo's system and playing deeper.... Then say they dont think he can play as a target man... Did you watch must of the last 4 years? He's a great target man ffs, but unlike Carroll he has the flexibilty to play deeper and across the front 3. 41 chances is great but hardly surprising, as I stated in the new striker thread... Lambert does a bell of a lot more for the team than some fans seem to notice, Ye we need a younger model, but the guy still has enough in him to get to the world cup, and caroll returning may just push him on... Carroll scores 1 - Lambert 1 goal, one assist. Long may it continue!

Just lol

Exhibit A... NC guides saints from 20th in league 1 to 3rd in the premier league in 3 years and achieves back to back promotions with Adkins who has a net spend of £3m in that time. Exhibit B... Sour mash manages to not hold his fork like plank when eating his cereal, still, its baby steps as he works his way up to the spoon. As for your deligtful trolling and point you are trying to make. I don't have a life objective to prove you wrong on a football forum (hmm maybe that is what my life is missing afterall )... Most saints fans with a basic grasp know Cortese was excellent at negotiating for the club, the oxlade chamberlain deal that Alpine proffered is a great example. But also just signing players like lambert and fonte (who he persuaded to step down a division) and keeping Morgan, lallana together etc was fantastic management. I doubt we'd have done so well if we didn't have a squad of premier league and england internationals on the way up. You also have to look at how all our key players are on long term key contracts giving us financial sercurity when bids start coming in. You may not like people who are successful, personally I'm quite glad Nicola was around when we went bust, we could have had the shower at coventry, leeds, portsmouth etc etc etc.. Instead we got back to back promotions, plaudits for our style of play, 4 england call ups, and the best acadamey in england, with the actual prospect of keeping them all for once. Not only that but he got saints fans signing and dreaming again. All under his stewardship. Any examples for the prosecution per chance? Or shall I bring up relative agent fees vs other clubs for another example of what his negotiating skills gave the club? If not, then do jog on you miserable wind up, are you able to run?

So to be clear, being a swiss banker supporting a wide range of sporting clubs including a catalogue of top european club clients is not a business? Or are you just jumping on the Alpine has spoken there fore must be shouted down.

Jesus chirst sour mash, put a sock in it. You are wrong and Alpine is right, seriously deal with it. If you want to criticise NC for the job he did you're a total numpty.

I'll reserve judgement until we see what he can do, for the time being i'm concerned by the shear amount of management waffle and guff he talks whilst not actually saying much of anything. My main concern is the lack of objective and ambition they are showing, and he is in fact talking down success on the football pitch in favour of better communication with the fans. Ask arsenal how much they like not winning things... Say what you want, Cortese came in and said bold ambitious things, and then he delivered them. "5 year plan to return to the premier league" Long term goal to become and established premier league team (done in 5 years ) and push for europe in next 5... Youth academy 50% of team from academy etc etc The fact that this guy can't give any indication of objectives is concerning, its not hard to just restate the existing ones ala academy and 50% of fist team... but he didn't do that. Worries me. Gone from balls and drive of steel Cortese to what exactly. Far from placated at this present time, a good summer and pochetino signing will go someway to instilling faith in me.

So that feels like euphoria to the rest of us then?

hmmm.... So obvious that he ranks 8th on the EA PPI (Jayrod 9th), and in fantasy football terms, he is the 7th best striker in the prem (JayRod 6th) and comes 12th in points per game (Jayrod 13th).. He is above Negredo for example in every single rating comparison, as well as being above RVP, lukaku, Benteke, Bony, dzeko, agbonlahor, Eto'o, Torres, Bar etc etc etc.. So its not that frigging obvious, we just have a load of fans who don't watch what he does for the team. Granted that he is nearing the end of his playing career, but the man deserves fantastic respect and not the sniping that is going on in the wings. He is doing a more than respectable job in my humble opinion. But.... a younger replacement will be required for next season, or it will be too late to replace him when it really is needed.

I like your logic. 100% of fans who went to sunderland were and are mightily fu cked off. Everyone who didn't go has no right to complain or be happy that we are 9th / be over it. Which I will read as the tiny ticket allocation relative to our fanbase are the only ones who have a right to an oppinion on this issue. Shall I not use your own stick to beat you with. Serioulsy, this thread has reached 97 posts, covers and issue that ****ed off a lot of saints fans... who annoyance at the cup upset is now being used by other saints fans to beat those who are passionate and disappointed about the clubs attitude. If you don't want to discuss the issue or have no grief about supporting a club that has no interest in winning anything of note then thats your look out, BUT DON'T CLICK THE ****ING LINK to abuse fellow fans. For the rest of us (thats those who would like to think that all the money, time, tears and effort is actually worth something) its is frustrating to think that we should have beaten Sunderlands second string (would get relegated from the championship to be frank), and would then have faced a team we have routinely beaten and battered in hull just for a Wembley day out that we can either share with our old man or share with ours kids. Instead the club effectively threw the towel in, then proceeded to give a limp **** in hand performance at west ham after 10days rest. 9th place aint worth it, wembley is. Unless we are going to hark on about 9th place finishes instead of 2nd once 84 fades from memory......

Personally think the club have thrown away the perfect chance to not only reach an fa cup semi, but also the final. Hull had a home draw against Sunderland but also a 3rd tier team at Wembley in the semi. Man. Ity are in the pro ess of losing at home to Wigan 2-0 at time of writing and are on the other side of the draw for the final anyway. Worst case outcome had we bothered to try vs Sunderlands second string was a final vs arsenal as the bare minimum. Once again I am fuming.. If MoPo really wanted Europe it was there on a plate, with a proper cup final and a chance to avenge 2003. He's either lying or awful at squad rotation.. not that a 10day rest did our players any good agaist west ham.... Or Liverpool. Ah well, at least we can enjoy 8th/9th hey guys!

Pulis is a very good manager, and he has shown at palace that he can change up his style, its the stoke faithful that bum the hoofball. He just did what worked with the players he had, he's change club, different resources and squad, and he has adapted accordingly. His stock is very good in my humble opinion.

Great post, and not to not to high jack Barry's thread (although it is close to descending into a troll feast at any moment - well played restraint everyone!) I think the very ambition and objectives of having the academy relies on players being sold. We can't keep bringing through players like chambers, shaw, warde prowse (one age range) plus target, reed, gallagher, then stephens, turnbull, plus sims, seager, rowe, sinclair etc etc (apologies to the ones i have forgotten)... If we managed this, at the rate of say 3 first teamers a season (which is what it will achieve at this rate and given a few seasons to mature) in 4 years we fill the first team... regardless of buying the quality positions we aren't producing. We need to sell some to give the others first team football!! So you have to accept that we are not going to keep them all. We can't have a squad of just academy players, they will be too young and lack the mental toughness, some will therefore move for first team football, unavoidable. On the plus side, I literally don't understand Barry on any rational level, the academy pays for itself. A player of shaw's level would cost us £12-15m to buy, plus agents fees, plus more expensive wages than an academy kid. Academey players instantly gel with the other kids they have known and played with for years, understands the teams style of play, and will be more loyal and committed. Just from the above they save us a fortune. Then we sell the odd nipper, which helps fund a quality buy like lovren (we can hope ) Once this is in full swing, we would potentially end up with a sustainable club, low wages, low agent fees, massive tv revenues, and a low net spend per season. Put it this way, bring 3 through a season, sell 1 for the going rate of what now appears to be in excess of £12-15m (oxlade) or circa £25m for shaw... when our highest transfer is going to be £12m? for wanyama? Job done in my book, seeds sown and time to watch in naturally grow. Every year, teams are spending £7-10m on squad players (look at cardiff, norwich, villa!, qpr, tottenham etc etc... For a comparatively small amount, we have Gallagher, chambers, warde prowse etc etc. All will get better with age and more and more seem to following at an accelerating rate. Keep this squad together for a couple of seasons, let those this batch of nippers become established and grow and the program will roll on and on!!!! Yeah baby!

George Graham's Arsenal managed fine though didn't they.... And our football is a hell of a lot more entertaining? If you went to games more you might get more in tune with the team, the fans, and the joy of watching your team. Whilst it is more important to you to set up a post match thread on 85min each week I think you are possibly missing out and missing the point.

Livepool, man utd and Arsenal fans were all talking about Lallana with envioous eyes last night.... And whats more, a fair few said they can't afford him. How good do you want him to be? He is allready in the top 2 or 3 english players at the moment. The rest of the country needs to catch up with the concept that academy football clubs won't all be playing in the champions league, doesn't mean their players aren't class. How many quality spanish/german young players don't play in the CL... If Lallana stays injury free we will have one of the best english players in our team for the next 5 years. He will only get better with every new challenge as well... as is the case with all our youngsters.... Keep them and the future is bright.

That would be a tidy summer of business. Wellbeck is like a more mobile Lambert, people slate him, but hes a fantastic team player, fast, strong, technically very good, and hes young and english! Sign the lad up. I have wanted kasper since we signed lambert.... Oi Southampton fc, sign him ffs!!! Centre back, i think we should go for an older experienced player, it would give turnbull or stephens time to mature.

For "glowing praise" read his arse hole is squeaky clean following the rimming of a lifetime

Oh he's consistent...

Excellent, and I was at a loose end this evening as well POL should make for some good reading/entertainment

This is a good thread. Turkish getting battered post after post and his only response is to give people more ammo to prove him wrong. Its something like mongboard 9-0 Turkish at present. Keep it coming guys!

Ramriez's freekicks were in swingers to the far back post that were threatening and found a man almost every time, again we were unable to convert - Ramirez's Fault Coming on a taking the ball forward dribbling past several liverpool players before laying the ball off only for it then to be wasted - Ramirez's fault Let me guess.... 2nd goal - Ramirez's fault? Penalty/dive - Ramirez's fault? Please... Seriously grow a pair and get behind the team.

Liverpool have 5 as well .... Also wellbeck will not go.

Are people surprised? Seriously. I mean congrats but this was obvious. What is surprising is that the only 2 right backs that are named are walker and Johnson. Liverpool fan in our office (yes he has never seen them live) can't believe Johnson has been picked. Hodgson has opted not to get anyone else blended into the squad before the world cup. Could be risky if Johnson's fitness fails.

Disagree completely tbh, although I can see what you are saying. For me, you don't go from 3rd to 9th place and call that acceptable. Where is the ambition there? "Sorry guys we tried, couldn't hack it, so we're going to settle for 9th!" What it is, is a sign of what can be achieved and what we should strive for. Getting massively down in the dumps definitely not required, but the team have set the level they should strive for themselves, and we should support them to achieve it. Not clap them on the back for coming in nomandsland and being out of both cups without so much as a whimper.