Saint86

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.

We haven't average £20m on the above 4 players.... So we don't need to average £20m on 5.... The figures we are spending you are more looking at 8 players for £100m... Stop being melodramatic. Another summer like last with 3 quality additions in quality areas and we will be in very good stead.

That is utter hore****. Midfield is done and dusted, espciailly when ramirez comes good. We need a CB of Lovren or Fonte's level or better. We need someone like Osvaldo who isn't going to upset the team. We need a quality GK. As for spend. Ramirez is our most skillful player (£12m), wanyama (£12m) Lovren (£8m), Osvaldo (£12-15m). If we spend on good young players who actually fit and don't upset the team then I reckon we will have a very good first 11 next season. In perspective, we were close to drawing away to arsenal, beating them at home. In both games vs chelsea we utterly outplayed them for 60min (granted chelsea are far better than us and showed it in how they stepped up), we drew away to united, battered tottenham, drew with city when at 50% squad fitness. It really won't take much to push this squad on that little bit further so that we are challenging for europe. Certainly not £100m.... It is all about continuity and growing the squad organically... Not tottenham's upheaval. We need anther 3 quality signings and none going out next season. Yes the team has been disappointing of late, but we deserved at least a draw against Wet Spam, and Sunderland was frankly appalling, but its fine margins for this team now! Onwards and upwards.

Note it down guys. It is also the first time I have whole heartily, unequivocally agreed with turkish. He has been direct, and straight to the point! Every season we have a pointless thread about potential kits. This needs to change. Every season we need a thread which states "Give us the kit above ffs!" - How much do they pay the marketing team.

Haha, bless West Ham, they know how to cheer us up thats for sure. Just when we thought no one was more small time that the blue few, it turns out that hammers fans have a whole section focuses on opposition forums (but only when they win :mcinnes:) My favourite part about it is the hypocrisy of their fanbase now defending BFS's style when they wanted him out during the season he got them promoted. They really are a special lot, bless them!! This is literally hysterical. Dave in Sweden, you'll be pleased to know you made the list They even know where your from! Don't think they quoted glasgow though... he'll have to have words I mean he goes to so much effort! http://kumb.com/story.php?id=127386 Enjoy guys ::

Purely because of the manager and no one else. The cup debacle was entirely on MoPo..... 4 wins in 17 tells another tale. Transfer wise, lets be honest, he signed Osvaldo, and the committee definitely signed wanyama and lovren, and ramirez. You give Nigel Adkins this team, we would score a **** load more, Lambert would be a new man, and we would go back to having **** all injuries... The most telling stat, Morgan no injuries for 3 seasons, then MoPo arrived. Adkins record once the team had adjusted is better than MoPo's, with a worse team. Plus Nigel actually loved the fans. Its clear than MoPo has far less feeling towards the fanbase, has zero interest in winning any silver trophies, and has openly refused to commit to the club going forward. I really hope we are looking for replacement's at this moment in time. Because we need to be ready when he ditches us, or being pre-emptive about it. Was it worth breaking up a winning team for sunderland? Just to go out of the cup, with a week to recover for this game? Is 9th place worth more than a possible trip to wembley?

Don't hold your breath mate. He couldn't turn it around against Sunderland's second string and they would have gotten relegated in the championship. Serious doubts emerging. He is achieving the bare minimum with this squad this season and only 1 win against a top 10 team. Cortese would likely have got rid in the summer if we only manager a 9th place finish and limp across the line at that. MoPo is in serious danger of losing the fans after Sunderland, and a limp end of season like last year would mean most of us won't care if he leaves in the summer. Honeymoon is coming to a close, the man needs to step up, starting this afternoon.

Thank god for no wanyama!!! Cork is twice the player

Hmm, fair play... he does appear to have a bit of passion and spite and some of the criticism has clearly stung him. If he puts his money where his mouth is and delivers then I can forgive sunderland.

It can be solved in excel using the "solver" add in... It would require some time on someones part and little bit of know how, but shouldn't be too difficult. Ultimately, you would have input all remaining fixtures, then set the solver to maximize the value of the 18th placed team and allow it to auto compute the results. (Not that the table would obviously fluctuate with each permutation so the objective would simply be to maximize the cell value for points at league position 18. You'd have to do some look ups to make the league table function.