melmacian_saint

Also I think people haven't realized the kind of trouble we could be if we don't win (I mean, 3 points) on Saturday. I know a number of people have been saying that "oh it's QPR" ; "we won't go down", but getting into the trouble is 50% of a drop disaster. Anything else could leave us either a point away of the drop zone or effectively in/out of it on goal difference. Worse, should Arry be Houdini as he once was called, if QPR manage a shock win then that's them back into life, causing even more mayhem in the drop area. All of this as we get in to the decisive third of the season (so not even the last month where anything can be too little too late). Effectively, Saturday is about either storing the calculator or effectively turning it on. More than any other, this one really is a relegation 6-pointer. Dare I say, a first match-ball.

I don't understand how people can put Hooiveld and Fonte in the same bag. Jose is better than Jos. Stop trying to make up excuses for Jos and realize he should be sharing Fox's cab home!

I think people should also remember Ronaldo was experiencing his first senior football season during that first one at United at 18 years of age. And again, it's United. I suppose there is a very big risk in going for external, talented young players in that they are always very costly and like all other youngsters don't produce medium/short-term outstanding results for the team. It's complicated because you will always expect a 12m record signing to be an impact at least a few months into his club career, particularly in a club which has seen the likes of Bale, Walcott, AOC and now Shaw produce outstanding performances at a very young age. I also think that all the pampering he received from both fans and the atmosphere around the club hindered rather than helped. Trust me to say that the last thing a south american young talent needs is being given special treatment when he arrives at a new club and league. He had less than 5 minutes into his Saints career and we were already singing his name more times than that of other players who had been much more influential for a longer time. Dare I say, Lambert of all has been dedicated less chants this season! Then there is also the interviews once he showed a bit of his talent where the papers in their very own style kept asking questions to others about what a superstar he was. I remember this flash interview with Lallana and Adkins where the reporters kept going on about "it must be a privilege to play next to him" and "he really is great isn't he?" in their questions. He's a 20 year-old with two seasons for an average Serie A team FFS, not Diego Forlán! I believe this has made him drop the ball and believe he's got us in his back pocket, which is normal at his age. I always thought this season was going to be a miss for him given that he joined us at the 11th hour from a league of slower pace and more relaxed physical preparation, as well as moving to another country. I do believe that MP will not go on the love fest and will set high standards for him, and I am sure he will be a great success for us. However, he does need to offer a bit more right now, his price tag requires so.

Unlucky. To be fair we've just been looking too desperate defending and haven't' really settled. Goal was an exception rather than the rule.

Surprising how bipolar this forum can be, and just how unrealistic fans are sometimes. A win that most of us will remember for a while is no good justification for us dissing the standard of the Premier League by calling other teams (some of which have taken points away from us this season) very poor, and certainly not to diss a team who had a similar form to us at a certain stage this season. Fair point about Adkins- we all loved him, but seems that general fan expectations of his performance in the PL were quite low anyway.

I think the League One gang of 5 (though maybe Puncheon's troubles for most of it keep him out IMO) have to be the ones. We really did hit gold by getting together a backbone that was able to adapt to the constant incremental change of our opposition surroundings with more or less difficulty, particularly at such a distant level as that of L1. It's also helped that we have managed to find a spot-on compliment to each of them in their sector every season, i.e. Cork/Schneiderlin, Fonte/Yoshida, Stevie D as a successor of Chaplow in providing electric power to our game, Clyne/Puncheon... I imagine that some of them will start to loose importance, but it would be fantastic if the five of them could be seen in our regular starting line-up photos should this dream of top 4 pushes have any realism to it.

Errrr....you know many of those who were persecuted by the Franco regime (writers, businesspeople, other opponents etc.) actually ran off to those countries for asylum, right?

Sturrock was a bit of a victim of everything: himself, the club, presumably some players and most importantly Lowe's terribly cured 02-04 success hangover. He maybe lacked a bit of the smart looks the Premier League requires nowadays, but that's something that a little talk for 2 minutes after the press conference can change. However, Lowe was so absorbed into his own success that he believed he had to be offered gold every time he moved his arse. Sturrock knew a lot about football and refreshed a team that was showing insecurity after loosing it's big leader for 2 successful years. I guess pre-season preparations may have been seen by the club as amateurish, but the truth is that there was little factual evidence to prove that he was going to be a failure in the new season. Maybe the players weren't happy, then again the solution would've been getting them together at SMS and clear the air. It probably didn't help that he wasn't the first option and that Lowe never got over this and just expected success to keep coming automatically, so he took the easy option to go for another (apparently) easy one: Saggy. I mean, what could go wrong?? We also don't know if Sturrock's signings were due to lack of funds or just poor judgement. Knowing Strachan's departure also had to do with him feeling the club was refusing to pay a single bus fare to leave the dead end, maybe Lowe's lack of real belief in Sturrock only made things worse in this aspect, and he was scouting on a sixpence. In the end, he never really got the full approval and backing of the directors and this probably made it very difficult for him to come and do things. Big mistake to go for him in the first place given such circumstances IMO, and more so not to have let him go once the season was over if the support wasn't still there. That preseason cost us dearly.

Interesting story about Dundee. They've certainly paid a heavy price for all that overspending, diverging totally from the level of their (literally) next-door neighbours United ever since then, when they were virtually equal in terms of success up to that date (both had a decade of extraordinary success and were regulars at the top of scottish football). They must be happy the Rangers issue meant they enjoyed a revenue-pumping season in the SPL, even if not as much as it would've been if the giants were in it.

We could probably still claim the 5% of the total amount corresponding to youth training rights...given we were on the verge of liquidation it really is all we can do.

Ok so assuming that they only get the -10 points deduction in the 2013-2014 season....how many points to mathematical relegation? Could we be looking at a record? What's the earliest recorded date for the relegation of a league team?

Very true. On the other hand the tribunal has dictated that Jos Hooiveld is the new (and big) top form Fabio Cannavaro. And Kelvin Davis should start our matches in a league above his level just because he accumulated enough games with us to do so ala Tesco Clubcard.

Would be great if we could get them in the cup next year at SMS as they struggle to maintain FL status. Imagine the symbolic send-off, particularly if we go on to establish ourselves in the top half.

Seems like a lot of decent talent was lost to the despair of that period of 2008-admin. Then again it maybe that our dire future back then was the only reason they got some game time...

They've got a fresh, young group down there. Howe, Fletcher, and the back room staff are all looking to make a name for themselves in the game. A lesser version of us if you want. Hope they do well.

Hooiveld was brought last year to cover for our defensive shortage and help us get through the Championship. I think our messy summer transfer period was what ensured he made it through to the PL. His mission at Saints is over so I expect him to leave and I think the future is now between Yoshida/Fonte/Forren. Maybe we're expecting one of them to provide some revenue in the future so it'll probably get down to two of them anyway?

Fox and Hooiveld are two players who can do a job if required and unlike what most people seemed to think will not make a critical mistake every single game they play. However, they have very clear limitations which will lead to them being found out more often than not. Again, this does NOT mean every single game, but just like we can't say they are terrible and should be let go based on 1-2 games, it is now not coherent or right to say that they are starting 11 material based on a single game, even if one against the Champions. Both of them are obviously feeling more confident which helps a lot but have we really become unable to spot their crucial deficiencies? I don't think so. I expect Fox to be a substitute of Shaw at LB as I expect Hooiveld to return to the bench when Fonte is back on full fitness or even when Forren is ready given he's already making the squad after coming from the holiday period of Norwegian football. As I say, the are decent cover. But let's not get carried away, that's all they are and quite frankly I don't think replacing them at the end of the season would create an Adkins-firing style revolt from any of us. As it wouldn't with any of our current squad bar maybe Lambert or Lallana...

Did anyone watch the FL show last night and saw how SDR was booed off the pitch by Bolton fans? Starting to realize he may not even be up to Championship level.

What a performance. Simply great, has to be up there with the best since St.Mary's emerged from the ground. Completely dominated, lots of intensity, high-tempo passing, breaking into positions, outrunning them in every position and even those who aren't really up to it showed that a little confidence can take you to do a job (Fox and Hooiveld I mean, but my opinion about them as players won't change, but credit they were ok today). Some beautiful attacking football and a team that slowly is hitting the headlines every now and then. MOTM for me either Lambert (never seen someone create so much space with a simple touch of the ball) or the Ginga Ninja Steven Davis, electric player who really transmits intensity and tempo to our attack and very composed on the ball. Schneiderlin and Cork > Barry and Nasri. Rocking atmosphere. Really happy times at SMS. COYR!!

Opportunists galore. Credit where due though, he was good today.

Is it therefore fair to say that Andy Cole was ill-sold by the Yorkishire messiah?

Does this also mean that the next court hearing will not be further adjourned and a valuation of Fratton Park will therefore be determined?

I don't think that was the reason. I think the staff (Nigel et al.) put him on to see where he was at, and realized he was off his fitness. It just so happened that there was that incident, but I think he was going to be dropped no matter what and get in a special plan to recover his best fitness. No matter how good you are if you haven't had a proper preparation it won't work out. He's got it and now is performing just like his pedigree indicated. Excellent since being introduced back in the side.

A question for those who may know: isn't there a March deadline for any club to sign new free agents, by which point no new additions to any squad are impossible? Meaning that should those players not renew their contracts by then it's youth or nothing? I know the loan window closes by then too but I'm sure there's a worldwide FIFA rule that goes along these lines.

SchneiderCork now at least in the top 5 central midfield combinations in the Prem IMO.