Wes Tender

Where in the OP is the valid point you speak of? Apart from anything else, they haven't even signed Quagliarella yet. He asks where our signings are with plenty of the window remaining. He infers that Cortese might not prepared to spend on a striker, which is plainly nonsense in view of those we are connected with, and he somehow feels that the signing of those two players signals their intent to finish the season higher than us. The OP gives a very good indication as to why he isn't considered to be a serious poster.

For the time being. But as we have been linked with players costing £20 million, we will wait until the window closes to see how that pans out.

West Ham shied away from signing him, but Bazza has peered into his crystal ball and has seen that not only will Norwich sign him, but he will be a revelation for them. Far better than any striker that we will sign during the next month.

Well, are you screaming into a mirror?

Ask Bazza. He has the intelligence to work it out and is therefore trolling.

I was hoping that he would ask what the massive flaw was. But as he hasn't, then it proves that he must be trolling.

Norwich didn't spend anywhere near as much as us last season and won't do this season either. Make of that what you will based on similar receipts of gate money and TV money.

It doesn't really require much intelligence to work out the massive flaw in that argument.

So, considerably less wealthy than us Norwich, have aced us to the cream of Summer signings. My God, their board must be bloody astute players in the marketplace! Has it escaped your attention that there is still some time to go during this transfer window and that we might yet make signings that will have them sit up and pay attention to us? Well judging from your orgasmic state, you obviously think that they have. But as there have been plenty of precedents of imported players failing to make the grade in the Premier League, it remains to be seen whether Wolf's Winky, Hooper or Quagliarella can cut the mustard. We could certainly have got Hooper here if we wanted, but I suspect that he is no longer deemed to be good enough for us and we are aiming higher than him.

Kevin Phillips

What a pity that the national governing bodies of several of the World's top footballing nations just don't get together and tell that **** Blatter and FIFA to go and do one, that they will boycott the World Cup in Qatar. How did it come about that organisations like the Olympics and FIFA became controlled by bent nonentities like him and Samaranch and then re-organised so that third World banana republics gained sufficient voting powers to enable people like that to sustain their power bases for years and years? You're probably right, it's because of bribery and corruption and it's long overdue that the whole system was totally swept away and reorganised along more democratic lines.

What sort of cars were they driving?

That will go down well with their fans

Does it need a separate thread to say this?

No need for personal abuse based on appearances. It isn't very clever.

Yes, the plans were big. But that was because somebody hadn't got the hang of differentiating between metric and imperial, just like that idiot on The Apprentice when he tried to order that flag in Dubai. The problem has since been remedied and the plans are of much more manageable proportions now, at back of fag packet size.

He would have given away penalties.

Here is the list of contributions of players now surplus to our requirements:- Sharp - 1 appearance as a sub (76) Richardson - 3 starts but one then subbed ( Three as a sub, (45,85,71) Reeves - 3 appearances as a sub (81,78,85) Chaplow - 3 Appearances as a sub (89,62,67) De Ridder - 5 Appearances as a sub (55,83,54,87,87) T Lee - 1 Appearance as a sub (78) So the point made that the players now surplus to requirements did not contribute much is pretty clear.

Are there any of our young prospects that might shine in the first team as strikers within the next couple of years? Jake Sinclair was highlighted as one of four Saints players to look out for a year or so ago, the others being Shaw, Ward-Prowse and Chambers. He seems to be fading from the radar lately, whereas Sam Gallagher and Ryan Seager appear to be on the up. Can anybody see these three making the grade anytime soon?

Lowe upon the furore when Hoddle was a candidate to return to us after WGS left. Cue Dalek's usual diatribe.

Both Chambers and Isgrove looked assured against really good quality opposition in Schalke. It was a great match for them to showcase their talents and tends to suggest that they therefore wouldn't look out of place playing in the team against most Premier League opposition. Both will be useful on the bench or playing in Cup matches and won't let us down while they develop their skills.

Cortese never said that people thought he was E.T. He actually said "When I arrived in English football with a background as a Swiss banker, people looked at me like I was an extra-terrestrial". It might surprise some on here that the two things are not the same, although I suspect that this reality would take away a lot of the infantile fun element from the Mail and others. As a parallel, it would have been as bizarre as Lowe saying that people were surprised to have somebody called Rupert as a football chairman and the Mail concluding that he meant Rupert the Bear.

Spot on Frank, as usual. And judging by other comments on here, people are getting mighty fed-up with the way that those three hijack virtually every thread and reduce it into an opportunity to gain childish amusement from their puerile little digs at others who dare to challenge their views, or who don't find them funny. It's really long overdue that the mods ought to have done something about them. If they don't then more and more will just get p*ssed off with the petty bickering and decide that it just isn't worth paying to be a full member and the forum will just decline as posters decide that it isn't worth contributing anything to it.

The title of the thread is Expectations for new season. I've given some idea of mine with a proviso of us signing a decent striker and further strengthening of the defence. If your opinion is that we'll struggle to avoid relegation, then good for you. Didn't you think that last year too? At least you're consistent in your pessimism.