Wes Tender

Actually, it occurs to me that parking on a single yellow line is free on the Industrial Estate adjacent to the stadium on a non home matchday, so the argument about the car park charges on that day is pointless anyway.

But apparently the point that I made was also obvious to all but a complete div too. But I'll explain it for the benefit of any who didn't understand it. Many fans manage to find a parking place for free within a short walk of the ground on match days. If it is a matter of finding somewhere to park near to the pick-up from the stadium for the duration of the Skate match, then as I already said, the problem is not a big one, except for those who like to whine about petty things. If Dune feels that the stadium parking should be open and free on that day, then I'm sure that lots of people who are not Saints fans will be delighted to utilise it also.

There is no charge for parking for 30 minutes to pick up a ticket. Furthermore, there is often a space or two just across the road where you can park for longer for free. Or did you want to park there all day for free whilst working in town all day, or during the match? On match days, I park a five minute walk away for free. What exactly is your problem?

I'm also a block 42er about two thirds of the way up and it didn't register that there was all this ST waving going on towards block 43. OK, there was a chant of "can we see you every week", which is fair enough when that block is only used when the crowd gets to a certain level, so the sentiment was that it would be good to see us selling enough tickets to realise that aim. Most of 42 is comprised of decent people, but I agree that there is an element of morons towards the back of the stand who occasionally come out with some cringeworthy chants, or annoy everybody by speeding up OWTS or the Ricky Lambert song to such an extent that they become totally unintelligible. But for people to move elsewhere, it is only going to exacerbate the problem. Who replaces the decent, older and more intelligent fans that move? It seems to be the spotty juvenile mates of the morons that replace them. It is important that we have a good noisy stand behind at least one of the goals, but increasingly the area making the noise and starting the chants, is the Kingsland/Northam corner.

Is it correct that he has only had one game with them? What exactly was the point of the loan? It doesn't look as if he will do enough to impress QPR into signing him on permanently and even if he came cap in hand and apologised profusely for his bad attitude to Adkins, I don't believe that he will be allowed to return to us. He must be kicking himself at his reverse of fortune, as it is not impossible that had he remained here and got his head down, he could be playing in the Premiership with us next season. There might well have been opportunities for him this season because of the number of matches in a short period which require an element of squad rotation, or even if Adkins thought that tactically he might suit certain opponents tactically. But Adkins' policy seems crystal clear in regard to team spirit; any disruptive influence is off the bus. Thankfully, we have ample cover not to miss him. Even with Chamberlain gone, we have several players who can play out wide and those like De Ridder, Chaplow, Lallana, Guly offer attributes that he possesses. Even without the attitude problems, would he get a game? Maybe, depending on injuries or suspensions to other players, maybe not even then.

Did we? I must have watched a different game to you. How about the 25 passes that ended with Connolly's goal? Agreed that we had a smattering of longer balls we delivered and we had that in our armoury because we played a high line with Chaplow often ahead of the two designated strikers, Lambert and Guly. But the strength of a team like ours is becoming, is that we can vary the play during the course of a game to keep the opposition confounded. Most of the play is our neat passing game, but if the opposition try and swamp the midfield to stifle us, we can put the occasional long ball in and get behind them. But the key for me was that Borough did not really know who to mark. Mark Lambert and Guly and Lallana and Cork and Chaplow and additionally the CBs for set pieces? It was too much for them to handle. We took the initiative from the kick-off and kept up the pressure throughout the match

No, it isn't just Chaplow, but the change in Chaplow is the most noticeable and those other players you mention were here much before him. It isn't as if Chaplow was carrying extra weight, or that he didn't look a decent committed player when he was last here on loan. It seems to me that the improvement in him is psychological. Somehow his confidence might have been in tatters at Preston and has received a massive boost here. Other players have certainly improved along the same lines, but none more so than Chaplow and because Claridge had watched him last season at Preston, the improvement in his demeanour has been very noticeable and worthy of comment. Most of us didn't see him last season and just remember glimpses of him from the last time he was here. Perhaps Adkins watched some videos from that season and saw potential and possibilities, a rough diamond that could be polished

A great showing of the match on the League show too, with much praise from Claridge. Chaplow in particular highlighted as being instrumental the last few games. Claridge commented that having watched him several times last season, he was nothing special, but the difference in him this season makes him almost appear to be a different player. How much of this is down to Adkins' encouragement, I wonder?

Just when is this home run of wins going to end? I thought that it might well have been today, as Middlesborough are a decent team with an intelligent manager in Mowbray and they like to play decent football. The game against West Ham was tight, so it was a reasonable position to believe that this game would be difficult also. But it wasn't. Instead, it was one of the best performances of the season so far, made even better because of the calibre of the opposition. The match statistics would make interesting reading; they hardly worried our defence at all, whereas we could have had at least another couple of goals. Fonte had a brace of free headers, Guly was a fraction away from his hat-trick and it might even have been down to the cross wind that his teasing shot just trickled inches wide. Lambert had a diving header that went parallel to the right hand post, but just the wrong side, so again, inches in it. With a team like the one that played today, who do Middlesborough mark? They can try and mark the two front men, Lambert and Guly, but couldn't cover for Chaplow marauding into their box, or the trickery of Lallana. Perhaps his return and the switch to playing Guly up front were the difference today. The combination of skillful players, allied to the sheer effort and grittiness of our display was simply too much for Middlesborough. But surely it would also have been too much for any other team in this division and quite possibly a few Premiership teams at the foot of the table too. Chaplow and Hammond epitomised that sheer endeavour in the centre and as a result, virtually all of the 50/50 balls fell to us. Discussing it with others around me, I wondered who the last player was to wear the red and white and show the grit and constant industry that Chaplow did today. What a diamond he is proving to be and £50,000 looks to be the bargain bit of business in this entire division. Chaplow was man of the match IMO, regardless of the two goals from Guly and his superb performance. Was there a weak performance from any Saints player today? Not any that I saw. The defence was magnificent, all four of them. Kelvin wasn't much troubled, as the few shots they had on target were all straight at him. We were playing the team with the meanest away defence in the division, only three goals having been scored against them so far this season. Well, we doubled that deficit and increased our goal difference with our clean sheet. Tactically, Adkins got it spot-on IMO. The team sheet to start with was certainly causing Middlesborough problems, but the substitutions also looked very effective. Connoly brought something different to Guly and it was good to see him on the score sheet again. A player of his calibre doesn't loose it overnight and he took his goal well. Apparently there were about 25 passes that proceeded it and it was great to see the patient build-up, followed by the coup-de-grace. When the third goal went in, it produced chants of "we're taking the p*ss" which must have been very discouraging to the Middlesborough fans already streaming towards the exits, a very long journey ahead of them in which to contemplate how we had totally outplayed them. As for the other aspects of the game, the crowd was superb, in great voice. In particular, there was good banter between the Northam and the Kingsland corner. The refereeing I thought was excellent. He really let the game flow and it was generally a clean but well fought game. It would increasingly be easy to feel blase about playing Peterborough on Tuesday expecting to turn them over too, but I don't think that Adkins allows the team to become complacent. It must however be a difficult thing to achieve though, to make them confident in their ability on the one hand and yet not too cocky on the other.

That's strange. I asked Dorkish and you replied. You're not the same person perhaps? Yes, he could have made a fortune by comparison from moving elsewhere, but that didn't interest him, for reasons that are well documented, as you say, in his book and elsewhere. Another who had an opportunity to do likewise but didn't, was Kelvin. Maybe Lallana might be content to stay here rather than move also. So as Dorkish says, it isn't all about money. Strange as it might seem, some people do consider other factors when they decide to go or stay. It appears that there are some ex-managers who move on to pastures greener far away, but who still maintain a property down here. Strong attractive factors to consider, the Portswood First school and the New Forest cream teas, eh?

You didn't answer the question. To refresh your memory, I wondered whether you wished to call Le Tiss an idiot for foregoing the untold riches he could have earned elsewhere. You don't work for the New Forest Tourist Board by any chance? You seem awfully keen to sing the praises of the general area.

The other chants have some element of irony or wit about them. The Cortese chant doesn't have either of those things as far as I can see, unless you'll beg to differ and see something I don't. I don't need to get over it, beyond cringing when some of our fans chant it. But then I accept that our fan base includes all types, some a bit brighter than average, some a bit less bright. And as a clue, IMO it isn't the brighter ones who sing it.

It really is the most cringeworthy song. Does Cortese come from Italy, or is he an Italian Swiss, who actually comes from Switzerland? I couldn't find very much at all about where he was born, or anything much about his personal details. Has he ever voiced any hatred at all towards Pompey? I don't recall any public spat like the one between Lowe and Mandaric for example, so in the absence of anything at all to suggest any animosity towards the Skates, that line looks puerile and infantile.

Quite. We'd have to worry that they're more like supermarket staff and would f*ck off to the next place that offers them a pound more. Shame that nobody told Le Tiss about that analogy, eh? Did you wish to tell him what an idiot he must have been and how his life would have been much better elsewhere?

Chaplow is a great player to have in the squad. His workrate is unsurpassed and his attitude is superb. The day we got him on board the bus was a very astute bit of business. He was going nowhere at Preston but has grasped the opportunity to revive his fortunes here with both hands. He has all the makings of a cult-hero for us. He adds something different to the team, a doggedness and resolve that few other players have to the same extent.

Very reasoned and fair. Unlike the OP who sounds a bit juvenile.

It's rather peculiar that you can read so much into my little tongue in cheek comment and state that it is on a par with the lecture you gave in return.

Whatever his crimes, you can't fault his arrogant stupidity in staying in Libya. I've corrected it for you.

On the news this morning, it said that Human Rights groups had called for an enquiry. What a waste of time that would be. So he was captured by an angry mob and was so hated and reviled by them that they took justice into their own hands. Enquiries into the human rights of the Libyans during his rule of terror would have been just as futile. These dictators come and go and frankly when they meet a sticky end, I'm not going to waste any time feeling sorry that they didn't have a fair trial. The next one on my list to rejoice if he met an equally sticky end, is Mugabe.

Was that a drier hotter summer we just had? When was that? I must have missed it. Oh, I see. You said colder winters or drier hotter summers, so yes, you're right, as we definitely had the colder winters.

No it's not, I'm afraid. It is human nature for a set of fans to be subdued when they are wary, apprehensive, or in awe of the opponents, at least in the early stages until confidence grows when they realise that their fears might be groundless. Granted that other factors come into play when the match is a local derby, a must win game, or a Cup Final, but that is also influenced by the other set of fans too. If they crank up the noise, then that encourages us to do so too. It is seldom that there is singing and chanting all through the game, no matter what is at stake, as the crowd responds to what is going on on the pitch, as the players also often respond to the encouragement of the fans. Even in different areas of our ground the reaction is varied, some areas like the Northam attracting the fans who like to be more vocal. The situation is too complicated to make broad sweeping statements. If we had to beat Barnsley at home in the last match to achieve promotion or demotion, then I'm pretty sure the atmosphere would be more charged. Beating West Ham wasn't in that league of drama and their fans didn't make much noise to encourage a backlash from the Northam or Itchen corner.

Who cares if they show a bias against us? If we carry on as we are they are going to look increasingly stupid. It was fair enough to call us struggling or lowly Southampton when we were in the Premiership, because mostly we were. But at the same time, so were West Ham. But West Ham were last year's Premiership side in second place, whereas the season before we were in the third division. I'm sure that they might have anticipated WH giving us a thrashing, but despite the number of chances of WH's they showed, it was us who gave them a lesson in how to play football properly. If we continue in this vein, there will come a time when this is recognised and we and NA are given due credit.

It isn't a load of rubbish at all. It's human nature that when people are nervous or apprehensive, they tend to be more withdrawn. It's one thing extolling the benefit of having the fans making a lot of noise in support of their team, quite another putting it into effect. As the match wore on and it became clear that we had no reason to be overawed by them, we became more relaxed and made more noise. When WH put more pressure on us towards the end, the noise levels cranked up quite a bit as the fans urged the players on to keep the clean sheet or score another.

Mostly they seemed better than our lot. But as on here, there is always one who lets the side down; like this bloke:-

Having had a good read of several of the contributions from the Hammers forum, I must say that they seem to be quite a balanced and reaonable bunch.