Wes Tender

Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable about the title to this thread? OK, so it's been resurrected from much earlier in the season, but in view of everything that has gone on since, it looks as out of date as Pompey's FA Cup triumph. Whether we ever know the full truth about the circumstances that led to Pardew's departure is doubtful. He's been gone some time and nothing concrete beyond rumour and innuendo has surfaced so far. But in any event, who cares? The only possibility that would have been an improvement on what Adkins has achieved, would have been going up as champions and there is nothing to suggest in most peoples' minds that Pardew might have achieved that. So if people want to stir up and muddy the waters rather than moving on, how about waiting for some other rumours to surface and then begin again with a new thread and a more sensible title?

Ditto. I also reckon he would have kept us up had the idiot Lowe not got rid of him through spite, because he had not appointed him.

I think that you've got a funny idea as to how long it takes to do a count and how much extra the AV system would have added. Most counts take at least a couple of hours and in most seats where there wasn't a clear majority of over 50% of the vote, that would require all of the votes of the lowest eliminated candidate to be redistributed and then perhaps again and again. You're therefore talking the process taking two or maybe three times the duration. Now, if you're paid by the session under the existing system, expecting to take a couple of hours or so and then told that for the same sum of money you might be expected to work for two or three times longer, I'm sure that as such an upright member of the community, you'd agree willingly, wouldn't you?

I've enjoyed the third division much more than I expected to. As already mentioned, the fans that have continued to support the team come what may, are the real fans and it's encouraging that we have such a hard core. Magnificent. The players also are proud to wear the shirt (apart from one). But we had reached our lowest ebb, our confidence shot to pieces and the pendulum is swinging firmly in the other direction. Even though the Skates had the ascendency for a few years, we begin the new season in August on level pegging. But all things being equal with the continued support of the Liebherrs, we can be confident that we will continue our journey onwards and upwards, whereas they will continue their journey downwards towards oblivion. The future's bright; the future's red and white. Because we fell so low, when we are again back in the Premiership, success will taste all the sweeter.

Yes, it's a miracle, isn't it? Must be that all of the other teams below us in the division had greater problems than ours.

So if you sent away for a free product, you wouldn't expect to have to pay for the postage and packing then?

Agreed. I was merely putting across the opposite view to Badger's to show the other side of the coin. In much the same way that throughout I have countered the adjectives "fair" or "unfair" when they have been applied by the Yes Campaign. The problem with reform of the voting system, is that there are so many alternative systems, some that are quite complicated, so that the option to leave things as they are will almost certainly achieve greater support if all of the other alternatives were ranged against it together at one time. So what is the solution? To have a succession of referenda, FPTP v STV, followed by FPTP v PR, v AV, v whatever else is an alternative? Yes, a party can have reform of the voting system as a main plank of their manifesto, but before it is implemented, there would have to be a referendum on it first. If Frank believes that AV was the wrong choice of the wet behind the ears Lib Dems, why didn't they hold out for something else as the price for the coalition?

In the same way that anybody voting Yes must accept that the voting public have expessed their wishes democratically and they must accept the result and stop their bleating if the result is that the vote is for leaving things as they are.

The biggest gripe with Tory voters is that the so-called mandate that Blair had last time around, was achieved with the help of the large number of Labour MPs from Scottish and Welsh seats, where those countries have their own Parliaments (Assemblies). That and the smaller number of voters required to elect a Labour MP than a Conservative or Lib Dem one. And if you accuse the Cons/Lab of hypocrisy for wanting to keep a voting system that favours them, then if you are truly unblinkered, you will also accept that the main reason that the Lib Dems want to change the current system, is that other voting systems would favour them. Or do you naively believe that they want the change solely in the interests of fairness?

Please explain. The Sun being what, exactly? The rich man's something or other... The Tory Right's bible is The Telegraph. HTH

No. Humpheys got it wrong, Cameron told him so. Humphreys is the one who needs to go home and do his homework before he next quizzes somebody on something like this.

Well, I thought that Cameron gave as good as he got. But if you wish to believe otherwise, then carry on. It's only your opinion. He became Prime Minister because he was elected to lead his party and then his party had the largest number of seats. How did Gordon Brown become PM? And how did Clegg become Deputy PM?

Would he make the first team sheet for us, or would he just be cover?

I read a rumour earlier today that Norwich are interested in him. As he sees himself as a Premiership player, I hope that whoever buys him pays good money to us. I don't care where he ends up, so long as he takes himself, his ego and his attitude elsewhere.

HaHaHa!

Donated. Many thanks, Mike, for all your efforts.

This. I can well recall the wrist-slitters and those preparing to throw themsleves from the Itchen Bridge when we weren't top by Christmas, saying that we'd blown our chances of promotion or not even reaching the play-offs. I can recall making the analogy at the time that a season is a marathon, not a sprint. Minty is quite right; we might have the most expensive squad of players in the division, but that doesn't necessarily translate to success on the pitch. In any event, our most expensive buy has been Lambert and at £1 million, that isn't exactly the equivalent of buying Messi, even in this division. Many of our players though, like Lallana and Chamberlain might have a very high residual value to them, but are home grown. Are we to feel a bit embarrassed that we have such quality in them too? Credit To Pardew for laying the basis of the squad, but what has made it easier is the number of players who have been captains of their former teams. To that extent only, it might be argued that the job of motivation was reduced, as players who have the credentials to be captain are arguably professional enough to motivate themselves as well as their team mates. But the choice of team and the tactics are firmly in Adkins' grasp, so well done to him for getting it all right, at the right time. By all means, judge him on his performance next season, but not having the good grace to credit him with a marvellous performance this season makes it look grudging and petty.

Commiserations, Huddersfield. You ran us neck and neck and but for the game in hand and our better goal difference, it might have been different without the margin for error. You are a very valiant and spirited team and deserve to go up from the play-offs. As Bournemouth and their mouthy Chairman, Mitchell, have acted no better than the mouthy Ferguson Jnr., I would certainly prefer you to go up ahead of either of them.

Agreed. It wouldn't have been a surprise at all if he didn't make the full ninety minutes after so long out, but he's been runing around like a nipper. As you say, he has been a very able replacement for Barnard, with almost certainly the better footballing brain. And that turn and shoot goal against Brighton was just a superb bit of skill. If that's what he's capable off, then let us see more.

Thank you Nigel for the brilliant job you have down for us in managing a fine bunch of players that you have honed into a great team. You have instilled cameraderie, belief and unity of purpose into them and they do you and us great credit. I've enjoyed watching the football played by this team in this division more than I could ever have suspected, because you got them playing entertaining, winning football. But now it is time to move back up, towards where we should be and I have every confidence in your ability to take us up the next step too. And after the celebration party next Saturday, I look forward to your and our continuing success next season.

What a brilliant day! First Bin Laden gets his just desserts at last and can now rot in hell. Then we tie up our promotion and take a giant step back to the promised land. And just to round things off nicely, the Skates lose to Norwich, handing them promotion too. Norwich are living proof to us that it can be done in consecutive seasons. The last season they were down with us, we had the beating of them. We can get in one or two players to ensure that we can do as well as them next season. I'm sure that Markus Liebherr watched our match today from his grandstand seat in heaven, that benevolent, avuncular smile lighting his face when the final whistle went. What a shame he wasn't there in person with his camera. To all of those who posted their fears at the time of Pardew's dismissal that we had blown our chances of promotion, or even the play-offs, how stupid do you look now?

As big a leap of imagination to conclude that if there is a low turnout, it is because of a general disenchantment of politics, instead of it being because the electorate do not care that much about the issue. After all, referenda only occur pretty well with the regularity of Halley's Comet, so are you saying that the electorate are fed up with those too? This isn't a local Council election where people can't be bothered because they're just not interested in local politics. This is an extremely rare opportunity to change the voting system, so if there is a low turnout, the conclusion that people don't see the change as necessary is far more likely than your conclusion that it is an apathy about politics in general. What leads to disenchantment with politics, is the political parties failing to connect with the electorate with policies that fire their imagination. Also, many politicians have lost the respect of the electorate because of scandalous behaviour like the expenses fiasco, or through hypocrisy and arrogance. Furthermore, there are very few politicians with any degree of gravitas or real conviction; everything is sound-bites and spin now. Yes, there might be disillusionment because in many seats it is nigh impossible to unseat an MP of one party or another and it might also seem that the current system does not favour a third party, although my own feeling is that the current third party exemplify the lack of gravitas and conviction. But it is easy to bleat about the system, whilst overlooking the other reasons I have given as to why there is this general disenchantment. And I agree also with Sergei. A more complex voting system will increase this disenchanment.

Corrected yours too. Childish, isn't?

Yes, it will show what a non-event the voting public consider this referendum to be. If they considered that the current system was unfair and had an opportunity to change it, they would surely turn out in their droves to correct this apparent injustice, wouldn't they? And whereas the Tory and Labour big guns are only expending so much effort because of their own insecurity at having to be truly democratic, the Lib Dems are in the campaign purely because they believe the country needs a fairer voting system, not that they believe that they will gain a considerable advantage from it if the system were to be changed. But whereas I'm presuming from your comment that you consider the AV system to be what is truly democratic, it is in fact the referendum that comes closest to being that. So having agreed to allow the referendum, how can they be accused of being insecure or having a low opinion of the electorate in general? No doubt that if the main two party's top guns did not put in this "massive effort", you'd have accused them of not taking the issue seriously and therefore treating the voting public with contempt, so they can't win with you, eh?

It was almost inevitable that Huddersfield would beat Brighton and match us point for point. But with a game in hand and a vastly superior goal difference, it is they who must feel mightily down at the mouth at the way that we are performing. They are giving it their all and it is not enough to make a dent in our advantage. We have the confidence boost, the impetus and the knowledge that it is still firmly in our hands. They must be getting an increasing sinking feeling over the past couple of weeks, that even if they were to win their last match, we only have to win one of two, because of our massive goal difference advantage and there is nothing they can do about it. We were the first team to beat Brighton at home this season and they had to follow that to match our points today, but the goal difference advantage increased by a further two. Huddersfield will have watched us suffer injuries to key players and hoped that as a result we would falter. But just as Barnard went out for the rest of the season, Connolly came back in and what a player he is when we need him most. Arguably, he is more of a goal threat than Barnard, with a footballing brain that makes him the shrewder player of the two. It is to be hoped that Guly is not too badly injured, because he has been playing well, but Gobern will have received a confidence boost today in filling his boots. OK, so two games again in quick succession, but we did pretty well the last time and perhaps with the impetus we have, it is no bad thing. Especially as we know that a win on Monday will see us promoted, unless there is a record breaking win for Huddersfield and a record breaking defeat for us. There is pressure on us to win it on Monday, but if we do so, we can relax next Saturday, which might produce a free-scoring win when nothing is at stake apart from finishing the season with a win. As for Brighton, another poke in the eye for Poyet. Yes, your finishing position makes you the best team in the division over the course of the season. But you have not beaten either of the two teams immediately below you, who have now both become the only two teams to have beaten you at home. And if I'm not mistaken, since Adkins arrived, his points total beats yours over the same period. So, although it would have been nice to have been three points ahead of Huddersfield tonight, most Saints fans will shrug their shoulders and think, right, let's do it on Monday. Most Huddersfield fans can do nothing but hope that we lose on Monday and then better our points next week. That's a long time to be biting your nails.