Wes Tender

They're having to rely on stuff from the Club's OS or from other media outlets, rather than making it up or putting their own spin on it, therefore the quality of stuff that they're printing has improved. As they're largely cutting and pasting articles from elsewhere, the spelling and grammar has also improved. For an example of how wrong they can get it when left to their own devices, you only have to look at their other story today, where they claimed that Pardew had said that the match against the Skates was make or break for our season. Of course, Pardew said no such thing, but the Echo had to sensationalise the headline to make it newsworthy in the style of the more lurid red tops whose company they keep in the gutter.

Fine to agree with Vectis that this tie is a distraction to our team and that there needs to be some perspective maintained about the importance of remaining focussed on the primary objectives which are to try and finish in a play-off position if possible, then try and win the JPT Cup. But nowhere did Vectis say that in his opinion the players would lose focus if we lost and that it could have a detrimental effect on the remainder of our season. That is the spin that you have mistakenly put on it yourself. I wonder whether you might be the Echo reporter who spun the shrill headline that Pardew had stated that the match against the Skates was make or break for our season, when he had said no such thing. You have made this assertion earlier already and I have responded to it, dismissing it as bunk and giving reasons for my opinion. If you wish to support your stance, perhaps you might like to justify your reasons for believing that by virtue of them beating us, their entire season might be turned around. We can dismiss it as not being too much of a shock as they are two divisions above us. If they beat us, they might gloat, but it will be a rather hollow victory and they will mostly be more concerned with whether they will remain in business as a club. Their position is a damned site more precarious than can be turned around by beating us and getting a few good results in the Premiership. Even if they filled Krap Nottarf every week, the additional income is a drop in the ocean compared to the sea of debt that they have.

I agree that they need to establish some sort of dialogue in the interests of both parties. But the Club do not need the Echo. They know damned well that if the Echo choose not to report signings, match results and reports or other information of interests to Saints supporters, then they will be cutting off their nose to spite their face. On the other hand, the club can easily place newsworthy information into the public domain via all sorts of alternative outlets. Therefore the club do not need the Echo, but a large volume of sales for the Echo must be linked to the events affecting the Saints. Alienating that market for their sales is suicide. Nobody who is a Saints supporter is going to side with the paper and boycott the club, whereas the reverse situation is a distinct possibility. Murray is on a hiding to nothing and the sooner that he realises that he doesn't have the power or the influence that he mistakenly believes he does, the better it will be for his future career prospects. He obviously does not have the humility to go cap in hand and apologise. More fool him.

Yep. Really amazingly ironic that had the event gone through the normal media channels, nobody would have heard much about it at all. Now the Echo can plaster it all over their front pages, other media will take up the story to defend the stance taken by their colleagues in the press and before you know it, there is massive media exposure for the charity. Pretty damned clever, Suchet. But the Echo will have succeeded in having the gulf between them and the club widen from a crack into a chasm. Childish idiots.

Having read the Echo's version of events regarding this Dementia charity spat, it still comes out as massive sour grapes by the Echo. The club let out a suite for a conference, that is all. The press conference is a separate issue and it is not clear whether or not the matter of whether the Echo could attend was discussed by the charity and the club. What exactly was the importance of the press conference having to actually take place in that suite at the stadium? Don't the charity have the ability to issue press releases to the media? If the Echo feel so upset about it all, then Murray needs to realise that if normal service is to be resumed, for the benefit of the paper, then he will have to climb down off his high horse and mend bridges with Cortese. The club have several other media outlets for their stories, but it is in the interests of the local rag to have decent access to the inner circle at the club. All Murray is doing by printing this spite and bile, is to further alienate the club from the paper. There can only be one loser out of all this and it isn't Cortese.

The Echo article is full of sour grapes. They're obviously still smarting about him chastising them for being naughty boys over the training ground plans. And apparently the club have upset a local charity. What's that about? I bet that when the facts become known, it will be a storm in a teacup. As stated by others, there is nothing unusual about a director sitting on other boards. Askham, Richards, Lowe, etc sat on several, but we didn't hear the Echo making a fuss about that.

Blimey! That's a rarity. A couple of diehard Skate fans who actually know who their father is.

I don't think that this is as clear cut as that. King's Lynn is different, as that was early in the season and was just an ordinary league situation rather than a Cup run, also a low profile lower league club. I understand that the decision on the winding-up petition is due a few days before our match with them (10th?) If what Whitey Grandad says is accurate, then the Professional Game Board would have the opportunity if they felt like it to decide that the Skates are not to be allowed to continue in the competition purely on the basis that they were the subject of a winding-up order. It says nothing about what happens if it is appealed. I don't know what the timescale might be for an appeal, but what if it took a couple of months and by that time the Skates had managed to get much further into the competition? What would happen if one the clubs playing them in the semi-finals or indeed the final either got a bye into the final, or won the Cup because they would have been playing Pompey in the final? Any of these scenarios could leave the FA with egg all over its face. They might therefore might see it expedient to decide earlier on that if the winding-up order continues, even if it is appealed, there are plenty of other reasons that they could dredge up such as the non-payment of players, Court cases pending with former managers/owners etc. I suspect that legal Counsel is being consulted about the ins and outs of it now, so that when the decision is made on the winding-up order, they will be ready to pass judgment on what the onward implications are for the FA Cup match.

And of course, there was the Bristol City / Bristol Rovers rivalry too...

Everything is psychology, kidology, reverse psychology, mind games. Of course Pardew knows all about local derbies and what they mean to the ordinary fans. But he doesn't want the forthcoming engagement between the two warring factions to become a distraction to the team while we have 4 matches in between. On the eve of the match, if he feels it is necessary, he will tell the players what it means to us and suggest that as the fans have been magnificent this season, the players owe it to us to win as a way of thanking us. He will tell them that those who score goals against the Skates can obtain cult-hero status if their goals win the match for us. He can show them videos of previous encounters, to show how players like Moran were idolised for putting the Skates to the sword all those years ago. Then he can show them the disgrace that was our last match against them and make it clear that being beaten by a team two divisions above in a couple of weeks will not be a disgrace, but playing like those players did back then, with no backbone or application, is simply not acceptable. Not that I think for one moment that our current crop would play like that. Generally we've got some good lads here at the moment.

Whereas normally it might not have been a good idea for challenging suspensions for fear that the ban might be increased, perhaps the FL also had to make a review of the match to see what the context for the retaliation was. They might well have seen that the general standard for the refereeing was very poor. He had missed a blatant handball that should have been a penalty. He did not punish that awful tackle from behind with anything more than a yellow, while issuing two yellow cards when our players were incensed by it, effectively one for wagging a finger at the culprit and the other for the team's former captain attempting to pull our players away from the resultant melee. So in light of these really poor decisions, this other decision might well have been deemed to be an over reaction from an official that had frankly lost control.

Certainly that would be the easiest sanction to administer; reinstating a team that the Skates had beaten would be fraught with problems. Giving a bye would be seen to be the luck of the draw and therefore fair because of its impartiality, although the Skates would be spitting feathers if we were to gain free passage into the quarter-finals because of their demise.

Thanks for that research, WG. I had a cursory look for it myself in the FA rules, but drew a blank. But what the rules do not say, is what adjustments they would make if a team was removed by the Professional Game Board. It would be interesting to know whether we might get a bye, or whether Sunderland would be re-instated as our oponents. Under those terms, there has already been a winding-up order made against the club, although the decision on it has been delayed, so presumably they have already been discussing the possible repercussions of what they might do if it comes to pass.

Can't think of any.

I think that you're making too much of this. If we were a lot closer to them in the table, then you might have a point. But as it stands, it would be totally understandable if they were to beat us and we could just shrug our shoulders. However, if we were to beat them, it would be seismic and we would be able to rub their noses in it for years to come, if they survive, that is. If they were to beat us it would turn their season around? Poppy****! If they were to beat Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea it would give them a lift, increase confidence, gain belief. But beating a third division team, even if it is us? Their players have a lot more on their minds than that. They have to worry whether they will get paid this month, whether the club will be wound up, whether their better players will even be in the team that plays us, let alone what their futures' will be if they are deemed not good enough to attract a transfer to another Premiership team. What their life would be like in the Fizzy Pop league on -9 points or an even greater penalty. These are all far more worrying problems that their players face than beating us. They might have a few hours of euphoria, but then the cold light of the reality of their parlous situation will soon wipe the smiles off their faces. As for our players, they would have to be a pretty amateur bunch to have their heads drop over a defeat by a Premiership team in the FA Cup, wouldn't they? I don't believe it for one second. Our fans will feel the hurt, but it will hardly register with the players at all.

The thing is that although any of those teams could tear us apart, if we manage to get past the Skates, there will only be a maximum of 6 Premiership teams remaining to the next round and a minimum of one, which would be Manchester City or Stoke. Of course, it is probable that if we were to progress into the next round, the likelihood would be that Villa, Man City, Birmingham, Spurs, Chelsea, Fulham, or Reading / West Brom would await us, but given that they have mostly faced some difficulties in beating lower division teams, it is not a given. One only has to look at some of the results where the lower division teams have either matched or knocked out some of the Premiership teams to see that in the FA Cup, anything is possible, even if unlikely. Brighton were only just beaten 3-2 by Aston Villa. Notts County drew 2-2 against Wigan. Reading knocked out Burnley and Liverpool. Leeds knocked out Man Ure and have now drawn against Spurs. Palace drew 2-2 against Wolves. The Skates made very hard work in beating Coventry, who were within seconds of an upset. Crystal Palace, Derby, Leeds, Cardiff, Notts County, Reading, West Brom and ourselves survive from the lower divisions. We have progressed further than Man Ure, Arsenal and Liverpool in this year's Cup. How often does that happen?

I'm delighted with this draw. You really couldn't make it up even if you were a Disney scriptwriter. Even if we lose, we have the excuse that we're a third division team and they're Premiership, so disappointing, but no great surprise. But what if we beat them? It will be a disgrace and humiliation scenario for them. I really can't be bothered to read back through all the posts so far, which must almost be a record number of responses for the time available since the draw, but can anybody express an opinion backed by any evidence about what would happen should the Skates go under before the tie? I can't remember what the deadline date was for their HMRC settlement winding up order. Presumably, if they're in administration then, they will be able to continue playing. But if they are refused administration and are declared bankrupt, then surely that would be different. Any experts out there?

This was the classic game of two halves. The first half, Ipswich dominated, but the defence responded with grit and determination. Jaidi is a man-mountain and won most of the high balls into the box. Perry has a wealth of experience at a higher level, which meant that he read the game well and formed a good partnership with Jaidi, also experienced at a higher level. The two supposedly weaker links would have been Mills and Thomas, Thomas because right back is not his usual position and Mills because he is still a youngster. Mills might have been expected to have buckled under the pressure that Ipswich threw at him, but played with a steady assurance, helped out by Holmes ahead of him in midfield. But Thomas has possible his best game in a Saints shirt. In FA Cup football, it is always a possibility that unless the higher division team converts its chances, the lower division team might score agianst the run of play; so it proved yet again. Thomas received the ball a good thirty five yards out, to the right of the Ipswich box. The shout "shoot!" rang out from the Northam, more out of irony than expectation. To everybody's amazement, Thomas unleashed a thunderbolt of a shot that arrowed towards the top left corner of the Chapel end goal, an unstoppable goal. It proved to be the turning point of the match. With Pardew able to gee up the lads shortly afterwards, they came out a different team mentally, sensing that they could win the match. Almost right away, they started to play the ball around the park with confidence and suddenly began to look the team from the higher division themselves. The 50/50 balls were being won by us. We went for everything, chasing seemingly lost causes and disrupting Ipswich's composure, putting them onto the back foot. It was a passage of play as good and as entertaining as any I've seen this season. It was almost inevitable that we would be able to increase our lead, playing as we were. A free kick in a dangerous area inevitably cued up Lambert for one of his powerful shots. It was too hot for their keeper to handle and when the ball squirmed from his hands, Antonio was on hand to simply tap in the ball from a yard out. Ipswichs' heads dropped and having used all three of their subs, they had shot their bolt. Saints made their own changes, introducing Antonio, Gillett in the 70th minute for Barnard and James and Lancashire for Wotton in the 87th minute. In particular, the introduction of Antonio has been proven to often introduce an element of speed and uncertainty to the game as he is proving a difficult player for defenders to handle with his direct running. It was good to see Gillett back to bolster our midfield while we have Hammond our injured and Schneiderlin suspended. He has always been a whole-hearted player, but seems to have benefited from his loan spell and looked solid. I must admit that having Lancashire on late and Ipswich scoring their late goal induced a state of panic to many. Quite where the fourth official found 5 minutes of extra time from was a mystery, but we held on doggedly and it would have been a travesty had Ipswich scored again, as we deserved the win. It must register as a surprise to other teams that we are into the last 16, but we could progress still further yet. Pompey would be a good draw for us and then perhaps they might be wound up as a club before the match and we can get a bye into the quarter finals.

This is an article posted on the Skate website, apparently by one of their fans. He invites those investors who lost out in buying West Ham, to come in and buy the Skates. Now, there is one fundamental mistake with what he has written. Yes, they are up the creek - but they don't have a paddle!

Good signing. Welcome to the Saints, Lee. This is a good statement of intent from us. We can now rotate between Connolly, Lambert and Barnard, still retaining some decent quality up front and allowing for injuries or suspensions. We just need that midfield playmaker/General and we will just about have the complete set-up.

Yes.

Ah! A brilliant piece of kidology to wrong foot Keano's matchday preparation, eh?

Is Connolly definitely out? The Physio report said that he was 50/50 for the Millwall match last Saturday, so he could possibly feature, at least as a substitute. That gives options of Lallana in midfield. Papa could also play a role up front. Mills could also deputise for Holmes and Gobern Saga and Paterson are further options for the bench. I think that the team you suggest is possibly the best option apart from having Connolly up front if fit, but whereas a mauling is possible, so is it possible that we might maul them with that team. It's the FA Cup, so anything is possible.

I was musing on the situation regarding parachute payments if they get relegated because of a points deduction for going into administration. Presumably they will have to kiss goodbye to it?

But of course, even with this hypothetical scenario being possible, they wouldn't be available to us in our current circumstances. They played for us towards the end of their careers, but we were a Premiership team. Would they have been amenable to dropping down to the third division at the time in light of their distinguished careers? I don't think so. So our current thinking must through practicality concentrate on the lower division modern day equivalents of those players, or else a Premiership equivalent who is much older than 30 and having his swan song season.