Wes Tender

What a crying shame that we never had Pele playing for us (the real one) or the real Best. Neither did we have Socrates (the footballer), Eusebio, or Cruyff senior. They were never ever going to play for us. What is certain though, is that in his prime, MLT was capable of walking in to any team at the top of the game in this country and also probably any team in Europe and would have been eminently capable of scoring goals at the highest level, had he done so. No player in the history of World football is perfect in every way. We acknowledge that MLT was disinclined towards total fitness and his loyalty to this club overshadowed his ambition to earn mega-bucks elsewhere. So if anybody here argues that that is a fault in MLT's make-up, then equally it can obviously be counter argued that we ought not to be loyal to our own club and should be supporting the glory clubs of the country or the World and that if we don't we also lack ambition. I'm content that regardless of one or two factors that made MLT short of perfect, accepting that nobody is perfect anyway, he had attributes of footballing genius sometimes that other able footballers could only dream about. When MLT comes to be mentioned anywhere in the media, or makes an appearance in front of Southampton fans, all but a tiny minority remember fondly what he did for our club. When some of that number also have to disparage others whose reputation is high amongst the fan base, one has to question their motives and consider that they are trolls on a wind-up. There is one such individual who has a go at MLT, McMenemy, Pearson and Crouch, all people who are generally considered to have contributed something worthy and positive to the club. For some unfathomable reason, he never seems to spend an equal amount of time spouting bile at Lowe, who did more damage to us than any other person in the history of the club. How about explaining that one to us, Nineteen if you wish to be taken seriously? And don't tell us that Lowe is gone and is history. Exactly the same can be said of all of your targets for spite, but that has never stopped you giving your opinion against them, has it?

Increasingly I come to the conclusion that there will be no takeover and that any mention of if being imminent is a ploy to keep players at the club thinking of leaving, and encouragement for new players to sign, both up until the transfer window slams shut next Tuesday. If at the same time it quells rebellion amongst the fan base and fools some into buying STs, so much the better. The clock is ticking towards administration, so they had better settle on which Arab billionaire they have on their wish list soon. It sure as hell isn't the fake sheik, as he isn't wealthy enough to keep them from sinking beneath the waves.

I think that you have provided a pretty good definition of what constitutes an internet troll. Were you thinking of anybody in particular who might qualify?

Yes, you're right and I commented on it in the match report. Had we kept pressing, closing them down like we did before our goal, things might have been different. But I also thought that Murty going off made the difference defensively. But ML could consider investing a few bob on a sports psychologist to keep the players focussed all through the match, winning or losing. On the other hand, the lads have got a lot to be proud of tonight against Premiership opposition. If their confidence is boosted to the next match and they win that, then perhaps they have turned a corner and will begin to believe in themselves.

It must have been Jacob Mellis, then. Tall, slim coloured guy, looks quite similar to Gobern doesn't he? My eyes aren't what they used to be high up in the Northam and it is taking a while to get to know these new players by sight. Anyway, he was useful on the right wing and often gave a bit of extra width for a change.

Thank God for that if true. He went off on a stretcher with a splint on his right leg.

Just back from the match. Well, I was generally proud of the lads tonight. Up until the 70th minute or so, an independent observer would have reckoned that we were the Premiership side and they two divisions below. For once this season, we showed some real desire and were most often first to the fifty fifty balls. It was us closing down and denying them the space, but also playing a good passing game with a bit of width for once. The trouble with us though, is that having scored, we seem to forget to close down and don't seem to have the same desire to win those fifty fifty balls to the same extent. I suspect that McLeish read his players the riot act at halftime and told them to get stuck in, as the tackles went flying in on our players, many of them dirty. The referee failed to stamp down on it. When they clobbered Murty, our defensive discipline crumbled. I am certain that he had been instrumental in marshalling the defence in the first half and it was solid. The defensive errors for their two goals were crass. Man of the match for me again was Harding, although Murty would have run him hard had he stayed on for the whole match. Most of the team played well, Saga was effective alongside Lambert, Lallana better, Gobern looked lively, Davis as solid and reliable as ever. Nice to see Gillett as a sub, typically gave everything when he came on. If I had any criticism, it would be with the two centre backs. In particular a weak Thomas clearance led to their first goal, although as it came from the right flank, I even feel that Murty might have prevented it had he not been off. The injury looks serious and we will surely miss him badly if he is out for long. As for the crowd, very good atmosphere tonight, good support throughout, even when they equalised and then went ahead.

Certainly agree that Gulf Air aren't worth the low price. We had our worst flight experience ever when last year we missed the connecting flight to London through mechanical problems on our Gulf Air flight into Bahrain. The delay meant a 8 hour stay there and what was offered were cheap, shoddy serviced appartments, which we refused. They had no decent hotel accomodation to offer because they told us that was all taken by other passengers holed up in Bahrain bcause of problems with Gulf Air flights. A quick look on the internet with other tales of travellers' woes, tells you that if something can go wrong with your Gulf Air flight it probably will and you will not be happy with the arrangements they make, or the offer of compensation. Don't ever fly with Royal Jordanian either unless you are a masochist and a smoker. They also have problems with flight times and Amman airport must be one of the World's worst with smokers everywhere, even security guards lighting up under the no smoking signs. Ethihad have decent service and nicely equipped planes, but we thought that we had an e-ticket and they used old fashioned printed tickets. Despite us being shown on their itinery, having passports to prove identity and proof that we had paid several months before, they refused to let us fly with them and so we missed our flight. We had to buy tickets for three on another airline and claim some of the cost back on our return. But I am led to believe that Emirates is good. Anyway, the announcement about the Skates' new owner is due today, almost close of play and nothing so far. You don't think he's stuck at Qatar airport, perhaps?

You rose to the bait? A lovely turn about there; you were the main antagonist baiting the hook with your pseudo tech-college level of understanding of political matters. And mustn't it be nice to stereotype the electorate into their class just on the basis of which party they support? We are in the 21st Century in case you had not noticed and social demographics have altered things somewhat.

Bought my ticket this afternoon and most of the Northam is sold out. I'm not expecting too much from this match as a couple of our best players are cup-tied. I really do sincerely hope that doesn't mean we'll have to play Wotton.

No it didn't. The bank rate went up for a short while at the time that Sterling was tracking the Euro, but that was not inflation. Many speculators like George Soros made a quick buck speculating on it, but it was short lived. Show me the official government figures showing inflation at 20% under the Conservatives in 1980. You ought to do some research about the constituency polling numbers, as you obviously haven't got a clue. Look at any major city in the North. Also, I see you don't defend the West Lothian question.

Unfortunately, the bubble has burst over there. Unless somebody bought their property over there some years ago, prices had risen to levels commensurate to our own in many areas. Many have decided to sell because they don't like it there after all and the property market has collapsed, meaning that most can't afford to get back on the property ladder over here. And if they hated the Conservative governments over here, they now find that the Spanish government is capable of dispossessing them of their properties on a whim under factors that the foreign property owners have no control over. The local planning departments have powers over there that your average British Socialist commissar in local government over here could only dream about.

Agreed. It's not as if we're talking the National Front, Maoists, Trotskyites, Monster Raving Looney party. We're discussing mainstream British politics for crissakes. So let's assume that our Spanish friend (mush) meets somebody socially, he likes them and then finds out that they're a Conservative. I'm assuming that true to his current position, he'd immediately switch to detesting them.

So you don't have an answer to why those 1.2 million unemployed would not be enticed into the benefits culture under Labour and yet they would be under the Conservatives, mush. And if you believe the unemployment figures that have been put out historically under Labour governments you must be bloody naive, as the methods of collating the figures have been massively massaged to reduce them, by taking all sorts of scivers and malingerers out of the system and placed into different categories. And then changes were made to the electoral system so that in a seat like Eastleigh where I live, it takes a majority of 65000 odd voters to elect their MP, whereas in some cities in the Labour heartland it takes only half as many electors. Then we have the situation whereby Scotland and Wales have their own governments which Westminster does not have any say in with most policy areas, whereas both Scotland and Wales are allowed to have a say in how England is governed. In Blair's cabinets, many of the ministers were Scottish, as is our own dear Prime Minister, currently. So you hate the Conservatives and I hate Labour and the Lib Dems with a vengeance. I well remember the political landscape back to Wilson's time. What a disaster that was, inflation up to 25% under Dennis Healey and having to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund to bail us out from bankruptcy. Still, you're well out of it in Spain as an exile from the Labour government you profess to love. I'm presuming that you weren't out there in General Franco's time.

Every time you post something, you prove yet again that you do not know what you are talking about and it's just as well that you are abroad if you have such a twisted view of British history and politics. You say that Thatcher caused mass unemployment thus creating the dependency culture, yet you are either are very selective or not old enough to remember that the Conservative government of Thatcher was elected on a platform of "Labour isn't working" the meaning of which seems to have escaped you. For the benefit of those finding it difficult to make the connection, the election campaign posters featured really long queues outside the unemployment office. Presumably the unemployed from that time didn't become dependent on benefits for some unexplained reason, but instead waited for Thatcher before they succumbed. The unemployment of that era was largely caused because many of the major manufacturing industries were poorly managed, overmanned, tied down by restrictive union practises and as a result, they could not compete with competition from lower paid workers, or better run businesses in other parts of the World. How you can draw any parallels with which way somebody votes and which football club they will therefore support, is one of the most bizarre concepts ever espoused on here. I think that you have been too long out in the sun, mush.

Originally Posted by Nineteen Canteen You see how easy it is, Phil. But don't do it too often, entertaining as it is. You'll be called smug and then he will make unfounded and really snide remarks about your personal life, how you are avoiding paying British taxes, how you were unable to make a success of your life in Blighty, etc.

People who express opinions and then finish by adding FACT afterwards, generally are talking rubbish. FACT

Up to you, of course, Duncan, but I for one respect your posts and would be sad if you stopped contributing. Having read back over that thread, I think I know who you mean and am a bit surprised.

You're right. I'd be in Seine, wouldn't I?

I would quite like to be in Paris right now...

That was a comedy moment. Sometimes it was more interesting watching some of their fans than the game. A mate of his woke him up and then a few minutes later he was zonked out again. Did you see the middle-aged guy who sat there for long periods with his head in his hands, trying to stare us out? Looked a bit of a weirdo.

He's the pocket billiards champion.

I saw what you did there.

Tomorrow's the day apparently, when all will be revealed about the Skates' new owner. Even now on their fan websites, they have heard rumours that it is an Arab Prince and are speculating as to which it can be. One wonders why if there were such people about at the time that Gaydamak got tired of them, why they didn't surface then.

Exactly. Poor AP is playing Russian Roulette with the transfer deadline.There are the two Polish players both still on contract to us and both on high wages and who don't want to be here. On the other hand, nobody seems to want to meet their wage demands, so they might still be here after the transfer window closes. What does Pardew do? Bring in replacements in case they are sold, or hang on in case they are not sold and then he could make use of them until January? I suppose we could loan them out again, but there don't seem to be that many clubs knocking on our door at the moment.