John Smith

I resolve never to buy the Southern (Ports***th) Echo ever again until the skate resigns!

So, people moan about Antonio because he has a lack of skill and can;t cross, then they bash Holmes for having a decent touch a good cross but no pace. One day, some of our 'fans' will wake up and realise we're in League 1. nd in actual fact, pace on one side, balance with poise on the other, is a perfect combination, which unbalances a flat back 4, enabling either the forwards to make their runs OR, push up too far and Antonio will get in behind, drop off too deep and Holmes will have time to pick out the perfect cross. I am at a loss to understand how some of the kids today, just don;t understand football. maybe it's just this level, where you can do the basics and they pay dividends, that they don;t get. But then, some of the older ones plough in with demolishing our players. Antonio is a dead wringer for George Lawrence, who I used to love watching as a boy, he was exciting. Holmes reminds me of D Bekham. Oooo, watch the flames coming in. But the boy can pass the ball, something that is a dying art at this level, generally managers go for pace or power, this Holmes kid has ability. Ask Lambert how he would prefer the ball delivered, to him, or to the crowd? Bet he goes for to his feet or head, and that's what Holmes can do. Wake up people and stop bashing all our players! One thing is for sure, they deserve to post on here and bash you lot. Spoilt little buggers that don't know when they have it so good, Me, I love this team, the optiuons, the ability, the effort. Almost at Wembley (hope the moaners stay at home), in the 6th round for the draw in the FA Cup, one away from the quarters. A nail biting, will they won;t they get to the play-offs! I'm loving it. Just wish we saw more positive comments on this board, as I think slagging our players off like some of you do is digusting, and I am ashamed to be associated with you. Get a life!

Micheal Bridges would be the better bet. Still scoring down under, no pace, but a lot of gile.

I'm amazed that people think Swindon will be getting 76 points this season! I think that's the real stunner coming from the 'negative ones'. Or are we talking about MK Dons, who are 2 points behind them, or Millwall, who are 2 points behind the Dons and can;t even bit sh*tty old Saints at home? 6th place is up for grabs, and we won;t 'need' 76 points to get it. Taking points off Millwall at teir place is a dent against Millwalls hopes, not ours! And if you don;t think Swindon will hang onto 6th spot, we're only 10 points off the Dons and 8 points off Millwall! The over reaction to Saturdays great point away from home is astounding. Name me 5 games this season where teams in Division 1 have had 3 new defenders, a goalkeeper returning from injury AND kept a clean sheet, AND won? Trust me, it doesn't happen often.

As I always said, play-offs would be a dream this year, mid table would be very good, looking upward instead of downward is where we want to be. Just for the doubters, we're only 5 points off relegation and 12 points off the play-offs. For the positive, over the last 6 seasons, anywhere between 71 and 76 points will get you 6th spot. This year could be lower as many more clubs taking points off each other, maybe as low as 68 to get 6th. We need to do our best and fate will place us where we need to be. If we don;t go up this season, that's ok, we start on an equal footing next season. Don;t think that money will ever buy you a title, ask Man city owners about that!

OMG, look at all these 'fans' abandoning our team! I pretty much think that they gave their all for 90+mins, a new defence that kept a clean sheet for 90mins, having not played together ever before, snatching a last gasp winner, only to be kicked in the bollicks 30 seconds later. I think they need lifting prior to the JPT game they have coming up. We then have a good leveller against Ipswich in the cup and therefore there is plenty of time to get the defence some experience together. No way am I going to trash this team after todays performance, almost won it, didn't lose it, still 60+ points to fight for. If anyone thought we were going to walk into the play-offs after several new signings and a long hard season, this may be a bit of a wake up call. Personally, I'm glad we didn;t lose today, a point away from home is ALWAYS a good point. Get your heads out of the clouds and remember we are still Saints, and not Brazil! FFS! Unlucky today guys, keep on trying.

I like this but probably just; laaa, laaa, laaa, lalallana lalallana, laaa, laaa

I'm sorry, but The Echo seem to do nothing but scream like little children when their toys have been taken from them. They should be supportive of this club and IN NO WAY destabilize ANY of our players. I really do believe that the editors in charge are Pompey fans trying to get their kicks and take their minds off their own issues. I'm sorry but The Echo should be making better use of those two page spreads, like what is Mr Lowe up to nowadays.

For me, off-side is the key. If he could understand it and go a full game without getting caught, then yes, but at the moment, League 1 is his level as he has shown. He needs to be better positionally to be a CCC or possible Premiership player, without that improvememnt, he's no more than entertaining at this level. Don;t get me wrong, this season we've needed him and he's brought something extra to the squad, but going up a level, his off-sides would drive me crazy!

You seem to be on a bit of a crusade TDD. Not quite sure why, we all have the right to opinions and we all want good stuff to happen to this club. But you do know that that comment was tongue in cheek and that their real goal, as stated countless times back in the summer, where this quote comes from, is promotion in 2 years and premiership in 5 (fingers crossed!) And this scenario would be great. They also stated, believe it was AP, that if we were in striking distance of the play offs this season, we would try and acquire players and kick on after January. Personally, I think we are bang on schedule for the best possible outcome for this season, and that is reaching the play-offs. Now, I know you;re not bashing the new owners as you have said this previously: "not really..we are a bloody good league 1 team...just short of numbers... our "starting 11" is pretty strong..trouble is, the key players dont really have a rest " You want us to reach those play-offfs as much as the rest of us, but, your opinions seem to be a kind of self destruct button. It's almost as if you want us to fail (sub-consciously) because we have failed our expectations so long now. To fight against the tide is the best way, because you won;t be so disappointed when we fall short. Let me help you, if I may, we don't know where we will end up this season. We don;t know what will happen next season if we do or don;t get promoted. The future is undetermined and we need to support our team on the pitch as we always have. And so, I value your opinion, BUT, don;t allow yourself to fall into the trap that some posters do, of allowing that opinion to become a constant beating of the drum. Ask the questions, but accept and respect the response. We are where we are today because of hard work by all, the owners are giving us every opportunity to progress further. We're in league 1 and covering our costs, we're buying players for now and the future, ML and NC want us to succeed, we want us to succeed, you want us to succeed. It's a nail biting, scarey roller coaster ride to the end of the season, hold on tight lad, it's only going to get more adrenalin filled the closer we get. Is it gonna be 'ooo so close' or a euphoric march down Wembley way? I'm buckled in, I suggest you do the same!

Which means, once the player has been purchased, there is no other outlay and the lack of previous overheads weighing us down, all of the ticket prices go straight to the club and not the overdraft. We can therefore sustain a higher wage bill, but I suggest we need to get promoted before ML leaves, but I have every confidence that we can do that, in the next two seasons, if not, we need a re-think. I understand your worries, but what we have in ML is someone that wants to build a sustainable business, not a glory ride to fame fortune and destruction. He is building the platform and this is costing a bit as we were deeply in the mire. But, with the training ground improvements and the care in the background staff (the manager, coaches, scouts, tea lady etc) we are building a business that will cope with the pressures of higher league football, the only concern therefore is if we don;t make it. Re-visit this thread again after next season.

Cisse from Reading, once of Boavista?

For many years now, not since Walcott, and before that, err, nope, can;t recall, we haven't had a winger that literally scares the living daylights out of full backs! Put it into perspective, the lad may not have the most cultured touch, but the fact that he has blistering pace, means the defence cannot cope with him. Do they push up and try and catch him off side (difficult for a wide player) or do they drop deeper and try to stop him getting round the back? A real quandry for the defence, and if I was due to be playing full back against him, I know I would be in for a busy day and a lot of running backward! He's 19 years old, he's enjoying his football, he will get better, he is fast and strong, we need him! Give him some flack and just think, rather thgan sitting in the stands moaning about him, you could be the left back that has to chase the greyhound! His pure inclusion in the side, changes their plans and pushes them back, this ios better for the team and that makes him a great option. Lastly, it is good to see him competing with Papa, 2 very good players, offering different options but both with pace. First half, left back has to cope with Papa and his pace and trickery, then relief, we sub him, only for Antonio to come on with even more pace and power to burn, I feel an injury coming on! Keep going Antonio, improve your touch and enjoy your time here, I hope we all improve together!

Absolutely no idea. You that is,not Antonio. I guess you shouldn't expect too much from forum members, but this and other stuff on here of late about how good or bad our players are, has been an absolute disgrace. People really should have a bit more knowledge before making such crass statements. It really does annoy me that some forum members knowledge about the game is so basic. Guess most of it is learned online nowadays!

Could someone put the words to the Lambert song up, I just can;t make them all out and it is an excellent song!

For the passed 10 or so games, win, lose or draw I still get the same. I am on 1209 and I receive 53 points and my opponent loses points, but it's always the same! Win - 1209 + 53, lose - 1209 + 53, but it never does go up, any ideas?

Antonio is the next George Lawrence. Big, strong and very fast. He is Nathan Dyer in a Hero Costume. Give hom a chance, he is exciting, he attacks and goes passed defenders, and delivers crosses, what more do you want! Ronaldo FFS!

About spot on I would say. I love to see Waigo on the shoulder of the lasty defender, he scares the cr*p out of them. Last night, the Wycombe defenders were shockingly poor, but, I think you can pt at least some of that down to them being wary of Waigo. He won many tackles on their back 4 last night, and not just their left back either. As for offsides last night, 2 of the off-sides, one in each half, were definately on side, lino was too slow and got confused on one of them. Waigo needed the kick up the butt that Antonio has given him. He is a good player, but switches off after a couple of games. Reminds a lot of Asprilla of Newcastle. Probably not as skillfull, but same mentality and gangly runs.

Joined as Colchester, GT - too dazzlin.

I could definately bring one friend, GT - Topter. He sometimes comes to saints games too, although he is a Reading living, Liverpool supporting guy! TBF, he does support us and joins in with the singing when he does come along, full respect, but, I may have to ban him, as out of about 15 games, he's seen us win once! P.S. If we get this league set up, what teams will be allowed? Even if you elect to use ANY team, ie Barca, Real, Man U etc, I would still love to be Saints, have played online many times against the bigger clubs and won, I last beat Man U online 2-1!

level 9 (don;t know how many levels there are, probably 100!

Still playing it (on 360) and beating the likes of Inter, Barca, Liverpool and Chelsea online with Southampton! I'm up for a league if we can get enough peeps!

I do think there is an over reaction in the press at the moment, because that reaction is pointing toward video replays and more technology to assist in these things. Well, I'm sorry, but if you missed the ball juggling act by Henry before Gallas scored, NO amount of technology is gonna help you! It was there, right in front of them. So, let's put this into perspective. Sh*t happens all the time and to all of us, not just footballers. We don't have the luxury of video replay in OUR jobs, it's all about playing it as you see it. Taking the human element out of football would be the beginning of the end of the beautiful game for me. Why? Well, for the Irish fans, they'll have another World Cup to shout for their team at. The French, will probably go on and get through to the semi's or the finals or there abouts. And have you heard the saying "it's a funny old game"? Well, what's betting that due to that handball, France WIN the World Cup, or better still, lose in the Semi's to a blatant hand ball goal! At the end of the day, video technology will not only slow the pace of the game down, but it will take what little respect there is for Ref's, away! I mean, what's gonna happen to EVERY goal, every penalty, every set piece chance? Come on, we all know! "Come on ref, you blind, he handled that" Vid replay, "Come on ref, he dived" Vid Replay, "Come on ref, he was offside!" vid replay, "Come on ref, that was out of play" vid replay, "Come on ref, that was in!" vid replay! And on and on and on! At the end of the day, we won't need a ref, but an umpire that calls up to the vid box, to check what the decision should be. We'll be taking the heart out of the game if you ask me. And do you know why? Do you really really know why this is being pressed for and desired (video replay)? Money, money, and mo money! Todays game is about rich people playing games, and every victory earns them more chances to earn more money. The game has been taken away from the every day person on the street and handed to the rich. Those rich and influential people want to guarentee that if they do everything right, they won't get robbed by a ref 'missing' a decision. I mean, we're getting to a 'legal action' stage here, where a ref neglects to do his job! So, I say, leave the game for what it is, 90% of football is clean and fair. We need that extra 10% to give us something to talk about, something to bleed over, something to smile over! With video replays, the game will become stale and dull, no room for chance left! The game will die and a new 'elitist' game will evolve! Trust me, we have lived with these decisions all our lives and they have created great discussion points that make any game live for the whole week, until the next one kicks off! I mean, how many on sky sports have mentioned Henry's 'honourable' behaviour in the 2003 FA Cup? Not one, it's not in their agenda to be fair and impartial, but that's football for you, two sides, choose one, roll with the blows and enjoy the victories!

I'm sorry SaintRichmond, but I have to disagree. Today, unfortunately, was just one of those days! Hard to swallow, and painful to watch, but, it wasn;t necessarily to lack of effort, but IMO, lack of sharpness. We couldn't pass the ball today, and that doesn;t happen because of the manager. If you were there today, one thing I noticed, was that the Saints players were taling an extra touch and an extra second or two before looking for the pass. In games recently, we knew what we were doing and where our players were and we moved the ball on quickly and shifted there defence around. Didn;t happen today, but I really can;t blame Pardew solely for todays performance. To be fair, I thought the ref had about as bad a game as any Saints player, but I can forgive him that, because, everyone in red and white (except probably Antonio) had a shocker. Even the crowd were shocking were awful today, yes we started off in good voice and in good humour. But, into the second half, there was barely a continued song for any length of time. BUT, the thing that annoyed me more than anything today, was when Brighton scored there third goal with ten minutes still left to play, and HALF the crowd got up and left! That's dedication for you! One bad game in 9 and our 'fans' turn their back on the team! I was ashamed when Brighton started the familiar "we can see you sneaking out". Really, I was ashamed that our fans are so fickle, leave ten minutes early, why? To avoid the rush on the way home? It really did cap an awful day on the pitch today. But, I do hope that none of those that got up and walked out on that third goal, come on here and belittle the players, because they showed as much fight as the team did. Really, really disappointed all round. However, 3 points next week end!

I said it at the time and I'll say it again, Jaidi will be our most important signing of this season. He dominates in stature, in the air and on the ground, BUT, most importantly, he breeds absolute confidence around him in defence. Lambert is starting to do what he does best, scoring goals, Lallana is relishing his chance to take players on without absolute fear of losing a goal if he loses the ball, this is mostly down to having Harding behind him. Hammond is awesome in the middle and will only get better. Spiderman is becoming better and better in that defensive midfield role, a quiet assassin, sniffing out the centre loose passes. And, although not all of you will agree, I believe this new found confidence in going forward, stems from being solid at the back. Along with KD staying to help us back up when he could've left for the CCC, Jaidi is the man in front of him who makes KD and almost everyone else look good. And that's because they are good, when playing without 'fear'. And that is what Jaidi brings. Awesome defender.