sadoldgit

All any manager can do is win games with the team he has. I don't think it is unreasonable to assume that managers who have a high points to games ratio have done a decent job. It might not be the job that you were hoping for but that is down to individiual perceptions. That is the good thing about stats. They take away the subjectivity (or should if you don't have agendas like some on here) and just presents facts. No matter what you think of Pardew as a manager he has managed so far to average 1.9 points per competitive game. Even the Mighty Alpine would probably break into a half smile if we had a manager who could average 3 points a game. We all know that is not possible but the nearer you get to 3 per game the better. Pardew so far has the best figures so that should be a good thing. Apparently not though in some camps.

Bit harsh! We had a makeshift team out a Wembley including Harding playing out of position (who had a terrific game by the way) and Wotton in midfield. No the football was not great but we have played better and lost. We are only a Div 1 team remember and still did enough to see of Carlisle with plenty to spare. We have scored a lot of goals this season and won a lot of matches. He must be doing SOMETHING right surely?

Exactly.

You won't get an answer. He prefers to zone in on other people's views (as long as that fit in with his negative viewpoint) and rehash them. Watching a live game for him only confuses the issue.

So winning a trophy at Wembley and reaching the play offs were disasters then? I will ask you the same querstion I asked Alpine. How much do you have to spend to guarantee promotion?

How so? Tell me how many teams have bought success overnight against those that haven't managed it? For every Blackburn there is a Manchester City, Tottenham and dozens more. Chelsea have spent the size of the national debt of a small country in trying to become the best club in Europe. Tell me how many European Chamions ships they have won? If you are so sure we can buy our way out of this league, perhaps you would be good enough to tell Mr Cortese how much that would cost exactly!

I am talking about spending money not being guarantee for success.

So it is a "crime" that Chelsea have still not won the Champions league? That Man City are not going to win the Premiership this year? That Ipswich spent £8m this season and don't have a cat in hell's chamce of going up? Where does it say that spending money guarantees you success )other than in the parallel dimension of Alpineworld)? Everything is relative. When managers managed in the premiership they had better quality players. We have Div 1 and some CCC quality players. WE went down with a squad that contained the likes of Crouch and Phillips, many of whom are still plying their trade in the Premiership yet finished bottom. It is no easier to get 1.9 points per game in Div 1, the CCC or the Premiership. YOu still have to beat what is in front of you with what you have.

It doesn't matter what the team costs. Other managers have spent much more and achieved much less elsewhere. It is what you do with what you have.

No mate, you are a crystal ball reader. Do you really think that anyone would published stats that skewed??? It doesn't mean jack-sh*t to you because it doesn't fit in with your agenda. It also is a very positive message, something that you will never, ever get your head around.

I don't agree that it is pointless. It would be pointless running a league because no team is going to play another team under exactly the same conditions are they. What it does is remove the subjectivity (that is all to ripe on here). I am not saying that Pardew is a better manager than TB or LM. What I am saying is that both Pardew (and Burley) get dog's abuse on here yet they both have excellent records when it comes to winning football matches for us. It you want to dig further you could say that LMs record should have been better as he had the likes of Ball, Channon, Osgood and MacDougall to call on when in the old Div 2, but that is for another arguement. People will use stats when it suits their agenda and ignore them when they don't. We can spend all day talking about the merits of Pardew as a manager for us, but what no one can take away is his record for is so far, which is far superior to any manager we have had to date (well, certainly since the 50's anyway). I think most managers in the game would be delighted to chalk up 1.9 points per game. Shame that we have an element of the fanbase that thinks that is deserving of a sacking.

No Alpine, once again you completely miss the point and the facts. The basis of the points per game was done for 3 points for a win for every manager. But don't let that stop you making another stupid and misguided point.

Once again you completely ignore the facts. Go and start another negative post Alpine, there is no place for you on the positive ones.

Before Alan Pardew arrived the manager with with best points per game record was Burley with 1.54 points per game. Ignoring the pre season friendlies, Pardew's record in league and cup games (giving 3 points for a win) is 1.90 points per game. For those who think that he is tactically inept and should be sacked, perhaps they should reflect that even the great Ted Bates and Lawrie McMenemy never managed that kind of return.

But you weren't there so how do you know. I have read a number of differing reports about the way that Fonte played and that was from people at the game. How do you know we played defensively. When we played Brighton last time they took the game to us big time. When teams go for you and the ball runs for them it is often hard to get off the back foot. By all account we played better in the 2nd half. It is not possible to boss every game you play. Although we outplayed Carlisle for much of the game on Sunday there were periods when they were well on top (like just before they scored). Can't you even give Pardew some credit for getting something from a match that we could well have lost? Teams do not roll over just because they are playing the "mighty" Southampton. Every game is a battle and in some of these battles we are not going to fare well. Look at the season as a whole so far rather than pick out individual glitches and you will see the true picture. We are one of the strongest teams in the league and without the minus 10 would be well in the mix. Pardew is still building a squad. He has won a trophy. He is moving in the right direction but it wil take time. There will be more nights like last night next season and the season after. There is for every team in the league.

If we are not going to enter competions for fear of winning one might have an adverse effect on another, what is the point? No one can say for sure what effect our cup runs have had on our league form but one thing is for sure, it is better to win something than nothing. Over the years all of the managers I have respected say that they want to win every competion they enter and that being involved is as many as possible at the end of the season is a good thing. The one exception was when Ferguson to decided to pull MoanU out of the FA Cup and look at the derision he faced from the football world, including his own fans when he did that! We have won a trophy on a major stage, how an Earth can that be seen as a bad thing? Hopefully this will be the springboard for more success. At least we have some now.

Ah, so the sh*te served up against other teams when we won is okay then? Do you really know anything about football? Even the greatest teams have days when they play poorly. The best teams lose to the worst. There is no way in either of our lifetimes that the Saints will go through a season without playing badly and without losing. That is a reality, why can't you deal with it? Most teams will not get promoted every season. Most teams will not win a trophy. We have already acheived more then most teams will. A good thing? No? Lat Sunday was a great advert for the club and a day that can be used to build on. The players, if they make the play offs next season will have the experience of having been there and winning. They have a taste of success, how can that be a bad thing? There are many positives to be drawn from this season but it appears that some people wear sh*t coloured glasses and can't or don't want to see the progress we have made. Yes, wouldn't it be great if it all happened over night? But for most it doesn't. It is probably better for the club if it happens in solid and sustainable way. Many sides have had some short term success only to fly too close to the Sun and come crashing down with a bang. McMenemy was anything but an overnight success. After going down and struggling to come to terms with the 2nd Div, it took a trip to Wembley and a fw more inspired signings to get us promoted and several more seasons before we really started to compete..and that was before the ridiculous transfer window so you could rebuild through the season if you wanted to. Ferguson struggled until he got it right at MoanU and they still lost the other night despite all of his knowledge and the talent on the pitch. This childish petulance is very tiresome. Look up the word "support" and give it a try. You might like it.

Indeed. Yet there is another manager who managed just 3 wins in 13 who got a much easier ride from the Wrist Slitting Brigade. Go figure. Probably as well that they don't support Leeds right now. Any league is tough to get out of and it doesn't help that we started the season in total rebuild mode. But without the -10 we would be strongly in with a shout and have already (and finally) won something. Of course we can do better and with more rebuilding in the summer hopefully we shall. But to call for Pardew's head and to rip him to shreads just because we draw is plainly ridiculous - espcially less than a week after the great day on Sunday.

Could say the same to you Alps. After every match you find something to complain about. Your constant moaning and negativity is draining and after the last few seasons we really don't need it now we have something to be optimistic about. You really seem incapable of finding any joy in supporting Saints, so why on Earth do you do it? FFS, we won a trophy on Sunday and picked up a tough point away last night..and you are still in Victor Meldew mode??? It is not that people can't handle you opinion, it is just the way you have to find a cloud to any silver lining. You really can't wait for Pardew to be sacked can you? You will be in your element. Instead of this constant whinging and griping, why don't you try and support the manager and his team. They have a tough enough job to do without doom merchants like you getting on their back after every game. If you can't handle the fact that we are NEVER going to win every game we play you had better start stocking up the Prozac.

Vendetta? I simply pointed out that you used to cream your jeans over him and he only won 3 games in 13 matches for us but that seems okay in Alpineworld. If you can't see that both Burley and Pardew have excellent points per game record for us then I would suggest that there is little help for you either. I am sorry that you didn't enjoy the season we made the play offs and that you can't seem to enjoy this season either. No doubt you were slagging McMenemy off when we came second to Liverpool in the old Div 1. Still if Pearson goes to Celtic perhaps you would like to support them? I know how much you love Northernerss/Scotsfolk and Celtic are expected to win every game so you would be in your element. PS. We won a trophy less than a week ago. Sorry that that hasn't made you happy either.

Ah that explains a lot Alps. You borrowed his dummy to throw out of his pram at fulltime then?

If the negative brigade on here get their wish then Pardew would be gone. I can't believe some of the nonsense on here this morning.

Poor tactical choices? We shall park the fact that you didn't see the game for a moment... So what about Sunday? What about away at Norwich and home to Leeds and Huddersfield? I would argue that Pardew gets it right more than he gets it wrong. I see the best manager in Engalnd lost in Germany the other night and another very decent manager drew at home and conceded 2 goals. Should they be sacked because they apparently "got it wrong"???? Take away the -10 points and look again. We have had a good season, fantastic in relation to the last couple of years. But you will never be satisfied will you? Even when we tool Wolves apart and stuffed them 6-0 you found something to moan about. All I can imagine is that after years of pleading your wife finally gave you a blow job only to tell you later that she has written off your car!

Actually it is nothing like it at all other than in Alpineworld. It is caled sport. You know where people go and and compete and anything can happen. We won something at last and we got an away point at a tough ground. Grow up.

Clough workd wonders with so called "lesser" players. I wonder how he would have fared with the more gifted players? It didn't work well for him at Leeds but he did work wonders with the resourses he had and it would have been great to see him ruffle the feahers of the Establishment. But as has been said, they were afraid of him and it was never going to happen.