sadoldgit

Or maybe because football is a random game and random things happen no game is a foregone conclusion. I am not going to ask them because they are professionals and know what they need to do, rather then a bunch of cyber jockeys who would have no idea how to run a football club if it was offered to them on a plate. As you are so aggitated about the lack of signings perhaps you would like to ask Mr Cortese what is going on?

I got the feeling Pardew wanted both but could see that the club had been starved of success and as a part of trying to get the "winning mentality" back was keen on cup success. Shouldn't evey manager try and win every competition his team is in? I don't recall ever hearing Pardew say that the league was secondary.

I think the reason that you get abuse Alps is because you assume that nothing is going on behind the scenes. Yep, we are short up front but we have tried to sign Tyson and apparently Antionio (did he play yesterday by the way). Not all bids come off and should we then sign inferior players or wait for the players we need?

Good question. We also used to be a great home team and rubbish away. Man Utd are usualy stronger after Christmas. Go figure. I think it is a mental thing. You can get people fit but getting their heads right is another matter.

Trouble is Nick, we can only make a judgement on what we hear. I am sure all kinds of things are happening behind the scenes.

I think you are right. I think that Cortese was backed into a corner over keeping Pardew and probably resents it. Not an ideal situation for starting such a crucial season. I hope I am wrong but you need to manager and CEO working in harmony and I don't think that these two ever will.

You are quite right. Which is why I have more respect for supporters of clubs like Leeds who continued to support their team for years even when things were going poorly rather than supporters who throw their dummies out of the pram after 1 game in 46. I

Don't you think that the professional people who run the club know this Alpine? Or do you think that they read these forums after a loss to see what they should do. Every club wants players who can break down defences and getting players who are good at it week in week out takes time.

Well I suppose you can boo and drag the players down even further, or try and encourage them to do better. I am sure they didn't lose on purpose. If it was that awful for you, why not just leave before the end?

That is your problem Alpine. You read what you think someone has written rather than what they have. Read it again and pretend you are someone else. If you still struggle let me know and I shall explain it to you slowly. (the clue is in the words "better chance")

I am not suggesting that we do "throw" money at the problem. But lets face it, when other clubs know (or think they know) that you have money to spend the prices go up - look at the stupid money City are paying for players). If Cortese is serious about promotion this year I think he will find that many others clubs will want more the players he is after than they are worth. He has to decide how much promotion is worth and weight it up against what he wants to spend on it. That is a gamble because. as I have tried to explain to Mr Fry, you can't put a price on promotion. So it is all down to trusting your manager and giving him the tools he asks for. And if you don't trust your manager, why wait to Christmas to get rid of him? Promotion could be a long lost dream by then if Pardew is not capable or if Cortese is holding back because he doesn't trust him 100%..

Indeed! We shall see over the next few weeks I guess.

LOL, screaming??? New season but same old digs. I an simply pointing out the fact that we are supposed to be super rich nowdays but are still operating on a budget. We used to have no choice, now apparently we do. Or do we? I have never said that money doesn't make a difference, I have said that money doesn't guarantee sucess. If you want to have a go get your facts right. I don't believe that we can buy promotion, but I believe that we can buy the type of players that give us a better chance (as we have done so far with Lambert and Fonte). Tell me Mr Fry, are you happy with the sqaud right now and what would you do exactly?

A dig? It was a comment and a valid one at that. Tell me, do you think that Antonio and Tyson would be here if money was no object Alps?

Thats a bit harsh. Lambert scored all of those goals last seaosn due to teamplay. Pardew aalso got us some silverware and would have made the play offs last season but for the minus 10 points - you can't tell me he was not under pressure last season. As for Strachan, could well be an early casualty in the sack race if things don't pick up.

Did people watching it on TV boo I wonder? Sadly for us, frustration comes with supporting SFC. The expectations are often dashed by a heavy dose of reality, even in the heady days of the 80s we usually managed to fall short. This season the expectations are huge and Pardew is expected to serve up guaranteed promotion. Although we have brought in some players, I agree with many. I did expect to see some extr firepower in for the start of the season. I am not blaming Pardew or Cortese for this as I have no idea why that has been (assume that clubs want more then we want to pay for players - maybe issues with salaries too). What we have got to get our heads around is the fact that teams, like last year, are not going to roll over for us. It is going to be a tough season (as any Leeds fan) and the more that is expected of us the tougher it gets to deliver week in week out. I fully expected a draw to be honest and was gutted along with every else. But maybe this will give Mr Cortese and his chequebook a bit of a reality check as we do need cover for Lambert and a decent wide player sooner rather than later and he may find that he has to pay more if he wants to get what we need.

If it is the case that NC is witholding "proper" money to see how things pan out with Pardew then I find that very worrying. You either back your manager or you don't. Given that we have tried to sign Tyson and bring Antonio back it sounds like NC is looking to bring players in but at a price. All very laudable and following in Lowe's footsteps, but it won't help us get promotion.

Nope, can't see a thing!

You kow Apline, he goes from 0 to 60 in Warpspeed on the frustration meter! Pardew in his interviews has always said he knows what is at stake and what is required. We know we failed to land Tyson and Antonia, probably because Cortese won't pay over the odds, so we know Pardew is trying to bring in players. Signing players is not difficult, signing the right ones is and takes time - especially if we are not doing a Man City and just throwing money at the problem.

I disagree. Lambert himself said the pre-season was the toughest he has had and apart from his groin strain is in great shape. I have been supporting Saints since 1966 and can count on the fingers of 1 hand the number of times we have started the season strongly. I have yet to watch the match but will watch it this morning, but from all accounts we were pretty much on top for most of the game and were against Reading until the substitutions. I accept that teams like us ought to be able to hit the ground running - and perhaps with Lambert and Lallan aplaying from the off we would have done, but be honest, did you really think we would get anything more than a draw form our first game of the season?

The original Sissor Sisters?

Booing is counter productive. I don't buy all this it gives the players a kick up the a*se cr*p. The team need support an encouragement. They know losing their first game at home is poor and don't need telling. It is a long tough season and if this club is to go up it needs everyone pulling togther. Booing after the first match is plain stupid no matter how far you travel or how much you spend. No one is saying don't critise Alps, just save that for later and suport the team on the pitch.

What have they been using in the toilets then?

I hope he plays every minute of every game. Teams thrive on confidence and good cup runs help in that respect. We scored an awful lot of goals last season and occasionally didn't. There is no reason why this season should be different. Granted, the start was not fantsatic but we are notoriously slow starters and going into the first game without two of your best offensive players is not helpful. I stall think the red hot favourites thing is rubbish and unhelpful but we will have to live with that. We should be a top 6 team though ut we all know we are still 2 players short and hopefully that can be sorted soon.

Pardew has talked aout bringing more in and we know he wanted Tyson. Is the fact they are not here down to him? Cortese aparently chose the last 3 weeks to be on holiday so I doubt if that has helped. As for managers, I see that George Burley dragged himself out of the pub in time to get a win for Palace! Are you watching Alps?