sadoldgit

At least it will end the arguement about whether he should be in the squad or not. It doesn't say much for the younger, quicker players that we have to have someone whose main job it is to take set pieces on the bench. Once upon a time a player who wasn't first choice for his club was not likely to be picked for the squad. Even without this injury Beckham was coming to the end of his career. We have taken too many fringe players in squads before. This time we need to take people who are fit, have pace and can play 90 mins. Beckham was a good player but never agreat player. Great players have all round ability. It might be a bit churlish to say that Beckham only made his name by taking free kicks - but when you look at players like Pele and Maradona Beckham doesn't come close.

Awesome. Many congratulations Herbie, you are a true gent.

Technically still yes but it is a big ask. We have to win and lots of other teams have to lose. Can't see it happening but there is still at least hope. Not the end of the world if we don't make it this year though. Hopefully we shall be stonger next season and in a better place to compete the season after if we do go up.

Reports? I guess we are getting spin from both sides. But what we can be sure about is that Unite are going to strike and this plays right into management hands as it will effectively give them a mandate to crush the union and everything they have ever fought for a start again.

They are striking when people will be travelling for Easter.

Fair point, but given his usual negativity and the fact that his comment followed a post about the Tranmere result is was an easy mistake to make.

Communication works two ways depending on who is doing the talking and who is doing the listening. There was a time when there were a pot of people with their fingers in their ears singing "La la la la" because they didn't want to hear what was being said! The key element here is money. Mr Cortese has the luxury of having working capital whereas his predecessor "didn't know where the next pound was coming from." As long as ML provides the funds, any half decent CEO should have a fighting chance of talking this club forward.

You really need help mate. So once again you can't enjoy a win over decent opposition, preferring to keep rooted in a poor performace (which by the way even the best teams have at some point in a season). Tell me Alpine, when you lost your virginity was the only thing on your mind the first girl you tried it on with and got knocked back??? In recent weeks we have beaten Norwich away, Walsall, Huddersfield and Leeds....and you drag up an old result against Brighton. Jeez.

You realy are a plonker of the highest order Alpine. The whole point is that you constantly have a view about something you not only didn't see, but were hundreds of miles away from. And that view is inevitabley negative because that is what you zone in on. Whether I am in "Currently Maidstone" or anywhere else for that matter I leave stuff like that to people who saw it. For example, you say "that bad" about the ref at Tranmere but you personally have no idea how good or bad he was other than from what some others have posted here. MInd you, when Pards had a pop at the ref you called that an "excuse"?? So then, what was it? A poor ref or an excuse? And does it depends who calls him a poor ref???

I work for a government agency. WE have to save £500k a year for the next 3 years. 90% of our expenditure is on salaries therefore we are losing staff hand over fist. Fixed term appoitment staff who run our archives have been released meabing we have no one in our archives. My workload will double. The salaries are very poor. Unite need to look at the calender. It is 2010. What might hav emade sense 40 years ago doesn't any more. If they want to look after the needs of their members they should work with BA to reduce the cost base and make the company more efficient. This will have the opposite effect. Unite will lose and BA will force through their changes come what may. I worked for The Times Newspapers when the management decided they had had enough of the unions and they shut the paper down for 11 months (this was pre Murdoch). BA are now at the point where they will do what they have to and that means destroying Unite.

Yep I agree, but it seems an odd thing to come up with at this stage. Be interesting to hear what he has to say.

I seem the officials saying not so long ago that they wouldn't strike over Easter. My children are flying back (or were) from Spain for the Easter holidays and this strike will affect them.

Can you blame them? There are losing a fortune everday and have to cut costs - which in terms has a knock on effect for staff. The strikes will lose the Company another £25m to £30m a day and will probably mean that passengers will chose other airlines in future (as there is planty of choice). I was told the other day that I will have to do two jobs for the same money from the end of the month because we can't afford to recruit. Sadly for their members, the officials of Unite are living in the past. Their actions will mean more jobs losses for their members. THe BA management are playing hardball now. There are plenty of people looking for work and BA can cut their costs by bringing in new motivated staff who wil be more than happy to work under the new conditions.

IF there is plenty of spare dosh rattling around in the bank then perhaps it would be better spent on the players? There is nothing wrong with St Marys and we are not going to need more capacity until we get two promotions.

Perhaps it was a misunderstanding and he is moving to a bigger stadium......... in Milan?

Ah Ronnie! It took longer to sign him than his actual career with us from what I remember, but what a quality player!

You don't seem to have a problem slagging off Northerners, so what is eaxctly the difference between someone from the North/Scotlandand a "Johny Foreigner" as you so quaintly put it?

Pot Kettle Black

Yep, he was a great liitle player. Shame is career ended the way it did with us but that's life. Like you, I prefer to remember his golden moments rather than the sick notes. Proof if ever it was needed that that are gems out there that don't cost a fortune if you look in the right places.

When I was a kid spinach was boiled to within an inch of its life and tasted foul. Nowdays, with onion and garlic it is the dog's danglies

Surely it is the am of every club to do as well as possible and to finish as high in the table as possible. To listen to the odd person on here you would think that the team talk would go something like this, " Well lads, we lost to Tranmere so finishing in the play offs will be harder this year, so just go out for the rest of the season and trot around and save yourselves so next season." Surely every club is ambitious withing their ability to compete? Every manager wants to do well? That is waht makes sport so compelling, that everyone is out to beat everybody else. That also means that clubs are not going to roll over and play daed just because we are the mighty Southampton FC. I have no doubt that Pardew's ambition will be to make the play offs if he can and to finish as high as he can. As any manager would.

And what exactly was your comment about Northerners the other day Alps???

And your posts aren't "petulant"???

Sadly the impatience won't stop when we finally go up. The expectations in some quarters will be instant promotion again. Didn't someone once write something about taking time to smell the roses...and its not the arriving it is the journey?

I don't know about clear favourites DD, but certainly strong contenders. I shall be interested to see what happens in the Summer transfer market. I still think we are a couple of CCC quality players short of being a Leeds or Norwich next season. I would be very surprised if we weren't top 6 for most of next season though.