ecuk268

Today's most sensible post.

A realistic look at the question of player loyalty: http://www.footyplace.com/features/southampton-prove-player-loyalty-is-dead-and-undeserved-0724297878

If the club refuses to sell, you have a disgruntled player moping about, not really trying too hard but still picking up his not inconsiderable wages.

Don't know about you but I go to St Marys (and before that, The Dell) to support the team and have done so through many ups and downs for 50+ years. If you only come to see certain players and want to quit when things aren't to your liking, then you're no great loss.

How exactly do you get experience of running a Premiership club? Presumably by becoming Chairman of said club.

There's no doubt that, in the 50s and 60s, the Grammar Schools gave a lot of working-class kids the chance of a very good education (I was one of them). If we are going to return to selection then the choices must have equal value in the eyes of the parents and of the professions and industry. You choose the one that you are most suited to and get an different but equally good education at both. There was always a bit of "them and us" about the old system and I would not like to see Grammar Schools being filled with the offspring of pushy middle-class parents to the exclusion of bright poorer kids whose parents maybe don't value education as much as they should (that's not the kids' fault).

Don't mind that. Most games will be 3.00 on a Saturday which suits me fine. If you're not local, you can usually find a stream to watch.

Brings back memories. I lived in Ryde for 10 years after we got married and, working at BHC, I'd agree that most Cowes and Newport were Saints and I was in a minority at Ryde where they supported the Blue Few. Evening games at The Dell meant a rush to get back to Red Funnel before the last ferry or hydrofoil, although they were usually pretty good at holding one back if a game went to extra time. I had the safety net of parents in Romsey so I could always get a bed for the night if I missed it.

Jeremy Kyle never ceases to amuse me. Where do they find these people and are they paid to humiliate themselves on TV?

You cannot dismss someone without a reason. Presumably he asked why he was getting the boot?

The New Board - Case to answer? Have they offered Jimmy a contract? Brilliant player in his day but getting on a bit now.

A mutually beneficial relationship. He helped us get back to the Prem. We helped him end his career at his boyhood club and he left in a respectful way. Will always be welcome back.

Not sure if this has already been posted: http://www.benefoot.net/we-were-wrong-an-ode-to-graziano-pelle/

Being popular is not a reason to stay if there are better prospects elsewhere. Those same people will slag you off if you suffer a loss of form and have a few bad games.

Why does everyone keep banging on about loyalty? Players aren't fans, they are employees. If I was offered another job with better prospects and a considerable increase in salary, I'd very likely take it. Mick Channon said about football clubs "they'll use you until they can get someone better, then they'll get rid of you". Why should players be any different?

Is there a Linux version?

I thought it was Sean Connery

Must have been announced around 9.00 as I was stuck in snowy traffic trying to get out of Southampton.

Bit of a doubt over this one. The US airlines have objected because the Norwegians plan to use an Irish operating licence to take advantage of EU traffic rights even though they're not operating from Eire and they're not a member of the EU. They're also recruiting for crew in Singapore to get around EU labour laws. The Norwegians have threatened to pull out of an order for 20 Boeing 787's if they are refused permission.

Saw him a few times in the reserves but never made the first team. Just looked him up on Wikipedia and, after leaving us, had a long career in Serie B, C2 and D.

I think the decline started when they were bought by Newsquest which itself is US owned. The amount of news decreased to be replaced with adverts. There is very little old-fashioned journalism but that seems to be the way of most local papers. I have a few copies of the Echo from about 30 years ago and the amount of actual news in these is probably 3 or 4 times greater than it is today.

Don't really get all this loyalty stuff. Are you loyal to your employer? Players aren't fans, they are employees and, if they get the offer of what they see as a better job, they go for it. I'm sure that most of us would do the same. Contracts seem to mean very little so, if they want to go, make sure that they put in a transfer request so that they don't get their loyalty payments.

Didn't he score a hat-trick against Rochdale in the League Cup on his first-team debut?

Although they are allowed charitable status with it's tax advantages. Why they are classed as charities is a mystery to me.

Gove should look into this latest revelation: "A joint Ofsted-MI5 report released today revealed the extent to which Britain is run by former pupils of a shady network of schools. Open only to individuals holding extreme wealth, these “public” schools – many of them hiding their activities under the pretense of being charities – are accused of producing “culturally isolated” pupils. Among the practices listed in the damning report are: girls and boys educated separately; the regular use of physical violence on pupils; pupils forced to learn arcane dead languages such as Latin; pupils schooled in the history of warfare, including an explicit focus on the so-called “Trojan Horse” tactic; pupils forced to attend religious ceremonies known as 'assemblies' and 'services'; pupils required to wear bizarre dress and take part in cultish rituals. Unsurprisingly, the report suggests that many pupils leave these schools culturally isolated. A survey of 2014 leavers showed that many were unable to identify any of the members of One Direction, or give the price of bus ticket into town. On the positive side, they could name the entire England polo team, and knew the best deals on yacht hire in Europe and the USA. Many warn that Britain is in danger of being taken over by the alumni of these institutions. Neither the Prime Minister, the Mayor of London or the Royal Family were available for comment." Courtesy of Newsbiscuit.