Weston Saint

We have already submitted our squad for this period of the season.

This has to be a plus plus for us We have a good fee whilst he is away. He has a chance to play regularly if he is good enough and we have him back a more polished Premier player or sell him for more than we could have achieved this window. If he continues to be injury prone or not up to it then we have lost nothing more than we would if he stayed and we have him off the wage bill and or £3m to boot.

Strange signing but I am afraid our youth bowling is sparse. If we get promotion a lack of good class bowlers will see us down again.

But i was not there! I was in Hospitality. I could here the jeers on the odd occasion when Pelle managed to head a ball. I thought he was very ineffective but perhaps he will find his feet and timing as the season proceeds.

Well I had a great day with friends. Icing on the cake was having ex Saints Hughie Fisher, Peter Rodrigues and Reuben Agboola on our table for Lunch and after the game. Also chatted to David Armstrong at half time. Good to see Laurie McMenemy and Leon Crouch back at the club as well. As for the football well it was a bit dire. We lacked intensity and bite up front. We were bereft of ideas. I am not sure about Pelle but he is no Lambert and never will be. Very happy with Forster. Looked confident and I thought our defence was solid. We look to have descended to play similar to WBA and the like. Early days yet for a team still trying to get to know one another. Hopefully the only way is up......

That was an immense win on a flat wicket. Who said we cannot bowl out sides twice. Now we have Leicester home (they are bottom) followed by Kent again home and finally Glamorgan away (they are second from bottom) so it is in our hands. To answer some of the questions above. 96 overs per day. If interrupted use of extra half hour on days 1 to 3 which equates to 8 overs min. If slow over rate game goes on until 96 overs or reduced calculation is completed so that is why some games go on to 7pm and over. Lunch taken at 1pm and tea when 32 overs left to bowl in the day Last day there is no extra half hour but 96 in the day reduced pro rata if interrupted. 1pm lunch and 3:40 tea. Final hour only starts when 16 allocated overs to go. Example of last day if uninterrupted 96 overs. Say slow over rate for whatever reason, and 80 overs completed at 5:30pm then that is when final 16 overs start and must be bowled save draw declaration. Does that help explain?

The lead was not enough. This is a decent wicket and if Kent got a good score we would have had last use. You turn the screw tomorrow, get a 400 plus lead and it should be another win.

Comes over well in interview and decent English.

Agree, there was never going to be the money available. To reach the level he wished you needed to sprinkle the team with a few outstanding internationals at £100m per week wages. FFP and the owners would never have allowed that to become reality. We all knew that but I cannot understand how the players did not see it.

I stopped posting on the football side of this forum as I was so angry with many of the posting I might have posted something out of character and not only lose credibility but also regret it after. However things have cooled now so I am back for occasional posts. I can understand the many expressions of disappointment on here but you need to take into account the reality of the situation we are in. We finished 8th, were being lauded as playing attractive effective football but with a wage limit. Suddenly we lose our drive and ambition when Cortese departed. A Manager who was also credited with the style and drive then left along with the best players that had got us to that level. If you were outside the club you would immediately think something was very wrong. The club may still be ambitious with their targets but such targets will likely say some thing along the lines of "if I am good enough and of the standard of those departing why would I want to go to that club if they cannot keep their players" So we then move down to the second choices and find most of them have options to go to other clubs who are more stable. So now we are at the level we are now. While we may not be as strong, collectively, as we were last season there are plenty of teams in the division with equal or worse squads. What I saw on Saturday suggests we can compete and the additions like Long will help. We need to stabilize, rebuild our reputation, expand our commercial arm and show the world we are club worth watching and playing for. We have done it before. I am sure the club will give it ago again. I was a "glass half empty" until I saw the team on Saturday. Now I am a "glass half full"

Thought we let Notts get about 20 too many but proved wrong. How important was that drop when Vince was on 20. It came hard to Hales but he should have held it. We are without Maxwell (not a big loss on this years form and Shah should be available) and Abbott for finals but we have a good squad

Was about 4,500 yesterday but about 10,000 through the gates today. too the club a bit by surprise but they are delighted. Chairman of ECB was there for 2 days but no other Director and no one from Major Games Committee. Sad but telling?

Great win for England who deserved every moment. Enjoyed all 5 days and nice to round it off with a celebration lunch in the Robin Smith suite with friends. Cook and Anderson posed for photos with two of my friends who were celebrating their 60th Wedding anniversary. Nice touch from Rod Bransgrove to put a bottle of champagne on our table. Let us hope for an Ashes Test.

Hampshire were very upset when the fixture date was announced but ECB indicated it was because of the tight schedule. Negotiations then took place and ECB accepted it was not an ideal start on a Sunday and agreed to cover ticket losses for the first 3 days. The gate was 15,500 on Sunday, 10,500 on Monday and about 8,500 yesterday. Not sure about today yet but projections were about 4500. The position of the game may mean a decent walk up This was more about showing the ECB we could handle Test cricket and so far everything important has been positive including the wicket. Good batting strip with something in it for the bowlers. It is rated as a perfect test wicket so far. I am enjoying my time there and off shortly for the 4th day. In all the club are disappointed with the crowd turn out but very positive overall. Ticket cost is always an issue but compares with other grounds. For non members I believe it was about £65 per day. I bought a package of all 5 days for £156 which equates to £31.20 per day. Effectively at £52 per day face value on the ticket it gives me day 4 and 5 free. And I have on site parking free and have been home within 20 minutes of the finish. I live between Weston and Woolston. No traffic delays for me.

Good win but mighty close. Well done to Luke Wright but thankfully not enough. Rimmington left out to get Dawson into the side. Wood tells me that although he is still not able to play 4 day cricket he should be available for the up and coming 50 over competition. Good to meet up with Nick Pothas again. He is now a batting coach with Sussex. Some very relieved coaches and players tonight.

I think it is just a loss of form. I am unware of any conflict in the dressing room and as I meet with many of the teams parents during games and am good friends with some I think I would have had a hint. I also know most of the committee very well and often pass the time with the Chairman and Directors of the Ageas Bowl so again something would have come out by now. We have just got into a rut. However I do not agree it was a bad loss against Essex. It was a close loss and but for the experience of Bopara we would likely have won.

Shame about yesterday. We really needed a lead of 200 on a very spin friendly wicket. Colchester is an out ground where wicket wear quickly and are unpredictable. Cannot put my finger on why our batsmen are so out of form, fatigue apart. Anyway if we win tomorrow we qualify for T20 Bash QF with Surrey's result last night.

Top 4 in each of the two leagues go through. Top 2 at home next 2 away. It is in our hands. However if we miss out on a home game it will cost the club about £100,000 in income.

Looks like you have your wish. Good call Hampshire Squad: Adams ©, Briggs, Carberry, Coles, Dawson, Ervine, Rimmington, Smith, Taylor, Tomlinson, Vince, Wheater.

I have read the recent comments on this thread so will try to answer. Like many Test Match grounds the new drainage is meaning it is difficult to produce a balance between batting & bowling wickets although the water table level at Hampshire is not as low as some of the grounds but it does have an effect. On Monday we produced a very green “bowler friendly” wicket but yet again lost the toss. By late on the first day, despite it still looking very green, it became flat, slow and unresponsive. That said they bowled better than us in both innings! I have been there for all 6 days cricket. I have never seen so many players out of form at the same time in one team! Essex is going to be difficult. Abbott has left to join SA in SL for the Tests. I was with David Balcolme on Thursday morning. His knee has swelled overnight and he is unavailable. Spoke to Woods last night and he is not yet ready for 4 day cricket. Dawson is fit and available and will play. Watched him bowl in the 2nds on Thursday afternoon and he is ready. Coles was rested from the game to keep him fresh for Essex. Gatting was given a 2 year contract as cover. We wanted to strengthen the batting (I know!) and he had made 100 for the seconds coming into the game. I will be surprised to see him again this season! Rimmington has an English link but he is registered to an Aussie side at present so can only bowl as the overseas player. He was only bought in as a replacement for Abbott in the T20. We have no one else that can step up to the mark! Bowlers will be Tomlinson and Coles to open. Going to be a lot of bowling for Ervine, Vince Briggs, Dawson with back up from Maxwell & Smith Sat with Ervine after last night’s game. He is mentally and physically shattered. Decided not to find Carberry to have a chat as he seems in a strange place at present. However he has class and will find his form again. Thanks for some of the nice comments. It prompted me to post here. Will keep you in touch with what I can on the cricket front. Looking forward to the Test match. Have tickets for all 5 days, private pay bar (none of this queueing) and onsite parking.

Have been fed up with this forum and some of the mindless posters for a while now. Thank God it does not represent life. For me, I see no reason to post any more.

Remember the chant "We are Southampton, we're off to Brazil" Well we were but we seem to have lost some of them along the way! Possibility that all our World Cup stars will be starting the season somewhere else. Absolute tragedy for us supporters but plenty of memories from the last few seasons particularly the last one. New board, new Managment, new Team and with the money we have to spend, new optimism??

It matters to me as a supporter.

How can it be. You do not move up for less money. Silly analogy. Of course money is important. But so is stepping up on a bigger stage. The two go together.

Likewise.