http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/fo...y_star_Steve_Claridge_to_face_Sholing_in_cup/ Is this the end of Claridge's punditry days? I was starting to enjoy his new found praise for The Saints!
Blimey I can't see him huffing and puffing on the pitch for 90 minutes, although it may put a couple of hundred on the gate! I wonder how Sholing will fare this time against PO opposition, having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Havant & Waterlooville?
Bet they had to wait a long time to catch him with a smile on his face. After all this time, he's going to find it hard to get fit. Good luck to him anyway.
Hello from hot and humid Singapore...........Fran the smile that is usually on his face is likely to turn to a grimace maybe ten minutes into the game. Those laughter lines are likely to turn into furrows after 30 minutes.........suggest they have a para-medic around to give him oxygen.......he is not likely to survive with out it after all this time out of the game.........
Off to the Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling, Beddy. Humidity aside, one of the nicest cities in the world.
You tell me about it......I'm straight through to night........two red eyes on the trot.......Glutton for punishment or what!!
You beat me to it. I didn't recognise him first of all! I am also wondering if he will play looking like he has been dragged through a hedge backwards? He always had his shirt out and socks around his ankles. Come to think of it he is a strikers version of Neville Southall.....
Good luck to Steve Claridge - at 45 he is still significantly younger than the King! I understand he is going to continue his punditry so he may have to keep praising the stripey ones (through gritted teeth)!
Claridge had one sock up and one sock down (with no shin pad) ...this was because he has a misshapen shin, believe or not, so had dispensation not to wear a pad on that leg...really I think he just wanted to look a scruffy urchin, to complement his shambolic park footballer style of play SC has been praising Saints for some time, possibly as he played with Dean at Brighton and was very impressed with Lallana during his involment at Bournemouth. So he's not the worst Skate about.
Said good and fair things about Saints again on the Football League show, earlier. We were a headline match again, although it was no more than 5 minutes or so. Can't complain though. Catch the programme on the BBC iPlayer. The gist of what Steve said about the Reading match, and Saints in general was: Reading were the slightly better side overall, and that they have been getting some real form together lately. He also thought Nigel would be the happier manager, having got something out of the game, instead of capitulating. Manice mentioned about Saints resilience, which Claridge picked up on. He suggested that it would be a great mistake to write Saints off after one slightly iffy performance [for Saints standard of play, that is], because he believes there is very much something about this Adkins side, which gets them a point, or points, from a game, even when they are not playing at the top of their game. To win Championships and/or be promoted, you have to be capable of that. He pointed out that this draw would feel like a win and that, psychologically, it was worth more than the win in midweek against West Ham. About the Steve De Ridder goal, both Manice and Steve were very complimentary about his technical ability and finishing, and Steve pointed out that De Ridder has the ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck, and raise the tempo instantly. Nice touch from Guly too. Frankly, I think that covers every exit, as far as Steve Claridge is concerned. I couldn't have wished for someone to be more complimentary, yet fair and accurate. Like I've said before - IMO, he's a very good pundit. Not quite up there with Lee Dixon, but very observant and knowledgeable. Do I read it right that he scored for his new team, Gosport today..? Blimey, I'm only 8 years older than him, and I probably wouldn't manage more than 15 minutes..
