I saw this and thought it was a compliment to our players, our manager, our style of football and our respect for Nigel and it was all from a Wesdam fan. http://thegamesgonecrazy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/allardyce-crticicising-everybody-except.html
Great read but disagree that our stars are inferior to theirs - Rickie and Lala being on fringe of the England team, cant see any otheir players being discussed
Mainly about Allardyce, but still an interesting read. How different from our own dear leader. He would never specifically slag off one player...he would say something general like: Some things were unacceptable etc. Another Adkinism is: What's said in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room. He certainly would never rip the confidence out of a youngster...though he's not afraid to make tough decisions.
They really don't like big Sam, do they? Sophisticated football purists or ungrateful sods with delusions of grandeur? You decide.
After the Blackpoool game when Bart made that mistake he wasn't criticised by Nigel, it was all encouragement. Yet he never played for us again. Things really are done in the right way here and its good to get that recogntion from other clubs disgruntled fans.
Sam could learn a thing or two from our Nigel on how to behave to players and about players,and to think he was on the England short list once.
Going back to the title of thread: What others think of us...we've been out of the PL long enough for original thoughts about us to have dissipated...we have a clean slate. As I said before, if we keep playing well and scoring we could be some people's guilty pleasure. A commentator has already described us as a breath of fresh air. Of course, this goodwill will disappear when we are pushing for Europe on a regular basis
I totally disagree - people have memories and remember us. We try to play football the right way, have never been a bunch of thugs...and I know several people for whom we have always been their second favourite club and they followed our journey over the last 8 years. Hence all the "welcome back" comments.
Excellent to know that we are bucking the national trend wanting to get into Europe when certain papers would have you believe we're better off out!!
42 years ago today, give or take a couple of days, Saints were on Merseyside to play Liverpool. This was the famous game when Bill Shankly came out with his notorious comment about Alehouse Football and referred to the Saints as Alehouse Brawlers. We were the Stoke of those days only much worse as we didn't take prisoners. John McGrath and Dennis Holywood would have frightened the life out of Attila the Hun or Ghenkis Khan.
....yes of course. Conveniently forgetting shy retiring players in his own squad - Tommy Smith to name but one. Different era, different game. Leeds, Man U, Derby, Wolves - not exactly shrinking violets any of them. Saints were not the worst, not by a long LONG chalk.
Leeds were a bunch of thugs, Saints were not - that is my point. Different era, different game. Shankly had his own "enforcers" - to claim we were worse than anyone else is wrong.
