AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS KEY WORD ........
Monday, 8th Oct 2007 10:10

Chris Newman profers his humourus look at the happenings around Southampton Football Club.

I just cannot fathom people some times. Still you know what they always say .... "none so strange as folk" etc. Add footy fans to the equation - and I have to say I'm actually glad I just don't have the follicles left on the old "swede" to pull out.

"A funny thing happened" on my bus journey to St Mary's - for what turned out to be a cracking game with "The Throstles" (I still prefer the old nickname for West Brom - being the sentimentalist, I've just recently been accused of being - and so frigging what).

Anyway, I bumped into an old acquaintance from my upper West Stand days - who like many of us - survived the wretched Branfoot era - which is some going in itself.

Hearty greetings all round when we spotted each other.

Trouble is, I mentioned that bloody name Lowe again and this other bloke (sat right next to me on the bus) piped up ... "He needs to come back here, he ran a steady ship. This lot we have now, are a bunch of liars" (false promises etc).

Okay, so our current TWO TIER BOARD (ludicrous) haven't as yet covered themselves in glory and fans are now in continuing numbers demanding to know WHERE ALL THE MONEY HAS GONE VIA THE LOWE ERA AND ONWARDS? (Gone to find those P****y shirts buried deep in STADIUM RUPERT'S ?????????? foundations no doubt.)

However to suggest a return for "Rupesie Baby". NO BLOODY WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

In fact, as Frankie Howard often used to say (great stand up comic that he was) "NAY NAY THRICE NAY".

Anyway I told this geezer on the charabanc ride in, that if he really wanted LOWE back - he must be on "Cloud Nine". The bloke on the bus that is - and not Lowe - who has been on "Cloud Nine" for donkeys years ... as of course have "The Temptations". (Great record got it on right now in fact - Motown Chartbusters etc.).

Anyway, I get off the bus and continue my chat with my former West Stand colleague - who tried to tell me I was wrong when I said that George Burley - has been - in his time at Saints - guilty of errors of judgement on occasions.

I couldn't get a word in edgeways as to where George has - at times in my opinion - slipped up. I outlined that a top centre back should have been brought in BEFORE THE WINDOW CLOSED LAST MARCH. And that Burley FAILED TO RECOGNISE the great potential in Martin Cranie. However my defence - just like Saints most of the time - was to no avail. I was wrong he said and that was that. "We nearly went up" he said also.

Well for a start "MR Obviously Right" .... we didn't go up did we? This despite outplaying Derby. Sadly (very sadly) we didn't actually make it to "New Wembley" either, I might add. We may not also have beaten WBA having got there - who knows?

Also .... a centre back in at the right time and we may have beaten Derby quite easily in both semi final legs in any case. This bloke just wasn't taking on board perfectly reasonable debate.

So off I go to St Mary's having had two rows without a ball having yet been kicked. It reminded me actually (this is one for senior fans) of Wolves legend Derek Dougan (a very cunning goalscoring centre forward) being warned by a ref in the old Dell days before he had even done owt. So I suppose at least I might have at been - at the very least - in good company.

Finally, well done SAINTS and you too George Burley, for a fantastic display of attacking football versus a West Brom side who also played well.

However Saints - a note of caution - one Throstle doesn't make a tree load. What SAINTS desperately need - is in fact - this weeks key word: CONSISTENCY. Catch you all later .......

CHRIS NEWMAN