Whatever happened to loyalty in football? Gone are the days when players would ply their trade at the same club no matter the circumstances surrounding the club.
With Saint's relegation to League One, all the big names, with the exception of Kelvin Davis and Adam Lallana, seem to to be queuing at the door to leave. Stern John today turned down a very generous offer to stay at St Marys and will look to move to a Championship club, most likely Crystal Palace, on a free transfer. In addition to this, Polish duo Marek Saganowski and Gregorz Rasiak are expected to move on within the next few weeks and it seems such a shame that the three outfield players most adored by the fans are willing to pack their bags and move to a club in a higher division without giving a moment's thought.
Of course, its all about money now and I'm pretty sure 99% of all professional footballers would rather have the big fat pay packet than be classed as a club legend by thousands of fans. Premiership footballers such as Ashley Cole are the worse offenders, but they've set the standards for others in the lower divisions.
Another sad state of affairs from a Saints perspective is the news today that ex 'keeper Antti Niemi is in talks to come out of retirement to play for Portsmouth. The former Finland number one is regarded by many Southampton fans as the best goalkeeper to play for the club in the Premiership era and it will be a side sight to see Niemi line up for our bitter rivals. However it does make me laugh that despite this apparently revolutionary takeover at Pompey, they still have to bring a 37 year old injury plagued 'keeper way past his best out of retirement. It doesn't look like we'll be seeing the likes of Iker Casilla or Gianluigi Buffon between the sticks at Fratton Park any time soon!
On the subject of player loyalty to their club, Matt Le Tissier's highly anticipated autobiography is scheduled to be released on August 20th. It will be a must read for every Saints fan.
More updates coming soon as we prepare for the new football season, including my reflections on our trip to Loftus Road on Saturday to watch Southampton take on Queens Park Rangers in a friendly.
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Saturday 25 July 2009
Saturday 25th July 2009
This afternoon, for the first time since April 13th, Southampton FC won a game of football, albeit in a friendly against a very average Hearts side. Having just got back from the 3-0 win at St Marys, I was pleased with the result and the performance to go with it.
Goals from Adam Lallana and two from substitute Gregorz Rasiak ensured Saints won their first game under new manager Alan Pardew and hopefully the winning mentality can continue into the new season. The results in pre season are usually relatively unimportant, but after losing 5-4 to non league Salisbury on Tuesday and 4-1 to Ajax last Saturday, three goals and a clean sheet will have boosted the team's confidence, two weeks before kicking off the League One season at home to Millwall.
Triallist Greame Murty looked solid at right back, new signing Dan Harding played well at left back and it was great to see striker Stern John back in a Saints shirt after spending most of last season on loan at Bristol City. A few first team players may leave before the season starts, but I'm confident that adequate replacements will be brought in, with Saint facing the challenge of starting the campaign on minus ten points.
After a disappointing pre season results wise, I think the difference today was the presence of Pardew on the touchline and hopefully he can drive the team forward throughout the season.
Goals from Adam Lallana and two from substitute Gregorz Rasiak ensured Saints won their first game under new manager Alan Pardew and hopefully the winning mentality can continue into the new season. The results in pre season are usually relatively unimportant, but after losing 5-4 to non league Salisbury on Tuesday and 4-1 to Ajax last Saturday, three goals and a clean sheet will have boosted the team's confidence, two weeks before kicking off the League One season at home to Millwall.
Triallist Greame Murty looked solid at right back, new signing Dan Harding played well at left back and it was great to see striker Stern John back in a Saints shirt after spending most of last season on loan at Bristol City. A few first team players may leave before the season starts, but I'm confident that adequate replacements will be brought in, with Saint facing the challenge of starting the campaign on minus ten points.
After a disappointing pre season results wise, I think the difference today was the presence of Pardew on the touchline and hopefully he can drive the team forward throughout the season.
Monday 20 July 2009
Monday 20th July 2009
Now that I have the Internet at my new house it looks like I have no excuse to not update regularly, so after a long time away, here goes..
For the first time in years the dark cloud above St Marys has been lifted and Saints fans can finally be optimistic for the future. After coming within a whisker of going out of business, Swiss billionaire Marcus Liebherr bought Southampton FC a couple of weeks ago, making them the fourth richest club in the country behind Man City, QPR and Chelsea.
As a Saints fan I can tell you that it feels great to be supporting a club that isn't threatened with financial difficulties and ran by people who appear to put the fans first. It might take a few seasons to get back into the Premiership and I'm not expecting any huge multi million pound signings for a while yet, but its good to know the new owners have a long term plan for Southampton.
Saturdays friendly against Ajax at St Marys was a celebration that the club had survived administration and despite the fact the team were clearly outplayed by much superior opposition, as the 4-1 scoreline reflects, there's a sense of relief there is still a club here to support.
Aside from the takeover being completed successfully, perhaps the key moment of the summer for Saints will prove to be signing captain Kelvin Davis to a new three year contract. Davis was in great form against Ajax on Saturday, keeping the score fairly respectable like he did on so many occasions last season. A few fans in the Northam sang his name non stop in the second half when he took his place in goal behind he stand and I would like to think the plaudits he's received from the fans has played a key part in keeping him at St Marys.
Graeme Murty is on trial at Saints and I would love to see the former Reading captain tied down to a full time contract. Murty spent 11 years at Reading and is being rewarded for his commitment with a testimonial at the Madejski stadium tonight. Saints could really do with his experience at right back.
Only time will tell if Alan Pardew will be a success at Southampton, but his record at third tier level with Reading speaks for itself, as he took them to a play off final in 2001, then the following season achieved automatic promotion. His presence in the stands at St Marys on Saturday went down well with the fans and the majority of us have faith in him.
Apologies about the lack of political content in this post, but with summer recess starting in Westminster tomorrow I don't expect much news from Parliament for a while. In the mean time, I'll be focusing on Saints as they complete their remaining pre season friendlies before kicking off League One against Millwall on August 8th.
For the first time in years the dark cloud above St Marys has been lifted and Saints fans can finally be optimistic for the future. After coming within a whisker of going out of business, Swiss billionaire Marcus Liebherr bought Southampton FC a couple of weeks ago, making them the fourth richest club in the country behind Man City, QPR and Chelsea.
As a Saints fan I can tell you that it feels great to be supporting a club that isn't threatened with financial difficulties and ran by people who appear to put the fans first. It might take a few seasons to get back into the Premiership and I'm not expecting any huge multi million pound signings for a while yet, but its good to know the new owners have a long term plan for Southampton.
Saturdays friendly against Ajax at St Marys was a celebration that the club had survived administration and despite the fact the team were clearly outplayed by much superior opposition, as the 4-1 scoreline reflects, there's a sense of relief there is still a club here to support.
Aside from the takeover being completed successfully, perhaps the key moment of the summer for Saints will prove to be signing captain Kelvin Davis to a new three year contract. Davis was in great form against Ajax on Saturday, keeping the score fairly respectable like he did on so many occasions last season. A few fans in the Northam sang his name non stop in the second half when he took his place in goal behind he stand and I would like to think the plaudits he's received from the fans has played a key part in keeping him at St Marys.
Graeme Murty is on trial at Saints and I would love to see the former Reading captain tied down to a full time contract. Murty spent 11 years at Reading and is being rewarded for his commitment with a testimonial at the Madejski stadium tonight. Saints could really do with his experience at right back.
Only time will tell if Alan Pardew will be a success at Southampton, but his record at third tier level with Reading speaks for itself, as he took them to a play off final in 2001, then the following season achieved automatic promotion. His presence in the stands at St Marys on Saturday went down well with the fans and the majority of us have faith in him.
Apologies about the lack of political content in this post, but with summer recess starting in Westminster tomorrow I don't expect much news from Parliament for a while. In the mean time, I'll be focusing on Saints as they complete their remaining pre season friendlies before kicking off League One against Millwall on August 8th.
Thursday 2 July 2009
Thursday 2nd July 2009
Sorry about the lack of updates recently, I was working all last week and this week has been very chaotic with moving into the new house. We haven't yet got Internet sorted in the new house (I'm sitting here in the Solent uni computer room), so I'm afraid I might not be able to update for a while. In the mean time, here's a piece a wrote back in December on the subject of Prime Minister's Questions for a Reporting Government assignment. Enjoy!
Its 11:55am on a Wednesday and the majority of Westminster is getting ready for the biggest media event of the week; Prime Minister’s Questions. The news channels are preparing for half an hour of intense debate, millions of people tune into The Daily Politics just for this constitutional occasion and as soon as Andrew Neil says “and now over to The House of Commons” we can expect fireworks.
Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) has been used to hold the Government to account since being permanently introduced by Harold MacMillan in 1961 and after recent reforms by Tony Blair it still remains the most watched Parliamentary event in an average week. In its 47 year history we have seen some classic battles between the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition, from its early beginnings in the 1960s right through to today, when Gordon Brown steps up to the dispatch box to face questions from leader of the Conservatives David Cameron every Wednesday.
It is sometimes the only time we see the House of Commons full on both sides. MPs make a special effort to be present and viewers at home can watch proceedings on a number of different channels, including three different BBC channels (BBC News 24, BBC Parliament and on The Daily Politics on BBC Two).
So why does this routine event attract so much media attention? Shadow Chancellor George Osborne argues we should be proud of PMQs as no other leader in any other country in the world subjects themselves to a weekly inquisition, where any subject could be brought up by backbench MPs.
However, not everyone is a fan of it. Joe Ashton, MP for Bassetlaw claimed during the 1997 reform process that the “Chamber sounded like animals in a zoo” during PMQs and can it could be said this is true; we often tune into PMQs on a Wednesday afternoon not to see intelligent political debate before us, but elected members of Parliament shouting and jeering at each other across the house.
But perhaps this is what we have to expect from the House of Commons. It is, after all, Speaker John Bercow's job to keep the house in order and he faces his biggest challenge during PMQs.
Before 1997, PMQs took place during two 15 minute slots on Tuesday and Thursdays. Tony Blair changed this almost as soon as he became Prime Minister by allocating half an hour of his time to questions at 12pm on Wednesday. This was part of his grand plan to dominate the national news agenda. Blair was a natural performer and one of his greatest strengths was answering questions spontaneously and the new time slot meant he could release a sound bite which would be reported on the lunch time news.
In fact, the differences between Blair and his successor Gordon Brown become obvious when comparing their performances during PMQs. Whereas Blair excelled in this area and could give a satisfactory response to almost any question asked by an opposition MP, Brown has struggled to make an impact since becoming Prime Minister in June 2007. Perhaps the most cringe worthy moment for Brown during Prime Ministers Questions came recently when he accidentally claimed to have “saved the world”. Of course, he meant to say his Government had saved Britain’s banks from the credit crunch, but this simple slip of the tongue prompted much laughter from the other side of the house and it was replayed an hour later on the lunchtime news.
If Tony Blair had made a similar mistake during his premiership then it would be likely he would recover by making light of the situation, but Brown’s lack of performance skills only enhanced his reputation as a faltering leader. Some critics suggest this may be that defining moment that everyone remembers from Brown’s time as Prime Minister.
Presenter of Channel Four News Jon Snow believes Tony Blair has been the best performer in the history of PMQs. He says:
“Although Blair would have done better to abandon the charade altogether, he was a complete master of PMQs and performs brilliantly, wiping the floor with the opposition most times. But that was because Blair was an ‘actor barrister’, absorbing a brief easily and acting it out with a keen sense of timing.”
It is clear that Tony Blair had the right skills to succeed during Prime Minister’s Questions, but that doesn’t necessarily make him a better Prime Minister, as Snow points out:
“His performance during PMQs hasn’t prevented his reputation withering since his retirement. You never hear anyone calling for the return of Tony Blair.”
The question of whether PMQs is the most effective way of holding the Government to account has split the media, but Jon Snow is one of those who firmly feels there are better alternative methods. He says:
“Individual MPs only get one question each, meaning there is rarely any ‘follow up’, so the Prime Minister neatly avoids the awkward detail.
“PMQs is far more a matter of theatre than of genuine inquiry and suggests the PM is in some way more held to account than he really is.”
But what do the Members of Parliament themselves think about Prime Minister’s Questions? It is true that the House of Commons is more or less at full capacity for that particular half-hour on a Wednesday afternoon and according to one Conservative back bencher PMQs may not be the best way of holding our Government to account, but it still holds some importance.
Richard Benyon was elected as MP for Newbury in 2005 and has been involved in PMQs a number of times, most recently asking Gordon Brown a question about child welfare. He says:
“When I entered Parliament, I thought Prime Minister’s Questions would be the most pointless half-hour of the week. I still hold that opinion to a point, but have slightly tempered my view in light of experience.
“For the leader of a major, developed democracy to have to come to Parliament every week for half an hour to face pertinent questions and a confrontational atmosphere is a good way of reminding the most powerful in the land they are, after all, mortal.
“The problem is the Prime Minister rarely answers any question.”
Benyon has had personal experience of having his question not answered directly by the Prime Minister. On 26th November 2008 he asked Gordon Brown why a report into the death of Baby P wasn’t made available for the public to read. Brown quickly put an end to this matter by saying the report was confidential, but the Opposition Children’s spokesman was allowed to read it. This clearly supports Jon Snow’s view that back bench MPs contributions during PMQs are largely ineffective due to the lack of follow up questions.
So we’ve established that Prime Minister’s Questions doesn’t effectively hold the Government to account, but there is no doubt this Parliamentary event provides great entertainment. From the days of Macmillan right through to today with Brown, the performances of Prime Ministers are critically assessed by the media and there is no doubt that PMQs has provided us with many memorable moments over the years.
Its 11:55am on a Wednesday and the majority of Westminster is getting ready for the biggest media event of the week; Prime Minister’s Questions. The news channels are preparing for half an hour of intense debate, millions of people tune into The Daily Politics just for this constitutional occasion and as soon as Andrew Neil says “and now over to The House of Commons” we can expect fireworks.
Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) has been used to hold the Government to account since being permanently introduced by Harold MacMillan in 1961 and after recent reforms by Tony Blair it still remains the most watched Parliamentary event in an average week. In its 47 year history we have seen some classic battles between the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition, from its early beginnings in the 1960s right through to today, when Gordon Brown steps up to the dispatch box to face questions from leader of the Conservatives David Cameron every Wednesday.
It is sometimes the only time we see the House of Commons full on both sides. MPs make a special effort to be present and viewers at home can watch proceedings on a number of different channels, including three different BBC channels (BBC News 24, BBC Parliament and on The Daily Politics on BBC Two).
So why does this routine event attract so much media attention? Shadow Chancellor George Osborne argues we should be proud of PMQs as no other leader in any other country in the world subjects themselves to a weekly inquisition, where any subject could be brought up by backbench MPs.
However, not everyone is a fan of it. Joe Ashton, MP for Bassetlaw claimed during the 1997 reform process that the “Chamber sounded like animals in a zoo” during PMQs and can it could be said this is true; we often tune into PMQs on a Wednesday afternoon not to see intelligent political debate before us, but elected members of Parliament shouting and jeering at each other across the house.
But perhaps this is what we have to expect from the House of Commons. It is, after all, Speaker John Bercow's job to keep the house in order and he faces his biggest challenge during PMQs.
Before 1997, PMQs took place during two 15 minute slots on Tuesday and Thursdays. Tony Blair changed this almost as soon as he became Prime Minister by allocating half an hour of his time to questions at 12pm on Wednesday. This was part of his grand plan to dominate the national news agenda. Blair was a natural performer and one of his greatest strengths was answering questions spontaneously and the new time slot meant he could release a sound bite which would be reported on the lunch time news.
In fact, the differences between Blair and his successor Gordon Brown become obvious when comparing their performances during PMQs. Whereas Blair excelled in this area and could give a satisfactory response to almost any question asked by an opposition MP, Brown has struggled to make an impact since becoming Prime Minister in June 2007. Perhaps the most cringe worthy moment for Brown during Prime Ministers Questions came recently when he accidentally claimed to have “saved the world”. Of course, he meant to say his Government had saved Britain’s banks from the credit crunch, but this simple slip of the tongue prompted much laughter from the other side of the house and it was replayed an hour later on the lunchtime news.
If Tony Blair had made a similar mistake during his premiership then it would be likely he would recover by making light of the situation, but Brown’s lack of performance skills only enhanced his reputation as a faltering leader. Some critics suggest this may be that defining moment that everyone remembers from Brown’s time as Prime Minister.
Presenter of Channel Four News Jon Snow believes Tony Blair has been the best performer in the history of PMQs. He says:
“Although Blair would have done better to abandon the charade altogether, he was a complete master of PMQs and performs brilliantly, wiping the floor with the opposition most times. But that was because Blair was an ‘actor barrister’, absorbing a brief easily and acting it out with a keen sense of timing.”
It is clear that Tony Blair had the right skills to succeed during Prime Minister’s Questions, but that doesn’t necessarily make him a better Prime Minister, as Snow points out:
“His performance during PMQs hasn’t prevented his reputation withering since his retirement. You never hear anyone calling for the return of Tony Blair.”
The question of whether PMQs is the most effective way of holding the Government to account has split the media, but Jon Snow is one of those who firmly feels there are better alternative methods. He says:
“Individual MPs only get one question each, meaning there is rarely any ‘follow up’, so the Prime Minister neatly avoids the awkward detail.
“PMQs is far more a matter of theatre than of genuine inquiry and suggests the PM is in some way more held to account than he really is.”
But what do the Members of Parliament themselves think about Prime Minister’s Questions? It is true that the House of Commons is more or less at full capacity for that particular half-hour on a Wednesday afternoon and according to one Conservative back bencher PMQs may not be the best way of holding our Government to account, but it still holds some importance.
Richard Benyon was elected as MP for Newbury in 2005 and has been involved in PMQs a number of times, most recently asking Gordon Brown a question about child welfare. He says:
“When I entered Parliament, I thought Prime Minister’s Questions would be the most pointless half-hour of the week. I still hold that opinion to a point, but have slightly tempered my view in light of experience.
“For the leader of a major, developed democracy to have to come to Parliament every week for half an hour to face pertinent questions and a confrontational atmosphere is a good way of reminding the most powerful in the land they are, after all, mortal.
“The problem is the Prime Minister rarely answers any question.”
Benyon has had personal experience of having his question not answered directly by the Prime Minister. On 26th November 2008 he asked Gordon Brown why a report into the death of Baby P wasn’t made available for the public to read. Brown quickly put an end to this matter by saying the report was confidential, but the Opposition Children’s spokesman was allowed to read it. This clearly supports Jon Snow’s view that back bench MPs contributions during PMQs are largely ineffective due to the lack of follow up questions.
So we’ve established that Prime Minister’s Questions doesn’t effectively hold the Government to account, but there is no doubt this Parliamentary event provides great entertainment. From the days of Macmillan right through to today with Brown, the performances of Prime Ministers are critically assessed by the media and there is no doubt that PMQs has provided us with many memorable moments over the years.
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