Two days ago Jason Puncheon's career at Saints looked well and truly over but there is another twist.

Its been well documented that over the past 15 months Jason Puncheon has not been a welcome person at St Mary's, than after a spat of petulance after being dropped in November 2010 he fell out with the manager and Chairman meaning that since that time he has only played in one League game for Saints plus a run out in the FA Cup, spending time firstly at Millwall, then Blackpool and latterly at QPR.

Over the wekend he posted a number of less than complimentary posts about Nicola Cortese and the way he is being treated by the Chairman and that looked to be the final act of his Saints career with certain disciplinary measures from the club looking certain and rumours of the PFA becoming involved to try and settle a dispute.

Then out of nowhere today comes the news that the slate has been wiped clean and that Puncheon is now back training with the first team squad and available for selection should the manager so desire.

Puncheon said in his twitter rants that Nigel Adkins wanted him back in the fold and that it was Cortese stopping him, so why the big turnaround from the Chairman ?

Most Saints supporters will concern themselves with one thing and that is how Puncheon plays if he is selected, thats what counts and as we face a vital six point promotion clash with Cardiff, for many thats all that matters and they would almost sell their sould to the devil for anything that helps the promotion bid.

Im left with one though though, and thats if Steve De Ridder hadnt turned out to be so inneffectual over the season and Yago Falque had put in a great display on Monday night instead of looking totally out of his depth, then i dont think we would have seen the headline today "Pleased As Punch" and we wouldnt have seen Jason Puncheon's smiling face on the Official Club website

Photo: Action Images

TML added 13:48 - Jan 25 I am left with one thought, do you have a positive bone in your body!
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geezershoong added 13:55 - Jan 25 Maybe JP & NC sat down & sorted out like adults, did that cross your mind? The player has been disciplined & has accepted that. Maybe we should take that as a positive, although I know supporting SFC is such a chore isn't it...
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Sanguin added 13:58 - Jan 25 Although I agree that De Ridder’s failure to impress is a factor in Puncheon’s return, I think that the main reason is financial. After his Twitter outburst, Puncheon’s value will have plummeted, I imagine that Cortese was waiting until clubs got desperate at the end of the month before selling. Now that he is next to worthless it is better to let him play and prove his value before we sell him in the summer. I doubt that Puncheon or his agent were intelligent enough to plan this outcome, but it looks like it’s benefitted everyone.

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bailey81MCR added 14:03 - Jan 25 I think De Ridder needs a run of games to settle down. Everytime he gets a chance, there's too much pressure on him to prove himself. He needs to be told he's gonna play 3 or 4 games etc. Falque, is a promising talent and shouldn't be written off after 1 game. Nigel will will work with closely this next couple of weeks i should imagine. As for Puncheon, well we'll wait and see. Hopefully it adds competition for places and might get a bit extra out of the midfield.

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Jackflash1975 added 14:03 - Jan 25 It gotta be a win-win situation surely. We pay his wages so why not usehim and if he scores goals then its good. If he's rubbish then we have proved a point. He has talked the talk so give him a few games to see if walks the walk. End of season the decision will be made by all i am sure.
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Jackflash1975 added 14:05 - Jan 25 It gotta be a win-win situation surely. We pay his wages so why not usehim and if he scores goals then its good. If he's rubbish then we have proved a point. He has talked the talk so give him a few games to see if walks the walk. End of season the decision will be made by all i am sure.
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VeloSaint added 14:32 - Jan 25 De Ridder was bought to replace Puncheon/Oxo so its hardly rocket science to suggest that had he performed we wouldn't be seeing Puncheon back. Could be the best addition we make in this window by a long way if he's given half a chance by some of our numpty fans.
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Stephen added 14:41 - Jan 25 I can't see Puncheon playing once Chaplow is back.
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Jackflash1975 added 14:51 - Jan 25 Ok its a stop gap until Chappers is back. Let him try and prove his worth in the meantime. ALL that matters are winning games with the players we have registered. Can it get any worse?
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tell101 added 16:03 - Jan 25 I know that De Ridder does make some errors but I have always thought of him as an impact player. When he comes on he does add that "chaos" factor that can turn games around and / or motivate players to dig a bit deeper. In the quite frankly aweful Leicester game when he came on we started to look a bit more dangerous and that rubs off on other players. He is a handful for defenders to cope with and i think he will get better with more playing time. I think that if Puncheon can get over his ego and put his head in gear it will make a good option having both available. We obviously have failed to attract our main targets in the window so its a bit of a no brainer. Can Puncheon play well with all the bad water thats happened. Hopefully yes as I enjoyed him when he was playing well

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saintstowin added 16:17 - Jan 25 surprising news yes but also very sensible. no one has come in for him and a twitter rant can only look pathetic and put off any suitors. i expect he regrets that very much. he's woken up and realised whether it's long or short term he should knuckle down and that - as has been said in the responses - suits everyone involved. who knows if the form of other players made it easier for saints to accept him back, i'd like to think a genuine apology and desire to train and play would have worked had de ridder been player of the year and falque scored a hat trick on tuesday. doesn't really matter that much does it. we all make mistakes. i did love the apology, i bet cortese enjoyed drafting that out for jason's agreement!

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landsdownsaint added 17:08 - Jan 25 Good news about Puncheon he's a good player and with the right attitude a good addition to a very weak side at moment
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Jesus_02 added 19:22 - Jan 25 I think you may be right. If Saints had no use for him why would they pander to him? It makes no sense to let him go to promotion rivals and no-one from the Prem wanted him so what saints have done is just sensible. It takes two to tango
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scotty added 19:37 - Jan 25 Christ, thats a shocker, I didnt see that coming. Thought the puncheon bridges had been well and truly burned beyond repair...... will be interesting to see what he does if he plays against millwall.
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iwtwms added 21:55 - Jan 25 If Puncheon plays one game for Saints then he will be ineligible to play for another club this season so don't be surprised if Cortese plays him against Millwall. De Ridder is an asset and was actually brought in to replace Chamberlain even though he seems to be just an impact player. It all depends on how Puncheon is welcomed back by the fans.
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BlackRod added 08:50 - Jan 26 This could be the salvation of our season.As pointed out above it's like getting a new player. He's not exactly the hgh profile signing we were hoping for but it seems he is all we will get. While his attitude may be questioned so should that of the management for not giving him a squad number and making him train wiith the kids. Pettiness in the extreme. So it's a new start. Let's get behind the boy and the team for a successful end to the season.

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bstokesaint added 12:26 - Jan 26 I wasn't best pleased when I originally heard the news, but if NC is prepared to wipe the slate clean, then I certainly am. I'm not bothered about conspiracy theories. He's back in now and it's time for him to prove that he can play as we all wanted him to when he first joined us. I'd love to believe he has matured as a result of this.
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