Nordic Saint

We have only lost 1 of our last 5 matches against Liverpool. We haven't conceded a single goal in the League Cup this season and if we score a goal at Anfield, Liverpool will need to score 3 and they haven't managed to do that in any of our last 5 visits to Anfield. So, I think the key for Saints is to score a goal in the 2nd leg, which we have managed to do in our last 3 visits there.

Saints’ 14 FA Cup & League Cup Semi-finals 2017 League Cup v Liverpool 2003 FA Cup v Watford W 1987 League Cup v Liverpool L 1986 FA Cup v Liverpool L 1984 FA Cup v Everton L 1979 League Cup v Leeds W 1976 FA Cup v C. Palace W 1963 FA Cup v Man. Utd L. 1927 FA Cup v Arsenal L 1925 FA Cup v Sheff. Utd. L 1908 FA Cup v Wolves L 1902 FA Cup v Nott. Forest W 1900 FA Cup v Millwall W 1898 FA Cup v Nott. Forest L We’ve been in twice as many major semi-finals as Pompey, which does make the number of trophies they’ve won a bit galling. But, on the other hand, the fact we’ve got twice as many fans as them, in spite of all the disappointments, speaks volumes for the loyalty of our fans. This will be our 14th major semi-final and my 4th.

Respect to Rodriguez. He always comes across as a very genuine and humble person. I really hope he can get back to being the player he was before that terrible injury. A couple of goals for him tonight would be very warmly appreciated by everyone in the football world.

All of his injuries have finally caught up with him and after his doping ban, Liverpool obviously consider him more trouble than he's worth, which is why they want to get rid of him, so they've got a bit of a cheek demanding that much. http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/mamadou-sakho/verletzungen/spieler/47713

I really hope there is no truth to this rumour as he would be an appallingly bad signing, reminiscent of Osvaldo and Delgado. He's massively overpriced, very injury-prone, suffers from muscle fatigue and ankle problems and has only managed two 90 minute appearances in Serie A in the last 2 years. Even in the days when he was fit enough to play, he was well behind Pelle in the Italian striker pecking order.

A home draw is always a good draw. If it had been against a weaker team, people would have complained that it was boring. So, in fact, it's a very good draw. It will be good to see us knock Arsenal out of both cups in one season.

It's good to know I can make you smile a bit. In your posts you come across as someone who is permanently miserable. So cheer up: we might even win the League Cup! But, I expect even if we did, you'd still be spreading misery on here the next day. You can't help it.

No, carry on. To be fair, the Les Miserables group on here do make me laugh though.

He's only every played for Morocco twice in his career (home and away against the Cape Verde Islands in March last year), so they shouldn't be too bothered about him not going.

Best to ignore him. I just had a look at his previous posts. They're all full of the same bile and sarcasm. He obviously leads a very unhappy, lonely life, and this forum is the only outlet he has for his anger and frustration. Calling other people 'little' seems to be one of his favourites, which certainly indicates a misplaced arrogance or maybe he's just obese : You're a special little guy It's ruined your little world I know Turgid. you're a paranoid delusional conspiracy theorist This effort is just making up the numbers. 0.2/10 Right you are, sweetheart. Wincing as I read this effort. You'll never get snapped up to the wind-up merchant big five with dross like that Some people are effing mental. Mental. Thank Christ you have no influence on the decision making at the club. You love your little routine about fans having their "tummy tickled" Textbook. Meltdown. Okay, you're a bit dim then. I always wonder what it must be like to be clever with manipulation. Meltdown. There's drivel and there is drivel. The moderators agree you are an utter bellend. There's drivel and then there's drivel. I can't be bothered to copy and paste any more of his posts because,as you can see, they become dull and repetitive after a while. The good thing is, if you've made it to the end of this list, you need never read another C. B. Fry post again in your life.

All of the goalkeepers at the club seem to be getting worse under the coaching of Dave Watson. In his capacity as England goalkeeping coach appointed by Roy Hodgson he even seemed to have an influence in wrecking the seemingly impregnable Joe Hart's career. I'm not sure that it's ever a good idea to take any coach from the awful England FA coaching setup, even though Dave Watson did at least play fro Barnsley, in contrast with many others, like Les Reed, who had no league experience. One thing I've noticed with our goalies is that they have become much more hesitant. Watson seems to have go them thinking too much about where they are going to place the ball before they get it. He's also made them reluctant to come off the line for crosses. In his pre-match warmups he lobs the ball to them so that they never have to come more than a yard off their line. Watson has had long enough to be judged now as well as in his last job at Norwich, and he's failed. Time for him to go.

I've no idea as I don't trust all of the negative 'leaks' to the fan base and the media from private conversations and negotiations Reed has with our players and managers, which is the only way you hear about them. Such behaviour is totally unprofessional which makes me very suspicious of the man and all of the players and managers must surely find such a sneaky character very difficult to trust or confide in. Anybody with any integrity wouldn't want to work for him for long, which is why we are now getting characters like Eric Black coming into the club. Steven Gerrard said that he had no respect for Les Reed after the way he treated him during England's Euro 2000 campaign. Gerard wrote, "To this day, I have no respect for Reed." I should imagine many players, managers and coaches feel the same way.

It has to be one of the players Les isn't planning to sell in the next year or so and that doesn't leave many good ones. Even Steven Davis, once he is into his early 30s, will probably be sold, like Lambert, Pelle and Fonte, because it will be seen as a last chance to get a transfer fee for him. Maybe Romeu will be here for 2 more years so possibly him? The revolving door transfer policy may boost a Swiss bank account but it is having a devastating effect on team spirit.

In my opinion (and it is just my opinion), Les Reed comes out with too much PR spin. He has a team working for him, making PR videos and feeding the media. This is all well and good when it is positive but I don't like the negative spin about every player and manager just before he is sold. It really isn't necessary, it creates a bad atmosphere and ultimately is going to get our club a bad reputation with people in the football world, even if it does seem to have convinced some of our more naive fans that Les Reed can do no wrong and that just about every player and manager the club has ever had, apart from Reed himself, is selfish, greedy and throws tantrums if he doesn't get his way and that Kat and Les don't really want to sell anyone as they are selfless individuals to whom money means nothing.

Fonte wants a successful team here and is fed up with the club's transfer dealings. He's right. The midfield isn't good enough.

I guess the person is hoping to make him angry enough that he will want to go. That's how he seems to operate.

The latest rumour is that someone very high up at our club is shall we say being economical with the truth yet again about a player he wants to sell in an attempt to push him out and that in reality Fonte has not handed in a transfer request at all.

They didn't buy him though, did they? I reckon it would be a bloody good strategy to pretend to be interested in a player who you believe is overpriced and overrated to lure a rival club into buying him. Les Reed was the fall guy. If he now gets lured into buying Manolo Gabbiadini, one of the most overpriced and overrated players in Europe, because other clubs are supposedly interested in buying him, he'll be an even bigger fool.

There is nobody in his right mind who would employ Eric Black as assistant manager. His track record is abysmal and relegation could almost be his middle name. But, this is what Les Reed had to say: "Claude clearly came out on top of a very impressive shortlist. We have not only got the best man, but the right coaching team to support him. Eric Black has an excellent pedigree as a coach and vast experience domestically and internationally." Les Reed 2016 Reed is totally out of touch and hopefully will do the decent things and retire this year at the age of 65 so we can get someone in to take the club forward over the next 5 years and beyond.

"Claude clearly came out on top of a very impressive shortlist. We have not only got the best man, but the right coaching team to support him. Eric Black has an excellent pedigree as a coach and vast experience domestically and internationally." Les Reed 2016 "I believe as a group we probably have a choice from the best pool of midfield options in the Premier League." Les Reed 2016

Complete and utter rubbish. Most of those players were unknowns when Paul Mitchell spotted them and would have been happy to come to any Premier League club. Mitchell was, admittedly, a brilliant head of recruitment and that's how we got them. If Les and Kat weren't so desperate to cash in on them at the earliest opportunity, the players would be with us for longer and we might actually win something. But, Paul Mitchell, the creator of the black box, has gone and nowadays we're getting the mediocre signings that other clubs don't want like Nathan Redmond and Jeremy Pied and equally poor managerial appointments like Eric Black. Van Dijk was the last of the players Paul Mitchell identified for Saints. Meanwhile in Spurs' last game, there were 6 of Mitchell's players in the starting lineup : Dele Alli, Son Heung-Min, Wanyama, Alderweireld, Wimmer and Trippier. The good news is Mitchell has handed in his notice at Tottenham and he would be the ideal replacement for Les Reed when he retires at 65 this year.

These Tweets by Villa fans back in June were quite prophetic, as if Puel is sacked during the season, he probably will take over as caretaker manager until the end of the season: Andy Reilly ‏@andysays78 Eric Black the new assistant manager of Southampton? Stick your money on them tanking and him stepping in come February. 11:03 AM - 30 Jun 2016 Reece ‏@Reece_AV Eric Black has been present at numerous clubs during relegation - surely he can't carry it on at Southampton? #AVFC #SFC 10:22 AM - 30 Jun 2016 from Birmingham, England

Les Reed will sell them anyway. He's sold the attack. Now, he'll sell the defence. Until Reed goes, there's not much any manager will be able to do as the squad is only going to get progressively weaker.

And then we get another one of Les Reed's brilliant appointments, Eric Black, as caretaker manager until the end of the season. Black's got every team he's worked for relegated, including Villa last season when he took over as caretaker. The man who has to go is Les Reed.

I assume you are joking?