Nordic Saint

'Greatest manager...love what he did for our club': 'Greatest manager ... Love what he did for our club ... Thank you Harry' - Portsmouth fans on social media show why ex-West Ham, Spurs, and QPR boss Harry Redknapp is still much loved | The News

The priority still has to be to replace McCarthy. We certainly don't want him playing for us again next season. Because of Rasmus Ankersen's Brentford connections, I'd expected the new goalkeeper to be David Raya but now that it looks like they are staying up due to the points they've picked up since Raya's return from injury last month, perhaps that will no longer be possible.

It's more of a priority that we replace McCarthy as he is our worst goalkeeper. It would be good if we could bring in a Premier League goalkeeper like Pope or Raya but there would always be a risk with an unproven young goalkeeper.

It was a fairly convincing dive but Dean wouldn't have given a penalty for it at the other end. In fact, he didn't for a far heftier shove in the back which sent Long sprawling in the City penalty area. It was the way that Jesus stuck his leg back to try to make it look like he'd been tripped which bought it. Jesus is a seasoned cheat. Everybody around me was shocked to find out that a penalty had been given for it. The only consolation is that there is a rumour Mike Dean is retiring at the end of the season.

Yes, we all expect Mike Dean to award at least a red card or a penalty against us today. There are rumours he is retiring at the end of the season so no matter what he does, he won't fear any repercussions. But, let's hope that today is the day he really shocks us and shows he isn't really biased against us, even though 2 red cards against us seems more likely.

Cedric seems to be having his best spell for Arsenal and he's been called up, along with Fonte, whose next cap will be his 50th, for the latest Portugal squad. Fernando Santos announces Portugal’s World Cup playoff squad (portugoal.net)

Historically, there is not a lot to choose between Saints and Man City at this stage of the FA Cup. Saints have been in 22 FA Cup quarter-finals and won 13 while City have been in 27 quarter-finals and won 15. If we beat them on Sunday in our 23rd quarter-final, our records will be even closer. It's the semi-finals and finals where Saints fall down. City have won 6 finals but we've won only one. There can't be another team in football that's been in more semi-finals than Saints yet only won 1 cup.

Then let's hope they discover Bremer before his transfer value rockets. Just checked the latest transfer rumours and it looks like it's already too late. Man City and Liverpool are both being linked with him. As you said, on our budget, it's difficult.

We need an upgrade on Bednarek. We need a big central defender who can win everything in the air. We really need Dael Fry.

Howe has told his team to put high crosses and corners into our penalty box at every opportunity because our central defenders win almost nothing in the air.

It was a well-worked goal. Basically, big centre forwards scoring headed goals from long crosses and corners against us is a recurrent theme and Newcastle would have highlighted that in their planning for this game. We are a good team but our weakest link is still in the centre of our defence.

Dael Fry would be better.

Forster has arguably been our best player this season. We could replace McCarthy with David Raya but a new centre back is a priority. We should buy Dael Fry in the summer but Salisu and Valery might still form a good central defensive partnership. A deadly finisher would be good. Andrea Belotti will be available on a free in the summer but we'd need to offer him mega wages. It would be worth it though.

Ironically, we let both Chambers and Mings go and they looked far superior to Bednarek and Stephens. But, I'm optimistic that Salisu and Valery will form a good partenrship.

I wouldn't always believe what journalists say, especially football reporters from Portsmouth who write about Saints.

To be fair, the lengthy interruption came at exactly the right time to help us win that game. After we'd just regained the lead, it gave our players a breather and stopped the threat of an immediate equaliser. I must admit thinking at the time, the longer they stay out there, the better. West Ham's players and fans never regained momentum after that.

I must agree I never rated his defensive capabilities very highly when he was playing at right back but as a central defender he is an absolute revelation: a real rolls royce of a player. Another masterstoke from Ralph playing him there.

He was outstanding last night: sheer class. He has shown this season against some top teams - Spurs, Chelsea and West Ham - that he is a very good centre back.

The only weak link in our best starting XI is Bednarek. Our priority this summer should be to bring Dael Fry in. We should have bought him instead of Vestergaard. His price has gone up now after his performances against Man United and Spurs but it's still not too late to get him. If, as seems likely, we can't keep Broja, Andrea Belotti, who'll be a free agent in the summer, would be the ideal replacement.

Fry has shown against both Man United and Spurs just how good he is. I've wanted us to sign Dael Fry for years, ever since I first saw him play against our Academy. The combination of Salisu and Fry would be our best since Fonte and van Dijk.

Hopefully it's no more than one. This is our most important game of the season so far and we need our best XI starting.

If all teams want to wear yellow and blue, it could get confusing. Yellow and blue armbands would make more sense.

Year of the Cat (2001 Remaster) - YouTube

If we'd had Forster instead of McCarthy in goal, it would have been a comfortable victory: "McCarthy started between the sticks for Hasenhuttl’s team but his performance left a lot to be desired. Indeed, his was the lowest match rating awarded to a Southampton player. The 31-year-old was beaten at his near post for both of Norwich’s goals and picked out a team-mate with only 11 of his 17 passes (65%) McCarthy also played just two accurate long balls out of eight, won zero duels and lost possession six times at Carrow Road on Saturday." Norwich 2 - 1 So'ton - Match Report & Highlights (skysports.com)

A match made in hell (or Bradford)