qwertyell

Started very nervously, but definitely did well as the game wore on. I still think he could do Romeu's role and that's a better position for him, but he's a decent footballer all in all. (He's got to stop getting preoccupied with playing the man and letting the ball bounce when it's there to be headed clear, though.) Great interview with him and Adam Blackmore post match - didn't shy away from the team's individual and collective shortcomings over the course of the season. Certainly seemed to care about the club. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I don't think Cedric or Bertrand will be here next season, so we'll be rebuilding our squad once again from a weak position. On top of the areas that need addressing, we'll first have to replace two of our starters. 2 X RB (Pied is also leaving) 1 X LB 1 X CB (at least) who can handle a bit more physicality than Jordan bloody Ayew 1 X wide attacker (at least) 1 X striker (at least) And probably a midfielder of some sort as Romeu has been shocking, Lemina injury prone, Davis on his last legs. That's a lot of upheaval required - and no way in the world should Les Reed and Ross Wilson be around to make those crucial decisions. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Pack it in, lads. It's done. Swansea are up for this. We're not. They'll score first and comfortably defend their lead. Another "must win" non-performance. Captain Bertrand has been in hiding since kick off. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Because he's totally unsuited to central midfield in grown up football. He can't tackle or run and is physically lightweight. On the occasions he's turned out for Saints in the middle of the park, the game has bypassed him entirely at both ends of the pitch. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Cedric had treatment after the board went up. It was always going to be longer than the alloted four minutes after that. What is truly inexplicable is Bertrand's complete lack of professionalism. Absolutely killed us - gave the ball to Everton in a crossing position and took himself out of the play in the process. Garbage. Good luck with the future, sitting in the stands for a "big" club. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I think Pellegrino or Puel would've been slaughtered for setting up with a back five, three holding midfielders and slowly passing the ball sideways and backwards with zero attacking intent, but hey. Everton are awful. The kind of awful that ends with them scrambling the only goal of the game from a set piece while Allardyce cups his ear to the crowd and declares they're lucky to have him. Let's go for it. We can win if we're brave. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Must be about the slowest XI in our history. Maybe sub in Ward-Prowse for Cedric and that'd do it. Frankly, I think we're a worse team overall when Austin starts - a pub-fit tap in merchant is not what's required when it's all hands to the pump, IMHO. If we can't create a tap in for him, he won't contribute a single positive thing to our play. I guess fast counter attacks are off the table - looks like the only way we're scoring is through quick, incisive passing and movement. Or set pieces. Yeah... we're not scoring, are we? Come on, lads, make this post look silly. Or sillier. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

That was excruciating - one of least enjoyable Saints win I've ever seen. Hanging on for dear life for 30 minutes at home to Bournemouth, for goodness sake. It shows what we've become. But it's a win. I vaguely remember those from the olden days. It's hard to imagine we can take any confidence from the performance, though. Tadic, Lemina and McCarthy came up big for us today. Credit where it's due. We're still alive. One more win might even be enough - Huddersfield aren't getting any more points. We march on? Limp on? Shuffle slightly forward? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Five at the back and we still can't cope with the crossed ball. I don't see the point in sacrificing an extra attacking body so that we can have more crap defenders on the park. We're not keeping goals out regardless. Our only slim hope is going for it. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I think that was me. Wish I'd been wrong. On the flip side, Taarabt had one storming season for QPR in the championship, so maybe Boufal's about to find his level... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

In his defence - and this is pure speculation - he wasn't fit enough to make the travelling squad on Thursday, with back and hamstring problems, so it's hard to believe he was anything like fully fit three days later. That may or may not explain why he barely broke into a sprint during the first half. He might have been moving as fast as he physically could. However, I thought he was much improved in the second half, in terms of application and work rate, even if the quality - like the rest of the side - was sadly lacking. I don't think he's mentally up to the pressure we're under, though. His early season swagger has been replaced by a nervy skittishness as the magnitude of our decline set in. He's not alone in that that regard, either. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Reminder: Hoedt was signed for his aerial ability. Absolute joke of a defender. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

0-0 HT. Sparky's come for a point. It's absolutely desperate - I feel sorry for the fans who've shelled out to watch a team trying to not lose too heavily in a semi final. Chelsea have been under so little pressure they haven't conceded a single foul. It's only a matter of time before they score, and then it's over. Which will come first, a Chelsea goal or a Southampton touch in the opposition box? Chelsea's keeper is top banana in penalty shootouts anyway, so it's not like a draw is great outcome for us at any rate. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Five at the back, three holding midfielders, an acre of empty pitch for Chelsea to play in, two isolated strikers. Tactical genius Hughes must wonder how we're getting utterly dominated. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Like he's kept Stoke up, having been given plenty of time? Wouldn't have touched Hughes with a bargepole, but he's wrangled a nice little earner and our relegation won't damage his dwindling reputation - Stoke's relegation will, though. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Slow, predictable, devoid of attacking ideas. Five defenders and three negative midfielders is not generally the ideal balance for "must win" games But we're still in it. I don't see how we're going to score, and we'll concede the moment we open up, but we're still in it. Bertrand playing himself off the plane tonight, with Southgate in attendance. Why do we look in such bad physical condition? Literally every side we've faced this season has been quicker, more dynamic and vibrant than the one-paced trudge we've served up. Come on, let's do this - hiddeously ugly wins still count. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

In two years, we sold our best attackers without replacing them and have since sold our best defenders without replacing them (and still haven't gotten around to addressing the attacking shortcomings). To nobody's surprise, we are now a team poor in defence and attack. Our demise is entirely self-inflicted: we have chosen to drastically weaken key positions in the deluded belief that somehow our "system" is bulletproof. Whoever gave Les Reed free reign over all footballing decisions has killed us. Unchecked by a strong manager like Pochettino or Koeman, he's been disasterous. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

It was in stark contrast to most of his performances this season. Perhaps he heard about Newcastle being interested and realised he needed to step up his game to get back on the radar of some decent clubs. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Last four games: 0-3, 0-3, 2-3, 2-3. Doesn't matter if it's three, four, five, six at the back - our defence is horrible. Top of the league now in goals conceded from headers: and Ducker Stephens wasn't even playing. Reminder: in the last year Les has sold both of our starting centre backs for £80m or so combined, and replaced them with our third and fourth choice centre backs and a chap from Lazio reserves for £15m. Great business model on the spreadsheet, but relegation whilst making a tidy profit is a depressingly soulless approach to running a football club. Sad. Today isn't why we're going down - we gave a good account of ourselves for 70 minutes. The rot set in a long time ago. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

On this season's half-assed performances, I'd be amazed if anyone decent comes in for Bertrand, let alone for crazy money. Generally, he's looked out of shape, plodding and disinterested. A West Ham kind of signing. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Didn't look special against league one Wigan. Or even bang average. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Welbeck came in a long way from the wing. At any point, Cedric - who was marking no-one - could've engaged him and made it difficult to get a free run and jump at it. The frequency with which he gets bested on the back post isn't a coincidence. Plenty of fullbacks over the years have been diminutive in stature without being a total liability. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

August. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Two goal assists for Cedric - and two pretty abject pieces of defending costing us goals from Cedric. Cedric giveth and Cedric taketh away. Moderately spirited effort by the team. Too little too late, obviously, and we're still weak defensively and uninspired going forward, but hey: small mercies and all that. I wonder if Bertrand is planning on going an entire season without once breaking into a sprint... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

This, in droves. When you're signing players on the promise that they can leave as soon as possible, what kind of committment do you expect? When the chips are down and it's time to roll up your sleeves and show how much you care about the club, the folly of signing huge numbers of mercenaries who were planning their exit before the ink on their contracts even dried is laid bare. They don't give a damn. They're not calling team meetings to sort things out - they're calling their agents to arrange their escape from the stricken vessel. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk