The9

To be fair, anyone disliking our kits "because they look like Stoke" is a helmet with no business commenting on kit design. Especially the away kit, which isn't even the same colour.

Yup, and "stadium layout" is a fifth of the categories. Tbf there are crappy views in all non-new stadiums, you just hope you don't get one. Bunch of pillars at Palace, too.

I'd add proximity to local amenities (yes I mostly mean pubs) and number of toilets to that list. QPR would definitely come last if stadium layout is in there, but what about the character of the place as opposed to another St Mary's box-a-like? Plus it's near a huge Westfield which has plenty of pubs and food places.

Excellent spot. Some people are just losers. Typing the word "infetterence" into Google found me this. http://www.operatorchan.org/pasta/res/1510.html

Did you miss the Mirror reporting it 2 days ago and the link 3 posts above then?

The 2015/16 version of the Europa seedings is already up btw - it does confirm the highest seeding will be used in the draw for Q2. http://www.footballseeding.com/european-cups/europa-league-seeding-15-16/

There are a completely different number of teams in the PlayOff round this year compared to last and it's speculation to assume how many of which clubs will get through and drop in from CL to affect it. All that we can say accurately is that an upset result (based on coefficient) in the CL 3Q is bad for us (will drop higher coefficient teams into EL PO), and an upset in the EL is good for us (more lower coefficient teams remaining). We'll be lucky to be seeded in the play-off round, and there's no guarantee they'll even use the same pot process. One thing Steve's article did mention that I hadn't realised, is that even though the 3rd Qualifying Round draw is before the 2nd Qualifying Round is complete, there will be unseeded teams in the 3Q Round who got there directly (Jablonec [CZE], Larnaca [CYP], Hapoel Kiryat Shmona [iSR], Istanbul Basaksehir [TUR], Targu Mures [ROM] and Altach [AUT] looking like being those teams at the moment). So if we drew those we'd know our opponent on the day of the draw, July 17th, rather than the day of the 2nd Qualifying Round 2nd leg (July 23rd).

I was about to say "so why did Clough get so long when he didn't get promotion in more than one season if that's 'failure'?" and then you came out with that gem about what you define as failure (given that we were already 8 points behind the leaders and in 22nd place when Adkins took over, and finished 3 behind the winners - but THIRTEEN ahead of the team that was top when he arrived), so I can just ignore the whole thing now, cheers.

I don't think the ingredients to succeed are THAT different, a good team is a good team. I can certainly confirm that I think most of the 8 kids who made their debuts last season are in no way ready for either competition, and though we might choose to play a couple of them in the 3rd Qualifying Round or maybe a dead rubber in the Group Stage, we won't be any more reliant on them than we are at the moment, i.e. not very much at all. This idea that having a load of kids who don't play enough because they're not good enough equals "depth" is a fallacy that some Saints repeatedly buy into. Even Ward-Prowse is only a borderline starter after 2 years of regular involvement in the squad. Admittedly more competitions means more matches for them to potentially play in, but there's quite a risk in deciding to chuck kids into European competitions. The obvious example from last season is Harry Kane, but he and Mason were pretty much the only kids who got into Spurs' side last season, and Kane already had a couple of fairly successful Championship loans under his belt - that's really not the same as chucking in kids who have 5 minutes off the bench at 3-0 up, for instance, especially when the REST of the squad isn't exactly brimming with European cup experience.

Not 'alf.

Yes, just like the Skates did - but they'll get reduced amounts in L1 (or L2, heh) compared to the value of the payments if they'd stayed in the Championship because some of the "goodwill" money is based on divisional payments.

They also have the right to get fined according to the conditions in their contract, some of which are likely to explicity prohibit this kind of thing.

Represented here by the facepalm at the end. Disappointing that there's a limit on 10 per post, I had a LOT more facepalms planned. Also couldn't use this one for him going missing in Milan the weekend I went to see Inter v Torino...

Given the detail given about their committee in that "Being Liverpool" ESPN (?) documentary a couple of years back, I'm not sure what they're going to do any differently.

ITK?

For a 32 year old defender? How much did we get for 31-year old proven Prem scorer Rickie Lambert again? £7m is silly money for as long as Harry Redknapp doesn't have a club and Fonte's never played for him. Agreed that he's worth a lot more than that to us though.

This will work, and would also be amusing against Bournemouth.

Point of order, it wasn't until we started singing this Europe version of the "Up the Football League" song that we actually sang "We are Southampton We are Southampton" and the name of the "King" had already changed twice since we claimed we'd sing it the last time. So what we need is a song that goes "We Are Southampton We Are Southampton". (apologies to Mornington Crescent for nicking his "joke").

This thread sucks hairy parts.

And a lot less funny.

Yeesh, Saints have nearly 5 times the growth of Man U but that still translates to them adding 650,000 more fans a month. This is what we're up against, people.

Oh Nige, if only you'd waited and taken the imminently available Palace or West Brom jobs instead of getting stitched up at Reading, you could have dipped in and out of bottom half Prem jobs for years, your point already made. Instead of that you've got Reading's lies smeared all over your CV and will need to repeat the Saints job at Sheffield United to get yourself back to that level again. Draw a line under it, good luck, and see you in the Prem in 3 years.

Additional income and some wage headroom, as well as a selling point for potential recruits.

Cheers.

No point posting a link when everyone's too lazy to look it up in the first place...