The9

He didn't get any abuse in the first game because he didn't get near the ball for most of the game, same story the second time. The third time they stuffed us so everyone was a bit quiet. The "shrug" to the Northam after the League Cup game last season should get him lined up for a ton more abuse, but people have short memories.

I'm sure it'll be fine, but we are making sure we get there a bit earlier than usual. Tbh flybe insisted we checked in at the airport coming back from Paris in the summer, and it was just a matter of using the screens in Departures and printing the boarding pass there, so should be fine. Also, this mentions showing reservation number: http://www.smartwings.com/en/travel-info/check/ "Flight Ticket and Electronic Confirmation Passengers are obliged to show either their valid electronic confirmation with their reservation number or their valid IATA ticket (issued by a IATA travel agent) at the check-in desk. "

FWIW I'd be completely on board with the Patrick homage, if they made the stripe wide enough on the back it would cover off the new plain back regulations too. I think Virgin Media might appreciate the opportunity for people to see that there's a sponsor on the home shirt as well. In addition, with 7 years' worth of kits to flog us they're going to have to use all the style call-backs and design cues they can get.

If they managed to bring out a decent winter coat which was waterproof, fleece-lined and warm, with a hood and zippable pockets (like last season's blue/orange adidas one) I'd get one, but the plain black thing they want £90 for looks useless and doesn't have pockets, which is an absolute ar5e-pain. I haven't bought any of the training jackets, too slim fit to get anything under them after September, and the walk-out jacket with the white sleeves is just a little strange. That said, I've got all three colours of the training tees, they're really nice, sensible fits and decent value. As far as the kit goes, I've bought two home shirts, an away shirt and socks, the Sports Direct alt. white socks (in case we wear them in the cup) and a pair of shorts I'm never going to wear for any reason, so mustn't grumble about those.

Oh yeah, and the other thing we know is that from next season all Premier League kits will have plain backs - no stripes on the back any more. :/ Also edited to add the news that sponsors will be allowed on the sleeves in the Premier League from next season as well - believed to be only one sleeve, with the other retaining a Premier League logo.

I suspect I may have my work cut out keeping this on the front page for the next 7-8 months, but here goes... Barring any kind of Cortese-esque strops or general balls-ups, it's Under Armour for another 6 years. We will change both shirts in the summer, but not the sponsor, as they're in for another two years as well. So basically all that's going to change is the pattern and style of the home kit, and the design of the away. With that in mind, here's the Colo Colo Under Armour shirt for 2017... which may or may not be a current template or might be a new one... but is the first 2017 UA design I've seen. http://todosobrecamisetas.com/2016/11/camiseta-under-armour-de-colo-colo-2017/

This is cheap but funny and will provide historical pop culture context when the book is written...

Ignoring the (all too) obvious joke, the regulations are very clear that you must play at least 5 players from the previous League match. My favourite bit about this is that Luton also played 3 weakened teams according to the regulations, were fined £15k, and because they're smart about it, will be paying it off with the £20k they got from getting through to the next round nevertheless, along with banking £5k in prize money to boot. FWIW it looks pretty clear from the early going that Plymouth are winning L2, Carlisle will go up with them, and with a 5 point gap already open, Doncaster, Luton and the Skates will be fighting it out for one final promotion place with the other two probably having the opportunity to play each other at Wembley in May. So there's about 33% chance they'll get automatic promotion, a 75% chance they'll make the play-off final and about a 50/50 in that. So that's about a 1/3 chance of automatic, or if they miss out on that a 1/3 chance of play-off promotion. Ish. Still, long way to go, someone (including them) could yet fall to bits, and Newport, who've been bottom for the entire season and still are, are now only 6 points off 10th place.

Having been there in the last 12 months I can confirm that Notts County's ground is well-maintained and not at all dated, has good, clean, modern corporate facilities and offices on site and has been reasonably recently developed. They're also one of the oldest professional clubs in the world, and gave their colours to the world-renown Juventus, which makes them pretty historically significant. About the only similarities are the League Two status, and that they're also the second-biggest club in their immediate vicinity by some distance (though being the worst within 300 yards is worse than 30 miles, apparently Gosport are having a takeover soon, so who knows?). I have also assumed they own their own training ground. This wouldn't even be the first high-profile Notts County takeover either, remember when they appointed Sven?

I haven't. Oh hang on, I'm not going. Palace tickets turned up the last couple of days though.

One manager's opinion. We wouldn't have sold Pelle if we didn't think we had an adequate replacement. Also, Pelle isn't being picked for Italy any more.

Ah the perfect storm for the "Clattenburg was right" chant at Lallana.

We can't check in with SmartWings until the airport! Went through a third party booking rather than booking direct because it was quicker, and they've confirmed we have to take the reservation number along to the desk or something like that...

Not a lot of use to me when I'm flying back with Jet2 and finishing up with flybe.

Don't let the facts get in the way of an opinion that we "created f all" though. We had the best two chances of the game in the last 2 seconds alone.

Yes, are you expecting them to outspend everyone and win the Premier League soon then?

What relevance does the strength of Italy's squad have to the discussion?

We got to Gatwick for the Milan game despite the Southern Rail strikes - Southampton to Clapham Junction is SW Trains and the Clapham to Gatwick leg revised schedule "only" had trains every 15 minutes. Plus the Gatwick Express runs the same stations and isn't strike affected. In fact it was so straightforward and easy I'm never driving to Gatwick again - and this on a "strike" day. If you're going via Brighton it might be a bit more of an issue, but not via Clapham - the tickets might be valid either way. Also on the Smartwings 1420 with the wife and at least one mate, fwiw. Then flying back to Manchester for a night in Blackpool on the Friday, before Blackpool v Newport County on the Saturday and flybe back to Southampton on Sunday morning to get back in time for the Everton match. How the hell we're going to get 5 days' clothes in hand luggage only in late November, I don't know. I'll be the one in the massive blue adidas Saints coat.

Not unless they completely change the format of the competition in the next month we won't.

It's only U21s as the EFL decided to include the Academy sides before the Premier League announced their U21 Development League was becoming the Premier League 2 competition for U23 teams. I'm finding it just a LITTLE suspicious that all of the U21 sides who could draw another U21 side did (U21s for Wolves and Sunderland drew each other so Leicester U21s got Cheltenham, and Brighton were the only U21 team in their subsection). Worth noting that they also retained a split in the groups within the regions (A and B sections) so we'd have probably been kept away from the Skates even if they had got through. Also, exactly half of the U21s got through (8 of 16), and exactly half the senior sides (24 of 48 ).

Good to see he's hit the reverse rocket to nowhere... I'm sure he'll provide great insight and planning thanks to his extensive experience of successfully letting the players do what they want at Spurs and Villa, and his negligible knowledge of playing at that level.

Also, (with the exception of a last ditch tie-breaker which can't apply to Saints from this position anyway) euro coefficients are basically done for this year, until needing them for next season's qualification draw and groups. We will still get ranking points for winning games and progressing etc, but they won't mean anything until the next time we qualify for Europe.

Cash gate? They announced very explicitly online that "tickets" would be £5...

Just had a look at the groups and the draw rules: Round of 32. The eight winners and eight runners up of the north and south group stages qualify for the round of 32. All other Clubs are eliminated from the Competition. The round of 32 pairings are determined by means of a draw whereby the winner of a group will be drawn at home and will play a runner up of a group from the same region (but not from the same group). Subject to the requirement above, the League shall determine the format of, and conduct, the draw to determine the round of 32 and the allocation as Home Club and Away Club. Read more at http://www.efl.com/global/trophyrules.aspx#KbMoQVfemTUMztEb.99 Saints U21s will play at home to one of the following: Reading U21 Swansea U21 Oxford Wycombe MK Dons Brighton U21 Luton. The other southern teams in the next round are: Crawley, and all the group winners: Yeovil Wimbledon Swindon Coventry Norwich U21 Southend Millwall

Um... you've got realism set to 100%.