CB Fry

Fair enough. I live in the East Midlands and work with Forest and Derby fans so I want them both to do well. They're getting battered by Bournemouth tonight, mind, even though its 0-0.

Hope Forest smash them. Huge soft spot for Forest and who the fuck wants bloody Bournemouth in the Premier League again.

Fantastic news that The Athletic have recognised the great work that Sheldon has done. Personally I think he has shown a lot of growth and his writing had improved in recent months. Plus he has uncovered some genuinely exclusive and interesting stories. Good luck Dan and well done. Well deserved promotion.

I think the point is you are. On any metric anywhere that season was not our worst season ever, and we all know you don't even believe that yourself. You're just too petty to back down from it.

But we got more "bums on seats" and definitely brought in more money in those administration days and in the Championship, right? After all, bringing in money and bums on seats is the fundamental purpose of a professional football club, so I'm told.

It's not 1983 anymore. So that's where 8th place and a Cup Final comes in incredibly handy, if, as you believe, "bringing in money is the fundamental purpose of a professional football club". Didn't he do well?

I think quite likely in the same way similarly local-hero Grealish had one when he signed his extension a couple of years ago. Agree with above that £60m would be on the cheap side. Contract too long and lucrative and he is the dictionary definition of a "proven" Premier League player. So not Grealish money but maybe £70m odd.

I'm just delighted that we "saved our bacon" in a match six weeks and six games before the end of the season.

No, I'm wrong. My favourite thing is soul crushing humourlessness like your contributions. And they fucking happen all the time.

I want us to beat Brentford as well, if that helps your understanding.

"Relegation threatened team have just won a match so now I believe that team is never going to drop any points ever again" is my favourite SaintsWeb thing.

So what us the relevance of this question then?

This time next year, if it's us sat third/fourth bottom with 34 points from 34 games or 32 from 33 I would absolutely love to see the forum expectation levels and confidence then. "Don't worry chaps we're on course for 40 points no bother" is what absolutely none of you will be saying. You attribute absolute invincibility and expect amazing runs of form from shit teams in the relegation zone that you would never, ever, apply to us if it was Saints down there.

They are not all going to get 40 points.

I think Dave Jones referred to Saints as "this football club" for the entire time he was here. So a long standing but still annoying cliche.

Leeds United on their unstoppable march to 40 points and no mistake.

Lucky for you, I do know. They absolutely will not.

Jesus wept. You think Everton, Leeds and Burnley - all three of them - are going to get 40 points?

They fucking love being a non commercial non mediocrity team. Challenging in the Championship every season they are. Love it they do. I wish that was us I wish that was us I wish that was us.

I thought you wanted us to "be in with a chance of success now and again" in the Championship or League One? That's literally what those named clubs are. Funny how you take it as an absolute given that us being an exciting non-boring non-commercial club lower down has absolutely no financial downsides at all. We just carry on being profitable and financially stable in the second tier because, you know, because. "Challenging all the time" in the Championship is basically Norwich or Fulham then. You're bored of being Southampton and you'd rather be Norwich. That's who you're jealous of and that's your antidote to "boring commercial mediocrity". What a load of pony indeed.

Absolutely guaranteed that if we were a yo yo club between Championship and the Prem ("a chance of success now and again") you'd moan like fuck. If we were hovering around mid table Championship with occasional top six finishes (another "chance of success now and again") you'd moan like fuck. If we were League One (Papa Johns Trophy now and again?) you'd moan like fuck. We've finished top 8 recently and cup finals, cup semis and Europe. Is that not a chance of success now and again? Or do you genuinely look at Sheffield Wednesday or Sheffield United or Ipswich or Blackburn or Stoke City and you wish that was us? You'd genuinely rather be that club?

This. Because he is tied down to along contract it is going to take a big offer but I get the feeling someone will offer it. He might not want to move house but I think Man United is a possibility- as a club they have a gigantic, collective attitude problem and he's got the right attitude in spades. JWP is like the antithesis of Pogba.

"Hard hitting" "investigative" Saints journalists to "hold the club to account" What a load of bollocks. If the Echo (or the Athletic) don't have access, they've got no content. They need interviews and inside info. That and a bit of tactical analysis and a bit of colour/insight. What the Athletic, or The Telegraph, get now is about what you are going to get. What Hard hitting investigative content are you people expecting? Why aren't you picking Perraud? How comes we can't outspend Crystal Palace? wHy cAnT wE bE mORe liKE dORtMonD FFS Jesus wept.

Which players do we need to rest this week to stop them injuring their ACL in a future match?

Are people saying if we'd rested him for a couple of games in November and January he wouldn't have done his ACL last week? Is that how it works, Doctor?