CB Fry

Calm down dear. Everything I have written is about the expectation for the season, with my point being the manager and the chairman have set those objectives. I am only adressing the revisionists desperate to weave this story of plucky-tiny-southampton-who'd-have-thought-it punching above our weight as if us being second is some impossible fairytale. It isn't, it is what was planned for. We are planning to go up automatically at least, ideally as champions. If you can find anything from me on this thread "judging" how the manager is doing, then well done, because I've done nothing of the sort. And if you want to wait until May before anyone passes comment, maybe a football forum isn't for you? Just sick of the get some perspective brigade, when the correct perspective is we are trying to finish in the top two. That's it.

Adkins has been talking about "winning the division" for several weeks now. So selective quote yes, in that it is the most recent thing he's been saying. The "in and around the top ten" stuff pre-dates that by a long way. So yes, there indeed is selective quoting going on, just not by me. Nice try. Cortese was not being "optimistic" - he's not some non league chairman dreaming of an FA cup tie at Old Trafford. His words were words of intent. I know you people hate it, and are desperate to weasel back round to your default position of sneering "you silly little fans with your unrealistic expectations" but it won't work, because the chairman and the first team manager set the expectation, not me. In August, I thought we were going to finish eighth, ninth or tenth, and I have already apologised for having unrealistic expectations. The official "realistic expectation" is second. At least. Suck it up.

Can I just pull you up on this point. Cortese was talking about "not only being promoted...but going up as champions" way back when the weather was still warm at the end of August/early September whenever it was. Adkins has been talking about "winning the division" [his words, not mine] for a while now. It's jolly convenient to wheel out the old "the fans have got unrealistic expectations" chestnut, but it is utter bo llocks. The chief exec and the team manager have set their stall out to not only get promoted but win the division. And to be clear, I don't disagree with your assessment of the squad, and of the competition potentially coming up on the rails. Just want to make the point that it is not the fans fault expectations are raised, and it is not even the fault of our good start (if that can be a fault). The two principals in this football club are trying to win the league. That's the expectation. That's what they have to live up to.

Can I be the first to write off XYZ before he's even kicked a ball for us?

Almost every quote on the News comments section is an absolute pearl.

Sounds like our new signing is working well with Rambert, Rarrana and Connery.

She's thinking "lets make sure these inbred dins vote for me next time. Ring the Portsmouth News....now where did I put my soccer scarf".

Who owns this land again? I struggle to keep up with all the details, but what land does the current incarnation of your cesspit of a club own? Because I think I have gleaned enough to know it doesn't own Fratton Park. So what land does it own that Tesco are going to lob £20m at you for?

Stone me. What a life.

I believe every single contributor to Norwich supporters web-forums is unreservedly positive about the manager and every single player that has ever pulled on a Norwich City shirt. It is this positive attitude from their internet forums which is recognised as the single most important contributor to their success.

Just seen that myself. The report used the word harrassment. It's not bloody harrassment, just a bit of ill-judged cyber abuse.

Is that you on the left?

I like the one with lots of hads in in it, ten in row: John, while Jim had had had, had had had had. Had had had been the correct answer. Or the pub one about the landlord complaining about the spacing between the words on his pub sign for his pub the Hand And Racquet. Five ands in a row: I need more room between Hand and And and And and Racquet.

The Cult of Cortese. Worshiping, in the words of one member on here a while back, "the man who will go down as the single most important figure in the history of Southampton football club". Nobody mention Ted Bates.

Just to confirm, six months after I first responded to this post, promotion is the be all and end all this season. It was in August when you were wrong about this and it is so very true now. If you don't believe me ask Adkins, who keeps talking about winning the title, and Cortese who doesn't just want to be promoted (ie minimum) but he wants us to be champions. At no point whatsoever was this season about fannying around, consolidating, planning for the season after or any of that guff.

The CoC. Love it.

That statement is utterly cringeworthy and seems worded to humiliate the boy as much as anything. Puncheon is a petulant c u*t no doubt, but Cortese is no better with press releases like that. All that said, my only advice to Jason Puncheon is "be any good" come Saturday and especially Tuesday. We need him.

I was happy to pay the membership fee to join, but decided against it when there was a three quid booking fee and I had to pay to park outside the restaurant.

Can't help thinking we'd have been a stronger outfit if we'd managed to sign Gorkks and/or Jamal in the summer. Those two deals both collapsed for unclear reasons, not that the cult-of-Cortese types on here would ever admit that the man did anything wrong or could do anything wrong whatsoever, ever.

Even if this is true, Hooper aint going nowhere unless he hands in a transfer request. Celtic have gone too far to lose that much face.

That team can beat Leicester City. There's two strikers there desperate to prove we don't need to spend £10m on a new one. A kid from Spurs about to become a six month all time Southampton legend. And basically the squad that have got us to the top of the league. 3-1 win.

I think we need West Ham to win for the motivation. We've been blessed in the last few weeks with Boro and West Ham fluffing their lines. We can't expect that to be the case for the rest of the season. Something to aim at, to catch up with, could be just the kick up the bum we need.

Jeez. The only thing that will see Hooper sign at Saints is if Gary Hooper hands in a transfer request. It's jolly exciting this little delusion that we are just going to bid and bid and bid and bid and bid but it is not happening. We've had a go, we are not going to break the bank, and Celtic are not negotiating over a price, they don't need to sell and they are not going to sell to us, as our manager has said. It's over. What if this was the other way round - say QPR had come in with three bids for Lallana and then Mark Hughes was quoted as saying he'd given up would you be saying "they're just waiting for deadline day and then we'll sell". Bet you wouldn't. You'd be praising Cortese to the rooftops for seeing them off.

Okay precious. You haven't screamed. You have a knack of asking pretty dopey questions though. Part of the calculations in that risk would be any evidence that every single other club that have got promoted haven't found the need to jizz £10m on a single striker. I am bewildered why you've stopped at £10million. Why not £40m? After all, there's £100m pot of gold at the end of it so must be worth it.