Under Weststand

Thats it window shut

Expectations now well I'd hope we'd be in a relatively comfortable position by Christmas, Then who knows what can happen in the run in if the team and players are more confident & a winning attitude has been achieved.I Don't expect us to get a play off place but would like to think others would be looking over there shoulders worrying about us having a good run at the end of the season. This season is all about putting right 5/6 years of mismanagement, & putting into place everything for a proper promotion push next year.

I thought 1-point Milwall 0-points Hudd 3-points Swindon 3-points Brentford 1 point defo at County hoped for 3 So I had hoped & expected to 0 or at worst -2 points tonight. But when has anything worked out for us over the last 5/6 years. I really wouldn't like to predict when we will get to zero now. But we have to stop loosing ground on 5th bottom.

To true forget the top of the table we need to be 5th from bottom & we need about 60 pts to get close I think the average to stay up is around 50 to 55 pts? We are already worse off than when we started need 11-pts to get out of the relegation places.Its all about survival this year & getting the squad ready for next year to hit the ground running. Hopefully.

Just Back in from the game, Lets start with Melis, he is not up to it was out of position far to much far to easily knocked of the ball & showed little going forward or tracking back. We had chances to finish them off in the 2nd half, not sure that it was offside for the 2nd goal. In the spells that we got the ball on the floor & played football we looked dangerous, the defence looked fairly untroubled thought Trotman was outstanding at the back, that is one thing looking good. Hammond & James looked solid in the middle, but we have no width in the team at all, Lallana showed a few promising & dangerous moments. Also thought Saga held the ball up well & looked good with Lambert. Not sure if it was a penalty for them at the end, but have to say that the Ref was woeful for both teams today. Have to say we needed to keep the ball down today & play football, but resorted to to much hoofing it up for Lambert & Saga. 2 wingers please AP. Disapointing result & we are now further from saftey than when we started. Very worrying that we couldn't see it out against such a poor team as Stockport.

As Pardew has said the time for excuses is over time to deliver, so its got to be a Saints victory & start make some in roads into that -8 points. So I'm going 2-0 to Saints.

To some people obviously you 19C the pursuit of grandeur or getting to the top in any said profession is all consuming. For others Life is for the living & to get the maximum enjoyment out of whilst also fulfilling their own needs in said profession. MLT not only found happiness at Southampton, he found a stage he was more than happy to perform on & grace on many an occasion. He was happy to stay & perform on our little insignificant stage throughout his professional career. Now Listening to his Interview his only regret is not playing enough for England or should I re-phrase it to say not being given a reasonable opportunity with England. He has always made time for fans as he expressed the reasons why in his Interview. He is happy with his career most on here are happy with his career, I'm eternally grateful he chose our stage to perform on, and he provided many great footballing memories. Why do you feel the need to pull someone like MLT to bits. Your complaining that people are abusing you on here when your constructing a character assassination of somebody held in high esteem by 99.9999% of Saints Fans. I've not resorted to abuse but can quite realise why you are receiving it.

I think we need minimum of 4 new RB a CB a Pacey Striker & a winger Please

Shame HCHDAJFU but since he was shipped out on loan last year he obviously wants away. So thanks for the play-off season & good luck at reading. Now spend the money on a fast nippy forward. Billy Sharp maybe from Sheff Utd, Isn't he on the transfer list?

Maybe I'm mistaken I thought MLT had scored 162-goals in 443 games. He is currently 16 on the all time premier league list with 103 goals, now I'm no football expert but that is pretty dam good in most people's eyes as an attacking midfielder, & all done IN A MATCH SITUATION & that is FACT. this also doesn't take into account his many assists. Ask anybody any football fan would you have MLT (in his pomp) in your team today, Yes everyday of the week & twice on Sundays al IMHO of course.

Yes its still there mores the pity Its a s**t hole don't go in. If you want near the away end then use the Armoury just up from the station.

Dont dispute that statement taken in total isolation, but living In Stockport for 20-years most if not all Man Ure, & City fans of our era if & when his name come's up,(we've all just been reading Jeff stellings Book) may say that as an opening gambit but clarify it with BUT WHAT A FABULOUS PLAYER & how the hell did you manage to keep him, then go on to discuss this goal & that goal he scored & also argue that he should have more England caps. So just try putting said statement into some context Please.

Thanks for those wonderful insightful post's 19C. Completely changed my opinion of MLT. What a complete waster he was Those crappy goals he scored for us, those horrible moments when he produced those awful moments of aledged magic that kept us in the premier League for numerous years. God how I wish he'd gone to Spurs & we'd have got relegated straight away.Also we wouldn't have to keep suffering these horrible re-occurring nightmares (memories) of such an awful awful lazy good for nothing player. I for 1 can acknowledge as can Matt himself, that he had certain deficiencies in his game, but that is what makes up his character & persona, he is & always will be laid back & you have to accept that in some people & just have to take what they can offer & extract that extra bit of genius that Matt had & integrate it into a team environment, which IMHO was maximised to our & Southampton F.C's benefit. I don't see anyone who played with him complaining about his lack of work ethic, nay most laugh & say we'd do his running for him, just give the ball & let him do his magic. Try & pull him to bits if you must about Pinnacle, but to slag him off for the way he played for us. Another roly eyed thingy

What a real shame, we do seem a bit cursed when it comes to defence. Just as we start to look half decent, we get yet another injury to a key defender. Hope its not as serious as it first appears & he's back as soon as possible. But we have to either buy or Loan a right back urgently.

The Crown is straight down the hill past the station (Edgeley) side. Go right down to the roundabout you come to Quick-fit on the corner, & its right next to the roundabout on opposite side of road to Quick-fit. About 10-15 mins walk to the ground. Just booked my ticket & will be sliding around the corner to the match & into the Royal Oak top off Castle Street for some Joseph Holts with the brother in law (season ticket holder at County), usually a good mix of home & away in there., Also the Sir Bobby Peel on Castle Street usually has away fans. Also The Armoury isn't bad, come up from the station straight across at the rounabout & its just up on the left. about 2-mins from the ground. Don't go in the Labour club next to away end Known as the Bungalow its a right hovell.

F**k that didn't last long did it

That good then

Great News Just got in had to go & sort my mums Freezer out for her. Got in at just the right time as Harding scores, How we been playing ?

If Pardew is happy with WGS & doesn't feel he is a stalking horse then I'd be more than happy with WGS as DOF.

Tend to agree with this formation Lallana does not seem comfortable out wide so maybe this formation could just give him the freedom to start to blossom. Also give's us some much need natural width. but would definitely play that midfield, & if not Lallana in the hole then drop him out for paterson along side Lambert. The good thing is that formation starts to give us a kook of solidity through the middle, lets hope it prooves to be as solid as it looks.

Oh dear things not going well at all, From the sounds of it we were outplayed again. We really need to address the lack of strength/power & pace in midfield hopefully Hammond will not change his mind tonight & will be in by Satuarday. And we have to get 2 commanding Mobile CB's. Send Lancashire out on Loan, he seems totaly shot from last years experience & this years so far. We also need to inject some pace up front also. Time for Pardew to start earning his money now, we have to show more fight & resolve. Somehow he has to change this awful melancholy loosing atitude we have around the place at the moment. We just seem to be driffting hoping that things will change somebody has to do it take this club by the scruff of the neck and shake it out of its malaise. Sooner rather than latter PLEASE.

:smt044 :smt044 :smt044 is that Poopy going down the :toimonster: Talk about clutching at straws more like clutching at the space that the straws were last spotted in :smt040

Good post St Marco, are we now not allowed to be disappointed at a bad result anymore. I'm stated in the pre season thread this season for me is about rebuilding the playing staff & aiming for saftey as soon as possible, if we do that by christmas we may or may not have an outside chance of a push for a play off place (but doubt that will happen). But I think its more about putting everything in place for a challenge next year, & most people seem to be of that general opinion. Almost everyone on the after match thread are just saying what we've been saying for the last 2/3 years the spine of the team needs sorting out, nothing much controversial about that IMHO.

Seeing a fair bit of division 1 football last year at Stockport this is what I feared, that we would be overrun in midfield, as happened in the last 30-mins against Milwall & yesterday. the spine of the team is neither athletic enough or powerful enough, we need 2 CB's 1 to play with Thomas & 1 as cover, a t least 1 holding midfielder, because at the moment our midfield is to lightweight, and offers no protection to the back four, top of the spine taken care of with Lambert. We also need to inject some pace into the side. All this AP probably knows already, probably hoped we could cope a little better than this, & buy him a little time to improve us, but its looking like he will have to move a little quicker. The next three games are eminently winnable, Swindon, brentford at home & a trully woeful Stockport (they were quite abject yesterday) if we've not started cutting into the -9 deficit by the end of august then it will be time to start worrying.

I can understand the nervousness about this, however so far the way that ML & NC have gone about restructuring/rebuilding the club have been pretty good. I would be amazed if Pardew was not aware of what they had in mind & their plans for the future, probably including a DOF. As long as its AP going to the DOF instead of Cortese & discussing who he'd like/need & letting that person do the deal then can't see the problem, makes sense actualy.