Fitzhugh Fella

It's literally attached to the Jubilee market very near the cathedral in Winchester Walk - it's a very small pub but the bitter is brewed on site I believe and was excellent.

My opinion for what it is worth After Saints' last away game (at Leeds) the West Yorkshire Post likened our back-to-the-wall smash-and-grab victory to one of highwayman **** Turpin's hold ups - and it went on to say that he had at least had the decency to wear a mask. It was a fair view nicely made. Well after another smash and grab raid, this time in East London yesterday, Gawd knows how the South Bermondsey Gazette is going to handle the match report. Unlike the Leeds game, where at times our defending was heroic, this was nothing of the sort and most of us at the New Den would have, after an hour's play, snatched a hand off had it offered us a point. We started brightly and were very dominant and I could see another Watford type performance where we had cruised to a fine routine win but no. After Lambert's opener which looked way too easy, we suddenly and inexplicably retreated into our shells and let Millwall take the game by the scruff of the neck. They scored two goals through sloppy defending and harried us into making a succession of errors all over the pitch. Chaplow was at "sixes and sevens" and I think Adkins's decision to rest him after Leeds was a wrong one - he needed games not rest and his rustiness was so evident in the first 45mins it was inevitable he would make way for De Ridder, who did at least give us the pace we had so lacked in the opening half. But the second period was basically more of the same with Richardson back to his worst, frustratingly over hitting cross after cross and Fox not doing much better. Hammond was woeful too and I was pleased to see the rotund Sharp come on after an hour, but he has flattered to deceive so far in a red and white shirt and did nothing to excite yesterday. Lee was being missed! But then a small miracle. In the 84th minute, when all seemed lost, Sharp was found in a good position and had half a chance to get in a shot, but perhaps lacking confidence he squared the ball back to the onrushing Lambert who managed to get himself tripped up for a pen. While he dusted himself off it was a nervous wait for us fans behind the goal facing him, as we knew this would probably be our only chance of a point we frankly did not deserve. Rickie has got to miss a pen one day but thank God this time was not to be it, as he placed it well away from the ex-Saints goalie, Maik Taylor. Could we hold on for this unexpected and undeserved point? In the 88th minute we had a corner and as Fox lumped the ball across Hooiveld jumped and missed but there was a hand waving in the air and when the ball hit it, the referee (who had started the game as linesman only to take over when the originally ref picked up an injury) had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Cue Millwall players and fans uniting in uproar. The opinion around me was split as to whose hand it was - some said it was Hooiveld's but I thought it was a hand that was sticking out of a dark blue shirt (why do Millwall now play in dark blue) and the ref had got it right. Again there was some nervous few seconds as Lambert composed himself and this time he hit the ball centrally, but had persuaded Taylor to dive out of the way. The Saints' fans were ecstatic especially as news had just come through that West Ham had fallen behind at Elland Road. The home supporters were gutted and very irate as can be imagined and I wouldn't have liked to have encountered any of the ones that were mocked and jeered as they departed by the delighted Saints fans at the final whistle. Not that there was much chance of that as the route back to the train station is a bit like the Berlin tunnel and is about as heavily guarded. We had found a brilliant little real ale pub in Borough Market called the Rake before the game and, over a post-match pint, opinion was we had just got out of gaol. It is good to win dirty and it is a sign that maybe the Gods are smiling on us but I would be more confident if we were looking a bit more cohesive as we approach the final run in. Yesterday not one player was better than average (perhaps Lambert and Do Prado should be excused any criticism) and most were below par. We will not get away with such an under par performance at Hull.

Hear hear Minty - having once evacuated a full jumbo that had caught fire at LHR I can vouchsafe that for every punter who knows where the exit door is there is one that doesn't.

Agree, if I was a skate (thank God i'm not) I would be favouring the best exit plan which would see my "reborn" club entering the highest league possible while keeping the original club identity/tradition/heritage. There is just too much baggage and skeletons in the cupboard for P*mpey FC to stay as they are. Liquidate, get out, reform, start afresh at the bottom, whatever it takes and maybe in 50 years reach the same level as Southampton. But in the meantime lose your arrogance, accept you only got what and where you did from living wildly above your means, you had a couple of seasons of pleasure but now you are going to have to pay with half a century of humility. Adios and Bon Chance it was nice knowing you. Shut the door on your way out.

Thanks for this

Yep was going down later this week to buy 4 from Parkway so'd be interested to see how cheap they are - as far as i am aware the deal is still there?

Has Manji contributed to this excellent thread yet? Be intrigued to find out more about this cyber warrior but doubt he will poke his head above his screen.

How can you have a "mate" from Pomp+y - sorry you are not a Saints fan.

Absolutely - I lost count of how many times Lee started to make his run but the Saints player in possesion had his head down.

Not as far as i know - i wish i did!

56, now Otterbourne, but lived in Archers Rd 1959 to 1985 first H game, v Stoke May 1963 to see Stan Matthews but he was rested first A game, Boxing Day at Stamford Bridge 1969 we lost 3-0 or 3-1. Claims to fame - went to every game in the 1976 FA Cup win and vice capt of Fitzhugh Public House (Milton Rd) Darts team which regularly inc Peter Osgood, Jim Steele and Gerry O'Brien. Happy Days.

Some of you need to get out to a live game now and again

This

You should read my posts a little more carefully, I have said neither of those things. Merely Puncheon does not shine in that particular position and Falque seems to have slipped off even Adkins's radar - that does not constitute writing either player off.

Yea Dave, but you were just sitting on your arse while the real workers were beavering away the other side of the cockpit door

Had completely forgotten about him - apologies - but not sure he is up to the job. If AL can keep fit for the rest of the season then we should be fine but he is more injury prone than average and as he is so vital and adds width it is a worry. Yesterday v Leeds our lack of width was almost painful to behold.

In the light of Puncheon's rather underwhelming performances in our last two games as Adam Lallana's replacement would it make sense to use the loan period to get in a short-term back up? Don't know how long AL is going to be sidelined but it is one crucial area we don't seem to have adequate cover.....or do we? Is there anyone out there we could get? (Not having a go at Puncheon here as I don't think playing wide on the left is his best position)

This apart from the fact I am 56

Lots of Saints' fans say they want PFC to survive albeit in a lower league. Fair enough but tonight they are looking at liquidation which will mean that their results will be expunged and consequently Saints promotion chances will be automatically enhanced by the fact we will only have one point deducted and many of our rivals like West Ham will have 6. So that leads on to the critical question - if it meant Saints being automatically promoted to the Premiership could you accept at the same time that it would mean the total disappearance of P********h once and for all? (Vote A) Or would you rather P survived and we strove for promotion on our own merits and not neccesarily be succesful (Vote B). Easy choice Me? Vote A

Sometimes you have to experience the bad to fully appreciate the good. And every side has its bad days - the 20s 70s 80s and to an extent the 90s were vintage decades for us whereas the 30s and 50s were mediocre ones. Then came the noughties which started well with a new stadium but went rapidly down hill after the FA Cup Final. Perhaps as fans we had become complacent, most of us had only ever known top flight football. Relegation to the 3rd Div (old money I know) shook us to the rafters as did the threat of liquidation. Following any football club these days is a roller coaster soap opera and I have a feeling there are plenty of ups and downs coming our way over the next 10 years. I guess it is about trying to enjoy the ride but you try telling that to the fishy blue mob down the road.

No he didn't but don't let get in the way of a good story and I seem to remember you having a bit of a wobbler and attracting the glances of the stewards. Incidentally Eddie there is a better pub the other end of the High St

With respect Eddie, I acknowledged Lee's running but maintain it led to little. Early days however and I am far from even thinking about writing him off. Yes Puncheon's ball to Lambert was good but that was his only memorable contribution as has been acknowledged by several others on this thread. I am a Puncheon fan incidentally but yesterday was not one of his better days. And if you thought that the team performance was FANTASTIC, then you either took too much advantage of Weatherspoon's High St hospitality or are given to outpourings of irrational hyperbole. It was a professional competent performance and it deserved the three points by some margin but "fantastic" it wasn't.

Tbh I was not wildly impressed yesterday - he made lots of runs and he was energetic and enthusiastic so fair play there but he didn't actually achieve anything other than win a dubious penalty. He lacks composure and consequently missed a sitter too, but I suppose any striker can do that; just look at Sharp's miss at WHU. For me we will get more out of him as an impact player and when Sharp is fully up to speedand Do Prado recovers from malaria (or whatever his illness is) those two will be better starting options...at least for now. Lee will take a while to settle, it must be a helluva job acclimatising from Tokyo to Watford.

Again NA said Lambert rolled his ankle in the first half but was fine and then towards the end rolled it again and that is why he came off. Relieved that Lallana says it is nothing to worry about but like Alpine said it was strange he got taken off. He had already had lengthy treatment about 5 minutes beforehand, so it was obviously troubling him. It was a shame he went off because we had looked good that first half hour but once Adam was subbed we stopped playing football. Glad no midweek game which means hopefully both men will be fit for Saturday's crunch game.

Adkins said last night that Lambert rolled an ankle and Adam has done his groin, so I hope the above post is correct