Lazlo78

Too many loan deals do not turn out well, and assuming that he's not getting first team action here anytime soon, no need to rush him back. Him doing well at Brentford (presumably gaining confidence and experience) seems to benefit both us and them. Let him develop as a player and the staff will assess his future at SFC later... thanks for the link!

Great observation! Or... actually it's more than an observation, I think you'll have to be a mind-reader to tell us what went through the mind of Guly

Full highlights on Burnley website - use Saintsplayer login... gawd I hate seeing Brighton playing crowd the ref at any given opportunity...

But notice his teeth. So white, shiny, perfect...

He tweeted (tw*t? twote?) this a minute ago: adlallana1 Adam Lallana Was a great game to make my 150th start for the club, hopefully hundreds more to come. Would love to be a #saint4life Go ahead, Adam, no one's stopping you

I think the comedy potential is bigger in this picture:

Thanks for the compliment! I've put Hooiveld as my MoM today so I really didn't mean it in a negative way. Some players are more laid back (or even arrogant) in their body language and style. Hooiveld seems more hectic to me, though obviously I think he's a quite effective and alert player.

Liking the view from the top. We've gone through different phases (honeymoon, home win record, away troubles, key injuries, stuttering) and now we're top of the league at christmas! Excellent chance to consolidate and push for the 2nd half of the season...

Good point. Absolutely unrelated point well put by Chaplow on Twitter: "Rchap04 Richard chaplow “@Mattymoomoo: @Rchap04 you more nervous watching than you would be playing Chappers?”wouldnt b nervous at al playing cnt stand it watching I was a wreck today. My pulse was racing all 90 minutes and I was actually really afraid of losing this game...

Having let the game sink in a bit, I'll post a few more reactions: - three people quoted my defense of Guly's performance at the goal and kindly asked me to watch the replay again. Living abroad I can't see Beeb highlights, but I'll make sure to check it out on SaintsPlayer tomorrow - maybe I was too kind on our Brazilian. - I'm surprised that there was little or no controversy at all in the game! Compare this to the Brighton game etc. and today there were no major decisions to make for the ref, no bone-breaking tackles and no fights etc. Kitson is an ugly git, but he took some battles with Jos and Fonte and I was surprised to see the good nature of that battle - clapping hands, pat on shoulder etc. after their duels. I'm probably in the minority here, but personally I like it when the game is about the football and not about constantly having to deal with all sorts of controversies. - Hooiveld never looks really calm to me (I can't really put my finger on what it is but he looks a bit frantic(?) at times - not necessarily a negative thing though!), but he is really alert and gives everything he has. An honest battler and a good partner for the more assured Fonte.

It wasn't Guly's fault. How was he supposed to get off the line and outjump Ward in a split second? Fair enough that we are frustrated but no need for a scapegoat. Go kick a dog instead... As for the game: - Feels awful to lose a lead - The team has mental strength and didn't seem troubled by the hostile atmosphere. Other Saints teams have folded under these circumstances - The team has discipline - no one went for the obvious red card tackle or red mist punch-up - Lambert is a footballing god. They had no answer to his physical threat down the left wing - First half was scrappy. 2nd half we dominated after the goal and should probably have gotten a second goal. And no, Guly's chance wasn't that big - the keeper was there so he needed some luck to get the ball past him Oh well, no matter how you spin the statistics, we're top of the league at christmas

YYYYEESSSS. Lambert you beauty! :-D

If we want Pompey relegated we need to make sure that teams like Bristol Rovers and Doncaster pick up points. Today really was a step in the right direction for us. That's not even clutching for straws - everyone ought to see it that way!

Come on you SAINTS - go for that equaliser!!! We need at least a point today!

Added drama, I presume...

Easy now people. We're probably missing Lambert, but the 11 out there should be able to get the job done today. We need a little patience, but I'm sure we'll go on and get 3 points today...

Ususally I have no problems with Saints Player, but right ... oh, now it works

Yipee. Holland, Germany and Portugal - we're screwed I tells ya...

Love it!

I agree. Maybe it's confirmation bias (seeing what we are looking for), but he does seem a bit subdued. Luckily he kept his habit of sticking a goal and some excellent play in between the sulking ;-)

I agree, it's just being dragged in as part of the discussion even if - as you say -no one really wants to drop him. Ok, I understood that he was being booed. Thinking of it, I must have confused this with the general booing of the team at half time. Fair point.

One discussion is how good Guly actually is - does he deserve a place in the team. From this thread it appears that there is a general consensus that he adds something special to the team and that he is an important player. The other discussion is whether you should boo a player who is not really having a good game, and I guess it's down to personal preference. I would never boo one of my own players, simply because I would worry if my desire to vent my frustrations would actually further the problems on the pitch. I'd rather show support for a player who is off the boil and then note his reaction - if the crowd can fire him up, then we're really the 12th man... That said, it is possible that some players react better to criticism than support - I just don't think Guly is one of them. Oh, and looking at the extended highlights from yesterday it seems to me that there was something wrong with Guly - he really didn't celebrate his goal much and showed visible frustration at times...

Definitely worth the money - live match commentary and match highlights (brief, extended and a few times the full 90 minutes) are vital for those unable to go to the games. On top of that you get different interviews before and after games plus clips about development squad etc.

Yes, a severe lashing to Hammond for not captaining the side better when defending a 2-1 lead in the last 15 minutes of a game - tie him to the mast! After the sending off, we should have steamrollered them and scored a hatful. We should have sent an injured Rickie back on the pitch to get a hattrick! You bet I was booing. I was booing so hard they could hear me all the way from Denmark. Yesterday proved conclusively that we are top of the league by chance, simply by luck. The team really isn't very good, and soon we'll all have a healthy dose of reality. Just promise me not to gloat too much when our collective bubble bursts...

Difficult game against a strong Hull side. Glad that we didn't collapse after going behind - it did sound like we were 2nd best in the first half. Squad showed some depth with Harding, de Ridder, Schneiderlin and Barnard getting involved today... Edit: oh, entirely forgot: now all of our 3 league defeats this season have been followed by a victory. That counts for a lot - every team can lose a game (for various reasons) but we never let it turn in to a run of defeats!