suewhistle

Just changing to go down the pub. Getting there earlier than normal in case for some unlikely reason they're not showing it and I have to dash to another. Oh gawd, two pints a half, one at half time and at the end?.. Never been so nervous. Better put another £20 in my pocket.

You're going with the grape then? :-)

Eh? If we do beat Swansea it'll be our only chance to celebrate in a relaxed manner.

I think this may well be a simultaneous equation. Your goalkeeper scores an own goal within the same period (or at least presents the ball to an opposition boot). So you're being unfair, it's quite complicated really. Like trying to work out whether Saints will stay up. :-(

I'm trying to avoid thinking about it. I'm seeking to achieve a state of zen numbness and to keep my blood pressure under control. I may allow myself to join in a chant of 'Reed Out!'.

I wonder what they're saying on the Stoke boards.. "anyone who appoints Hughes"...

Is it my desktop screen or is that a p***-poor photograph?

Splat! :-)

That's the spirit! Probably a very large single malt..

That is young! I went to uni when they gave you grants and getting in to The Dell cost 35pish, there were just a few mainframe computers around and researching newspapers involved ruining your eyes scanning microfiches. Anyway, you obviously feel every moment and have a very mobile face! Do you think you can keep that up for another 40 years? It's hard, I tell 'ee, it's hard!

Ah. As I came out the station at 11 o'clock yesterday I joked to a policeman "Gawd, it's only Bournemouth!" with a smile. His reply "we hope so", which I now understand..

I did detect some irony in there, so I apologise in that case for not reading this forum closely enough..

Just seen the goal. :-) As an occasional keeper I normally have a bit of sympathy for keepers but in this case it seems to have disappeared. Why was he flapping his hands afterwards - he seemed to be suggesting it was somebody else's fault.

I presume this comment was some attempt at humour? Yeah mush, all of us solid salt of the earth working class types, not a GCSE between us, we abjure the reading of books, our white vans are always dirty. So is my attempt really..

Home with a cuppa after my first visit to The Guide Dog since our last win. Saints win and Southern Rail were on time, wonders will never cease. The sense of relief that flooded the ground at the end was palpable. The crowd stayed on to cheer and I think the players really appreciated it. They gave us something to cheer and how we did. Where has that Lemina been? I'm still expecting the worst, but that was so encouraging.

Came through the station - heavy police presence..

The term is new to me, but reading about the latest incident that was one of the things that struck me in one of the articles I read. No intellectual or moral consistency and deny any responsibility for what you say based on being ironic. The comments of some contributors on this thread came as no surprise to me; they have "form"..

Nah. Davis was obviously carrying an injury earlier in the season and since he's been back he's been well off the pace. It's a shame and you cannot fault his professionalism, but age and injury has caught up with him.

I watched the game with another saints fan (don't even know his name) in a village east of Portsmouth pub. We both agreed how good Hazard (and Willian) was. The game plan went OK until half time but the early second half goal was a killer. If you have to chase the game against Chelsea they have such quality on the break, but at least attacking we showed a lot more in the second half. Hoedt continues to disappoint and make silly and costly mistakes but I'm really warming to Bednarek and I suspect he was only chosen to come off due to lack of match fitness. Hojberg's ideas continue to be better than his execution in this fast, physical league, Long continues to show he's not a striker, Cedric continues to take the momentum out of any attack down the right. A special mention to the side my team were meant to be playing today as they called the game off only yesterday. I committed to playing as it was my birthday so was utterly, utterly hacked off. The only upside is that they saved me £100+ on a day out in the smoke, and the way I've been feeling taken for granted generally as a fan and as a Saints fan in particular that was no bad thing. They'd better be very careful with their season ticket prices next year..

Well, I'll be supporting one of my favourite football clubs on Sunday, it's just that it's the team I play for and I'll probably be sub again. Given the timings I won't even be able to watch the game on the box. If the game had been on the Saturday I'd probably have gone, on my own. I think my mind was made up after the West Ham performance - not the result but the abject lack of effort and fight. But s*d it; I'm fed up as a fan being taken for granted and expected to accept without demur the prices, the change to dates and times of fixtures (sometimes at short notice), paying for the new owner's purchase by not replacing key players, keeping a crap manager in a job when it was obvious he didn't have it (let alone appointing him in the first place). I was heartened by the Arsenal and Chelsea performances but I'd already confirmed my availability to my manager, not that he really needs me. I'd never not go to a game because I was expecting a loss (a supporter since 1967/8) but the football authorities in this country see us as docile milch cows and I'm hacked off with it all.

Before or after? Pre-match anaesthesia is slightly limited by the very early kick off, and as I tend not to drink when depressed afterwards is probably out too.. Plus I'm playing on Sunday and should be good. That all goes out the window though if my some fluke of luck we win.

Cheers! The atmosphere will be all the better for missing some on this thread, but I expected that vein of comments and haven't been disappointed. At least they took the effort to say so. ;-) Yeah, maybe not toxic - apathetic is probably better, and I was there under both Branfoot and Lowe and Sturrock etc. But you don't have to put up with the constant grief this fat **** near me gives Redmond constantly throughout the match, whether he deserves it or not. The guy behind him is also hacked off so pointedly pipes up "well played Redmond" when he does something good.

Just a reminder that you can watch a match at St Mary's this Friday without a toxic atmosphere when England Women play Wales in a world cup qualifier with a 7PM kick off. Anyone any idea why most of the Itchen isn't available for purchase as most of the Northam has limited availability? I might wait a bit to see if they open up some of the better blocks.

So Mack, are you down Fratton or down the pub? Frankly watching both our teams live at the moment is a bit of a penance..

He's been out injured for ages. I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did, and he was certainly throwing himself into a few tackles.