Jack

I said this in the match thread. If we pull it off and survive this season, I think we'll only grow and improve as a team. Throw in a couple of decent and proven defenders, and a goalkeeper who's going to come straight in and make the number 1 shirt his own, and I reckon we'd be on for consistent mid-table finishes, pushing for the top half.

Encouraging performance. Need to back it up with a win on Saturday. I think we'll only improve with time. We've got such a young and inexperienced squad, but there is plenty of talent. Gazzaniga (20) Clyne (21) Fonte (28) Yoshida (24) Shaw (17) Schneiderlin (23) Cork (23) Lallana (24) Ramirez (21) Puncheon (26) Lambert (30) Average age was only 23 out there yesterday. If we pull it off and survive this season, with a few defensive additions, I think we'll become a very decent side.

I can't be arsed to look it up, but I bet we had one of the highest totals in the goals conceded column for an automatically promoted team to the Prem. Our defence WAS shaky last season, and CLEARLY needed strengthening to be able to compete in the Premier League.

Ever thought that the problem might be the quality of the defenders, rather than the coaching? As Gary Neville was saying on Monday - they're getting in the right positions but making individual mistakes. You can't coach that out of someone, they're just not good enough. Our defence was shaky at best in the NPC, getting properly found out now. Simple as.

Well, I could never afford a ST until I was 18, so I didn't start going every week until after we were relegated from the prem. So to me, supporting Saints means Saturday 3pm kickoffs, Tuesday nights at 7.45pm under the lights, away days at sh*tty northern industrial towns, 50+ fixtures a season, having that feeling that I'm a proper football fan, going through the proper emotions of supporting a proper football club, not being one of those c*nts that goes once a year and thinks they're clued up because they can repeat half of the analysis from MOTD.

Reading at home IMO. Any points before that are a bonus.

This is massive now. Lose and we're miles out of sight.

It just shows how easy we've been making it for other sides to take points off us. There are 'surprising' results all over the place, apart from when we play and lose every week.

This couldn't be going much worse.

I just want to see them lose every single week tbf.

Saturday Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal Fulham v Everton Norwich v Stoke Sunderland v Aston Villa Swansea v Chelsea Tottenham v Wigan West Ham v Man City 17.30 Sunday QPR v Reading Liverpool v Newcastle Hoping for wins for Stoke, Sunderland, Chelsea, Spurs, and a 0-0 draw between Reading and QPR with both sides finishing with 8 men. Oh, and a healthy win for Notts County would do nicely.

Went to the Fatboy Slim, Nero, Jag skills etc gig there this year. Massively overpriced IMO. In the middle of nowhere, looks unfinished, poorly designed concourse.

Realistically, you think we'll only lose one of the next 9, having just lost seven out of 9? I'm not so sure.

P*ss water anyway. Rather stay in the pub till 2.45pm

I heard they were after Cortese instead, seeing as 4-3-3 was his brainchild

Erm, yes.

You can't put a socket in a bathroom, won't comply with the wiring regulations.

I'm really hoping for the rare Aston Villa type performance

It was always going to be an anti-climax this season, barring several miracle results. Nearly pulled a couple off, but it wasn't to be. The Premiership isn't what I remembered it to be, and probably won't be again after experiencing the mental highs and lows of the last few years.

Gets my vote.

Drank at the Royal Oak last time I was there. Walking distance from the ground. Saints fans took over the whole place and it was a top pre-match p*ss up. Was a while ago, it was snowing and I think Kevin Phillips scored for them to make it 1-1.

Fulham, I guess. I don't think the term 'family club' means anything really, just a media catchphrase.

Leighton Baines. Will be a top class LB for years to come.

Very much agree with this. I loved our time in the FL. Yes, it's partly because we were successful, which does mean achieving the ultimate goal of promotion to the prem, but it's the whole feeling actually being in a position to compete for titles that I liked. Plus, you get proper football games in the FL. Passionate fans, brilliant away days, value for money, and much less of the commercial, overpriced and overhyped bullsh*t you get in the Premier League. It just feels like something is missing for me this season (other than points on the board). It just feels a bit dull. 2 out of the 4 games have had a truly shocking atmosphere, as a whole. And I just found myself slightly irritated at both home games. The crowd felt different, so many 'Premier League fans' just there to see their local side play against the best, rather than Saints fans.

Milton Roader has a rival.