St Louis

EFL Update:

Never been to Portsmouth? (Or Middlesbrough?)

SPYGATE LIVE 🤪 For those interested in wasting another day hitting refresh.... https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/26118726.spygate-live---middlesbrough-southampton-play-off-verdict/

No, they don’t. They have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that we were attempting to cheat (on that occasion and potentially more). I think we all know there’s truth in it, just not the severity (and how much it’s been exaggerated hopefully by the sensationalist media). So we just await what they think is fair punishment for that.

This is genuinely true... my best mate just bumped into a Saints attacking midfielder (who might be Irish) in a department store in London (he sent me photo evidence) and had a quick chat. When asked, the unnamed player said 'Weve been told it will be a fine and we expect to play the final'. I know that he cant really say much to a random fan, and its just a useless snippet, but thought worth sharing 🤭 I'm hoping he might have said 'we dont know anything yet' if they werent confident... or am I clutching at straws!?

Excuse the ChatGPT, but I couldn't remember myself Southampton F.C. were initially allocated 35,667 tickets for the 2024 Championship Play-off Final against Leeds United at Wembley Stadium. A few days later, Wembley released an additional 1,233 tickets to Southampton after the initial allocation sold out, taking the total Saints allocation to approximately 36,900 tickets. The total attendance for the final was 85,862, which was actually the best-attended Championship play-off final in about a decade.

I know we don't have long to wait to find out, but the last few years have been... Year Kick-off time 2025 3:01pm 2024 3:00pm 2023 4:45pm 2022 4:30pm 2021 3:00pm (Covid restrictions) 2020 7:45pm (Covid restrictions, behind closed doors) 2019 3:00pm 2018 3:00pm

Team bus is due to arrive 90 mins before KO, so 6.30pm (but against WBA the coaches were running late due to the crowds lining the streets and the red smoke filling the skies!) So I guess people will congregate around 6.20'ish at the Ted Bates Statue. There are a few fan zones around the stadium now (with the Northam Fan Zone the largest) and beer trucks dotted around too (no charge to get into them, just wander in). There will be fans everywhere around the stadium tonight, as people will be arriving a few hours earlier than normal to greet the bus (and maybe 'welcome' the Boro one too!), so plenty of fans to have a natter with. Enjoy the game, and here's hoping we can all celebrate after the game too

I couldn't see a thread yet discussing the Home Leg of the Playoff games, so here we are.... Tickets secured today, didnt seem to be too many left and quite a wait in the waiting room before having the option to purchase. Let's hope we are still well in the tie following the 1st leg this Saturday. COYS!

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I dont think its a tricky question, and the answer is No, it wouldn't/shouldn't be seen as failure (despite any disappointment). He can only make a difference in the part of the season he has managed, and we've scored more than anyone else and have more points than anyone else, and had a cup run to the semi-final (beating 2 Prem teams along the way... and nearly a 3rd). So his achievement has been incredible, whether we lose out in the lottery of the playoffs or not. To even get us to the Playoffs was unthinkable when he took over the sinking ship.

Not being pedantic, just questioning Luggy's memory... as he was never in our Youth Team, we signed him at 20 and straight into the Premier League first team. He'd just scored 39 goals in 42 games as a striker for his previous two clubs. I don't think he was ever a defender?

Firstly, I'm not defending Still for one second.... But statements like this are just ridiculous. You have no idea what was said behind closed doors!? Maybe Still was also telling the board that Bazunu wasnt good enough, maybe they listened and started looking at Peretz who wasnt available at that time, etc and told him they would work on bringing one in for him in January, but make do for now and see how it goes (which they did). You have no idea either that Tonda didn't rate Bazunu and demanded a quick change, as others have said, the managers have less say than ever in these things.

Thankfully not everyone 😉 So good to see how well he is playing though, I think the fact he scored with his first touch and hit the ground running has really helped him too. If he had gone a few games without a goal, I'm sure we wouldnt be seeing the same player now...

I'm not debating that, and much prefer the current squad and the attack we have. But I still dont think Armstrong is to blame for our poor first half to the season at all.

You're blaming Adam Armstrong for us not going up? I assume you mean the sale of him rather than his performance? We were a shambles in the first half of the season, but he managed 11 goals and 4 assists before he left, and is still our top scorer.

I know that every club can look back at a season and all of the If's and But's... But... it's so frustrating that we didn't beat Bristol City last Tuesday, as we would have it in our own hands now for Top 2 🫣

Definitely quicker, probably not as strong as Wood though or as composed or organised (cant believe I'm saying that) as current Stephens. I'm not convinced... I still think I'd go with Stephens or Wood ahead of him. There is definitely some potential there (although I dont think we will see it at Saints, as I reckon he will leave this summer), and maybe an occasion like this is too soon (and big) to drop him into.

I hadn't really thought about that and was personally hoping Jack would come back in with his leadership, and being better on the ball than Wood (IMHO). But I think you're right, Haaland bullies the defenders, so maybe Wood might be a better option for this one. Haaland is also deceptively quick, who is the quicker of Wood and Stephens?

That's the 'club', not the 'fans'. Important distinction. As others have said, a proper fanbase (most of them) who support their local team and must have had the ride of their lives a decade ago, they must be gutted how fast its turned south since then. I wont lose any sleep over their relegation, but I'd certainly get more joy if Spurs (and many of their plastic 'Big 6' fans) get relegated from the Premier League this season.

Frankie Bennett certainly had the credentials.... and he knows how to deliver under pressure! SOUTHAMPTON have agreed an initial fee of £10,000 for the Halesowen Town striker Frankie Bennett, a 22-year-old Birmingham hotel waiter. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/sport-in-short-football-1475189.html

The club dont like to use him in our Wembley games (see May '03), not one for the big occasions. Chris Baird potentially?

🎵Whatever will be, will be. We're going to Wemberley...🎵 (and you said we will never lose again!)

I would imagine Will Still had absolutely zero say in the Dom Ballard transfer. In the summer when he left, as well as Stewart and Archer who are still here, we also had Onuachu, Juan, Brereton Diaz and Armstrong on the books. And were in the process of signing Downes. You can see why we let him go and why he wanted to go, as at the time he wasnt ahead of any of those 6 and was coming off the back of lots of injury issues and 3 unsuccessful loans in League One (he'd only scored 6 goals in 45 League One games and not shown much promise). I'd also be confident that all 6 of those strikers would score as many (or more) than Ballard in League One (OK... maybe not Downes!)

I've also been really impressed with Bragg's strength, given his slight stature. I was watching players bounce off of him last night, and he got between opposition player and ball so often and more often than not shielded them off and came away with the ball. That's pretty impressive for someone so young (and small) and relatively new to first team football. I think he is a player that could see even more improvement in the coming years as he matures (with experience) and bulks up.