Shroppie

If you think they'll stay up easily, you're utterly deluded. They have an outside chance, but only if they beat Saints.

How many of the others are outfielders?

It's away, so no

Not if we beat them Sunday

Ok. Maybe I'll concede that one scenario.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

This. No matter what my feelings for any other team, I'd never ever want Saints to lose.

I have heard something very similar. We're well up for it.

My sentiments too. Just ask yourself what they'd do if the tables were turned.

Players recover at different rates and different positions require very different amounts of the pitch to cover. The club analyse each player's recovery and fitness after every game and bake assessments of whether they're ready to play again on the basis of medical science. Pushing a player too early can cause damage and be counter-productive.

You win. That's really the north.😂😂

Genuine take from my long-ago uni days in Southampton. I was invited to stay with a friend in South Shields for a few days and another uni friend, who lived local to Southampton, agreed to keep me company. As we passed Watford on the M1, he commented on how well we were doing: "Can't be long now. We're north of London!"

I live 200 miles north of Southampton. But that's only the Midlands, not north.

But a win for either makes them virtually safe. Both wouldn't say no to a draw, but they'll be playing to win.

That is just so wrong.

I agree with some of what you said but the Romeu yellow card tackle was only a marginal foul. He got the ball. Never a card, but he got one thanks to Gary Neville explaining at huge length on Monday how the ref and VAR were wrong, Romeu is a dirty player who should be booked as soon as possible every game. This ref made up his mind he wouldn't make the same mistake.

I think the changes were more to do with tiredness than experiment.

😂😂😂

Exactly what I thought. Balancing the books.

I think you're absolutely right. I wasn't particularly impressed with the ref who, btw, was in charge for our 0-9. I just got the feeling he'd read Red Cafe whinges about us being a dirty team (especially Romeu) and made up his mind to make his mark early. It wasn't even a foul by Romeu, let alone a card, but it did us a favour in the end. Ralph pulled Romeu off (possibly because he had a yellow and fearing the ref's intentions) but that brought KWP on, which changed the game.

I think you're missing the point that this we have played our strongest team in three tough games in quick succession, the last only three days before. They didn't get back from Manchester until after 2am. And there's another game, which I know the club and team are keen to win, only 60 hours after this one. I thought some tiredness did show tonight in the players who have played all the games - Redmond, Bednarek and Romeu. JWP seems to able to run for ever but Ings looked shattered at the end. Ralph made it clear before the game that recovery of each player had to be assessed and he obviously decided some needed longer. It wasn't just a case of the wrong team selection. Hopefully back to full strength on Sunday but there must be a chance that those who've played every minute recently may need a rest for the Bournemouth game. I'm guessing that Ings, JWP, Redmond and Bednarek will want to start but it's pushing things. I agree the team looked like disjointed strangers in the first half last night but that is to be expected with so many changes and did demonstrate that we have squad members who can step up, not that many together.

One place.

Accepted. My point is he would be fine alongside mist of the normal first choices, but isn't good enough to make up for the way Vestergaard and Hojbjerg were tonight.

What this showed is that we have a number of players - Vokins, Vestergaard, Obafemi, Smallbone, who maybe can slot in alongside the rest of the normal first choice team but together simply aren't good enough. Hojbjerg was less awful in midfield, but still woeful. Obafemi did little. Smallbone was anonymous but improved with better players around him. Walker-Peters made a massive difference.

More changes than I expected, especially in defence. Someone at the club said the team were well motivated to get revenge on Bournemouth, so let's hope we're saving ourselves for that.