John Boy Saint

I know that, you know that, the ref seemed to be making an issue of it, probably a bit confused that he didn't take 2 steps back onto the pitch to then lay down

Looked like Long having crawled off the pitch told the ref to get on with the penalty because he was off the pitch and not interfering with play.

There were 2 hearty coming together challenges I noted that were straight from the Football League last night, that he just let ride as the players laid in a heap on the ground. Battenburg and Dean would have blown up and been handing out a university lecture as to why 2 players closing on each other at speed are not allowed to bump into each other for any reason and given the the free kick to the "superior" team....... Oh and a yellow thrown in for good measure.

When this fixture was announced I really could not get enthused about it. After the last 2 games I felt strangely drawn to going last night, to the point where I got home and said who fancies going to football tonight. Daughter said yes Wife no (early start) I think more than anything I was curious to see the hand dealt after another shuffle of the pack by Claude. Strangely I have not felt the slightest bit uneasy on hearing the team selection for the last 3 games. I know one Swallow and all that, but something must be going right behind the hedges at Staplewood as so far no matter who is on the pitch overall it seems pretty seamless. This line that keeps popping up that "xyz team were awful", and "you can only play what is in front of you", has to stop as quite honestly I think it's us just not letting the other team play comfortably. There was a moment last night when we had the ball just outside the Palace box, they had players back behind the ball and we were just passing around to each other, not one Palace player immediately made to get the ball off us, almost through fear of their move being the one to create the hole for us to get through on goal with. Pleased for young Jake, nice strike to open his account with. Harry Reed going into Jack Russell/Rottweiler cross mode and getting right under the skin of Cabeye after finding himself on his backside, was amusing Jordie Ckassie must have felt like a giant next to the ref!! Pleased we decided to go, looking forward to Sunday now to see what the next shuffle of the pack brings. Finally: We got tickets in the Northam last night just for a change, it was most pleasant being in the noisy end and especially hearing folks trying to get the Floating Bridge song going. But I won't mind returning to the gentile surroundings of the Chapel where I can sit and get into the game without "please take your seats now Ladies and Gentlemen" in your ear every 2 minutes breaking the focus on the game.

What a pleasant change to "see" smiling faces on here instead of mass gnashing of teeth. Aside from a European final and teams from the same country meeting en route, I wonder what the biggest travelling support for the UEFA Cup/Europa League has been. I f we get near the 8700 available that is going to be very impressive in itself.

Yup!! Knocking Shop!!

at least one of us had to end up in the knocking shop!!!

Hope some street merchant is going to have half & half scarves and foam hands! ........... Pasties better be good inside

Eric my old fruit, just read what you wrote at lunchtime today...................Liquid lunch was it!!

Thought he looked a bit more aware on Sunday after being caught a few times on Thursday night. Always remember watching the build up to one of those Celebrity v old pros games when they were a novelty, Graham Taylor was the celebs manager and he was explaining that a good pro will take a mental photo as to who is where, especially behind him, just before he receives the ball, on Sunday you could visibly see that he had a new film in his camera. I also think he is benefiting from getting more game time compared to last year when he was in out of the team pretty much covering Victors misdemeanors.

Bet it would have gone a bit quicker if it had been the following week, as half term starts on the Friday after the game............ Flight tickets would have been through the roof though

Yup that night of the Mars Bar song came in pretty handy for the totting up of aways from last season.

If anyone at United thinks even for that kind of money Shaw is the finished article, then their buying policy round the twist. But after 3 managers I would imagine that the fact that they bought the future potential rather than the finished article has been lost along the way, not forgetting that he is English and home grown heavily loaded his price tag. Missing last season with a nasty injury doesn't help his cause. Looking at the United team and Joses finger pointing blame games, you can see that Shaw is probably one of the easier players to pick on. Especially when you think that not long after leaving us Mummy and Daddy Shaw were reportedly seeking a meeting with United because young Master Shaw was not getting the support and affection he was getting only a matter of weeks before from Saints............... I have no sympathy, he decided that he wanted the £100k and to swim with the big Sharks, either learn to swim faster or just become flotsam, United have the spending power to just shrug their shoulders if he wilts and fades out the door.

Thank you.......... Mrs JBS just had to call and cancel the men in white coats!!

This thread just made me think of Kelvins Testimonial with the Promotions XI, I know the foot was off the gas but there were moments in that game when past players in the sash shirts poured forward with the same swagger and elan that thrilled us all up through the leagues.

Can someone give me a sanity check, was Olomola on the bench for a first team game last season? I could swear he was in the squad for a game.

Hmmmmmm the same person who claimed Wayne Rooney is one of the best passers in the league, in the Watford analysis. That boat has sailed Danny Murphy. Interesting that Redmond copped it in the ear off Long, Austin, Davis, and when he fannied about towards the end and decided to go on another fruitless selfish run, instead of passing to Davo to run it into the corner, VVD was giving him a prolonged tirade of stick. The lad obviously has talent, just hope that someone is working to improve it because he is far from the finished article........ Just got to hope the Thierry Henry comment hasn't let all the Genie out of the bottle. As for yesterday's game, thought we looked pretty good, and it's not that the other team is poor we are just dominating them. Just need to speed up just a little in the final 1/3 and get the ball in the back of the net, rather than the oppos given time to set themselves up to defend like Ice Hockey players ................... Looking at the last 2 results: think we might have played Watford at the right time ;-)

I think too many moaners base their views on regularly beating their 4 year old kids playing FIFA whatever the year is. Also people should sit on rows A B or C and just see how different the game looks and the view of what the players actually see on the pitch, as opposed to the view most of us benefit from higher in the stands.

UPDATE Friends (eager beavers) have passed the scene just now and accident now all moved onto the hard shoulder but still queues due to rubber neckers.

For those of you who meandre down the M3 from North Hampshire, just heard on the Radio that one lane is closed southbound between Winchester Services and Winnall junc 9. Overturned car apparently, so could be a protracted incident.

It's only the minority on here voicing that opinion, and in the grand scheme of Saints fans that minority on here is a worm caste in the centre circle of St Mary's. So many on here long for a whipping boy, Matty Targett cops it (goodness knows why because the people who ACTUALLY decide he makes the team must be complete idiots according to some folks on here) yet the other night he was short changed by Tadic and still people sung his name when subbed. Maya Yoshida plays the odd ball just to make sure Fraser is awake and gets caned, no one scored from them!!, yet Jose has always been on the edge in the box with his man handling, 2 games running concedes a penalty (yes the Arsenal one was very debatable) but the sun shines out of his backside, Cucu Martina apparently is a clown just because Twente fans said as much, if he scored 20 goals like that screamer he did v Arsenal that attitude might possibly change, Soares has not scored a goal but folks would prefer to see him ahead of Martina (I am yet to hear an argument to justify why). i wonder if people's opinion would have been different if Young Sam had slotted one of his chances away v Arsenal that evening when he was the only available striker and he had the added weight of family issues.

Mrs JBS (cheeky girl) noted that Charlie Austin looks a bit trimmer, so maybe we are getting him into a "fighting condition", a bit like we did with Rickie Lambert who said he was the fittest he had been his whole career when with us. The advantage Rickie had with us was he came in at bottom of league one so, could evolve with the demands of the league we were in as we went through the leagues. Like Rickie, Charlie is a natural born preditor who has done his turn in the lower leagues, but working under a dinosaur like Redknapp, and his resistance to sports science, I very much doubt much emphasis was placed on developing the Charlie Austin package further simply because his natural ability kept putting the ball in the net which was plenty enough for Arry. Maybe the lack of overall conditioning in his career, has given him the injuries he has had, and as a result of those injuries getting him up to Southampton standards is taking just a tad longer, unlike Rickies evolution through the leagues, Charlie is probably having to evolve faster, under the stronger magnifying glass of the Premier League. Before anyone says "but he was banging them into the net for QPR in the Prem" Rickie Lambert said that until he came to us he never paid much attention to looking after his body as he relied on his natural ability to score goals.

If anyone was paying attention Hojbjerg was dropping back into the right back slot to allow Cucu push up the pitch, as he does have an excellent delivery on him.

Aside from the football did anyone else find the Europa League experience a bit inert? None of the half time entertainment like the Relay or Happy Birthday Uncle Fred announcements, presumably because they didn't want anything interrupting the Sponsors adverts being played on the big screen........ although a bit less squeaking from Kenzie wasn't missed. Strangest thing, dry stadium aside, was making a purchase on the concourse having the Coke poured into a glass, the young Lady mumbled a reason so I asked for clearer mumble and she said that the drinks were put in the glasses because only accredited UEFA Sponsors were allowed be seen in the stadium............... but the Pukka Pie could remain in the packaging!!?

So typo or not, after all the gnashing of teeth, it looks like tickets might well filter down through the Hoi Palloi and Riff Raff to the great unwashed! Giorni Felici !!