John Boy Saint

I like the fact that Premier league away tickets are capped at £30 and these robbing gets feel the need to cream an additional £3 & £1 off us to guarantee a decent view of the pitch, hiding behind the league cup as an excuse.

Once matey was sent off you knew we would be pushing water up hill. Second half we laid siege to the Stoke penalty area, what is worrying is that with all that dominance box we hardly fashioned anything of note. We have all this blathering on calling for the head of Puel, having watched him a few times now on the sideline he has been doing his nut at some of the decision making. But at the end of the day the players on the pitch are supposed to be doing a job they are paid handsomely for, most have been playing football since their Mums were wiping their backsides. Many have been in a professional footballing environment since they were about 8, and have taken a journey that has seen many other very capable kids cast out of the club system, they have made it to be Proffessional Premier League footballers. They train and play football every day, yet tonight with so much pressure being exerted in the vicinity of the Stoke goal, it was like they had forgotten the objective of the game being to put the ball into the back of the net, which for so many years of footballing experience as a collective on the pitch was pretty poor show, not being able to fashion many decent chances needs the finger to be pointed at them. You are playing Stoke yet knowing they are good in the air play loopy balls into the box for the Stoke defenders to see away with glee. I don't know, it's almost like the penalty box lines have been painted with Kryptonite! Right now it feels like the selling of our stars is finally catching up with us. Pelle Mané Wanyama that is a bit of a presence. That said who would have guessed as the season started we would find both Long and JRod unable to hit a Cows @r$e with a Banjo as we approach the half-way mark. They are now getting fed sitters on a plate which they defend better than attack. Other players know they need to take up the goalscoring slack but also know in doing so they leave a gap for the Oppos to exploit, just as we saw last night towards the end Puel changed the delivery option taking off Cucu and bringing on McQueen all of a suddened the new chap on for Stoke is running into Martina's empty space. Right now we are playing with pretty much no strikers and that I believe is what is producing pretty turgid performances.

Don't forget to add in that other winkle, who played at Man Utd Ravell Morrison, gifted beyond belief the ability to have played at the highest level and be paid a kings ransom, SAF tolerated him because of his ability. Allegedly when he had finished his training he was out with his mates mugging, thieving, and generally being a little scrote.

Ooooo I'm looking forward to the 3D one of the franchise now!!!

I think if you look at Leicester who have heaped most of their Eggs in the CL basket they have obviously suffered looking at the table. We on the other hand are in a better position, have rotated and probably taken a safety first approach to games which has made the football less spectacular, that said I do like the fact that we have so many players who are match ready rather than just being drafted in to "put out the fire". Maya being a prime example, in and out of the team previously as his natural position is filled by Jose, whenever he came in he always looked rusty, this season with a steady run of games he is looking much more switched on. Then add into this that only 1 of our 3/4 strikers has been able to find the net this season, and sporadically at that, concentration on defence is going to be a priority until the other 2 start sticking them away as we know they can. Sadly this doesn't make the football on view the prettiest. We aren't either of the Mancester sides or Chelsea who can walk into the Footballers shop and say "I want that one" to anything on the shelves then be in a position to leave that player in the back of the toy cupboard until he is required. Claude is working with what he has got, and I think he has got what he has got working well, if the end product was more prolific in converting the chances then we would all be sitting with stupid smiles on our faces. As for Boro on Sunday they were very dogged, so many times 10 men behind the ball leaving few options forward, the over riding thing to remember is that when you are watching on TV or sat in the stadium with your eyes higher than the crossbar you have a much better overall view of the pitch and the positions the players are in, than the players on the pitch. Stunning goal from Boufal when you see him in a heap on the ground as the ball hits the back of the net you can see you threw the kitchen sink at that shot and with his wrong foot.

Surprised this hasn't been picked up on here: Rolland Parris the chap who won the competition to design the Club Crest back in the 1970's has passed away. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/14959606.Tributes_paid_to_Rolland_Parris_the_man_who_designed_Saints_emblem/#comments-anchor Personally I think he did a grand job, and his design still looks good today.

I found the 1978 promotion one only the other day.

I was wondering this a little having heard Tadic on Solent post match, then reading Maya and Virgil comments yesterday. 3 experienced players seemed to express a veiled unhappyness at the way our stall was set out on Thursday.

Probably one of the best Christmas songs too....... RIP indeed. Nice to see someone at Saints squeezed a tribute to Greg onto the playlist at half-time last night.

Cobblers! And to be honest both centre backs were the most threatening players in their box over the 90mins. Still on the bright side I won't have to shell out heaps of money on anymore trips to foreign cities for the rest of the season.

I mentioned this before about Redmond, A Norwich supporting friend summed him up (about 2 months ago) from when he was at Norwich, yes he can be quick and dribble with the ball on his own, but at the end of the day the one thing you will never be able to train out of him is the fact that he is thick, he will take the ball to the box and unless there is a gaping big hole to run into he does not know what to do, his brain can't process the environment he has suddenly found himself in. As this season has progressed with him in the team, the more that observation from a fan in his previous life has rung true. Tonight he actually beat the defence, shocked himself and trod on the ball putting him back where he started having to beat the defender, first half on his toes down the pitch he's at the box but you could see he had no idea what to do next, and effing ambling out of attack (admiring his last little run) as the ball is obviously not going to go out of play as Bertie is screaming at him that just about summed him up. Liverpool pay us £34m for a foreign electric unpredictable predator, we pretty much replace him with an ENGLISH (emphasised as their ticket priced is influenced by nationality) player for £10m, who ultimately is becoming very predictable.

Yes one who can run fast, Davis burns up the pitch looks up and there is no bugger there. The fact that Maya Yoshida and ultimately VVD were the most effective players in the box and that was in the last 5 minutes says it all.

........ What no mention of crappy half and half scarves, where their crappyness is hi lighted with a Yellow tree in our badge!!??

Great news, always good to see a fringe Saints player when presented with a chance grab it with both hands stuff it up his jumper and RUN!! Good to see the club recognising and nailing down talent like this. After the Arsenal game my mates Arsenal mad wife, asked "who is that number 38 of yours?....... he was probably the best players on the whole pitch all night".

That's a bit spooky none of the teams that won in the EFL cup last week won their weekend game....... Some bloke called Gaston Ramirez score the winner for the smoggy S v Ull

I really thought we were off on an adventure then Naarwich gets pulled out....... Boo!!

That's Liverpool nailed on then.......

More recently he has almost been trying too hard, just needs one to hit the back of the net (even off his backside) then I think he will be away banging them in for fun. That said if it wasn't for Charlie Austin we would be in a bit of a pickle!!

2 steps forward 1 step back............... Funny old game! Disapeared outside to put our festive lights up at 2-0, put the red and white ones up and came in for a brew and a warm up as the scores were being read out...... Oh dear! We certainly are making hard work of this season.

I was stumped walking back to my car on Wednesday talking to some Arsenal fans when they asked "how many of your first team regulars were out there tonight" on reflection the answer should have been all of them with the possible exception of Harry Reed. Pretty impressive so many players are feeling involved and being kept ticking over at match readiness levels, rather than being a bit rusty when suddenly called upon..... Maya Yoshida being noticeably one of the main beneficiaries of Claude's policy.

I think the window of opportunity has been seen to have swung wide open where the academy players are concerned, and the doormat outside the first team dressing room says Welcome. The nippers must have seen young Josh put Baines on his backside last weekend, then switch on the afterburners and tear up the pitch to a crescendo of very noisy encouragement and for the first time in ages fans getting up out of their seats in expectation. Followed by the standing ovation when he was subbed, and thought to themselves "hey I want some of that"!!

Probably boredom, from what I have seen of him on the show seems he is a stay at home Dad while his missus keeps doing her stuff.

Stayed in a long time, sent packing tonight in 5th place.

This is the trouble in these 24 hour rolling news hungry times, especially following the Jimmy Saville business, everything on this subject has become a sensationalised witch hunt where the media is concerned, you just have to remember when the Old Bill rocked up round Sir Cliff Richards house coppers everywhere like it was an armed siege and helicopters in the sky, the bloke is in his seventies and very unlikely to be on his toes over the fields like some scallywag. In our case what a juicy story for the likes of Sky to run a breaking news ticker on SSN for half the evening, the reportedly best football academy in the land at a "nothing" club, oooh a nice plump target to give a kicking to. Obviously this is a very serious matter, and it seems over half the football league teams are now being investigated for what is an historical set of events at a time when these things could and were brushed aside and under the carpet, Chelsea allegedly having paid a victim hush money was rumoured the other day. But for quite a few years now systems have been put in place in an effort to protect young people from adults they are entrusted to, who are not under the watchful eye of their parents. I have a mate who teaches kids golf at a golf course he has had to be CRB checked/certified (or whatever you call it now), those of you who have shopping delivered from the supermarket to your house those delivery drivers are CRB checked! The fact that years have clicked on and systems have changed since all these terrible acts occurred obviously doesn't matter to the media, guilty until proven innocent is the mantra to stick by where they are concerned, and sod the fact that the mud remains long after they have moved on.

I remember that listening to an in and out signal Solent on the radio in my bedroom (being a school night). Crikey just remembered that was in the days before wall to wall coverage and Solent would have a normal music show but would have a crowd noise when a goal would be scored either way. That was indeed a very long night. You have also reminded me about the first leg at Elland Road, highlights were on Sportsnight and my Dad shouting for me to come downstairs in my jimjams 0-2 down half time, Lawrie conducting the hardy souls who made the trip north to sing more, think a pitch sprinkler went off and a bloke sat on a bucket over it until it was turned off, and we levelled the tie at 2-2: all very exciting for a Saints mad nipper! Cheers for triggering those memories John