John Boy Saint

What an amazing 10 years we have had in the interim, including a trip to the edge of the abyss and back. Skacel feels further back than that. Still editing my Eulogy to be delivered next week at the Funeral of my 107 year Grandmother, 10 years is a mere dot in her time. I wonder what Saints and Football will look like in 10 years time?

Without wishing to be a spoiler this summary on Jose is absolutely spot on:"It was a ‘tear in the eye’ moment to see José Fonte carrying the trophy around and giving it the big one. He stepped down a division to join us in league 1, won the JPT, promotion from league 1 to Championship, promotion from Championship to Premier league, 14th, 8th, Captain, 7th, Europa league Qualifiers, 6th, Europa League Group Stages. He was nowhere near the national team when he joined us and now look at him – holding up the second most prestigious trophy in World Football. And the best bit is that he’s still a Saints player and he’s achieved more as a Saints player than any of those bastards who’ve left in that time. Now that’s a legend."

When do we get officially put out of misery? as I have lost track...... Or senility has struck!! Ta very Muchley

Still liked the line from Tyldesley second half "Iceland are having trouble getting the ball out of defence" as 4 of them played the ball around between themselves in the little square between the corner flag and the edge of the penalty box under no real pressure then winkled it out up field. Shearer hit the nail on the head when he said "against Portugal in the warm ups we were still experimenting with a formation". Whoever takes over needs to stop this infatuation of drawing the squad from the usual residents of the Premiership top 4/6. You just have to look at Italy and the huge pool of players they have to draw on, many of whom play for the top teams in Europe, yet they have a bloke playing in a number 9 shirt who is 30 years old (?) and earns his corn playing for Southampton!! One of the lads in the Icelandic team plays for relegated to League 1 Charlton!!

That was entertaining, well done Hungary for making it a good game...... 4-0 was a tad harsh I thought.

Nice for Iceland to stick it up Ronaldo and rob them of 2nd place...... Superb break away goal to win it.

Has he gone yet

Too narrow banging on the same door over and over again, pull em about open up the spaces......... Bertie must have written all his postcards to send home out on the left.

The rest of the players seem to look at Ryan and just go nah, I ain't passing to him......... Bit like when Beattie broke into the squad.

I think Romeu is just as capable and a lot more skilled, strange how him and Vic didn't seem to gel when playing together, I guess having 2 hit men in the team does throw up a territorial conflict. I would hope that the new chap in charge will give Oriol a regular run out as that has to benefit a player in that position to play regularly, and under RK he was dropped the minute VW was back available from whichever suspension he had served, despite Oriol having put in a good stint in his absence. Oriol and Harrison could be a fun combination, if the Jack Russell doesn't get you his henchman will. Still its a shame VW is going but that's life at Saints. Best memory of him will be from this past season v Liverpool. Adam Lallana in midfield with the ball and big Vic decided to go after him, it was like we had been transported onto the plains of Africa and a Big Cat was chasing an Impala, Lallana zig-zagged to shake him off and Wanyama shadowed his every turn with Lallana having to pass it back deep into his defence to stop the persuit.

Top bit of business, top player, top bloke.

Nice to see there is still just Karma in football, after his disingenuous comments about Iceland, seems like the Elves and Trolls on that northern isle put their heads together and wove a bit of their mischief into his boots.

Not sure why, but I am quite enjoying the opening 30 minutes of the Iceland v Hungary.

I would imagine from the clubs point of view Harrison Reed is the nub of the issues regarding not bringing academy players through. I might be biased as every time I have seen Harry play for the first team he has not let the team down and been more than ready to make the step up. Yet Jordie Clasie was bought in, at RKs behest, and basically shut Harrison out of the first team, whilst not blowing our socks off with his performances by any stretch of the imagination.

Nah! That will be a pre arranged day off, seeing as 14th July is Bastille Day.

Season Ending on the 21st May!!! Madness!! FA Cup the following weekend I guess.

That was bubbling under the surface all second half. Taffys top the group, this could get squeaky as the Welsh will have their tales up for the that game.

At last a proper dead ball specialist gets to take a free kick

come on ITV sort it out England should be 6-0 up by now!!!

My Mum & Dad had a tour of the Iberian Penisula when the Euro's were on there way back when, they stayed on what was a nice campsite near Albufiera, then the tournament started and the place filled up with fans from all over Europe. The mood of the place tangibly changed, the ones who stood out like a sore thumb as constantly drunk, loud, aggressive, and intimidating were all "England" fans: and as my Dad said they all had the next generation of foul mouthed little oiks doing their apprenticeships. Needless to say my parents moved on, but it was the only place they came across England fans en-masse, they stayed in other places With other big groups of fans from other nations but didn't find the atmosphere half as intimidating.

Reading all this "Big Club" stuff on here, we could have been in that perceived bracket, but for our geographical location. Reading one of the Hagiology books, I am pretty certain that I read that the club took the decision in long off distant sepia hued days (even longer before football was invented in 1992) to forfeit promotion into the top league, because the constant travelling expenses in particular to the power house of football back in those days of Birmingham northwards, would have put a severe strain on the clubs finances. Bit of a shame really when we get into these "seeing how much further up the wall we can piddle" spats with other fans, but having a top flight team to support today is better than being Bradford Park Avenue who burned brightly very briefly, then had a very slow death.

There was a game at the end of the season where Juanmi came on putting in a good performance, but there was one strange moment where he was standing in acres of space in a great position right on the edge of the box, and right in front of JWP who had the ball and just needed to slide it forwards, but he blanked him and sent it in the opposite direction.

Having had a few sherbets tonight on a company away couple of day. My initial comment is that I hope the club said " Don"t the door doesn't bang on your aR$e on the way out"! Night

Just heard Neville Southall on 5 Live, Christ the bloke olden days, pretty much saying we are not going achieve much more than we have these last 2 season as we don't have the investment etc etc, bloody cheek. In life there is a thing called Evolution, in bloody football their just seems to be history, that is believed can be bought back by at the drop of a hat by throwing stupid amounts of money at it. Just look over the otherside of Stanley Park you lardy lummox, they chucked quarter of a billion quid at history over the last couple of years, and have absolutely bugger all to show for it. Blimey can't believe it's taken this long for me to bite!!

Beat me to it. I did find it amazing that between 10ish and 7ish yesterday, about 500 posts were made on this subject despite no official comment having yet been made. It was a glorious sunny day yet folks were still bashing their keyboards like something significant had happened.