John Boy Saint

Well I had hoped to be blowing my 2000th post following a cheery night watching another great from the Saints but C'est La Vie. My feeling leaving St Mary's tonight was: Jeez it's chuffin hard work being a Saints fan! I hoped with a new brush sweeping through the building since admin and having watched some of the most mouthwatering football from my team over the last few seasons (****ing playing on TV aside: shoitebags picked the wrong bloody horse to follow with tonight and next Saturday), I hoped as the finishing line came into view we would be more like Red Rum than Devon Lock (those scratching their head put Devon Lock in Wikipedia). But the tune has changed the Dance is still the same. Reading have fantastic momentum, which tonight saw 3 mistakes by us punished, previously we would have gotten away with them. And fair play to "Ben from Eastenders", who is out of a similar mould to our Nige, he has assembled a potent force who have speed to burn, which at the end of the day is what punished us. I thought we played really well tonight, especially in the first half. But as the game panned out we became too laboured and predictable. There is another thread running on here started by someone not impressed by Steve de Ridder, well sat in the Chapel the amount of times he had the Ball and looking into the box the amount of times there was no bugger there was amazing, (Rickie and Billy were covered) everyone else was having a fag round the back of the dug out! Which opens up another question, all season we have tried to score the perfect goal, strangely enough we have been doing that for quite a while, I think it's about time they had a game of England Scotland ( headers and Volleys) in training, as players like Jack Cork, who played well tonight, should be smoking absolute snorters into the back of the net from outside the box when the defender clears in his direction, rather than going " cripes the balls a bomb pass it sideways to someone else!"! We should be buying a lottery ticket when in sight of the goal, the amount of goals scored every weekend across the 4 divisions is amazing thanks to a ball rifled into the net taking a cheeky nick off a defender en route. Unfortunately the Gods of fate have not dealt us the best hand in recent weeks as players like Spiderman and Lee might have put a different slant on proceedings. Billy Sharpe without doubt is a finisher and increasingly links well with Lambert, but Lee (in the games he has played) is like Willow the Whisp, one minute he is there next he has popped up somewhere else, which is a nightmare for defenders. Morgan Schneiderlin sets a fantastic tempo in midfield, that said Jack a few times tonight looked like he had been in the Joe90 machine linked up to Morgan. Hammond without a doubt is an enforcer, but in losing the ball for their second goal showed he is at the limits of his endurance. Guly who replaced him just needs wiring to the mains and there being a button in the dug out so they can give him the hurry up when he decides to go into Copacabana beach laid back mode. Just as an aside, and further to another post earlier in this thread. Lallana without a doubt is a gifted player when it comes to bamboozling the opposition, but the end product is very disappointing (yes the bucket is on the otherside of the front door ready for the Dog Poo being posted through it) for such an entertaining player, someone really needs to work on his shooting power. As for fans Reading's are as dull as ditchwater, no real songs, "sing when you are winning" is a hat they wear well. Whilst getting right on my Tits, their was a lad singing "we got promted at St Mary's" walking down Brittania Road, made me smile too as we must be seen as a really big team. Anyway I have had my 5 penneth worth on here. We are still in with a shout, worryingly we have one more game against a team playing in Blue & White, which if you look at the results this season is where we have been given the right runaround. 2 wins is all we need. I will skip over the dream that woke me with a start on Tuesday morning, that had us finishing line in the playoffs!!!!! Tonight was a kick in he Wedding vegetables, but we are still in the race. I would have liked us to win probably the best looking Trophy in English football, but if we nail 2nd we are in the big time. Half a bottle of Bacardi since getting home: John Boy Saint out!! COYRs!!!

Christ work is proving to be a chore this afternoon, every minute feels like an hour!! Itching to get going, getting a beer down my neck and a Cornish Pasty in my gob. The Boss has just Skyped me from Shanghai as its half time by his clock there: he sends apologies and the news we are 0-2 down............. Rotten stinker!!! Just seen my post count, shall I save it for later ?

Just hope he has his rough and ready Championship head on. Least it's not a normal league referee looking to be at the middle of everything due to it being on the TV, but a seasoned Premier ref........................ Not that makes much difference when we throw the very recently retired Peter Walton into the mix.

I will print this thread out and pop it through his letter box tomorrow on my way to work, just so he knows where he stands and has all day to think about it.

If I have my lucky pants on. Trouble is I have 5 pairs that are the same: so it's Russian Roulette every game I attend!!!

And those who don't get the take the pace right out of the game at 2-0 up, re charging batteries and preserving players fitness for the next game. Controlling the game

Just a shame we can't get the Floating Bridge song to catch on and give us a unique song like Fields of Anfield and Bladon Races. I just dread the top of the league song and "The Saints are going up" on Friday night when we get a lead, as the way Reading are playing it might just spur them on to shut us up.

If he can make a man Captain who has the mentality to forearm smash an opponents forward, off the ball, when 3-0 up anything is possible.

He is twisted enough to let Reading and Wet Spam win in the vain hope he will get another crack or 2 at us before the season is out!!

When Nigel heaps loads of praise on the away fans for their support, I wonder if he realises the number of obstacles put in their way to even get a ticket in the first place. I also wonder if Nicola knows the feeling of incompetence being exuded by one of the most important departments in the club when it comes to dealing with the most important people; the customer

Just listened to bit on Berkshire, sure Murty is co commentator, Brighton second penalty claim WAS a penalty. Seems like Gorks (sp?) is the one to worry and Harte on of the ones to keep quiet.

Didn't they twin Coventry with Barnsley & Ipswich? Twinning with Reading would have probably complicated matters. They probably figured that Reading would need no twinning with another game.................. Then Sky pipe up and say they want to put it on the Telly, and pig it up

The one factor everyone seems to have negated in the Adkins to Liverpool fear................ Nicola Cortese! He will not just let Nigel walk away if they come knocking.

Well that was a Wizard Wheeze today, Saints in control apart from on the very rare occasion. The local pubs were splitting at the seams, coach after coach of Saints fans rolling up the main street, the cyclists getting a round of applause as they walked down the road in search of something decent to eat. The Coppers all seemed well humoured. Chuffin Bloody Great big Eagle flying up and down the pitch (which even gave the regular Palace fans the frightners as it did a handbrake turn over them when it over shot its handler) Made the ref stop in his tracks as it did the last fly-by. I think Chez covered the player points very well, although I thought Butterfield did better than the marks given. For me MOTM was Fox, he has great vision and great confidence in his ability. To be honest to give a thorough assessment of the team might have been slightly off course through having 2 6 foot lads standing on the upper step of their row right in front of me, along with a stand post!!! A final comment, only the Coppers were geared up for nye on 6000 Saints fans rocking up: if anyone wants to slag the concourse counters at Saint Mary's come to a few away games and try and get a bite and a drink at some of the away crap holes we have played at, Lec the Pole might not understand the difference between Balti and Cornish but we have luxury at SMS when it comes to a pie and a pint.

We are Southampton and being in my 40s you know whatever we do it isn't going to be all Disney channel perfect world with very little to fear. I also know that we are playing in probably one of the most competitive Football Leagues in the world, where any result is possible: and that makes it so much more enjoyable. That said the Butterflies have been kept in check all season, although a solitary one did break ranks on Saturday morning as we made our final approach to our parking spot! Right now there is a bit of shuffling about going on amongst them: wish there wasn't but it certainly makes things more exciting in a macabre way!

Whilst the positive vibe is running, everyone seems to have forgotten the midweek game at the Dell where we were 1-0 down to Newcastle just as added time began, and we finished 3-1 winners: and the Solent commentator needing to be hosed down for fear of spontaneous combustion!

That was only because we played for 80 minutes then switched off, but then we were guilty of that for years. Under WGS we bucked the trend, Missus JBS who became much more regular at games back then always said "do you not feel the atmosphere in the ground change to that of tension at 80 minutes" my reply was No: but then that was probably down to me being part of that crowd tension. Yesterday was definitely out of character for us: hopefully a wake up call!!

You didnt see the broken window because it was on the nearside rear on the top deck. I know we all hate them but that must have been a very chilly 54 mile round trip for some of those not involved in knocking it out.

Their first was struck like Tadanari Lee smashed that thunderbolt a few weeks back, being in line of the trajectory a few folks around where I was sitting were sheepishly commented that it was a hell of a strike. Can't believe the negativity on here: I am stunned that we have been allowed to play the style of football we do until last weekend.

Sat in the Chapel and seeing it right in front of me, without any shadow of a doubt it was the most shameful and at the same time pathetic dive, the majority around me were all asking what Lallana was playing at! Quite disappointing to see that from such a gifted player.

I wonder what the reaction on here would have been to those few numpties had a few like minded Circus freaks at the other end seen it as the chance to join in and all hell broken loose.

This I thought at times it was immense too.

A good few years back I knew lads who had done really stupid things when they thought it was a bit of a wheeze and had their collars felt and charged by the Fuzz. Then further down the track found travelling to the US a bit of a pain in the backside........ One Guy had to cancel a family trip to Disneyland, try explaining that to the kids.

Chuff all went on outside the Northam Club, the rozzers pushed all the spectators for the passing of the Circus Freaks up the road between the Northam Club and the houses. It was funny to see all these heads pop up from behind the fence of the Northam Club beer garden as the busses passed. The busted from the inside out window was on the near side so away from the club. I know a couple of the lads who sell the Programmes in the Northam car park, they said it was quite funny to hear all this language being sung that would make a sailor blush, then as they bought programmes "can I have one please" "please can I have two" Which they both found amusing.

There are times when you get the impression that Richardson does not like him, as said elsewhere, the ball goes to him when he is facing our goal with a defender up his chuff. Today SDR asked for the ball over the top and Richardson ignored him and passed it sideways for our cocking about in the centre back goalie triangle play.