Sarnia Cherie

Him & Vardy make a pair.

I am concerned enough about this game without Long's name coming into the mix.

If only........

The commentators and pundits will have a field day mentioning THAT result.

Good to read an article like this. They certainly look like a well drilled and fit team. So much better than the Mark Hughes days when the players looked disjointed and lethargic. I like Ralph. I was impressed when not long after we had lost so heavily to Leicester, Ralph was asked by interviewers for his opinion on that defeat. He was very honest, saying he had lost his way for a bit and as a result the team had suffered. So refreshing to hear a manager take the flak and not pass the buck to others. Since then the change has been nothing short of remarkable. Long may King Ralph reign!

Yes, I can believe that. If I want to wind my Man U loving son-in-law up, I ask him if their best striker Pen is playing. Works every time.

That was a long 92 minutes after Ings scored at 2 minutes in. There were a couple of worrying moments for me; when Liverpool started the second half so strongly and when Long was warming up. Thankfully, both came to nothing. On paper, with a depleted team, most people would have gone for a Liverpool win but in reality, our players got stuck in and showed what belief, hard work and determination can do. In Ralph we have a manager who totally cares for our Saints. To see him on his hands and knees, in tears, at the final whistle, said a lot about him.

I suppose you mean on the pitch? Then the answer would be YES. I hope he stops at home tonight.

The Man U forum reckon he would have been a good fit too. With Ole getting a couple of good results he is suddenly manager of the decade. Time will tell.

Oh, I do hope you are right. I would love a win. I would feel more optimistic if we had played the last couple of games with the sort of enthusiasm and never say die attitude we had a few weeks ago. My son calls them LiVARpool. I hope they don't get too much of that going their way. COYS!!!

Liverpool next. Oh, goody!!!

We need a big confident striker and quickly. One that isn't going to be intimidated. Adams doesn't have that quality. As for Long, he contributes nothing productive. It is embarrassing to hear the commentators trotting out how many hours it has been since Long, who is supposed to be a striker, scored a goal. All this tippy-tappy between McCarthy and the defenders at 0-0 with 5 minutes to go gets us nowhere either.

Yes, Stephens nearly mucked it up for us.

They had a charmed season with players, particularly Vardy, bang on form, no injuries to key players and the Big 6 clubs shooting themselves in the foot.

I agree. How we miss Ings, especially when there are no decent replacements for him. When I saw Long on the team sheet my heart sank. Fulham may be down in the basement but they have put in a couple of decent performances of late. Teams down there are fighting for survival, even at this stage of the season. We ought to know, Saints have been in that position often enough. Adams has been slow to adapt to the Prem but he was gradually improving with Ings beside him and has scored a few. I hope he can develop into a formidable striker which we desperately need but I won't hold my breath.

The Title Fight??? What planet do you live on? It's great to have been up amongst the big boys for a while but comparing the quality of players and depth of squad that those teams in the top places enjoy, Saints are not going to be title contenders.

Are you struggling with the word 'appreciation' in this thread?

Let's face it, football fans are fickle. If a player has a dip in form the fans are on his back and then when he improves, he's great. The same with managers. Supporters want them out of the door if results are bad but a run of wins and they are world class. That 9-0 thrashing turned out to be a blessing in disguise because that gave Ralph and his players the kick up the backside they all needed. The improvement in the team has been a pleasure to watch. They look like they care about putting a Saints shirt on and playing for each other and the club. The change in players like Vestergaard, in particular, is amazing. He looks nothing like the liability he was in defence just a short time ago. It's great to be where we are in the League at the moment. Let's enjoy it while it lasts.

As an old biddy of 72, my sons tell me I don't know about football but what I do know is this. As a Saints fan for many, many years, I love my team through thick and thin. So, 2 questions from me, please. Why was that tackle on Ings in front of the City goal not a penalty? I watched all the game and the commentator said the City player did not impede Danny Ings's chance to score. However, viewed in slow motion, Ings spots this boot heading for his face and moves his head to the left. That has impeded him, hasn't it? Also, Che Adams has taken a while to settle at Saints but there have been a few encouraging signs more recently. Is it me or does he hold back slightly when he could tackle or beat a player to the ball? City are a good team, no doubt about it, but I felt a draw would have been a fairer result. Great to be where we are at Christmas though.

Shane Long, hopefully. I will chip in if there's a whip round for his fare.

Thank goodness for that. I am hoping we can get into 3rd this afternoon. The Manchester derby was a bore draw, with a point each keeping them in their rightful places, below the Saints and Chelsea couldn't win, so let's take advantage of that.

Such a caring response to one of our own players who hit bad times. I hope nobody you know ever suffers from addiction and mental health problems because they won't get much support from you. If you can't say anything nice, shut up.

Such a good post. Unless you have experienced addiction, either personally or as a family member or their friend, you cannot fully understand the addict's mindset. I was married to an alcoholic who eventually died from his addiction. He never got control over his desperation for the next drink. Banning advertising isn't the solution to stopping addiction.

I agree with you that many people think enough is enough. Millwall fans have never been shrinking violets. Sport, politics and religion should never be mixed because people can have such strong opinions on all 3 subjects. For me, ALL lives matter.

Is Ings that close to being fit to play? Music to my ears if he is.