Patches O Houlihan

Will Peraud come back? Larios will also be fit

I was watching in the stadium and felt the same way. Fans really did their best to be the 12th man - I’m so hoarse I can barely speak! Team defended really well and worked their socks off. Judging by the celebrations THB & Flynn are excited to stay 🤞

On my way; bizarrely outnumbered by Leyton Orient & West Ham fans - but then I am headed west to Liverpool St. thanks to @WinchesterSaint 👍

Yes please 07956 152839

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Did anyone else think the grass looked thick and the ball was running slowly yesterday? Wondered if they had purposely left it like that so it would survive better for two back to back games. Maybe they will mow it between the games? Do we have a groundskeeper on Saintsweb?

Was that Juan Larios I spotted in the final seconds of the Inside Staplewood: Wembley Week video on the club website?

He was fit to play in November, seems to have a great attitude, and looks a threat in the few times we've seen him. Without an incredible save we would have been 1-0 up going into the 2nd leg due to him, and last night would have been a very different game as WBA would have had to come out. How were the club going to predict that he would get a 5 month muscle injury a month or so after getting fit? As a club you do the very best you can to rehabilitate and build up the minutes hoping for the best. Yes it is a risk, but he is exactly the sort of player we were looking for and we got him for a good price bearing in mind his excellent record and reputation. Some of the posts on here sometimes seem to come from people who think that Southampton FC, if only they were managed better, have the potential to be some mythical organisation that never suffers unfortunate or unlucky circumstances; that Saints should be an oasis of perfectness when the rest of life is at best a series of ups and downs. If you haven't worked it out yet' life is not like that. You celebrate the good times (like last night) and do your best to spot the doers and those who put in the effort, rather than only judge on success. With hindsight yes we might have been able to sign a player who would have been more effective than Stewart in the 2023/34 season. But you don't get to make big choices knowing for certain how they will turn out. There is even satisfaction to be had by supporting the team in this way because you feel extra pleased when someone with Will Smallbone's commitment scores a racy rocket that changes one of the biggest games ever played at St Marys.

Yes WBA have unleashed a host of shots McCarthy has had to batten down the hatches - NOT. One of their only two creative forwards has been nailed to the defensive 1/3 because we have been good. WBA are no mugs and they are very well organised. It’s ridiculous to imagine we can stroll through them like 1970s Brazil when they are clearly so focused on defence.

Important to remember that the final, if we make it won’t be played at Elland Road.

This is it in a nutshell. But also any time it feels like we get an appointment right they are offski before we as fans have even noticed their impact. That said Wilcox seems to have made wide-ranging changes and hires so will have left an impact internally. I've also heard that the DoF job role might be split amongst ~4 senior types; presumably Manager, Mowbray, Parsons (not sure who the other one would be)

Norwich are unbeaten against us this season. (4-4, 1-1), whereas we've beaten Leeds both times (3-1, 1-2) and against expectation both times. That said Leeds have a more threatening attacking line up... Have a listen to Adam Blackmore's interview with THB. He seems to think his teammates have turned a corner since Leeds and are now mentality monsters. I'd love him to be right.

To be fair a lot of those WBA players were subbed looking wrecked, or carrying a slight injury; a definite bonus for the Russball playing style in hot conditions. You'd fancy our players to be in better physical shape on Friday in comparison. Adams then Stewart, or Stewart then Adams up front in the return leg for me. Depends on Che's fitness, but Stewart looked fit, found some good positions and his shot was powerful, kept low and was on target - unusual traits for Saints strikers of recent years.

Pre-match lights show and freebie red & white foam hands ought to provide the cherry on the top for intimidation factor. COYR

Because we lost Stu Armstrong. You want your best players on the pitch. RM would rather have the aggression and leadership of Stephens at the back freeing up KWP and Manning to roam forwards, rather than ask Brooks or Rothwell to play Stu's role and make a Horlicks of it...

‘Player & manager in disagreeing about fitness shocker’ 😉

Ours got 87 and there were boos after Stoke. We hate the entitlement attitude of big six fans and yet we’ve seen plenty of it recently. We need to respect West Brom and not assume we’ll be playing the final against Leeds That said I hope we give them a right humping with the Loch Ness Drogba scoring a hatful and one going in off Sulemana’s arse! COYS

Whoever we meet in the playoff first leg might also be wondering which formation we would play...

So do we think he will play 5-3-2 / 3-5-2 ? Would be odd to pick 4 wingers on the bench if that was the plan. So can we expect Jack to play on the opposite wing to Arma?

RM at the Leeds press conference announced that Ross was pissed off he wasn't in the squad last weekend, and will be on the bench for today's game. Could be a great lift for the team today if he plays 35 mins and scores. (maybe not Che or Arma though!)

I’m not sure about the wider strategy, but I think THB has been canny: > CB is a position renowned for teams preferring experience. > Big PL teams want ball playing centre backs who can defend against breakaways. > You don’t get that experience as a young player at a bottom half side in the PL, and unless you are exceptional won’t get it in a top half PL side. Winning promotion with Burnley as a ball playing CB was ideal experience. Repeating that experience again this season rather than staying with Burnley will have been good for his long term career. Perhaps there is a chance he might stay even if we don’t go up - depends how loud the clamour for him is from mid table PL teams. I think Baz will ultimately do fine out of signing for us in the same way - it will maximise his opportunity to develop his talent. Whether that talent has a high enough ceiling is another matter. I don’t think Lavia, Livramento or Sam Edozie have harmed their careers by signing for us. Whilst Charly Alcaraz hasn’t astounded on the pitch for us, he did get an opportunity at Juve - that he didn’t take it is down to him (or his talent level) Ballard is on loan. Dibling & Megahoma are at least back on the bench. SAA did get a go earlier in the season but he is still very young. I would like to see him on the bench though for some games.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0hsp54w Jack is going to be really important for the team this week