TheAlehouseBrawlers

You lot are gonna hate Everton's new stadium. Numerous bars, restaurants and 'experiences' covering all tastes - the scousers have already sold them all out - no doubt boutique champagne suites in there! I'd imagine all these big new stadiums offer the same. Not for me, I won't use it but can't really knock the club for offering something in comparison (on a much smaller scale) to try and keep up. By the way, look at the rake on the new stands at Bramley Moor Dock (and the leg room!), that is fookin' steep... Gonna be a cracking stadium.

I'd expect him to fight his corner, he's being mocked and his (repetitively unsuccessful) tactics are ripped apart each week by all and sundry. But I think he's half expecting it from fans, what's probably really hurting is criticism from his peers. Pundit ex-players and coaches are questioning (some almost pointing and laughing) his continually ineffective game plan. Maybe he needs to wake up to the fact that all his clubs concede 60+ goals season after season..

"...keep playing the same way on Saturday please" is what he's trying to say... "three-points-goal-fest thank you very much"

I had a look on one of their forums and they're all, understandably, expecting a stroll. 5-0/6-0 appears the most popular scoreline predictions but one or two showing a bit more caution - someone flagged up this run of results on there from 2015-16 when we did them 4-0 at St Mary's. Shit November/December and we still finished 6th!

Hamlet

Well, they seem to like matching their womens' team's results, did Saturday and both are getting done 6-1 tonight. But maybe we shouldn't laugh too loud with Arsenal and Man City as our next two aways.

Decided to cheer myself up with memories of happier times - 4-0 Cuco-Martina-screamer, finished 8 points behind second-placed Arsenal that season.

Well thank fuck you haven't done your usual thing and predicted us winning easily which usually means the opposite happens. Take note Dave Fizzy

I think we were all hoping Big Les was going to be our new Wanyama or Romeu but maybe we’re forgetting his age/experience and will need more time. But the team clearly lacks a backbone, the way our legs buckled after conceding the first last night and after the penalty miss against United shows we’re lacking the resilience required at this level in particular. Tough few weeks coming up.

It was cancelled before the game kicked off, they were changing the 10:15 to 10:30 so fans could make it back to the station in time.

Who would make up the 20 top flight clubs then? We've consistently been in the top dozen or so best supported clubs in England since we've been at St Mary's, probably still the case in this season's PL. Only Leeds and Sunderland can boast higher attendances outside of the top flight. Other than the elite, all the others are capable of being relegated.

Just dug the book out, 'Born Fearless' if anyone is interested - had a tough upbringing, brought up on Harefield estate and various kids homes, makes for an interesting read! I have seen someone called 'Campion' posting before on Saints Web but wouldn't know if related.

Tbf when he said "Palestinian cunts", he may have been alluding to Hamas, and the like, rather than just Palestinians in general...? On a side note, a while back I read a book on ex-SAS (and Saints fan) Phil Campion who spent time in the Gaza Strip after leaving the regiment. He was leading a team of mercenaries/security which involved training Hamas fighters to help protect a power station while it was repaired by foreign workers. While he was there he got involved coaching a local kids football team and, as he knew Woggie Taylor at St Mary's, he blagged them an entire Saints kit for the team. They became known as 'Southampton Gaza United' (or something similar) and did quite well after! Edit: Just seen Whelk's explained it himself better : )

Auchan Calais was always on our 'booze-runs' a few years ago - used to have a small bar just inside the supermarket entrance if I remember correctly (was probable 20 years back!). I think the Jean-Bouin stadium has a capacity around 20,000, what sort of attendances do FC Versailles get there? I imagine a lot of empty seats.

Tyler Dibling Tyler Dibling Scores again for SFC Tyler Dibling Tyler Dibling We'll sell him back soon to Chelsea

The vocal support was better, more joined up, on Saturday. In most 'ends' the chanting usually starts in the central area behind the goal and quickly spreads from there. Right now it seems to start at the two opposite sides most of the time and the centre joins in with whoever gets a chant going first and also why we keep getting the Northam singing two different things at the same time. But it did come together a bit more often at the weekend and improved the volume. Like the team, a work in progress.

That's handy then.

Assuming Chelsea stuck a hefty sell-on as part of the deal allowing him to return to St Mary's means we'd need to be looking at well over £50m to make that kind of pure profit. But if he keeps doing what he's doing then I think some of the moneybag clubs wouldn't scoff at those kind of figures. Prefer to keep him of course.

Who then produced one of the best statues seen outside a football ground, it's an excellent sculpture. And thanks to the determined effort and generosity of Leon Crouch.

I hope you had a successful weekend Jeyyy if you made it over - the football was a bit disappointing for most of us but hopefully all went well for you and brought warm memories of your father.

He scored 4 goals in his first PL season and 5 in his last. Our new strikers have barely played that many PL games for us yet. Once the goals come it will breed confidence, Archer proved he's got an eye for goal and can finish in the cup game. Defensively it was a schoolboy show right at the end that cost us and it was gutting walking out of the stadium yesterday but it was better.

Tough game, we're both down there, win and we go above them. But they're a united club still on the crest of a wave of two successful promotion seasons and on the back of a good away point at Brighton last week. They'll fancy this one. We need to change the way we play to get anything from this, they'll press us aggressively and no doubt we'll make the usual mistakes if we don't. If we abandon RM's favoured tactic of slow possession, particularly in and around our own box, and find a bit more urgency then we have a chance. We really need to win this one. *one thing both clubs have in common, both lost 9-0 to Man Utd

I think a few that were against it from the start are a bit too keen to jump in and write it off straight away, it's that desire to shout 'I told you so'. A victory, even just a goal could change things. Fans wanted the Archers back from the aways back at the Dell as it was clearly the best area for creating atmosphere at the time, once it happened it wasn't an immediate success. The stewards/OB were continually forcing fans to sit but one night against Newcastle everyone suddenly stood (and never sat down again) when we needed to get back into the game against Newcastle and the volume went through the roof. And we came from behind to win that match under Bally. It was a decent ‘end’ after that.

No doubt about it, big game, three points a must to kick-start our season. Crowd really need to step up, let's do our bit. Bring the noise.

I think people are forgetting how poor the atmosphere has been at St Mary's for many seasons even with home fans either side of the aways. It's a bit like when a (often average) player is out injured for a while but suddenly becomes the answer to all our problems on the pitch. That playoff game suggested what it could be like but with promotion we've now got an even more limited 'playlist'. I think a lot of it is down to the fact this new set-up hasn't even witnessed a goal yet, let alone a win. It wasn't exactly a united wall of singing against Forest but it was pretty good at the start, the shit being watched on the pitch eventually killed any enthusiasm, had we scored early that day then this discussion may not have been taking place. We're still too limited on decent chants though.