ericofarabia

Pubs will be dry here in Dubai due religious holiday .... so a heavy early doors session at home pre match is in order!!

For sheer stunning views though .... not much can beat the view from the top of any ski resort when all you can see as far as the eye can see is snow covered mountains topped by crystal clear blue skies, and far away in the distance the villages you have to ski back to way down below. This time last week I was doing just this 10000 feet up on the Swiss/Italian border at Cervinia/Zermatt. Roll on next March.

Plenty of mentions for Sorrento / Almafi / Positano. Only had a few days there staying in Sorrento. Enjoyed the laid back feel of the Fisherman's Beach area in the evening and walking back up to town through the tunnel through the cliff after a few bottles of vino!! Day Trips to Pompeii and Almafi Coast were great fun. The day we went to Pompeii it was raining in biblical proportions with thunder and lightening - barely any buildings had a roof so we got soaked, but strolling around Pompeii unchallenged in the ampitheatre belting out Oh When The Saints was amazing. Even in its derelict state (still in better nick than Fratton ) the acoustics were stunning, sounded like our singing at San Siro!! You can only imagine what it was like full of people baying for blood as Centurians did battle. The weather was much better on our trip to Ravello which surprisingly hasn't been given a mention (that I've noticed). The views from the top ....stunning. I know my haunt of Dubai won't get any mentions but an overnight camping trip (and some dune bashing) deep deep into the desert far far away from any artificial light is a magical experience. The stars and moon seem so bright that it casts shadows and you'll see numerous shooting stars (don't believe the make a wish myth ... Saints still haven't won The Prem/Fa Cup/ Champs League Treble and my todger is still the same size )

Alan Shearer's career went downhill after leaving us

What the hell has the game come to when people are talking about resting players? No mid week games (unless we have a replay) until April FFS plus a blank weekend next month. The manager wants the players to be brave ... well pick your best team and send them out with positive intentions and don't drop them the next week. Call me old fashioned but it makes me sick to the stomach the way teams basically wave a white flag of surrender before a ball is even kicked by sending out a weak team in cup matches, with the message of basically saying we don't really give a damn about winning this match, or care about the fans who have made an effort and spent their hard earned cash to watch a match. Winning games can only be good for club and fans morale ... getting beaten and playing poorly can only bring even further loss of confidence all round. West Brom are a team in even more turmoil than us at the moment ... there are there for the taking ...lets do this!!

Scousepool bought our Radio Transmitting set up? :-) ....or some scallys nicked it off the back of a lorry?

A couple of really dubious ref decisions in our favour giving us a valuable 3 points and seeing The Gurning Freaks antics on the touchline would be priceless But we know the 1st part ain't ever gonna happen ...so a VVD own goal will have to suffice!!

Is anybody overseas able to get Commentary on The OS?

Keeps the commentators happy at being able to trot out their Dead Ball Specialist lines.

Just about sums up what I was about to write myself. Presumably Watford will be looking at resting players as well. Start with a strong team, and maybe swap a few around if we get into a comfortable position ..... (tries to forget being 2 up and only drawing at their place!!). No playing 17 yr olds for the sake of it ... this needs to be taken seriously. Ask any fan or player who was at Wembley in March and that was for a tin pot trophy ;-)

Good 1st half .... now to have all the good work undone by managers HT talk .... Hopefully they will all ignore his instructions and continue trying to win the game!!

I would love to be proved wrong,..... but tyre kicking diversion process. Yep I'm sure we genuinally want to sign him ...... but we will be nowhere near his clubs or his demands, and no intention of matching them!!

Sorry for slight deviation from Epic Journey to SMS, but still an Epic journey, but for an away game ........ Late 90's, I'd arranged our skiing trip to France to have an early flight back arriving in Manchester (when back in UK on holiday from Dubai I live in Leigh Lancs) at about 1330, on the off chance I might be able to sneak off to Anfield if we arrived back on time!! As it was we left Chambery a bit late but made up time and landed at Manchester on schedule and amazingly for Manc Airport our airgate only took a few minutes to connect. I'd already got the ok from Mrs EoA to give it a go if we were on time, and as soon as the doors opened I was off in a flash leaving poor Mrs EoA to look after our 4 kids and collect the suitcases and ski stuff and get home(amazingly we are still happily married!) It's a wonder I didn't get stopped by security the speed I legged it through the terminal. No queue at Immigration,just managed to catch the only train that would get me to Lime St in time for the match buy the skin of my teeth. Jump in a taxi and ask to go to Arkles Pub The game was All Ticket and my hope was that there would be somebody in there with a spare ticket!! This was in the days before I had a mobile phone or Internet so no way of contacting anybody. Traffic was a nightmare, taxi driver said it was always like this when a game has sold out!! Nobody in the pub when I got there. legged it down to away turnstile area, once again hoping somebody might be trying to sell a spare, no luck!! Disaster, so near yet so far!! A policeman came up to me and asked what I was up to, when I explained he said it's ok you can pay at the gate for away supporters! Joy of joys. On getting searched I had to show the Duty Packet of 200 fags I'd got for Mother in Law at Chambery.. Mrs EoA could only take her 200 through so I had to take my allocation to the match!!. Got some pretty strange looks. Just time to quaff a pint before KO and join the fellow Saints fans on the terraces.. I'd been up since 0430, was dog tired and stressed but here I was ... I'd made it. 4-0 down at Half Time wasn't on the script!! Final score 7-1 but great Gallows Humour from our ot made it bearable, especially when we pulled one back to make it 5-1, and a resounding 'we're going to win 6-5" echo'd around the away end!! Any other time a 7-1 stuffing away from home would make for a really horrible day, but somehow with all the highs and lows of will I or won't I get there in time, will I won't I be able to get in etc etc just made it such a memorable day. Mrs EoA had already heard the score before I got back in and asked "well was it worth the effort"? Too bloody right it was

I've said it numerous times ... his complete lack of reaction to opposition subs/tactical changes have cost us. Off the top of my head ...... Burnley at SMS changed to 2 up front and won 1-0. (- 1pt) Arsenal H ... midfield ran themselves into the ground, we sit back, let them attack at will, too late making any changes Arsenal late equaliser from their sub!! (-2pts) Huddersfield at SMS ... totally in control, 1 up, they change to 2 up front and get an equaliser whilst we changed nothing tactically until too late. (-2 pts) Palace at SMS 1 up totally in control, they change to 2 up front, we do zilch and lose 2-1 from 1 up. (-2 pts) Watford 2-0 up Watfprd all over the place chg at HT to 2 up front, we sit back and pay the price again. (-2 pts) 9 points down the swanee which could and should have been avoided. Has he actually made any game winning / saving changes at al

WBA ..... 1 win in 20 games ..... only 2 points behind us

But we did get Tommy Fourpast as well. Brilliant deal .... 4 years salary and never played a competitive game and we missed out on a whopping % sell on fee when Bale went to Madrid To be fair to the club, Spurs had us over a barrel, and without the Million we'd have gone out of existence. Same thing with Theo's situation at Arsenal ... instant cash instead of spread out payments just to stay alive.

Same for me .... only player in our squad who looks like his might be able to change a game.

Exactly what I was saying in our pub. Never changes the style of play or formation, sticks with something that is patently not working very well, just changes the personnel to do exactly the same job as the person coming off. Opposition managers must be laughing up their sleeves as they see no response to their own tactical changes and more often than not come out on top against us.

PS not avbl for on the Prediction League .... I'm going for an shock 2-0 away win. Won't try and 2nd guess The Tinkerer and predict who will score as i and probably he hasn't a clue who is playing yet Hope it is a Happy #win day for the 5000 fans making the effort. #COYS

BellEnd Sports in their wisdom have selected our match as their main studio match ..... obviously hoping for a Cup Shock ...... wonder if they'll get it and we in So an unexpected night out on the lash at Barasti for @dubaisaints #CupShock #We'reonourwaytowembly #queserasera

Ha Ha ..... one of my mates got hit on the head by a Bottle of Heinz Ketchup!! Memory playing trick on me, I know it was a 1-1 draw and I think it was Williams who scored, but for some unknown reason I thought it was an early season game. But I was terribly terribly drunk at the time!!

My 1st away game as a little ankle biter was at Stamford Bridge late 60's .... we won 6-2 with Big Ron getting 4, Chivers 2 and for Chelsea Ossie got 2, one of which was one of his best ever!! Away games have all been downhill since that day!! My only other visit there was 2-0 v Palace in the 76 semi .... sadly I won't be there to make it 3rd time lucky, but will be watching it with @dubaisaints by the beach. Hopefully this will help influence the game. Shame with the 4 hour time difference and temps plummeting down to below 20c, there won't be as many girls in bikinis to take our minds off the match if it turns into car crash territory

Is anybody's Sains Player working ... zilch for me at the moment!!

Bizarre events at Halifax v Eastleigh ..... both keepers sent off in a 3-3 draw, with Halifax coming back from 3-1 down to equalise in last minute. Jumpers for goalposts real grass roots footie!!

Now here is the problem with your scenario...... Kat: Just fake cheer when (if) Saints score, you don't have to believe it..... and ........ Yeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh get in ya ****ing beauty!!!!! If we EVER score at home again ..... I don't think anyone will believe that we have actually scored, especially if it is Shane Long!! or be able to remember what you do after we score in the way of celebration ... it's been that long:rolleyes: