BallBoy

So frustrating and too predictable. "Would have taken a point" is our mantra. Having said that we are much, much better under Ralph. Seemed to be a bit of arguing going on there at the end. Stephens and Hojberg. Good to see passion though. Hoj is the right man for captain.

I am posting on this one just to get it back up the list of threads. I love this time of the season when every game, every goal, every dodgy decision, every booking and every injury can have serious repercussions. I think we will be safe because we are better than the rest and will pick both expected and unexpected points. That does not mean I don't worry. It is tense. I hope we will rise up the table but a couple of bad results will see us sweating to the end. it's all about Cardiff really. Those 6 points we dropped to them could be crucial but they have a horrendous run in. They are either playing top 6 sides or other relegation candidates, excluding Fulham who are already down. Not sure what to hope for when they play Burnley next weekend. Bournemouth will play a part as they play Palace, Brighton and us. They never do us any favours.

I think we will be safe but Bournemouth NEVER help us.

It seemed to me that JWP was being played too far forward last night. Strange. Much as I love to see any Saints player in an England shirt I do think it unlikely that he will be a regular. The competition is very tough in his position.

This was shaping up to be one of those absolutely awful Saturdays where everyone else won and we lost. Cardiff, Brighton and Newcastle were not supposed to win but they all did. This was a fantastic win for us. We really needed it. We suffered the depths and the pinnacle today but nobody is doing us any favours and we are still in a real dogfight. Many pluses today, particularly Sims showing RH what he can do. Could be a great impact player for the run in.

I don't think life will ever be dull with Ralph.

Agree that he comes across very well. Dealing with press is an important part of a managers job in modern times. It immediately gives the club a better profile. I noticed, even yesterday, that we got better coverage from the likes of Phil Thompson on Sky and Murphy/Keown on BBC. I think this man will help us just by being convivial, speaking good(but not perfect) english and smiling. I like the look of him.

Here we go. Just at the point where we think we might actually win....

What do we do now?

BBC reporter describes us as "insipid". I am following from a distance these days but, sadly, it does seem to sum us up. No belief and no ambition. Somebody on here predicted that we would go one down early on and then it would be damage limitation. I don't think 3-0 is limited. We need a leader

Being a football fan is about emotion and all about these moments described. The importance of the goal is not always matched by the euphoria. Pent up stress and then relief can play a big part. Many of those mentioned above I was suffering on the radio. The effect can be just the same but private. My list is only those I have witnessed. 1) Matty v Arsenal. Just for every reason except the importance of the goal. He was not called Le God for nothing. We worshipped him and this summed up his glorious career. 2) Has to be Stokes for the exact opposite reasons. 3) Ormerod in the cup semi final. 4) Long v Liverpool. Perfect timing following 90 minutes of stress. 5) Armstrong v United. Largely because of the best goal ever disallowed by Keegan. Armstrong was marginally offside. Last minute following a see-saw game. One of my favourite underrated players. It was United. Honorary mention. Ricky v Scotland. Nobody deserved it more. Such a sad decline afterwards. At the opposite end of scale, Adrian **** Heath in the Highbury semi final. Worst moment of my footballing life by a long way. Nice thread. Should have been a summer one.

He did so much more and had more talent than ever he was given credit for. I think he had more ability than even he realised. I am so glad he reached his peak with us and did more to take us to where we are now than any other player. Many, many favourite moments but, for me, the one that epitomised his all round talent was at Fulham. A truly magnificent long range pass from the edge of our own penalty area perfectly into the path of Jay Rodriguez who takes a few more strides to go on and score. Brilliant!

Unfortunately I was not able to see or hear the game. I would guess, however, that Mourinho deliberately got himself sent off to waste time. He will do ANYTHING to win.

SSN! I have it on because I am bored. What a farce. Adjectives like monumental, dramatic, remarkable, incredible. Something NOT happening becomes hot news.

I have thought the same when I have seen him at St Mary's. His shoulders are slouched and sometimes he just ambles along. Having said that, he is still by far our best left back. His skill and experience make the difference. It would be nice to see skill and commitment though.

I like the look of this lad. He is not the finished product (who is?) but he is what we need. A quick. strong, mobile ball carrier. Something we definitely did not have before.

Having a sleepless night for various reasons. The above article by Jeremy Wilson can be regarded as the club's official position on VVD, the takeover and transfer activity. He obviously has the inside track on SFC affairs and is probably used for "authorised" leaks. We should take this article seriously, as opposed to random comments by so called ITK's It does not say that VVD will definitely not go but the club's intention is clear.

I would love to keep VVD but, realistically, I think he will go. Football fans have short memories and I think the board can ride the storm but ONLY if we get top dollar and re-invest quickly. We desperately need a more mobile and scoring midfielder. What I would find difficult to forgive would be a below value sale at the end of the window and no improvements to the first team.

Obvious from my username too. Bally gave his whole heart and whole soul to any club he played for. And to his country. Certainly the greatest captain we ever had in my humble opinion. There have been many greats in my 50 years of supporting. Players with huge skill and others who were great club players but Bally edges it for me. Just love the guy.

Obvious from my username too. Bally gave his whole heart and whole soul to any club he played for. And to his country. Certainly the greatest captain we ever had in my humble opinion. There have been many greats in my 50 years of supporting. Players with huge skill and others who were great club players but Bally edges it for me. Just love the guy.

Why wait almost 4 weeks? As usual, we are behind the game in any transfer activity.

I am not as concerned about fans being given information as I am about the players. It may well affect how they respond to enquiries from other clubs.

Always the same though. It's gone very quiet. No vote of confidence. No news. Next step is Les Read issuing a "reassuring" statement saying that everything is under control.

Has to be Shane Long at Anfield for me. One of those moments we live for as football fans. Injury time, anticipation as Josh brings the ball from our own penalty area, pass, intake of breath, it's Shane Long!!!, Goal!!!! We are in the final.

I agree that 8th place (or even 9th or 10th) with a cup final is a good performance for a team of our resources especially with the loss of key players. I think it would be difficult to let Puel go on the back of that record and I am not even suggesting it. However, having supported this club for over 40 years, I have to say this is the most BORING season I have ever endured. Admittedly I have only seen home games (live) and unfortunately I missed a few of those but when I look back and realise that the most entertaining premier league game I saw was Crystal Palace then I can understand why many fans and, possibly, players are disenchanted. For the most part the games I have seen have been turgid and robotic with far too many low points. There were some high points in the cups (Liverpool, Sparta Prague and Inter Milan) but, apart from those, it has just been hard to watch. To sum up, the games have been about as exciting as a Claude Puel press conference. It would be harsh to let him go but it would give some hope back.