trousers

Penalty Chelsea

Ha! Disallowed 😂

Bugger

Come on Chelsea!

Scotland? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-50124333

Come on Leicester!

Adams

The club need to invite this fella back for a lap of honour or suchlike when fans are allowed back in stadiums.

Saints valuing Hojbjerg at £35m (according to the Express.... yes, I know....) https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1303025/Tottenham-news-Jose-Mourinho-agree-swap-deal-Pierre-Emile-Hojbjerg-rumours-gossip

As a self-confessed delusional optimist, I'm guilty as charged m'lud....

Fair point, although I'm just making the general observation that comparing the mindset of a public performer with that of a run of the mill office worker (for example) isn't necessarily a logical equivalence.

West Ham fans seemed to rate him when they were linked with him in January (I'm not sure if endorsement by West Ham fans can be considered a good or bad thing though!) https://www.hammers.news/transfer-news/west-ham-fans-react-to-links-with-celtic-ace-olivier-ntcham/

A job in the 'entertainment industry' (and I broadly include high profile sport under that umbrella) is different to, say, a desk job though. People who work in the public eye (TV, film, sports, etc) first and foremost want to perform in front of their fans. Comparing someone who, for example, works in a dull desk job who is given a choice between another dull desk job at half the salary and 'gardening leave' on full pay, with a 'performer' who has the choice between doing the job he loves in front of an audience at a reduced salary vs drifting into obscurity via training with the U23s is not comparing like-with-like. IMHO of course

Good point. Forgot that Stephens was only suspended for one game.

I (and others) were labelled "mad" by certain forum members for suggesting at the outset of the season that we had a squad capable of finishing in the top half of the table. So, yep, will be very content with 10th

Dear MLG, Whilst I love you to bits, trotting out this stock reply every time someone dares suggest that playing in Europe next season could be "too soon" is missing the point somewhat. The rationale isn't that we should avoid qualification just so that we can be in a better place to qualify next season, rather, the logic is that because we are still in a rebuilding phase (some of Ralph's tactics are only just starting to bear fruit, some 18 months after he started) we would be better off completing the re-build phase first before competing in Europe. The theory/thinking being that subjecting an as yet incomplete package to the rigours of European football 'too early' *could* set us back rather than push us forward. Ok, you may not agree with that philosophy and can come up with reasons why playing in Europe 'sooner rather than later' could actually help accelerate the re-build phase of Ralph's "project". That's fair enough. You could well be right. Equally, the alternative philosophy could be right. But the debate is more nuanced than lazily throwing the "you don't want to qualify this season so we stand a better chance next season?" card on the table. Lots of love, Trousers

What is Forster's valuation at the moment I wonder? £5m? £7.5m? £10m...?! £55k/week works out at c.£8.5m over three years, so if they can be convinced that he's worth that figure then letting him go on a free effectively neutralises the additional wages. p.s. I've no idea how one values an ex-England keeper who, in goalkeeping terms, is at his prime age and in relatively decent form...?

Indeed... I probably meant their 'Tier 3' fringe players....

Brentford, Forest, Fulham West Ham, Bournemouth, Brighton (Answering the question: "Who do you want...?" rather than "Who do you think will...?")

I forgot Djenepo was available for this one, although doesn't affect my proposed starting line-up. Great to have him back as an option off the bench though.

Anyone think Guardiola will start to play a significant number of fringe players now that the PL title is done and dusted? (yes, I know they were never going to win it, however, psychologicially we're now in end-of-term territory...). That said, no doubt a fringe-player Man City line-up would still be favourtites against our strongest starting 11.... I guess there will now be a feeling amongst Saints fans that we should now take the opportunity to field more of our fringe players in the remainings games, given we're now safer than safe from relegation. However, given how close we are to 8th place, my view is that we should continue to play our best starting 11, or as close to it as possible. That said, I would now make Adams a regular starter ahead of Long or Obefemi. I think Adams is a better player than those two anyway, so won't weake the team anyway. So, for me, the starting 11 vs Man City should look like this: McCarthy KWP - Vestergaard - Bednarek - Bertie JWP - Romeu Armstrong - Redmond Adams - Ings

Best performance of the 3 restart games by far. Smallbone looking decent. Also a good cameo from Adams. Is it too soon to dig out the December forum posts from the "happy to be wrong" brigade, just for a bit of a chortle?

Unlucky there Adams... Tried to slide it through the keeper's legs rather than just blast it...