trousers

Today's game might well be the Tipping Point on here...

LeG seems well contected, so probably a combination of both I'd venture

I thought we'd had enough of 'sideways football'...?

Good question. Bit annoyed about that... brought him into my fantasy premier league team this week on a hunch that he'd start

Surgical needle and thread for Trousers' split sides please matron! p.s. cheers for info though

If you start the game, you can't then come off the bench to score a worldy winner in the last 10 minutes...that's why...

Does anyone know what is wrong with McCarthy? I thought he had a relatively minor hamstring problem when the nature of his injury was first announced by the club but it must be something more serious than that now given his prolonged absence?

Koeman bowing to pressure and/or making a point by starting a couple of academy players...?

#EFC (v @Southamptonfc): Joel, Baines ©, Funes Mori, Williams, Coleman, Gana, Davies, Lennon, Barkley, Calvert-Lewin, Lukaku. subs: Hewelt, Jagielka, Mirallas, Cleverley, Barry, Valencia, Holgate.

It's about time we had a replacement for THEVMAN for early team news

Source?

By observing that Puel and Koeman are equally matched at this stage in both seasons, the "in brigade" aren't prematurely deducing that it makes Puel a successful manager. Rather, they are simply observating the relative parity in terms of results and league position. What the "in brigade" are saying is that we should give Puel the same chance that Koeman had to turn things around and then judge him. #comparinglikewithlike The "out brigade" may well turn out to be right. That remains to be seen. Personally, I'm keeping an open and pragmatic mind on the situation.

Are you suggesting that someone who disagrees with someone can't possibly be a troll? I would venture that the two aren't mutually exclusive... A troll, by definition, will endeavour to post 'opinions' that they know will give rise to maximum irritation. And the typical first line of defence of a troll is to play the "so a troll is someone who disagrees with you?" deflection card... That said, maybe I've got it all wrong and this is the only internet forum in the known universe that doesn't have any trolls actively plying their trade... #oinkoinkflapflap

Tick

Les, have you ever gone to a Saints away game and posted photos from the hotel's website on an internet forum upon your arrival?

Yes, but all that's academic as there's zero possibility of emulating the performances of the second half of last season...

Played some decent stuff leading up to our goal, but a frustrating and lack-lustre response to WBA's comeback. We're looking as poor as Koeman's side did before the turn of the year last season. It was difficult to see how Koeman was going to turn things around then and it's perhaps even more difficult to see how Puel can emulate that turnaround this season. If we have a poor January then that may be the time to sign-up to the disgruntled club, but still too early for that. A pivotal month beckons. A bad time to be losing Boufal too, just as he's starting to look at home in the cut and thrust of the Premier League. Happy new year!

You'll probably find people were saying the same thing about Koeman this time last year too.

VvD off! Yikes...

Indeed. And if we'd have continued the same as we were this time last season the same would have applied last season. We turned things around after a poor November/December last season so why does it follow that we won't/can't this season? It may well transpire that we don't have the same level of improvement in the second half of this season but it may transpire that we do. Who knows?

And on the same number of points and 3 places higher than we were at the same stage last season

JWP playing right back...

I think he may have got his finger tips to it this time

COCK

How is that not a second yellow for the WBA defender? Would have surely got a yellow if it was his first. Ref bottled it.