trousers

I'm gonna play the reverse psychology card and say that I don't reckon we'll see Boufal in the first team until November

Call me a sceptical cynical old fool, but if Boufal was on the verge of being available to play, wouldn't the club have been slipping out the odd video or photo teaser by now? History tells me that when the club 'go quiet' on a player it often means they are taking longer to recover from an injury than first thought... (Exhibit A: JRod and Gardos) Yes, appreciate that its been a busy period for the club so producing 'Boufal teasers' is probably way down the media department's 'to do' list at the moment. I guess if it remains quiet during the international break that'll perhaps be cause for a dose of pessimism.

I fell foul of this 'anomaly' a few years ago. I always used to buy tickets for me and my son using my customer number (just seemed like the logical thing to do at the time... i.e. why have two numbers when one will do...?). There then came a game where I couldn't get two tickets because "purchase history" was required for both and from that moment on I simply set up a new customer number for my son and used both to buy tickets from there on in. The difference between then and now is that I was able to persuade the ticket office to apply some common sense to the situation as my purchase pattern for me and my son was obvious from looking at my history. I guess this time it is out of the club's hands though as I assume they are having to follow UEFA and/or Italian authority rules to the letter in that only people that the club can prove to be 'genuine' fans are sold tickets. The hallmarks of the usual sledgehammer to crack a nut by the jobsworths in authority land.

Just went to order a copy but saying only PDF option available? Is that right? Would prefer an original printed copy to a PDF if poss.

Fred Dineage?

Alas, no. The only way to get live commentary is to logon to the Colchester Utd Player (here: http://www.player.cu-fc.com/live-matches#) using an active Saints Player login ID. (and given we've recently ditched Saints Player that may not work anyway)

Southampton FC ‏@SouthamptonFC GOAL: #ColU 0-1 #SaintsFC (@sammcqueen123 ) He's done it again! McQueen heads home at the near post to give the visitors the lead.

FFS. They're never gonna get out of Division 4, are they?

This

Congratulations!

'Deluded Pompey fans' and 'Pompey Mythology' Bingo cards at the ready.... Neil Allen: "Despite what happened in later years at Pompey, fans can still say 'We won something'. Other clubs in that past have got into financial trouble but not won anything, but Pompey do at least have something to show for it"

Thorpe Park or Alton Towers?

I'm in the "bought the bundle but have only received the Sparta Prague tickets so far" camp

http://m.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/14765064.Fonte__waiting__for_improved_Southampton_contract_offer/

Talking of England.... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/26/exclusive-investigation-england-manager-sam-allardyce-for-sale

General rule of thumb with the M3 between Fleet and the M25 is to avoid between 06:30 and 09:30. And that was before they decided to install roadworks for what seems like the last 17 years...

Great result! Another step closer to escaping to Division 3 and lifting the clouds of nutjob tedium that languishing in Division 4 for years on end brings. Bring on the hilarity that will accompany their 'progress' up the leagues.

Tick

I used to stay just around the corner from there whenever I stayed in Malta, although haven't been back to Mellieha for a few years now. There's a small bar in Valletta called "The Pub" (somewhat imaginatively! It's claim to fame being that it was the last place Oliver Reed had a drink before he died) which shows football games. All I need to do now is convince my football loathing missus to pop in there on our first night to watch Saints v Be'er Sheva.... I'm not holding my breath!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/09/25/southampton-striker-charlie-austin-shows-west-hams-owners-exactl/ Sammy Lee, who is now Sam Allardyce’s England assistant, was at the London Stadium and, with Harry Kane and Andy Carroll both currently injured, will surely have taken a particular interest in Austin’s form ahead of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia. “I hope Charlie can find the England selection,” said Claude Puel, the Southampton manager.

Which bar was that? I'm off to Valletta on Thursday

MotD2 drooling over our performance today

Forster Martina Fonte VvD Targett HojbJerg JWP Clasie Tadic Austin Long subs: McCarthy, Bertrand, Yoshida, Romeu, Davis, Hesketh, Redmond Be'er Sheva 0 Saints 2