sandwichsaint

It's not just Chaplow tho is it? Look at the improvement in Kelvin over the last 12 months, in Hammond, in Lambert, and indeed in Chaplow, and in others as well. Adkins is just ticking all the boxes: the players are fit, they want to play, they want to play for each other and they want to play for Saints! NA has clearly set out the vision and equally clearly all the players are buying into it; once you have that you can start winning games of football, and NA has shown he has the nouse for us to consistently do that. What are the odds on us going unbeaten at home all season? We have beaten W Ham, Midds, Leeds, Millwall, Brum .... and to be honest none of those have got near us..... what's left? Cardiff? Seaweed? Hull? Palace? Pomski? Reading? Derby?Ipswich?... can you see us losing a home game on this form? ... I can't! COYRs

cheers mate!

anybody got anything?

I wouldn't have a problem with that, Martin did well at Reading and again on Tuesday at Palace. Fonte needs to get back to fitness and last season's form asap, tho TBF he was very good second half at Derby. Guess NA sees a lot more of them than we do so pretty sure whichever call he makes it will be the right one. Good to see some competition though, shame we haven't got a couple more of the youngsters challenging for a genuine place in the starting X1.

Surely Morgan has to start? KD Fr. HV JF. DF Chap. Morgan. Cork Gully. RL. Lallana (SDR) In a flexible 4-3-3, 4-5-1 sort of a way. Tuff on Hammond but we need to play our strongest side. We are at home, let's grab the bull by the wotsits and play our game. COYRs!

I'm available for cheap season tkts - can use 2 or 3 if anyone has any spares.

Hopefully it won't be less than 26,234, have to do without me tho, derby, reading and palace means a pause for money reinforcements this week.

Fair play to him! What an honest assessment.

A game of two halves. First half we were very good and looked well on top without really carrying a goal threat. Second half Palace raised their game and we didn't really have an answer. Bart 7, looked confident on what little he had to do, no chance with the goals. Butter 5, looked understandably rusty, crossing was very hit and hope. Martin7, solid Cork 7, wasted here, would rather have seen hoov and play Cork in mf Harding 8 in the first half and 4 in the second. Needless penalty, Holmes 6, put over a couple of really good crosses but didn't do enough to force his way into the Saturday team. Morgan 8, outstanding in the first half, over run in the second. Needs to start on a Saturday. WP 6, decent effort and understandably nervous. De rudder 4 massive disappointment and showed why he doesn't start on a Saturday. Great for first 15 mins but went rapidly downhill after that, palace defenders played him very easily. Forte 1, shocking display. Didn't look interested at all, v weak for a big bloke too. No where near food buff for the standard we are aspiring to. Reeves 7, worked hard throughout and always looking to do the right thing. Subs 4 too little, too late. Overall it went much as expected, first half we made a really good go of it, second half was like stepping back in a Saints time machine. Blue line- move on, we need a big performance on Saturday.

I enjoyed it . 15 quid, good night out, no one forced anyone to go did they?

What's the next word after massive?

Where's Dickson in all this? I know he played poorly in last round but surely he's good enough TDAJFU tonight?

Is it right they've moved the away fans down to the other end this season? Same side but down into the supermarket corner rather than up against the Holmesdale stand? Heard this second hand via a Palace ST holder, bit of a shame if they have.

Really looking forward to this. If NA is playing them then I'm pretty sure they are good enough! In the context of us being top (I'll write that again TOP!) of the Champs and under fairly big pressure to go straight up this is a 'relatively' low-key game and a great opportunity to blood the yoof. I for one am really looking fd to seeing the next generation; I always remember seeing Lallana come on for 15 mins away at WBA and you could see in those 15 mins that he absolutely had it, tomorrow night we will get to see a couple of our new top-boys playing mens football for a full 90 minutes. Brilliant! You stay in the pub or send your tkts back - 2000 of us will be there backing the team - Saints to win on pens after 2-2 at 90 mins and 3-3 at extra time, loving the league but you can't beat floodlit cup football!

Lambert has played virtually every game since he has been here, don't know if that is his choice or it just shows a lack of alternatives? Bart Butter Fonte .... needs a decent game Martin Harding Quick Morgan Cork .... needs a decent game Reeves/Dickson (AL half a game?) Riddler Lambert that should do it.

Who is Barnard Lallana?

Pick your toys up - Saints fans getting all Uncle Tom again. Gully is a top player, that's why NA picks him and that's why he was one of our best players at Derby last week. Granted he wasn't very good today but nor were several others.... in the interest of balance can we have a toys-out-of-the-pram thread on Hammond or Cork please?

Really disappointing away day. Looking forward to it all week but I guess Derby and West Ham took a lot out of the team and the fans? We just never got going, Reading wanted it more, hunted us down, and made much better use of the ball when they had it. Too many of our players had an off day: Cork, Hammond, Gully, and Connely all went missing in action today, throw in Lambert who hardly got a look in against their CB's, and we were really up against it. To go down to 10 men and get a point was prob the best we could have hoped for in the circs; it could have been all three if Fox or Chaplow had gone for the first time finish ..... First time at the Maj for me and on that showing probably the last to. God-forsaken, middle of nowhere, out of town monstrosity. The actual stadium is very good but the distance to town, parking, buses, congestion etc. makes it an absolute pig of a day. For anybody on here that keeps on about relocating SMS, be very careful what you wish for!

Bump this, if anybody is looking for a tkt I am here till 10-30am.

I have one tkt available (family bereavement of one of the lads i was going with) It is a 15-21 tkt but you could upgrade it to an adult at their box office on the day. I will be in the station/pubs area from 1.30 - 3.00, would prefer an early pick up if poss. Face value (15 quid i think?), pm me on here before 10.30am, thanks

what's the shuttle buses like? what time to leave the town? how long to get back after the game?

Ifil wasn't rubbish.

When you factor in the empty seats on Tuesday night (ST holders not there/ST kids not there/stuck in traffic/last minute drop outs) the reality is there was probaly more bums on seats for the Walsall game last year - not an empty seat to be seen that day. At the end of the day who really cares? It's all a bit meaningless where they count 'tickets sold' over 'turnstile clicks'; as those of us who were there will know, the biggest crowd ever at a Southampton home game was for Mick Channon's testimonial, end of!

What was the published attendance when England played at SMS. Have to think that would have sold out, and with less netting too? How many rows/columns(?) were netted off last night?

Super Saints Slam Slug Sam