VectisSaint

Only Shankly actually called our football that, because he couldn't deal with it properly, and we hurt his precious little souls. We were still entertaining, even if the entertainment consisted of John McGrath or Brian O'Neil kicking seven bells out of the opposition.

Can't see the need for Shaw at all, we could get rid of Bertrand on the basis of his performances this season and still have two better LB options in McQueen and Targett.

When were these dire matches in the 60s and 70s, at least consistently dire, sure there were odd matches, but never over a whole season or more. There were times when we were poor in terms of getting results, but didn't mean we weren't entertaining even if we might have been losing 5-3 or whatever. And winning counted above all, when? This is revisionist theory at its best. Ted and Lawrie would not have survived for 30 years (between them) if we had not played entertaining football for the majority of their time (it wasn't great the year after relegation but it was still fun and enjoyable to watch most of the time). If you had said the 90s then you might have had a point, with Branfoot, but really cannot relate to your comment at all.

sad, but true. Have been saying it for a few years our famed academy is now not even average in comparison to our rivals. We are seeing now the quality that has come through post our near demise, we can no longer blame that for at least the u16/17s. Our u23s are either pre-troubles or were brought in to the upper years of the academy (like Stephens from Plymouth). Our top end academy coaching has been poor for a few years now, our u21/3s relegated from the top flight last season and struggling this, our u18s struggling again. Its what is known as resting on your laurels, repeating the mantra of The Southampton Way (whatever that is) and believing your own hype. Since Georges Prost sadly left ten years ago we have gone backwards in terms of our academy while still insisting what a great academy we have for developing Theo Walcott. Its not knocking the club, its acknowledging that there is a serious problem and urging the club to wake up and do something about it instead of continuing with second rate coaches.

Holding it up may be an issue but the bigger problem is that after we win the ball back from the opposition, which we do well, we then give it away by either hoofing it, fannying around with it or misplacing passes, all of our back 4 and Romeu were very guilty of this on Sunday. Also Forster seems unable to deliver the ball to a team mate (though I will concede he did roll the ball out once in the Brighton match something hardly ever seen from him before). Yes it would be great if we had someone to hold it up but it is revisionism at its best to suggest that Pelle did this for us. No-one has done this consistently since SRL. I'm sure Gabbi could hold the ball up if anyone could ever get the ball to him in the first place.

Imagine his frustration is nothing compared to Jack Stephens. Not even in the matchday squad.

we managed some results last season without him. Our Defence/Midfield can be exactly the same as this time last year, real shame he is injured but its hardly the drama some are making out.

It's a derby. It's not a rivalry.

Sure will. So if Irene posted it you believe it. Unbelievable how some can be so gullible.

Hopefully Everton are aware that Claude is still available. Ready and able to take them to 8th and a cup final while simultaneously boring their fans to death.

And you remember reading this in his contract do you? Grow up, this doesn't happen in the real world.

Don't believe that is true for one second. If it was it would be an absolute disgrace and Les should be dismissed. He is simply rubbish, it is no longer a form thing, he has been like this now for best part of 2 seasons, he has lost his confidence, lost his agility. Not even considered in the top 3 England keepers any more, not that that is a sign of a good keeper when Joe Hart is considered #1. Trouble is it looks like McCarthy really isn't good enough either.

Though Nathan Dyer was arguably as good if not better on the odd occasion when he played there for us.

Efficient and hardworking but not dull. The team were so fit, kept going to the final whistle at full pelt and often nicked a result. But dull. Direct maybe, but none of the backward passing typical of Puel and MP. Yes, Wembley was more exciting than Cardiff, but that was down to the opposition in large parts.

Trouble is that was when Tadic was good. He continues to live on that performance E and a few others that season. He has seldom delivered since and together with Redmond (and Forster) is the main cause of our current problems. We were also complete site in the first half of that game, completely outplayed by Sunderland. Second half of course we destroyed them.

So, we can't drop Forster because our reserve keeper dropped a clanger playing for the u23s. Not much point having a reserve keeper then if he is not going to have an opportunity when our first choice keeper is crap. McCarthy needs to be given a chance in the first team, he can't actually be any worse than Forster, he might be as bad, but will never know unless we try.

Apart from the 2 away games in Manchester, don't really see much to worry about with that set of fixtures based on current form of those teams. Liverpool are poor, Everton are rubbish, Bournemouth poor, Arsenal poor, Leicester poor, Spurs at Wembley struggling (but we will probably lose), even Chelsea are quite beatable at the moment. Of course things may and probably will change before then, Koeman will probably have been sacked for example. But four of those 9 teams are currently below us in the League. Lining that up as a "lose 9 games" sequence at the moment is frankly laughable.

Branfoot got us to a cup final, having played more games and against higher ranking opposition than in the LC last season. You will of course claim it wasn't a proper cup final because it suits your argument but it shows that getting to and losing a cup final is not really a good measure of a good manager.

Nice Rafa Benitez press conference from Staplewood this afternoon.

Did he? Really. Evidence suggests otherwise, his cross was deflected, it probably would not have lead to a goal if it had gone where he intended. But hey, lets pretend that Boufal is the greatest goal creator since sliced bread, based on one game where he was more influential than most of his other games. Hope he proves me wrong, but on evidence so far he looks like developing into one of our most disappointing signings.

You mean the cross that deflected off the defender back to Long who then set up Yoshida's volley. Hardly the greatest goal set up was it.

Complete freak result. Luxembourg are and always have been whipping boys. Everyone knows it.

But pretty much as anyone with even a passing interest in football would have expected.

Oriol Romeu, 24 when he joined us, Ryan Bertrand, 24 when he joined us. That's our policy. Theo Walcott, 28 going on 29. Reasonably certain it won't happen. Luke Shaw is a different matter, however we have Bertrand, McQueen and Targett, so again unlikely.

Always liked Walcott, but he's been at Arsenal 10 years, never fulfilled his potential, not good enough for them any more it seems, his main asset was his pace but at 28 that will be the first thing to go. Does not fit our profile. Can't see why we would sign him and really would prefer it if we didn't. Yes we need someone better than Redmond, and poor as he is not really sure that Theo is enough of a step up to make up for the negatives. It's a no from me.