VectisSaint

Try looking at the other table, the one that gives overall all-time points for all league teams. The 3rd best team ever in terms of points per game is not Manure or Liverpool, no it is that great bastion of football, New Brighton Tower FC. I'd never heard of them, quite an interesting story if you read about them on Wiki, played in an 80k stadium in Wallesey, folded after 3 years after attracting crowds of about 1000.

Point is that we will beat Hartepool without him, but we have little chance of getting anything against Brighton if he doesn't play. We need at least a point, especially if Hudders or Posh get 3 points the day before. Play him against Brighton, rest against Pools and then play him against Brentford which looks to be a very tough ask to get 3 points.

Makes more sense to me to play AL against Brighton where we need his skills to help us get a point or 3, and rest him against Hartlepool. If we can't beat the Pools at home without him then frankly we don't deserve auto promotion. We showed against the Gas that we can get 3 points without him, albeit after a nervy 80+ minutes, but sure as hell we won't beat BHA without him.

LOL that our average attendance is 5 more than the Skates. 5!! Well done to the 5 whoever you are.

Huddersfield yes, Posh no, need 3 points to be mathematically assured, but 2 would do

Much like you then Seriously though, I'm getting too old for this, that was a tense hour and a half, began to think we would never score and it would be one of those days. I don't think I could take the play-offs, we need to keep winning, even when not playing well.

Perhaps we could get Drogba in for next season. With the free-scoring Torres it seems like Chelski are looking to unload Didier at the end of the season. It would all make perfect sense, would be a good back up for Barney, especially if he is unavailable next season.

Williamson certainly is at Newcastle, their supporters think he is a bit dodgy, nonetheless seems to hod down a fairly regular place. I feel sometimes that the Academy system, especially at Saints, is great for churning out strikers and attacking midfielders, not to mention left back of course, but for central defenders and keepers I'm not convinced it works well. We seem to insist on taking in athletes where possible, usually intelligent ones at that, and CBs and keepers don't necessarily fit in with this idea (you have to be mental to be a keeper). They also mature much later usually, it must be really difficult for a Club to keep a CB/keeper until they are ready for the first team in their mid 20s. Too many keepers spend most of their career sitting on the bench in my opinion, one of the drawbacks of 7 subs and no proper reserve team football. Keepers especially are hardly ever needed as subs (not forgetting Niemi/Jones at Cardiff of course).

No, he is not as tall as me, for sure. However, he is somewhat lighter than me LOL Anyone noticed that Pulis is no longer listed in the Squad details? Our other loanees are listed (Mills, Puncheon, Doble & Dean) but not our Anth. Is there something we have not been told?

It was also very disappointing when Chris Baird left for Fulham. Not too bothered about any of the others you mention except Oaks, one of Burley's many finest moments (not) replacing him with Jermaine Wright. Leon Best was unfairly slated by many supporters, he should not have been given the responsibility of taking the pen in the shoot-out, perhaps again another cock-up by Burley and the senior players at the time, but have to say even when scoring a few for Newcastle recently gives an impression (rightly or wrongly) of being a legend in his own mind, much like Puncheon. Mike Williamson never even got a game for us after we brought him in from Torquay, but seems to have done well. I was always concerned with Surman that he was let down by a basic lack of pace, but then again perhaps even that could be laid at the door of George, who turned out the most unfit team I have ever witnessed. Is there a theme here? Lost players and George Burley.

As well as most of the Manure supporters.

I will cast my vote for Pulis. Without his contribution we would be where we are today.

Perhaps you could add a note to get Brighton's stats fixed as well if you think our are wrong. Brighton also have Games since win = 0. How do you square that one? Perhaps the BBC have a vendetta against South Coast Clubs. I suggest you actually have a bit more of a think before you make yourself look a bit silly.

I thought April 1st was 9 days ago.

Who is Diamond Davis, is he a diamond geezer (just because we're playing in the East End)? ****** no Lallana in starting XI, and no Stephens in the squad.

Wasn't that during the period when the North Stand had been demolished before the Matthew Harding Stand was built, when they had the painting of supporters behind the goal. If so then the capacity at the time was considerably less than SMS today. It was also before Abramovich took over when Chelsea were a very average team.

Interesting, I don't think there is any chance that we would be interested in signing Wright, we have two good keepers, though I would have to say Wright is better all round than KD ever was or will be (both are great shot-stoppers but Wright has far better distribution skills and command of his area, but then so does Bart). 33 years old, prime age for a keeper, Wright is less than a year younger than KD. Lots of rubbish talked about Wright not beig any good any more, his lack of games in last year or so is purely down to injury, so he would be a huge risk anyway. If his injury is such that playing is less and less of an option then GK coach would be a good call, but do we need a GK coach when NA is a keeper anyway? Still have a lot of time and respect for Wright, he was key to us staying up when he was with us, those 7 games he was part of a defence that was transformed by Pearson, pity the ruddy-faced idiot did not see that.

Replying to my own post is a bit sad, but just read the OS, sounds like Stephens might be available today after all, which is good news.

Although no-one said it officially it was quite clear from the comments from NA at the time that it was likely to be the rest of the season or at least not far off. I think also that we probably would not have gone in for Stephens if Spiderman was close to a return. What I really want to know is whether Stephens is also out for multiple games, because if he is we are back to the situation of only having Hammond & Chaplow (OK, and Gobern), think it was quite clear that NA considers Chappers out of form.

Then there was Nathan Dyer, suppose getting it wrong occassionally is to be expected.

So change one of the scores you predict and then the outcome will be different.

Actually the table to me shows exactly the opposite of what the OP thinks. It shows that we compete, without being dirty. yes we commit fouls, but they are generally not dirty fouls otherwise we would have more yellows and reds. I am quite pleased by this table, it makes me think that we are not the pushovers we have often been in the past. It also shows we are well-disciplined at the back only to have conceded 3 pens, and 1 of those was Oxo's at Posh which was shown clearly not to have been a pen (in fact 2 of them were in that game). well done Saints, competitive, well-disciplined and fair.

Pathetic rubbish. It is well understood that it was Cortese's idea to buy Saints, not Markus', but his friend markus put up the money. If as you say Cortese is an employee he is not in it to make money for himself. What he is actually doing is making money for Southampton Football Club so that we never again get in the feckin mess that the ruddy-faced **** before got us into. If the so-called Cortest tax wasn't in place, then the ticket prices would be higher, simple. At least this way we know what a proportion of the money goes on, its called transparency. As for singing about him, quite frankly most songs are cringeworthy, but if people want to show their support for the guy that actually came in and saved us from the abyss then thats their choice. If you don't like it don't join in, and be a grumpy git like me.

We had one of those before, I would hope we learned our lesson.

Agreed, they travel a long way for this almost every year, nice to see them get it this year after we "withdrew" in the early stages. Good send off for Eddie Stobart as well. Must have seemed rather empty this season at Wembley.