Bailey

Agreed, and I see no reason why Chamberlain can't go on to join Theo in that bracket, if not surpass him.

It's not Chamberlain's fault that we're in a division lower than when Theo was breaking through. Hopefully he'll be able to prove himself in the Champ next season with us, but I'd suggest he's already proven that he has potential for the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool et al to be sniffing.

Fair comment, but Theo relied heavily on his pace. I can recall numerous occasions whereby he simply knocked the ball past an ageing, fizzy pop standard defender and ran onto it. Granted, it was effective, but I wonder that if you took that pace away, would he even have been given an opportunity to play in our first-team at such a young age? I'm not saying Theo is a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, but Chamberlain isn't as quick as Theo, yet still stands out in our side (yes, against lower quality opposition). His touch, control, directness and passing/shooting are all very impressive for a player so young. I'd agree if people suggested his form has dipped of late, but I think that has a lot to do with playing too many games in his first season. Maybe my argument is based more on a gut feeling than anything else, but I honestly believe Chamberlain will do more with his career than Theo. A bold, sweeping statement if ever there was one, but only time will tell.

Emphasis on WILL BE a 'better' player. Never said he's better than Theo at the minute. The only comparison I'm making is between Theo, aged 17 and Chambo, aged 17. From what I've seen, I genuinely believe AOC has more potential.

If you take Walcott's pace away from him, would be still be a 'top class' player? If you take Chamberlain's pace away from him, would he still be a bright prospect? In Theo's case, I would suggest not. Yes, he's a decent footballer, but his finishing is inconsistent and his decision making needs to be improved. Chamberlain, on the other hand, has got more about him. He has a footballing brain, and when he plays for us, he doesn't solely rely on his pace. Time will tell, but I'm of the opinion that AOC will be a 'better' player than Theo.

Agreed. But I can't see anyone overtaking Brighton and from what we've seen thus far, they fully deserve to be crowned champions IMO.

Granted, but I think even the most biased Saints fan would agree that they deserve to go up as champions. They've been the most consistent team over the course of the season and show no signs of letting up. I'd be very, very surprised if they didn't win the division comfortably.

Prutton puts Swindon level with Brighton! 1-1. Clutching at straws though, as Brighton will probably score a 97th minute winner anyway! Its just the way their season has gone. They've been phenomenal from the off, fully deserve to go up as champions.

Awesome as always Gecko, fair play. I'd happily buy both of those, they're brilliant designs.

Remember, it's all about 'controlling the controllables', as Adkins would say. If we win our games, we'll be fine, irrespective of what others do. Having said that, it has been a very good night for us. Wasn't expecting MK Dons or P'boro to drop points, let alone both of them. Together as one!

Control the controllables!

Some drunken clown kicked the wing mirror off of my motor. £90 to replace it. Cheers for that!

The lady in the Burberry scarf is Markus' wife. I believe his daughter is the lady in the black coat with black sunglasses, second in from the right.

Mentioned it on the post-match thread, but thought it was worth its own. A few friends/members of the Liebherr family were in attendance today. A good sign? Still behind Saints? In Cortese we trust, perhaps?

Appreciate I'll sound like Nigel, but it's 3 points, a clean sheet and two good goals scored. We move on to Charlton on Tuesday, lets keep it up! Worth noting that the Liebherr family were well represented in the Directors Box today too. A good sign perhaps?

His work rate is phenomenal. The difference between Barnard and Guly is quite something. Granted, he has flashes of brilliance, but that's not always enough. When Guly has an off day, my god does he have an off day! But with Barnard's style of play, even if he's not at his best in front of goal, he makes up for it with his work rate, which in turn creates openings for those around him. To say he makes us tick is quite a statement, but we certainly pose more of a threat when he's in the side. Nigel, take note.

Oh really . . . ?

Some sections of our fan base are incredibly frustrating. When our defence/midfield pass sidewards and occasionally backwards, sometimes it's a necessity. Why do people groan and moan about it? If there's not a gap, or the pass isn't on, retain possession, be patient and wait for an opening! I can guarantee you these same fans would be the first to jump up and moan if the likes of Jaidi or Fonte just lumped it forward in hope of it falling to a Saints shirt. Today is a perfect example. We've got the quality to unlock sides at this level, but patience is needed. Two second half goals provided us with a vital three points, just because we're in the third tier, we're not going to smash every team 4 or 5 nil. Today was a professional, albeit slightly underwhelming performance, but as we're at the business end of the season, results are all that matter. We're in a very good position right now, just stay behind the lads, even if we fail to score early on. Good teams win when they're not at their best, and we're doing that. Imagine if we start performing too! Less of the negativity, and to coin Nigel's phrase, together as one!

http://mobile.saintsfc.co.uk/runtime/southampton/article?articleId=2318377

This may well be the reason! aap3 have been announced as the club's main sponsor, signing a three-year contract. The news article has been uploaded on to the mobile version of the OS, but nothing on the main site. Odd I know, maybe somebody has made a mistake somewhere?

Can't see that going down well with Cortese!

Now before I post this, I just want to say that I'm not convinced, nor do I think it'll happen. In short, don't shoot the messenger! However, I've heard a rumour that Saints are still interested in Mackail-Smith, despite Norwich's attempts to sign him. Even if this is true, it'd be very, very unlikely that we'd get him IMO. Firstly, Posh wouldn't want to sell to a divisional rival, especially when it'd weaken their team considerably. Also, Norwich are sitting pretty at the top end of the Champ. CMS could potentially fastrack his way to the Premier League if he joins them! I'll be keeping an eye out on the OS tomorrow for any news on signings, but I'm preparing myself for maybe a midfielder to join on loan, and not a lot else!

Not as prolific as last season, but then realistically it was always going to be tough to replicate form like that. After a slow start for whatever reason(s), he's gradually improved and is much more of a team player now too. If we were to get promoted, he's more than capable of doing a job in the Champ. If we were to sign Mackail-Smith in the summer, and with Barnard in reserve, we'd have a strike force to be reckoned with!

Josh Wright and Brian Howard are both reasonable shouts. The former handed in a transfer request at S****horpe, but has since withdrawn it. Howard is a local lad and would undoubtedly like to play for us one day. We'll have to wait and see.

I heard he tried to start an anti-Pardew song. Didn't catch on mind . . .