ericb

The problem most "fanzines" these days have is they're too nice. In the past things like OTM and The Ugly were readable because they were offensive, **** taking and shared most fans sense of humour. From what i've seen of the modern fanzine they tend towards nicely, nicely approaches, interviewing players; not offending the club; forgetting about terrace culture. If a fanzine publish a bunch of articles on current players, or crappy tactical stuff then it's dull and won't sell, if it comes across tongue in cheek (hope you die soon), with top tens (a la Ugly) and general celebrates the fans not the sport (like they used to), then i'd probably be far more interested. Also selling in pubs would be a much better way of doing it than most.

Apparently Liverpool have to pay us between £1-2m if they sign him to "buy out" the loan deal. So now they're giving us money for players we don't even own, you have to say that's genuinely funny!

Personally the issue for me isn't losing players, quite frankly we're mental if we think that won't happen it's the reality of football these days. To me the change I've seen is that on the way up through the league we signed the best of the rest around us, captains of sides, promising young players etc. What's apparent now is instead of picking off the best players around us - from sides like Palace, Stoke, West Brom etc. last season - to improve us and weaken them, we're trying to be a bit clever and go abroad. If you look at the success of Everton and Spurs one thing they did well was cherry pick the better players from teams around them, and although in the short term they cost more the impact tends to be more instant (for two fold reasons). Now i'm not suggesting we sign up all the best players around us, we couldn't do that, but if we could cherry pick two or three of the best from the bottom five, then one off a team directly below us, we'd be in a far better position and arguably just as sustainable as we are now.

Her sister might have a stupid name "Olympia Valance" but f*ck me side ways is she a belter!

My two pence for what it's worth are thus. Spurs were comfortably the better side, but in my view that's only partly down to them. Our center mid this season is a shambles, and what worries me is i don't see an obvious fix to it. Wanyama has basically stopped caring and spends half the game sulking around the pitch. Clasie (and this is unpopular amongst saints fans) isn't good enough, i'm not sure if it's fitness or just not understanding the english game but his positional play is way off and he's often behind the pace. That said his distribution is far better than most of our players, but doing that from a poor position then chasing the space he's left doesn't help anyone. VVD made a horrible attempt for that first goal but i don't lay the blame at his door. The issue for him, as with a lot of our team, is that he's constantly exposed by the lack of cover infront. To say we're missing Morgan is an understatement. Cedric to me is about 2 years off being good enough, he's actually not a bad player but he's currently tactically naive and is constantly being exposed down the wings due to lack of cover and lose of shape. Also as a team we're suffering from a real crisis of confidence, we're obviously not the side we were last season but then lets be honest losing Morgan and to a lesser extent Clyne has thrown us back quite a way. In my opinion it's not even an issue of bedding players in, it's a case of signing potential to replace proven players and potential takes time to come through. I honestly think we missed a huge trick by not going for Cabeye, someone with the right experience that was available in a price range we could afford (Song is equally one of those players i think we should've been targeting). I'm not really that worried about this season re:relegation we're a mid table side and look that, we'll have decent runs and bad runs. We're not part of the "best of the rest" category but we're not terrible either, and i think that's what's difficult for many Saints fans to deal with as we've had so many seasons of consistent improvement recently. Also, and equally controversial amongst saints fans, i think Poch is a better manager the Koeman. Don't get me wrong i like Koeman but Poch' develops players more, and better, in my opinion. And his teams play better football, we're now starting to lose some of his better additions (as many here predicted we would) and now is the time for Koeman to really make his mark. For example our fitness is noticeably worse and it's my opinion that we're a little more tactically naive than we were before, since Poch tends to focus incredibly well on the weakness of the opposition. One comment on the atmosphere i have to say that the Spurs support this season was the worst so far at St Mary's. Incredibly quiet for the majority of the game and only really got going in the last ten minutes when a win was guaranteed.

So we're supposed to just roll over and give little weasels like that an easy ride? **** that modern football crap, those that made their beds get their abuse. And lallana and lovern deserve every little piece of it. As for poch I don't really hate the guy, he was a superb manager for us but always here as a stepping stone. That he left was falling but not surprising and most of the anger I believe is aimed at the fact that he's a very good manager. Combine that with the rest of the exodus that summer and he took some stick. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Only one possible draw i actually want, the Skates at Fratton. Despite our current form we'd decimate the c*nts at the moment. I mean imagine Saido and Pelle against their back line? It'd be carnage.

The second utterly terrible game of football I've done the journey for in a week. We need a big change and we need it soon. Our midfield isn't good enough since losing Morgan, our right back is sketchy to say the least and we lack options up front. 1-1 against the worst side I've seen this season isn't good enough, and the worrying thing was it wasn't tactics it was lack of players that made that happen. One positive was that the fans seem to have got some steel back. Second half was as good an atmosphere as there's been in a while, almost like we realised that we can't be passengers this season. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been in the northam since st Mary's opened, the first four seasons were probably the best there's been for the northam. It was also at this point fully stood, from the first row to the last, and adult only (not sure when that changed) it was the archers on a larger scale. I've seen it change, the folk around us have given up season tickets due to costs and more and more families have come in. Obviously having families in grounds is a good thing but it's definitely hurt the atmosphere. Also those of us that are there are getting older. That's not to say we don't still make a racket but it's lacking in the teenage groups of lads as there's nowhere for them to go because us older lot still have season tickets. The sad truth is atmosphere is largely dying out on England's top flight, we can say what we want in ways of excuses but the passion from the stands isn't what it was. On Wednesday people berated the players for not giving enough but also left early. You get what you give. And like someone said previously that 20k that stayed to the end and sing our hearts out are what we need, not the 10k that left when the game wasn't over. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Think if you go back through my posts you'll see i did Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And for that reason no.

Mate in the branfoot days that was par for the course. I remember expecting to concede late because that's what we did! If say in recent years were far less likely to do it than in any other time I can remember. In fact I don't even get needlessly worried with ten minutes to go anymore. Something that must've taken me a decade to lose Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No they won't Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Personally really happy about this, tv kick offs mess with my ability to get to games due to trains etc. Also means I might do my first trip to OT in a while too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Met him more than a few times down the years travelling around the country watching Saints and at various events. A lovely guy and a true Saint through and through. Really sad news and wish the best to his family at such a horrible time. RIP.

Don't see why it's sadly, it means the plastic Liverpool contingent that want to turn out for these games are kept out. And that's something I'm all for. As with the European away trips I think this is another example of the club getting ticketing right. Cheap prices to reward people that go regularly and linked to attending previous games to keep plastics out. Spot on from the club in every way Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do a 140 mile round trip for every home game and don't leave early. I really don't understand those that do and live in the city. I mean even with traffic the furthest edges of Southampton are never more than a half hour drive. It makes no sense at all to me to come and support your side but leave ten mins early whatever. I mean if I can manage a train ride of over an hour for every game (plus a walk to the station and or pub) but stay till the end why the hell cant you!? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That team is mental. Five defenders, a young player that has barely featured and dropping a natural midfield fit, for a team in the bottom five with no confidence and a recent change in manager... Personally I'd go as others have said but with JWP in the middle. I have a feeling we'll have a lot of space there due to allardyce's usual tactics of looking over the top or down the wings and last time we played in a similar set up JWP had his best game for us. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Both herning and arnhem were cracking days out, i absolutely loved them. Just a shame that we didn't get any further in the competition and have a few more days like them.

Long way from that game at theirs all those years ago eh mate! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On the train home. Fairly predictable result that went with form. Not as worried as many about the second half, I think it was complacency over quality. Non football highlight of the day was the cherries fans being escorted to the ground frothing at the mouth and hurling abuse at my mate in the pub who's a season ticket holder at dean court and had been drinking with us all afternoon and having a good laugh. His response of pure embarrassment and confusion was hilarious. Four hours drinking in a home pub and the only abuse he got was from his own fans! Sadly I have to say on the back of that I think the cherries will drop. They really lacked class, and even with us dropping off second half I wasn't ever really worried. Them and Norwich have both looked like championship clubs at st Mary's this season and I struggle to see how they'll stay up. As for us VVD looks quality, really happy with his signing and his composure pushing out of defence is a great replacement for Morgan. Also thought Cedric really stepped up a level today and is looking close to where clyne was last season (plus the he's our Cedric song to the tune of she's electric is great). I still think we'll finish close to our position last season, the squad is stronger and we can take an injury or suspension in a way we couldn't last season. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

http://www.espnfc.com/club/southampton/376/blog/post/2689353/southampton-vs-bournemouth-is-no-south-coast-clasico

To be fair I see that as a good thing, irregardless of if its to our detriment people should support their local side. Those people switching to the cherries are at least doing that. And that can't be a bad thing. Anyway to the game I reckon it'll be a 2-1 type game. They're bound to be more up for it than us as its their biggest day in the league - before cherries get sensitive see your own fans counting it as a Derby and the songs about going to st Mary's last time - we might take it for granted. We're definitely the better side though so should win. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's spot on, I think people are looking back with rose/beer tinted glasses. If Henry hadn't been a good sport then he could've got Claus sent off and we'd have been mauled. Fact is at the time Arsenal were considerably better than us and though we all think we had the chance at the end if we'd gone for them or it was really close we'd have been beaten by a better side Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk