The Kraken

Yes, well done to them now but it’s taken far too long to get here and for the club to properly own it. What these lads have had to go through just to get to this point with minimal help from the club until very recently is pretty shameful.

You make out this is a bad thing, when in actual fact it gave us one of the best photoshops of all time with Keith as Mike’s little lapdog.

Of course I didn’t start just following us. Form goes up and down for players, so you look at how they are doing recently. It’s no good saying that Forster used to be brilliant for us years ago as those days are gone. Youve stated your opinions, I’ve stated mine, so have various people on this thread. I agree we need a new keeper but as far as I’m concerned, Forster is much the better option right now.

Can only base current opinion on Forster on what he has done in games specifically this season, but he’s looked a much more solid keeper than McCarthy in the limited times he has come in. Neither is perfect but Forster by far the more reliable option IMO. McCarthy seems to be 100% bolted in for Ralph in the league whatever happens though, so it’s a moot point.

Don’t be daft.

You know what, now you’ve said that I think you’re right.

Steve Williams lived a few doors up from me in Boyatt Wood and drove a TR7. Malcom Waldron lived in Hedge End. Beattie had a big house in Chilworth. Franny was in Chilworth and is now in Highfield.

Not sure you’ve read or understood my post properly there. I thought I was clear in saying “We should never be scared to admit that we’re struggling, and to seek help for it when we need it in whatever form that may be.” Your post focuses on only speaking to friends as the way forward. It isn’t, and I wasn’t suggesting only that.

I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with various of the individual posts in here, but to this point I’ll comment based on my own experience down the years (anxiety and depression). I don’t like the term “man up” but in my experience there is a bit of truth to it. We should never be scared to admit that we’re struggling, and to seek help for it when we need it in whatever form that may be. But, again in IMO, self help is the best coping mechanism there is. I’m not saying to ignore your issues and just get on with it, but to make the real effort to find the ways personal to you that make things better, and continually do them. For me, those things are often, in my mind, the things that scare me most and the things I maybe don’t immediately want to do. And while I find a little bit of comfort when I’m not in a great place to talk it through with 2 or 3 friends who experience similar feelings and therefore understand, at the end of the day I always know that’s it only me that can get me out of this hole. My anxiety for instance often makes me want to stick to known routines, often to not go out, not to go to work and not to see anyone at all when I’m feeling low. But I always know that the best thing to combat those fears is to force through it, and that’s what i choose to do. Being signed off from work was never an option I ever wanted to consider, simply because I truly feel it would make me feel worse and not better. I used to work with a girl who had anxiety too, and I used to chat with her to help her fairly regularly. My advice was always to not give in to it. Get out of bed, go to work, go and do the things you’re afraid of. And, if you do need time off, then do it but do something completely productive with it. Just my experience of it. ‘Man up’ is a crap term but imo there’s some truth to it.

More than a little, based on that. Very solid at times but in others he looks rushed and a bit casual, his back passes as you say were just not good enough.

Close but just them I think. They were abject in the first half, we’ve been very poor so far. Neither keeper has broken sweat too much but theirs has just about had more to do than ours.

There’s perking up and there’s completely changing play. Villa were almost as poor first half as we have been this half. good move, Broja on.

Too many passengers in the pitch.

Yes please

His delivery has been ever so poor. As for those saying Newcastle will be in for Salisu, not on this showing.

Not sure I agree, Adams has been ok but there’s not enough up front to keep it there and offer options. For all our dominance in the first 45 we again didn’t do enough.

This, utterly clueless out there right now after an extremely comfortable 45.

I’m not a huge Howe fan, but this line makes it seem like he did nothing in the PL. He kept them up for a few years, didn’t he, and they weren’t perennial strugglers for all of that by any stretch. I thought Howe’s major downfall was that, after consistently building a core squad with him who rose through the leagues then he built them more and kept them in the PL: he spent big money badly in his latter years. Imo before that he proved himself in the PL for at three seasons, and after five in the top league then got relegated. Hardly a failure imo.

Bloody foreigners coming over here and winning our trophies.

Good news that it’s on the increase. I still find it very interesting that, at the start of the Premier League, there were a total of only 13 non GB and Ireland players that played in the first weekend of fixtures.

Genuinely the funniest thread I’ve ever read on any forum. Literally laugh out loud. A mix of a small number of staunch defenders saying “it’s not that bad” whereas everyone else went from “that can’t be it” to ripping the shit out of it. The photoshops on here and b-anter were brilliant. There really should be a golden threads part of the forum with that one in it, real belly laughs from reading it. The head of the hapless statue trust brigade, who as said at the time were just a well meaning bunch of simpletons, ran out this classic quote: “It is very rare I am lost for words but I saw the statue last week and it is awesome - a tremendous tribute to a great man. Fans have waited a long time for this and it is going to be fantastic. I really believe it will be the best football statue anywhere both in size and the amount of detail.” 🤣 As you say, thankfully the replacement is a proper work of art and an absolute treasure to be proud of. I love game day and seeing how many people give the statue a little respectful touch on the way past. Edit: and thank you Leon Crouch for that 🙏

BBC run a system where everyone can vote on players performance and it averages it out. Redmond was the lowest ranked Saints player. But then Lyanco scored 7.8 for a cameo appearance, so pinch of salt recommended.

I didn’t watch the game today but just caught the Sky highlights. He should have scored the header imo, looked like he was trying to loop it back to the far post but got it wrong. Aside from that he looked lively and he’s definitely got something about him, decent with the ball at his feet. I see him, Adams are Broja as 3 very different options, so good options to have all round.

I know Ranieri had a new manager bounce against Everton, but I thought when Watford appointed him that that’s them for relegation, just doesn’t seem a good fit to me.

SOG has always been a prat, and a wind up merchant, across various Saints boards. His “you’re on ignore” routine is consistently hilarious though. As for aintforever, he’s consistently been one of the thickest posters on here over many years, and his “it’s not rocket science” mantra is predictable every time, although I’m constantly surprised he can even spell the words. As for the knee. Personally I have no problem with it whatsoever, I think it’s a tiny gesture that does more good than harm, if only in a tiny way. But IMO there’s no doubt the PL are pushing this onto their member clubs to comply and it is more of a PR exercise than any type of movement. A nice gesture in itself, and I’d keep it, but only for those that genuinely want to do it.