The Kraken

Definitely looked like handball. Ah well. Just hope we shore it up a bit now.

Yep, agreed. We look ok when we’re on the ball but very vulnerable when we lose it. Still, 1 down and sticking with it, at least we’re giving it a go.

Really not a good watch so far. Liverpool just seem to have room all over the pitch.

Interesting line up, think I’d prefer Diallo in there for three in the middle but fair play, Ralph’s obviously gonna give it a go.

I think there may have been! It’s a genuine regret that the whole thread doesn’t exist any more. But there was definitely a big build up to it, hence the giddy excitement after Dave Ford issued his ‘best statue ever’ rhetoric in the days before. And then, wham 🤣

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ve never read anything funnier on a football forum than the statue reveal thread. Genuine belly laughs through it all as the complete farce of it unfolded.

Pretty sure it was as I recall him catching a lot of grief for it over on the UI. It was when they quietly went from an annual subscription model to a ‘once in always in’. May not have been done directly by Nick but I’m sure he was part of what was left of the Trust at that point.

The statue debacle was one example. The utter farce that SISA turned into was another. The likes of Perry McMillan using the SISA label long after they were a defunct, closed shop, just so that they could get their name and mugshots into the Echo (shame on the Echo for not calling them out on this btw). The Saints Trust was a bit of a disaster as well, and just ended up with some of the same old faces latching themselves onto it for their own self reasons (Illingsworth in particular was nauseating for it and outright lied about active Trust numbers just to keep himself relevant). Saints fans groups just have a habit of being inept and/or being populated by fame hungry simpletons who see is as a badge of honour to be a fans voice. I have no need as a Saints supporter for representation from any of the people that have previously held these positions.

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.