The Kraken

Reaction. Show me one person that actually wrote him off before he played, and wasn't prepared to wait until he actually played before making a decision, and I'll agree with you. Edit: And what difference was it to the de Ridder signing; no-one had seen him play, there was only limited youtube videos and fans' views of his previous clubs to go by how good he was. Yet, because the news was favourable (i.e. his previous clubs rated him) it was perfectly acceptable to form an opinion on him based on that? double standards, no?

Yep, this. You don't have to have an agenda against the guy to recognise that this perhaps wasn't the game for him, he was very much a passenger for a lot of it and we may have been better served going with someone else. Although he was definitely not the only one to have a bit of a mare; Chaplow was the only one of our midfield to come out with any credit and Connolly was well below par also.

So you've never had a discussion with anyone as to what our next team line up should be, based upon the previous game? Fair enough. Me personally, I quite enjoy analysing a performance and theorising where we could have been stronger. If that's a waste of time then so be it, it's a lazy Sunday and I have time to waste.

Discussing other variables is pointless?! No it isn't! This is an internet chat forum, it's the whole point of the place! The question posed is would a different system and players (i.e. de Ridder instead of Guly) have had a different impact throughout the entire game than the one we saw yesterday. Would a different system have set up or finished more/better chances than we saw yesterday. Being as Adkins suggested in his post-match interview that he perhaps made a mistake by only making one change in personnel, I'd say discussion of other variables is entirely relevant.

Hopefully NA realises that, with a few players out injured, the squad starts to look a tiny bit threadbare in places. I'd like ot see Lambert and Connolly given a rest, as well as the full backs and Chappers. I guess it'll all come down to how much the club prioritises League Cup progress against resting key players to keep them fresh for the league campaign. But certainly the likes of Butterfield, Harding and Martin need some game time, just a shame Barnard isn't fit yet as I do think we lack options up front (especially as Connolly seems incapable of playing for 90 minutes).

What a very odd way to look at it. You're saying that if de Ridder had played instead of Guly he would definitely have done nothing better (or different) than Guly did all day, would definitely not have created more chances than Guly did, and we definitely wouldn't have scored a goal without Guly there. Strange.

Have another watch on iplayer when the football league highlights are on; totally blatant.

I hope you're joking. One of the most blatant deliberate handballs ever, very lucky to not be a red.

Didn't pick up on their epic goal music and singalong though...

Yep, not even sure if I was actually at that game after all!!

Yeah, ok then, that was in our row. We (5 of us) got to our seats lateish and there was only 2 spare; we naturally got people to move up. Apparently 3 young scrotes decided they wanted to be closer to reading rather than their allocated seats. So they just pushed up a bit and were standing in amongst 2 or 3 older boys. After not moving for a few minutes, the older boys rightly got a bit p*ssed of and asked them to move elsewhere. The scrotes refused. The older boys kept their patience and kept asking them nicely to move, the tossers just refused. In the end, one of the older boys said to his mate "I'm going to f*cking smack one of them in a bit, will you back me up?" "Yeah, alright, was the response". Cue the mini ruck and ejections. There we go, and we're on TV now...

Not sure if the same place then, but I was down the front on the right hand side as you look at the pitch from the stand (near the noisier Reading fans) and it kicked off down there in the first half. Silly little boys at fault.

Wow. Just, wow. Lallana is half a player. Unless he's scoring, or setting up goals. Good one, bellend.

From down the front?

Ha ha, I forgot that one! First time I've heard Southampton described as a seaside!

Pretty sure that was their "he's M-U-R-T-Y" song. Another facepalm moment. Don't get me started on the music played when they scored, f*ck me!!

Youth club, and did nothing after being pegged back to 1-1. Their "106" song was f*cking cringeworthy as well.

Indeed it was; silly challenge from Hammond but put right into the sh*t by a lazy, sloppy ball from Guly. I'm totally in agreement with your assessment with him; brilliant sometimes, frustratingly poor far too often. And with SdR too, I genuinely think with him on one wing and Lallana the other we could be have something pretty incredible.

It's Saints. It's always worth watching. And SdR's goal is definitely worth tuning in for.

I damn well hope not. Awful today. Epitomised in the second half when we could have had a break, ball played out to him on the left, he just stood there waiting for it and their player nipped in front of him and drove on, forcing a foul and free kick on the edge of our box. Lazy, lazy play that instead of hitting them on the counter attack led directly to us being right under the cosh. He was a liability today, and I really hope de Ridder gets a game instead of him as he seems to have so much more to offer.

Great atmosphere today; although somewhat let down by the complete f*cking bellends in our row who weren't in their seats, refused to move when asked by the guys whose seats they were, and ended up having a full on ruck with each other midway through the first half. Pathetic little children.

Agree for the most part apart from those bolded above. I thought Davis was absolutely first class; some good saves and commanded his box for crosses in from some dangerous corners. Really didn't do anything wrong at all and kept us in it during the first half when we were shocking. Rickie, thought he was fairly quiet but even still, up against two giant centre halves he still won plenty in the air and acted as a conduit. Would give him a 6, but definitely not sh*t. Morgan, thought he actually showed what a CM should do when he came on. Got hold of the ball, most importantly didn't just give it away, and was good at the end when trying to keep the ball and see out time. Thought he was harshly dropped in the first place, neither Hammond nor Cork did enough to justify inclusion instead of him. In general, I thought Connolly was pretty poor and ineffectual. Guly, awful, truly awful. De Ridder, wow, what a player he could yet be for us. Strong, quick, hungry and deadly when he got into a forward position. Guilty of being not being selfish wnough at the end, tried to play in Chaplow but could have gone on his own. And Chaplow, another brilliant bustling performance, ProZone will surely show that he put in an immense amount of running, top quality.

You assume any remaining tickets will go on sale; has there been anything to confirm this? I haven't seen in anywhere, and perhaps wouldn't be surprised if it was season-ticket holders only for this game.

I sincerely hope that never happens. Goal line technology, yes please, and then that'll do thanks. Video replays in football would utterly kill the game IMO.

To give some perspective, this is a decent article about it all. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2011/10/football_league_votes_in_favou.html#299200 The fees paid for youngsters up front is not just the end of the payments; should that player go on to establish himself in the first team there will be follow on payments. Quite what these payments are is uncertain, but one would hope that they get close to providing a "fair value" that the Premier League claim them to do. It's hard to make an informed decision about this without all of the facts to hand; but it certainly doesn't seem like a great deal for the clubs outside the Premier League elite on first analysis. One can only hope that with 44 teams voting in favour of it that there is indeed a good deal to be had and all off the negative theories that are abound will just be scare stories and not the reality of the new system.