SNSUN

In a perfect world (for me) tonight’s results would be wins for Utd, Everton and West Ham. I want the relegation places to be decided ASAP, even though I’d be surprised if we slipped towards them, but really the only result I REALLY care about is for anyone to beat Newcastle. For the lols

Depends if the other offer is 8th and they stay up. I’d take that. But it would be very sweet if they went down but I’m not holding my breath as it’ll only lead to disappointment. I still think someone from the clutch above the bottom 4 will drop into shitsville. I just hope it’s not us. I can see Brentford continuing to slide...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60283136 Vote for Armstrong's goal as goal of the round! Harvey Elliot is winning it so far and, great first touch as it was, Armstrong's was better and Liverpool fans know it. EDIT - OK, he was, he isn't now...

I ran out of posts during the game yesterday, but hot damn what a hit by Armstrong. We could really use him back at his best for the rest of this season and that will give him confidence. Cool finish by Gyokeres. Had a quick look up at him, 23, Swedish International, tall and has good feet and seemingly can score goals. Previously on the books at Brighton. Maybe worth a punt as we seem to like Championship strikers? Oh and I didn't see the game as my stream gave up, but that's twice Valery has been in a 3 at the back that had to switch to a 2 CB with him as one of them. And he didn't concede after that. So well done him.

West Ham continue to piss me off. I lost money on their flukey get out of jail goal by Rice yesterday after having a few quid on Kidderminster, then again by their flukey get out of jail goal in the last minute of extra time. Poor Kidderminster. Then I got home from work and said to the wife that I bet we get West Ham in the next round now and I bet they bloody fluke a win against us. And sure enough, there it is. 🙄 F%cking West Ham - I'd have loved us to face Kidderminster. Hey ho. If we're going to win the thing we have to beat what's in front of us. The only thing I cling to is that, after Antonio, they seem to have sod all up front and they didn't rectify that in the window, so maybe that will come back to haunt them. Bonus is that we're at home I guess. EDIT - Just seen the potential dates midweek and I can make it. So at least I can tell West Ham they suck to their faces. (From a great distance across the pitch in amongst a sea of 26k voices, from behind a face mask lest I get a beating).

Come on Kidderminster. Would love this upset!

Wow that's not as strong as I assumed it would be but, as we say, it should be enough to see us through. Livramento back and in a more attacking role will be an interesting experiment at least! Walcott and Long. If we diss them do they both get hat-tricks today? 🤘 Good luck to Small. Well I got 5 of the 11 right. 🙄

Fairly strong please - we certainly need Nathan "Plays like Messi against Championship opponents" Redmond in there. Coventry aren't bad and we don't want to see an upset - not to mention one "big" club has already exited the competition. I wonder if we'll give Caballero a start? So my predicted line up based on nothing would be: Caballero KWP Stephens Bednarek Perraud JWP Diallo Redmond SArmstrong AArmstrong Adams. Rests one of our spine (Salisu, Romeu, Broja who can be benched) but keeps the team strong. A couple of youngsters on the bench too. Addendum - Just realised this team bar the keeper is the same as @FarehamSaintJamesabove. I suppose it depends how strong Ralph wants to go, but he usually takes cups seriously.

Sorry to hear Minsk and I hope Saints can keep making you smile. This is a great thread... when you said you were stopping it for a minute I thought maybe another forum had signed you up on deadline day! I hope someone can keep it going.

I'm not worried about Newcastle's signings really. The media are praising them for what an excellent job they've done adding to the side, but really, from a Saints perspective, there's not much there to worry about. Solid but unspectacular perhaps. Targett - we already know his weaknesses, there's a reason Villa have upgraded. Burn? Again has weaknesses and played a fair amount at left back for Brighton. Wood? Well he's hardly set the goalscoring charts aflame, and in effect they've paid a lot of money for a 30 year old, less good 'Che Adams'. I will say that Trippier represents a decent signing and good value for money, and I've read good things about Guimaraes (Will he settle quick enough? Also I've read he refused a relegation clause...), but the other 3? They don't worry me. Height is what they've improved on - if anything they'll be more of a threat from long balls and set pieces. Saints should still have enough to beat them in the rearranged fixture. There, I said it. 🙂 Oh, and I definitely think it's wise we didn't spunk money this window when we don't need it. I'd have liked a loanee AM but I guess wer'd be blocking the pathways of Smallbone, Chauke, and any other youngsters that fancy themselves on the big stage.

I think we’re mostly in agreement. For us to improve, our team next season should be: New No 1 GK/McCarthy Livramento/KWP New No 1 CB/ Bednarek/ Stephens Salisu/Lyanco Perraud/Small JWP/Diallo New No 1 or decent challenging DM/Romeu New No 1 AM/SArmstrong Redmond/Tella/Smallbone New No 1 Str/AArmstrong Adams/New back up striker. Without going in to too much depth in the squad, we’re looking at 5 key, probably first choice signings across the whole of our spine. Doable? Who knows what the new owners can provide. We hope so. Of course this doesn’t account for any key players sold, as we all know Some of our players have their admirers. A fair amount of work ahead. But still we have quite a few games left this season for the likes of Smallbone to show they should be first choice next season.

It ain't all over until the fat lady sings, and I believe she's still trying to get ready... ... and then after that we await the acceptance of the deal sheet. 😁 It's not a day to be sat glued to SSN as a Saints fan but I still hold some hope we can pull something out the bag late on. We don't need it necessarily but if the right player became available...

Dele Alli to Everton on a permanent has been rumoured.

The finances of this deal aren't our problem if it goes ahead. All I care about is we are strengthening the one position we are perhaps a bit weak in (quality wise if not numbers), by bringing in a former England International who isn't even at the peak of his career, who has previously shown he can score goals and get assists. In a World Cup year when he'll want to impress. Would I prefer, say, Barkley or Loftus-Cheek (as in unwanted attacking midfield players from big clubs)? Possibly but Dele has something to offer, even if he hasn't shown it of late. And if he's crap? In 6 months he's gone and we are no worse off for it. We aren't going down, we aren't hitting Europe so it's not going to cost us anything in terms of Premier League competition. Plus, we'd get featured on Deadline day heavily (well he's a "big" name in the media) which will make work less boring tomorrow evening. 😁

That's why they struggled to spend more than a couple of million in the summer so I believe. Although they've sold Digne so perhaps they have sway now. Reading a Chelsea forum the other day, a Chelsea fan pointed out that the only reason to sell Broja to us this window is that it will help them sign players in the summer because of FFP. Not sure how true that is but... I still can't see it happening (unless we maybe get another year loan) so I'm not getting my hopes up. I will enjoy Broja while he's here. Next season it will be Adams, Armstrong, Tella + new striker IMO.

Especially when we sometimes now play 3 at the back. I wouldn't want to risk Valery as a CB long term (even in a 3, despite the decent job he had to do recently when Salisu got sent off), we've recently loaned out Simeu and Stephens has spent a lot of the season out injured. It just isn't going to happen, unless somehow they offered us crazy money AND we had a replacement lined up by Monday. Now in the summer, £30 million and time for a replacement - now that would be tempting but I think we'll be more concerned with hanging on to Salisu. I'm loving Newcastle's scattergun approach to transfers, panicking as they have 3 days left, it will certainly make deadline day more interesting as they're linked with different players every hour. Brighton reject their Burn bid. I guess they'll complete the Guimaraes signing, and they'll probably get a loan for someone like Lingard or Nketiah, but will it be enough? IMO, sadly, they'll stay up (as will Everton) but it will be the crapness of 3 other clubs that will help them do it.

The pen is mightier than the sword.

And they're linked with Brighton's Dan Burn and Liverpool's Nat Phillips. Hardly players to wow their fans. Deadline day next Monday will be interesting as Newcastle dominate the crap out of it. For a change it may be worth watching, even if it's just for the lols. Movement for Saints? Well one Minamino-esque AM loan signing would probably do us if anything. We're at that point where the squad is actually quite strong and versatile, so really only first teamers better than what we have should be brought in. I like Alli, we can all see that the lad has quality as he's shown before - maybe a change of scenery would do him good.

I hope Penas gets it. Then when he keeps them up, they can erect a Penas statue outside of the ground and cheer “ We all love Penas” ...and other schoolboy-humour related jokes...

Ranieri (and any Watford manager) is a dead man walking, but I thought a couple of their new signings looked OK on Friday against Norwich in the first half at least - Kayembe and Kamara. Be interested to see who takes the job now.

By my guesstimation we should get somewhere between 20 and 25 points for the rest of the season. We’re a bit Jekyll and Hyde but I can’t see a collapse like last season. Top half? Doubtful, but around 12th/13th again I reckon. Then we’ll see if the new owners can or can’t invest a bit in the summer. Someone will slip towards relegation that isn’t there currently, possibly Brentford or even Everton, but ultimately I still think it’ll be Burnley, Norwich and Watford for the drop. Hard to see past them.

Hmm, Saints poor at second halves against a City side with loads more gears to use... Come on Saints, would be lovely to get one over on the Champions! (I hate to say it but the nervous Saints fan in me would still take a draw...)

Forster KWP Stephens Salisu Perraud Romeu JWP Diallo Tella Redmond Broja 4-1-4-1 / 433. Hit them on the counter, Romeu to sit deeper almost as a CB. Free hit, will probably lose. 4-1 my predo but hopefully better.

I'm at the theatre for a matinee during this game for the wife's birthday. 🙄 What's the best way to get goal alerts to my phone so I can feel the vibration when there's a goal in our game? Draw today would be ok. Play like we did on Tuesday and we could win.

Like properly smashed it in top corner. Their keeper almost had it. It reminded me of MLT's flicky goal against Newcastle - absolutely amazing skill with a finish that (even MLT agrees) could have been better and was a bit scuffed. Still even with the Goalie touch it probably goes down as one of the better goals we've scored this season. But ultimately, of course I'm delighted for him that it went in. Hopefully we get to see many more and beyond this season.