SNSUN

Although by losing to Everton, we probably bought Silva more time than he ended up with!

Not won 3 in a row in the League since the Koeman days. It’d be nice to rectify that. These are the games we need to win, especially as it breeds confidence.

If this is papering over the cracks, then long may it continue. We have 26 days to try and keep pace with mid-table in order to try and attract some starting first XI talent to St Mary’s.

Yep, crazy league. Hodgson's done well there, of course it helps if you can hold on to your best players. Still, if we can get enough points to keep up with the pack above us and limp to January in the hope we can strengthen the squad, there's little else I can ask for. 'Winnable' games coming up thick and fast.

The craziness of the League - Palace have just had a player sent off. If they lose tonight, and we win tomorrow, we are only 3 points behind them - and they are having a decent season! Ok, a couple of "ifs" there, but still important to get 3 points tomorrow, especially as it would spread confidence for the 3 winnable games following. I've been saying if for a few months, our attack is better than our defence. I was worried when we went behind to Watford, but with a bit of luck, and a bit of skill, we ended up victors. The Djenepo handball miss by VAR could be the turning point of our season.

Teams just above us winning. could it be one of those seasons where 'safety' is never quite within our grasp...

Something I'd like to see one day...Reverse Christmas tree - 4-1-2-2-1 ----------------------McCarthy----------------------- Cedric------Stephens-----Bednarek-------Bertrand ----------------------Romeu------------------------- -------Ward-Prowse------------Armstrong--------- Djenepo--------------------------------------Boufal -----------------------Ings-------------------------- But for this game, I think the line up will be unchanged from the Watford game, even as much as seeing Redmond start over Boufal. (Unless Redmond takes the Obafemi position and Ralph brings Boufal in.)

Our saving grace in previous seasons has been hoping there are 3 other teams worse than us. Annoyingly this season, poor teams like Sheffield United, Burnley, Brighton, Villa, Newcastle and you could even say Palace have all been picking up points when we haven't. Watford have a decent team on paper, and if Flores goes (which sounds crazy but I don't think it will be long) and they appoint a half decent manager, they could still rise up the table. As will Everton if Silva goes. Our best hope is if a couple of those teams I mention go on spells of bad form, coupled with us picking up some points. I look at Norwich and, despite my divided loyalty as they are my wife's team, them not signing anyone of note in the summer will probably be their downfall. That's at least one spot taken up. Then we have to hope that there are two other teams worse than us. I'm not sure there are this season, and that's the worry. Still, there's two thirds of the season still to go, so anything can happen.

Hypothetically, if we beat Norwich we'll be looking at the Arsenal injury time equaliser as a missed chance to win three in a row for the first time since the tail end of the last Koeman season! Unless we spank Newcastle at theirs, of course. Then West Ham. Then Villa. Last time we won 5 Premier League games in a row? Anyone? Early 2001 under Hoddle with a run of clean sheets. Ok maybe I'm getting ahead of myself - but we do have 4 potentially winnable games coming up... if we can get the personnel and performance levels right. I'll take awful 2-1 wins against them all.

Points are what matters this season, not performances, in a season we will almost certainly be in a relegation battle. I’ll take crappy 2-1 wins every day of the week if it means we stay up and can sort the crap defence and midfield out in the summer. Norwich next...

I like a good pee. Always feels so liberating afterwards.

Let's hope Boufal with a bad toe is better than the other dross we've seen so far.

I've stopped watching it here at work because a) my Sky Go stream is crap, b) Saints are crap and c) watching Saints is winding me up which is making me irritable when dealing with my customers. Maybe that's the catalyst we need to win this and go on an unbeaten winning run.

We'll be lucky to beat Norwich at this rate.

Definitely looking that way. It's hard to get excited about us right now. Watford are crap and look like they're going to score with every chance they get.

I like it. I still question whether Stephens and Bednarek are our best two starting centre backs, but that's the situation we find ourselves in. Naturally the central midfield shield in front of them looks week too, but we certainly look to have enough in attack to make Watford crap their pants. IMO first goal will decide the game. They score it, our confidence will shatter. We score it, we can win. Although I still think it'll be a draw today. 2-2.

Budget options then, loans or frees.... Fabio Coentrao as a back up left back/challenger to Bertrand?

Budget options then, loans or frees.... Fabio Coentrao as a back up left back/challenger to Bertrand?

We need a dominant centre back so we can comfortably start only playing two of them. We also need to ship out a couple...somehow. I'm not sure how - weren't Villa interested in Stephens a while back? We need a left back back up, unless McQueen does get fit or Vokins steps up, but as neither seem likely presently, I'd be signing a decent young left back from the lower leagues that could one day step into Bertrand's boots. Who? I don't know, it's been hard following the lower leagues lately on account of having no time! We need a right back first choice, and to ship out Cedric. Valery is fine as a back up/promising talent. We need a defensive midfield brick ****house like Wanyama was to break up play. We lack variety in central midfield IMO. We don't need a GK but Gunn has seemingly regressed this season. Can we afford to stick with McCarthy as first choice? Attack is fine IMO. We have a goalscoring striker fit which is important and reasonable other options (hoping Adams gets his chance and takes it eventually). Attacking midfield options appear to be decent too. If we can sort out the defence (and defensive midfield) we could stay up this season! We literally have one transfer window to get it right - Gao needs to back us or go away.

A must win. I still think Watford are a better team than their position in the table but then the sacking of Gracia was an odd one. I'll take 3 points any which way we can get them, even if the winning goal is scored by Vestergaard who humps the ball in from 2 yards off his crotch. It's not like we're being cut adrift (yet) or are running out of games, but with Villa beating Newcastle tonight, I would like to see us at least catch up to that pack of teams to give us a bit of confidence.

A good point pre-game, a poor point post-game.

Woke up after sleep after Night shift, saw we were 1 nil up, spat out my coffee, logged into Ladbrokes for a cheeky insurance bet, too late, they’d already equalised. Still 1-1 is a good half time score. I’ll happily take that at full time. Still, Arsenal to win close to evens....

Only Holloway Road shuts before and after games (or is exit only), unless there is overcrowding at the others, so Arsenal and Cally Road should be open.

I can’t see anything from this game, but at least we have a full squad available. The problem is the wrong players will end up playing, including that midfield trio that hinders us, and struggling to pick two centre backs of decent calibre, let alone 3. And we will play 3 centre backs. It’ll probably be (352): McCarthy Stephens Bednarek Vestergaard Cedric Hojbjerg Romeu Ward-Prowse Bertrand Redmond Ings (Or include Yoshida for one of the others) which is a loss before we’ve even started. I’d like to see us have a go at them with pacy, attacking football. My team (4231): McCarthy Cedric Yoshida Vestergaard Bertrand Hojbjerg Romeu Djenepo Boufal Redmond Ings but I don’t think we will see Djenepo, Boufal and Redmond play together all season. Either way it’ll be a loss tomorrow. I just hope we keep the score down.

We close it during the busy periods before and after games, but it’s open during them, so you might get lucky. If not you can always walk about 10 minutes to Highbury and Islington for the Victoria Line (changing at Green Park for Jubilee) or walk about 20 minutes to Tufnell Park which is a straight shot to Waterloo on the Northern Line.