SNSUN

Especially as the two games following this are a very beatable Liverpool and Bournemouth! With the Villa League Cup game sandwiched in the middle, this could be a very good month for SFC. I'm hoping the Klippity Klopp revolution of Liverpool won't have taken effect fully by their game against us.

Leicester have started the season well under Ranieri, Vardy has proved he's not just a non-League striker getting lucky, and a couple of their additions in the summer are proving decent acquisitions. Mahrez has been on fire, but was cleverly rested against Norwich so he'll be fit and ready to impress against us, and Schlupp will keep Soares busy. All in all, they're a decent team this season who should have no worries over relegation. However... We're finally bang in form, the front 3 are looking world class at present and we've finally got the defence fully fit and settled. I can see this being an entertaining goal laden game, but ultimately we'll be too strong for Leicester. 3 more points on the board for the Saints, and a poor start to the season but a distant memory. Going for 4-2 Saints, a Mané double, Pellè getting one and a Fonte header from a corner.

The evil person in me wants Rodgers to take a job at a lesser Premier League club, do remarkably well for the rest of the season, and then see all his best players pinched from bigger clubs (yes, let's include us in that) in the summer. Give him a taste of his own medicine. He's spunked a ton of cash at Liverpool on bog standard players. It'll take the new Pool manager a while to sort it out. Oh, and the new 'Pool manager? I'd love to see 'Arry get it!

Unbelievable. What a comeback from Saints. I kept putting money on Chelsea to score next when we went 2-1 up. Very happy to lose my money tonight.Great defending, Cedric was outstanding as was the whole back 4 and Wanyama. Mané and Pellè were outstanding too, though I admit I was worried when Mané got booked.Should've had 2 penalties. Didn't matter in the end. A great 3 points away from home. Delighted.Poor old Chelsea have Villa next.

I'm pretty sure the result tomorrow will go one of three ways. :-) Seriously, my mind thinks we'll get tonked by a Chelsea side desperate for a result in front of their home fans, heart thinks they're lying on the canvas and we've been tagged in for the final blow. Mind thinks Hazard will eat Cedrick alive, heart thinks Mané will eat Ivanovic alive. With the right team selection we could win tomorrow, though I'd settle for an entertaining point.

We have a full back with the initials RB. I reckon we should sign him and play him on the right. Playing full backs on the wrong side is good enough for Chelsea...

Nathan Redmond. Weaken them, strengthen us, **** off my wife. It's win/win.

I bet that hurt you to say that! ;-) Looking good so far...

Could go either way. Need a win though. We have the quality and are at home. I can see us getting the three points today.

Good starting line up, very strong. I hope Koeman takes this competition seriously every round. So I'm relying on the BBC live League Cup feed and Sky Sports News whilst watching the Arsenal/Spurs game. Old School.

If I'm correct, as he was released outside the window, he can only be signed in January when the window opens. (Or can be signed but can't play until then, something like that.) Either way I wouldn't want him here. Now if we'd signed him when we were linked years ago...

Northern Ireland continue to impress me of the Home Nations. You can see why Wales are doing well in modern times, their backbone is very strong in Hennessey, Williams, Ramsey and Bale, with the latter two as 'the superstars', but Northern Ireland have no real standout superstars, just hard working, half-decent players led by Davis with the luxury of a goalscorer in form in Lafferty. Having a a look at the squads amongst the home nations, if there were a Great Britain XI, you could see quite a few Welsh players in with the English, but I'd be hard pushed to include a Northern Irish player. Makes their potential qualification all the more impressive.

Wikipedia is fun, take a look at which team Jhon Viafara played for in 2010 after leaving us...

100% this please, but it won't be. 3 centre backs I reckon. Am at St Marys with the Norwich supporting wife today. Praying for a Saints win! Head says 0-0 snoozefest.

Thank God this is my last post of the day otherwise I might say something I regret at full time. This is an embarrassment. The starting line up is all wrong, our passing has been poor, and we seem intent on hoofing it up to Pelle whenever we get the chance. Yes there is a half to go, we still only need the one goal, and subs can be made, but Koeman needs to sort this crap out soon. I'm a positive supporter usually but our recent performances have been poor. At least tonight's bench is strong. That's our glimmer of hope. I'll be crossing my fingers and lucky smoking in the second half. I will take a really ugly win, even if it's on penalties, as long as we make it through to the group stages. We have 45 minutes to do that. UTS

Ah not been following for a few days. Reed for Wanyama and JWP in for Mané as we might need the set pieces. Sounds a bit weaker though. (Have to remember I'm down to the three post rule until I sort my membership out!)

We'll win tonight IMO, maybe not comfortably but we'll go through. Midtjylland were well organised in the first leg but are still no great shakes and our attacking force will know what they have to do. In turn, the win will give us the confidence to get our first win against Norwich on Sunday. Strongest team needed IMO Stek Cedric Fonte Yoshida Targett Romeu Wanyama Davis Tadic/Jay Pelle Mane

Wake up call for Ron. Still missing Bertrand, the new CB, integrating Romeu properly, getting JRod fully fit and on form, we'll be a lot stronger in games to come. Still 3-0 at home always looks bad. Saw the Lukaku first goal. Great cross and good header but we were nowhere.

Not stronger per se, but they still have some quality players in it. Barkley, McCarthy, Lukaku, Coleman, and players like Deleofeu and Miralles on the bench. I'm worried they might get something from this game. (maybe the Saints fan of old in me.)

Europa League easy, both trophies, but only one gets you into the Champions League. If we finished 3rd though, I'd reverse that and say FA Cup as we'd be in the Champions League anyway and would be nice to do that and finish with the FA Cup.

I was always taught it was 2 blue beans, a blue bean and a half, half a blue bean and a blue bean. Kylie, easy. Gun Pointed at your head. You have to be either a Portsmouth supporter for life, embracing their entire way of life, or you have to punch a police officer in the nads and accept the consequences. Which would you choose?

I wonder what the odds are for Rodgers to swoop in with a late bid for Liverhampton to sign a player that they'd probably be interested in after a year playing for us...

Manly island near Sydney. Favourite chocolate bar?

Will Hughes is out long term so that would make sense. As for Fonte, I couldn't believe it when I got in and read this, and while it's not beyond the realms of possibility, I find it extremely unlikely he would go anywhere that might be deemed as a demotion in the eyes of a Saints fan. Fonte is a legend now and has seen us through the good times. He's only a couple (few maybe) of years from retirement, I think he'll see those days out with us. Mind you I thought that about Rickie...

Isn't Nir Biton a place in South West London near Kingston?