SNSUN

Let’s get an Adams goal and we can all go home happy.

what a ball by Obafemi Ings!!! get the **** in!

Without being willing to praise the skates too much, their set pieces have been ok tonight.

Ings showing his class, excellent cross field ball just then. Obafemi works hard but shown little, and bar one decent pass I’ve seen nothing much from Adams yet. I said before the formation lacked an attacking midfielder, but at least we have them on the bench. Even one nil up we do look nervous still. A second should end that.

Should hve been a second. We are waking up...

Have it!

433? Looks good in defence and midfield, although three strikers and no attacking midfielders could be an issue, but there are goals there and Adams has played deep before. Welcome back Ryan. I don’t think it’ll be a thrashing, but something like a comfy 2-0 with an early Saints goal acting like a mood killer for them would be nice. Denies them a chance to cheer much. Mind you they’ll still brag that we struggled against them or whatever nonsense that deluded lot can conjure up. COYS!

They’ll have to pawn that flag for money when Eisner does one in 6 months time and they creep towards admin...

I expect some players to be rested for this one, I can’t see Ralph going full strength. Yes it’s Skatesmouth but it’s still the League Cup and the League is more important. Ralph will still field a strongish squad as he’ll know what’s at stake, but it won’t be full strength. I expect squad players to come in. (Which should still be enough to beat Them who, after a quick look at the League One table, aren’t doing as well as is thought they were!) Besides which they’ll be out to kick the crap out of our players so we want to protect the more important ones like Bednarek, Romeu, Boufal etc. Redmond I’d play as he needs fitness. McCarthy Stephens Vestergaard Yoshida Valery JWP Hojbjerg Bertrand (or even Vokins if whatever is going on with Bertrand is ongoing) Armstrong Redmond Long (Yep, should badger their defence nicely. Hat trick of penalties for JWP.) subs: Gunn, Danso, Cedric, Slattery, Djenepo or Boufal, Ings, Adams It won’t be this exactly, but something related in strength IMO.

McCarthy Valery Bednarek Yoshida Bertrand Hojbjerg Romeu Redmond Boufal Djenepo Adams subs: Gunn, Vestergaard, Cedric, Danso, JWP, Long, Ings.

Surprised about Redders. Thought he was ages away! COYS

Best drunk purchase? A room in Bracknell Travelodge for me and a newly acquired lady friend in my very early 20s. For knobbing purposes. Worst drunk purchase? A room in Bracknell Travelodge for me and a newly acquired lady friend in my very early 20s, once I’d seen her laying next to me the following morning in the sober light of day.

It's not injuries that will necessarily be his undoing, it will be suspensions. Then we will see if we struggle for not having a ready made defensive midfield replacement in the squad. (Although the signing of Danso and the sheer number of centre backs we have probably hints towards the solution.)

If we'd played them under Hughes, Pellegrino or even Puel, I would not be confident of beating them, but now Ralph is in charge, with the improved attack we have this season, I can only see one result. The thing is, a scrape through would still give them license to gloat. Anything but a sound thrashing and they'll still chatter away about the 4-1 for years to come. Oh for a 7-0...

Alan Brazil was saying on Talk****e this morning that outside of the Top 6 there is very little quality, aside maybe in Everton's and Leicester's squads. Clearly we're sneaking under the radar then as with Boufal, Djenepo and Redmond still to come back, I think attacking wise we have quite a lot of quality. West Ham are a strange one, talk of them breaking into the top 6 or 8 but they're still West Ham, a decent team on paper but still under perform against the likes of Villa. Long may we sneak under the radar too. It was like back in the Koeman days when we were flirting with top 4 and we were still getting glossed over by the media.

Hojbjerg was given MOTM by the Beeb too but unless they score a goal, it's rare they get into Garth Crook's TOTW.

What, and not even give the Skates half a chance by playing our under 18's? Hmm, I suppose so! Against them I'd like every pacy player we have fit playing. Tear them a new one. Though as N'Lundulu is such a unit, it would be interesting to see him given some game time to bully their defence. Someone will be a hero, I struggle to see anything other than a Saints win.

Although they ended up playing some decent stuff in the second half, it was less a fight back by Watford and more than a capitulation by Arsenal. Shocking defending for the first, the sort of present opposition teams can only dream of, and a lazy challenge in the box for the second. That was definitely two points dropped by Arsenal.

Well Obafemi looks to be a prospect but has been unlucky with injuries, and wouldn't be first choice anyway, so it's hard to judge him, especially at the age of 19. Long, granted doesn't score many, although he got a few under Hasenhuttl last season, but for a striker who is now third/fourth choice and whose general job would be to come and and badger tiring legs, we probably couldn't do much better in the short term. Ings, again, has suffered with injuries, but if he can stay injury free I reckon he'd hit 10+ this season, depending on how much game time he gets behind (or paired with) Adams. His link play appears to be decent, he just needs a bit of confidence perhaps to start scoring again. Adams is obviously number 1 choice, our hands were tied with Ings. Patience is needed here, I still think he'll come good in the long term. His first goal will be key. As long as we have the likes of Redmond (eventually), Boufal, Djenepo and JWP behind them creating/scoring goals, it's less worrying about the strikers not scoring. I think we will click against someone soon and thump someone, although our fixtures post-Bournemouth are tricky.

Add Redmond and it’s a tasty attacking trio, Ings and Adams should be scoring loads this season. JWP will play his part too, but it’s tricky to know where he’ll fit in regularly. If we can get the defence right, we should at least be able to beat the beatable teams, and might even give big boys a run for their money! I still think 4231 suits this side.

VAR VAR!

Could be Djenepo at LWB, didn’t he play that way earlier in the season?

Good about Djenepo. I stood to have 3 injured outfield players on the bench in my Fantasy Prem team but now he’s playing I at least have a back up! That, and he’ll tear United a new arsehole.

Boufal will boss this one. 3-1 Saints.

Wot no Beresford or Le Saux... :-)