SNSUN

Cork £750k Morgan £1mill Lambert £1mill Fonte £1.2mill etc etc Bargains the lot of them, and more. I can't remember how much Punch cost us but it can't have been more than a few hundred K either. Cork perhaps is the bargain of the lot, not least because I reckon Chelsea would kill for him now.

I did it the other day, it's all nonsense as otherwise we'd all win the pools every week, but the experiment was to see how Saints could do if we win our winable games, control the controllables as it were. We finished on 41 points iirc. I do think we'll be in the relegation battle though, we've dropped too many points over the course of the season and may regret not strengthening more in January. I'll take going into the last game with our fate in our own hands. I notice people have started tipping Reading to survive. I still don't see it. McDermott said "we've got lots of quality in this team". I don't see that either. Reading will still go down IMO, but at least for the time being they're showing balls. QPR are, I finally admit, going down too. They're just too far adrift, they need near title winning form for the rest of the season to escape now IMO. Then it's a 3 ways tie between us, Wigan and Villa. Villa have looked shocking this season - it could well be them, prompting our survival and Wigan's great escape.

Nigel Clough at 40/1 is mightily tempting. There's the family history, and Clough Jr has being doing well on limited resources at Derby. Interesting...

This. This This Ghey ...or Michael Appleton managing his umpteenth team of the season. I still think the Blackpool fans have had a lucky escape there.

Stay up and consolidate our position in the Prem, and Lallana could do a Le Tissier and stay here for his whole career. I'd love to see that.

They have already got tons of midfielders, so it's no guarantee that he'd play every game anyway. JWP will be a class player, and already is, so I'd rather have him on the fringes of our squad than on the fringes of theirs. If we lose Morgan or Cork, god forbid, I'd worry about putting Chaplow in there *as 4th choice, and would feel a lot more confident with JWP brought in - he was class at the start of the season, especially in the United game where he caught my eye with a mature display.

The ridiculousness of the situation is that it WILL probably be someone like Andy Carroll called up, despite the fact he's had a lengthy lay off and has done next to sod all this season. There are one or two strikers I think would be called up before Lambert sadly, although I'd LOVE it if he did get a call up - even if he probably wouldn't see turf.

Are you Sammy Saint? :-D

QPR, Reading, Wigan down (but Villa could quite easily be in there) Cardiff, Leicester and Palace.

Gazzaniga Richardson Fonte Hooiveld Fox De Ridder JWP Hammond Guly Barnard Hoskins No Lallana, Morgan, Cork, Clyne, Forren, Shaw, Ramirez, Lambert etc and Punch and Boruc off the wage bill at the end of their contracts If we go down, that scenario could happen. Yes it'd be bad. Don't get me wrong I loved the Championship when we were in it, but the Prem is the place to be. Staying up, strengthening in the summer and a successful season next season (very doable) would be immense.

Just finished the Beeb predictor, which is obviously biased towards Saints but I still tried to be fair. If we pick up points in the games we should be picking up points in, then we finish 12th on 41 points, just behind West Brom on 42. From us down, it reads: 13th Norwich 14th Sunderland 15th West Ham 16th Fulham 17th Villa 18th Wigan 19th Reading 20th QPR Wigan get 28 points, Villa 29. Of course it's all nonsense, as results differ and change, and I'm sure we'll still drop points we're expected to pick up, but it goes to show that the season of survival (and doing very well too) is still in our own hands, ignoring what everyone else does. I'd kill for 12th, I'd settle for 17th. Incidentally United win the title by a clear 11 points! :-D

Just posted similar on another thread. QPR and Norwich are must wins - as today really was. I can see us beating QPR, but Norwich at Carrow Road could be tough, and I don't see any points from the other three games. Still as long as there are three crudder teams below us at the end of the season, I'll be happy, but with Reading winning games, Newcastle will be in no danger, QPR showing stronger performances, and even Villa and Wigan showing fight today, we must be careful. Survival is still in our hands though, so we should really ignore the other fixtures for now. Que Sera Sera and all that jazz.

My biggest concern at the moment is that we have two tough games coming up - Man City at home and Newcastle away. City are, well, City, and are capable of winning any match, and Newcastle are starting to get their **** together especially with their new signings gelling quickly. I fear that after the next two games, where we'll be lucky to scrape even a point, means we could well go into the QPR game in the relegation zone. Whatever happens in the next two (and I genuinely see no points from them), we must beat QPR and Norwich at the start of March. Of course, fingers crossed we beat City AND Newcastle somehow. It'd do wonders for confidence.

I always go along with the popular concensus of things, to stop me from being hounded out of SaintsWeb by my peers. :-D

His best performances this season haave come from playing behind the striker, and with Lallana out recently he's not had much of a chance. With Lallana back I hope it sees an upturn in form for Gaston - but I do agree, as of yet he hasn't justified his price tag.

From what I saw of the second half performance, we looked very good, pressed everything. Nonetheless Maloney's goal cost us the chance of going 6 clear, especially significant seeing as bloody Reading won again as did Newcastle, and Villa picked up a point. Keep playing like this and we'll be fine but we can't concede cheap goals. Get Forren fit, start Adam and things should click into place. It was however important that we didn't lose today, and we didn't, but it was so close to being so much better.

Everton equalise, small consolation. Gutted - 90th minute equaliser having gone 2-1 up.

We HAVE to win it now. HAVE TO. A draw is a poor result in this situation, albeit it would keep the gap with Wigan at three points, but with other results going against us, we need the win. Everton scored, It's 2-3 Villa.

Hey guys, just got in from work! What's happening? Oh. Well things can change...

I don't think it's as black and white as 'yes' or 'no', I'm still undecided. We signed a much needed centre back but are still a flair player short IMO. Earlier in the season we were concerned about our left back slot and our keeping slot, but both have been sorted by Luke Shaw and Artur Boruc. Having Lallana back is like having a new signing, but I agree with others we are short on depth. Fingers crossed we stay clear of injuries. If we do, we'll stay up. If we don't, we could go down. I voted no in the above poll, not because I necessarily think we will go down, but because I'll be a lot happier if I expect little and get a lot.

Norwich and West Ham perhaps could drop, both are in poor form and Norwich just don't look strong enough. How Becchio does is key to their survival hopes. I personally think Newcastle will be fine now - they've made some shrewd acquisitions and IMO benefitted most from the transfer window. Fulham - mmm, I said up until recently they could drop, but in Jol they have a solid manager and they've made a decent signing or two this window. The relegation battle IMO will be between Reading, QPR, Wigan, Us, Villa, Norwich and possibly West Ham. As long as we finish 17th or higher, I couldn't give a stuff. Yes we should be looking higher, but I'll be happier just to stay up so Pochettino can tinker with the team in his image in the summer. Reading and Villa will go down in my opinion, with one from Wigan, QPR or us. Beating Wigan tomorrow would make me, and all of us, feel a lot more positive about staying up this season - and even doing very well.

I'm happy we addressed the centre back problem, but frustrated we didn't add an attacking player, especially as Pochettino had two weeks of his first transfer window. If he thinks what we have is enough, great, but I still think we're short. Do we ever do business late on deadline day? Jos was a lateish signing iirc.

No, I would not take a point. This is a massive 6 pointer. Win, and the latter part of the season will be a lot more comfortable. I'd take a possible defeat for the chance we can beat Wigan - play like we did in the second half against UTD and we'll win. Simple as. 3 points for Saints.

We won't sign anyone today. (Going with the old reverse psychology trick.)