SNSUN

If he gets sent off a lot, the headline writes itself.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. We have form at present, but we have that little bit of class in our side to keep positive results happening through the season, even if they don't occur as frquently as they have of late. Our goal is safety, I hate to say it, and perhaps later in the season we can look higher, but right now it's safety, and I truly believe we have the quality to stay up. Let's hope we do.

I likes me a bit of Laura Tobin, the Beeb weather girl.

He's a very down to earth, likeable, intelligent individual that's full of positivity, and I love him for that. He's got us promoted twice, and will go down in Saints history for those achievements - and cementing our place in the Premier League will be the icing on the cake. I hope we have a long and happy few years with him at the helm. Yes he's not the complete manager yet, he's finding his feet still at this new level, but so far he's doing OK. His decision not to sign another centre back in the summer was a little strange, so if any questions can be asked of him, it's about his transfer nous, but to be fair to him, I suspect that's not his fault. During the bad run of form earlier in the season (coinciding with the tougher fixtures and up until the West Ham defeat) I was worried we wouldne't have enough to turn it around. He has, and he has in style. The QPR victory really got us started and now we're flying. Shaw has come in and done exceptionally, (I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I saw him against Norwich), and our defence looks stronger for it. Did you see him celebrate our goal against Reading? Pure emotion, showing he loves the club, for a few seconds, before realising what he'd done and composing himself! Love him.

I've watched the MOTD highlights three times now. I hadn't noticed how two footed he has become. Not only did he score with his right, he had a couple of other chances with his right too. That attribute will give anyone marking him a headache. When I saw him in League One, he was very one dimensional in that he played on the right and his party piece was to cut in and shoot. Granted, he scored like that against QPR, but todays goal showed that's not his default move anymore.

I still think he's an argument away from a hissy fit, but reading the article in the Sun this morning about him, it definitely seems like he's matured, both on and off the pitch. His form is outstanding at present, and long may it continue.

Actually looking at the fixtures remaining in December, is four wins beyond the realms of possibility? Our next two are imminently winnable if we play as we have at times this season, but are Fulham and Stoke that tough? Fulham are somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde side this season, after selling Dempsey and Dembele I thought they'd be weak, but the signing of Berbatov has inspired them. I still think we can win that, even away. Against Stoke it'll be tough, they're a hard side to break down, but with our four attacking players at our disposal, we're good enough to beat them too. I guess all will be revealed tomorrow. Beat Reading and we'll be on a high for the remaining 2012 fixtures. Anything less and it could be a right old struggle. Our fixtures in January and February are tough, getting as many points as we can now would have a massive bearing on our season.

I like Christmas. I used to love it, and perhaps when I have kids, I'll love it again, but at the moment it depends entirely on what shifts I'm working as to how good Christmas is. This year my shifts are favourable, so I am looking forward to the period. Next year my shifts suck, so Christmas likewise will probably suck. Most people are a little bit cheerier around Christmas, and that's a plus working in customer service, but there are so many pro's and con's to it, you can see why people's experiences differ. I hate New Years Eve for example (as per SNOWY above), the most massively overrated and expensive night of the year. Christmas Eve though, it's tradition for my mates and I to go out and get stinking drunk (thus nearly ruining Christmas Day every year), but everyone is in a good mood that's out. I like that. I am determined to go easy this Christmas Eve though, last year I was so rotten on Christmas Day I couldn't eat my roast. And I LOVE my roasts.

Two MASSIVE games with how our season could fare. Both are simply must wins. Liverpool aside, I still think our attacking outlets are better than any team in the bottom half of the table, but I exclude Sunderland from that, as with the talent they have (Sessegnon, Johnson, Fletcher) they really should be looking at top half of the table. That said, it seems we've managed to get them at a time when they're struggling for form, and that's a plus. 18 points after these two games would give us a fantastic Christmas. Anything less and we're really struggling.

I went to New College, and performed admirably for 5 years. (Ok, it was New College School, I was a chorister, and by the time I was university age I had given up caring on academia and went out to get a job instead. I would have loved to have gone back to New College as an undergraduate though, but I was never clever or applied enough.) Incidentally, Turf Tavern is one of my favourite pubs in the country. (Right behind New College, although naturally I never had anything alcoholic at the age of 14. Honest.)

Is Craig Gordon still clubless? :-D

The Norwich Eastern Daily Press (the in-laws treat as though it's the bible) said that Lallana was not only our best player, but the best player on the pitch. He got the only 8/10. I thought he has some nice moments last night, but I've seen him play better.

I'll take a point. Still I reckon we'll get a win against a "big" team, and as we'll be the underdogs for this one, we should perform without fear and could potentially steal all 3 points from this one. It depends on which Liverpool team turns up.

Performances that stood out for me were Clyne, Shaw, Fonte and Punch. Shaw edges it from Punch, both were very good but Shaw is 17. 17. He's fricking 17.

The most delayed match reaction thread of all time! :-D

From what I could see, it looked like he's lost the rat tail. Which is a start. Gazzaniga has promise, but that's not what we need now. Davis or Boruc please.

Small accident on m3 just before Winny services too. On hard shoulder, should be ok.

A good read, Lambert is "naturally talented".

Only one away win that year too. Surely we'll do better than that this season?

Always good to read fans of other teams saying good things about us, especially those thinking we'll finish above them, but my favourite quote was: Southampton are ****ed now, here comes Perchinho It struck me too that that was a strange substitution, especially as it was us that wanted to run the clock down at that stage.

Lambert > Holt Ramirez > Hoolihan Lallana > Surman Puncheon > Pilkington Rodriguez > Morison It's in the bag. (I wonder if this would be the Norwich fans answers too. I highly doubt it.)

+1. I would also take 17th place at the end of the season if you offered it.

If we build a statue, I also want one of Lambert, Waigo, Antonio and Lallana. That was a great day. Stokes will always play a big part in our history, even if we go on a Manchester Unitedesque winning run of trophies one day, but let's not forget it was a team effort that day. It depends on how you mean "do we respect the memory of Stokes enough?". By a statue? Perhaps not, but sure if we started naming stands, perhaps he'd get a look in.

More importantly, perhaps most importnatly psychologically for us, a win tomorrow and Reading and QPR would be cut adrift at the bottom of the table. Even a draw would push us three clear of Reading. Good times.

0-0, 0-0. Snore. We're better than these four surely? Perhaps Sunderland will be OK, but I maintain we have an upper mid-table attack. I rate Lambert as a manager but at Villa he has signed a lot of untested lower leaguers. Reading have spirit but not quality. And QPR? Well who knows what the hell is happening in Shepherd's Bush.