SNSUN

Crud. Thank God the window is open. (I'm not saying sign ten new players but at least that's an option with regards to loans.)

No, diving is horrible, but today, without it, we'd have got a 0-0 draw and with Reading and Sunderland winning, and Newcastle, QPR and Wigan all picking up points, that dive was crucial for 3 points. I'm sure it all balances out over time anyway, we'll be, or have been victims of diving against us at some point.

We'd be gutted to lose Lallana, then Fonte, then Shaw, all three of our better players this season. Cruel, especially as we're all aware the strength in depth isn't there. Fingers crossed it's a minor thing, and that the other two come back soon too.

My kingdom for a horse.

Reading are preparing for nPC life well then. :-)

Not sure, but he's not even on the bench unless I mislooked. Unless he's injured. I think I read Forest are interested in him but I thought he'd go to a club a bit higher up...

Stop showing football and start showing Justin Bieber, One Direction and Lionel Ritchie. (Wait, does fit bit chez like Lionel? Cuz they shud.)

1) I would not be happy if we got rid of Adkins. I like the bloke, he's intelligent, positive, has us playing good football and is more than holding his own in a league alien to him. 2) I would not be happy with the appointment of Di Matteo. There are dozens of better managers than him - his CV looks good because he was an excellent midfielder, and because, as a manager, he's been in the right place at the right time. 3) If we do go down (which I still think is a highly likely possibility) then Adkins is the best choice to bring us back up. He's already done it once. I think the only question marks remain over Adkins' transfer policy, but seeing all our Italian links recently makes me think they may be Cortese-influenced. I won't be anti-Di Matteo, per se, if we appoint him, but I may be more critical of his failings than I am with Adkins.

I get the feeling Gunter in the Premier League is like had we been relying on Harding at left back this season. Clyne and Shaw - we couldn't have asked for better full backs, even if their cover is suspect. Paul Robinson isn't playing for Blackburn tonight. Is there something more in that I wonder?!?

A quick note on Appleton, which I guess has been mentioned, but I'm not trawling through hundreds of pages since the last time I posted on page 942ish, but why the hell do people rate him? He might be an OK coach but I've seen nothing about him to suggest he's a good manager. Blackpool did well to lose him when they did. (Similar to when Burley took the Scotland job rather than us having to pay him a redundancy package.) Blackpool started the season flying, and under Appy they've only won 2 in ten. Blackpool fans apparently were already starting to tire of him, his long ball tactics and his boring ways - some say that he even made it seem like the players that started the season so well had only just met each other. And what's with all this "good job at Portsmouth" nonsense. I could have got them relegated, he's no messiah. Perhaps this is a personal vendetta because I dislike the bloke but I think Blackburn have shot themselves in the foot (again) with this appointment. They needed experience, and they haven't got it. Even Darren Ferguson would've been a better appointment with his 'links'. Anyway, it's their screw up. I heard Harry say that Spurs were a "magnificent" team. Well no, but you would say that, seeing as you assembled most of the team yourself. Shameless self-promotion. (I must be on my period or something, two rants in one post. Oh well, I guess the PFC takeover thread is the best place for them)

I would say win or bust, but with Fonte and Lallana missing, and potentially Clyne and Ramirez, I think I would take a point right now. Especially as we haven't yet signed anyone to cover Fonte's absence, meaning Jos will play. I can see us losing this one, even with Villa's ineptitude, so yes I would take a point, but to stay up ideally we need to win this.

How many does Weimann have this season? He could be a threat on Saturday too, but I'm feeling unusually confident about the game. Play as well as we can, and it could be 3 points. It has to be too, a draw is not good enough. Bent going off injured...

He'd probably commit suicide after doing even one of my 4.30am starts. I have no problem with getting up at 3am, although granted it's once in a 16 week cycle, it's the getting to sleep the previous night I find difficult!

Quite a few choices. Clyne, for stepping up to the Premier League with ease and making the right back slot his own. Fonte, for improving when he had to and becoming a solid Premiership defender. Cork, for solidifying the defence. Shaw, for mature, almost exceptional performances at left back. Lambert, for getting goals and proving a handful for defences. For me, and I say with this with forgiveness in my voice, it's Puncheon. He's won us points and has proven a huge asset on the wing.

T lower half of the table is tighter than it may seem, even though QPR and Reading are 5 points behind, QPR can easily get out of it. I haven't seen enough quality about Reading to think they'll survive. This could be Wigan's year, but even they pull out important results. We can only concentrate on ourselves at this stage, and on getting as many points as we can. On MOTD they were talking about Norwich (for example) being safe. They're only 7 points ahead of us, and are are very catchable. Let's get the FA Cup out of the way and then those games against Villa, Everton and Wigan could have some important points in them for us. (United and City too, although anything is a bonus there!)

Neither to begin with, even if we sign a central defender with a reputation that makes us all go "wow". Yoshida and Fonte have done very little wrong of late, so keep them in until such a time as one dips in form.

Nah it was a wedding present. Nearly seven months afterwards, I feel it has soured the memory of the whole event. I think I'll beat the generous guests to death with the bottle.

We signed Jos Hooiveld in December '11. Now THAT's getting business done early. I hear Curtis Davies would've joined had we pushed his paperwork through for the Arsenal game. Now he says we can eat his poo. NA out.

How long were you waiting to start this thread!?! :-) I hear Guly's in for a new 3 year contract, and Tal Ben Haim is close to agreeing terms.

Happy New Year everyone and a Happy Birthday to Garrett and Guly! What would make 2013 a good year on the Saints front? Survival for me. Nothing but survival.

The Champagne was corked. Can Cahmpagne be corked? Tasted like it. So bring on the wine! (Cheap screw cap stuff so should be fine.)

Leighton Baines being coveted doesn't surprise me, but I'd be thoroughly cheesed off if I were an Everton fan. They're having the season of their lives, have signed some good players, and are clicking in every department. I can understand Baines wanting to go to a bigger club, as I can Shaw, but true footballers want to be enjoying their football, and I'd assume he is at Everton currently. On top of that they're a good team under Moyes and he can hardly be earning bad money there. I bet he'd cost too much for Arsenal, although I can see the likes of United going in for him.

The wife and I don't do New Years Eve, Christmas Eve was always my favourite of the two nights out when younger. These days we tend to do a meal out, and then go home to cosy up on the sofa in front of the TV. Thankfully I'm usually working it, and we get paid extra to work through the night. I am off this year though, but am just doing the meal thing. Went to London to stand on the steps of Westminster Bridge for the Millenium. Big mistake. Had the odd NYE in clubs too, they massively overcharge for entry and the night is no better than normal, and in addition it's more packed with idiots. The best solution IMO is a house party with friends.

5 is young for a scout.

I bet it wasn't through choice....