SNSUN

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.

I've already been told off by the wife for predicting Saints will win this one. I'm a bigger Saints fan than she is a Norwich fan though, so sod her, Saints to win 2-0. (Though to prevent frostiness in house, I'll be saying draw.) Lallana, Lambert, Ramirez, Puncheon. That's a better attacking four than they can boast. (...and most teams in the bottom half of the table IMO.)

He's still a moaning p!ssypants, but he has stepped up his game and is perhaps our most in form player at the moment. Would he sign a new contract? It probably depends on what league we're in. If he does keep this up for the rest of the season, all is forgiven.

Anyone notice the first two letters of ASton Villa and REading are an anagram of ARSE? Apt, is all.

As positive as things are starting to seem after 7 points in 3 games, I still think we're going to be in a relegation battle, but that's pending strengthening the team correctly in January. Keep beating the teams around us, or the teams we think may be around us in the relegation battle, and we'll ultimately be fine. Whatever happens I'd like at least ONE win against a big 4 team.

Touch of a hangover from last night on a personal level, but this result helped! I got to meet my first SaintsWeb member yesterday too. (Hello Hatch, hope your hangover isn't too bad!) All in all a good weekend. A win against Norwich (which I hope to be going to) and we'll have 14 points from 14, and averaging a point a game in our first season back in the top flight is really what we should be aiming for. That's also mean 3 wins on the bounce and 4 games unbeaten, and suddenly we're looking comfortable. However a win is no given, Norwich will be potentially a tougher prospect than Newcastle. Fingers crossed we get a positive result.