SNSUN

How about bubbles that magically fly up into the air from the touchline? Oh, wait, it's been done. And it looks cack. To the point I can barely watch a game on MOTD from Upton Park. As for us, a nice floating halo around the whole ground above the roof, made of gold. God knows what you'd need to put inside it to make it float.

Newcastle really are strengthening well, even if there is a distinctive French theme there, but as we've seen from QPR, good players don't always gel together. That said I do think Newcastle will pull clear now. I see Loic Remy's gone and pulled a hammy. Poor QPR, not a lot is going their way. > I thought Reading would spunk a bit of cash in this window but they haven't yet - a couple of lucky come-from-behind wins doesn't a good team make. I do hope we add one or two more to the team. A flair player with a knack of changing a game would be nice - I don't know anything really of Coutinho, but someone with creativity a la Lallana. (In addition to Lallana, not in place of.) It's all gone rather quiet since the lads went to Spain.

+1.

About 75% pro, 25% against. He has our best interests at heart, has a solid financial background so must be pretty solid dealing with the financial side of things (especially as it's not his money), but at the same time I think sometimes his lack of a football background shines through, especially the recent poor handling of the dismissal of Adkins.

Well all 3 pointers are big fo sho, but with Wigan currently 4 points behind us, a gap of 7 compared to a gap of 1 would be sweeeeeeet. In addition, they're one of those annoying teams that are good at a relegation scrap. To get Pochettino his first win at the DW (assuming we don't beat United) would also be massive for confidence for us fans too.

Suddenly, I really fancy a Cappuccino. Mo Po surely has more to do with Punch, as a shortened version of More Poo.

I think we'll lose, but with a spirited performance. Nevertheless the media will see this as a complete failing of Pochettino's managerial talent. We follow this up by spanking Wigan all over the pitch. It's one of those rare times where if you offered me a win at Old Trafford over a win at Wigan, I'd turn it down. Beating Wigan is key to our season IMO - perhaps the biggest 3 pointer we could face this season.

I can't remember where I read it today but he apparently hasn't been returning Karl Oyston's calls at Blackpool. With the money he'll get as a pay off from Cortese, he could take some decent time off and still have the pick of jobs in the summer. I actually think he'll just wait until one comes along that he really fancies.

Ha! - I remember the Ranieri translator; wasn't he the tea boy or something that was knocking out cliched phrases because he didn't know what Ranieri was saying? Pochettino must have known that football is a world game - and that if he was ever going to be a top manager a la Mourinho, he'd have to be multi-lingual, and English is a pretty common language in world football. I should expect Pochettino has the old Rosetta Stone on the flight to Barcelona, or something to that extent.

I don't normally watch the League Cup final, but if it's Swansea vs Bradford I'd be very tempted. Swansea winning tomorrow would be the icing on the cake - and they're not the sort of team to let a 2 goal lead slip - even if it is against Chelsea. (Whom haven't be in top form for a while now...)

Adkins would be first name on Villa's wish list if they dispense with Lambert IMO, but I actually think they'll keep faith in Lambert. He's a good manager that's playing around with a young team that are desperately short of experience. If anything, this will spur them to spend a bit on players before the window shuts.

Yoshida was excellent for me, very dominant. Best I've seen him play. It was close between him, Boruc, Morgan and Ramirez.

A good point. Looking at the league table, firstly the extra point gives us a bit of breathing space from the relegation zone (4 points gap now and a better goal difference), and secondly I'd say anyone from Stoke (whom the media love in spite of their boring style) downwards could be dragged into the relegation battle. It was a decent performance in the first half. Ramirez and Guly were both very good IMO but both faded in the second half. Lol of the day to Puncheon and THAT chant. We faded badly in the second half and lost our momentum, but that in part was due to Anichebe coming on, who was very lively. Boruc's saves won us this point. With Lallana in there, we might even have won this game. I'd have taken the point before the game, who knows what it'd have been with Adkins in charge - probably pretty similar I'd suggest. Anywho, we have a gap before the next game, bring in some transfers and see how we get on. I reckon the new manager would be looking at bringing in a winger, a holding midfielder and a striker, but I guess we'll see.

Boruc is at his very best here. Wise for Gaston to "get injured" while Punch was having a wee. Anyone see Punch sniff his hand as he came back on...

JRod on for Guly. Thought Guly did well in the first half.

Baines is really starting to get into the game, and that's dangerous. Need to solidfy the right side. Everton miskick - should've been a goal.

I'd take that with bells on. Everton starting to look more dangerous, and Anichebe on.

I'm not quite sure where all the recent changes leave us in terms of transfers in or out, but it'd been announced that Birmingham have finally accepted they're miles away from the Premier League and in financial crud, and are now prepared to listen to offers for ANY of their first teamers. Butland, Burke, Redmond and Davies have all been mentioned on here in the past...

Pretty much the whole footballing world that aren't Saints followers are hoping or expecting us to lose today. I have an inkling we'll win. Ergo, it'll be a draw. Which I'd be happy with btw.

Eek! Well if I told you how much booze I'd had when I wrote that, you'd realise it was quite impressive! #smashedasanewt

9/10 from 15 would win the fans over, and looking at the fixtures, that amount is doable. It's at the end of these 5 games that we'll really know if this appointment was a chairmans masterstroke or a massive balls up.

Well simply this could go one of two ways. (Obviously, but there's more to it.) We stay up, and it doesn't matter by how much. Pochettino has won some fans over, and has the summer to bond with fans, players, and build a team in his (well respected) image. He also starts the season able to speak fluid English. or... We get relegated. The media is right in saying we shouldn't have got rid of Adkins and we slump down the nPC after losing Lallana, Lambert, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Morgan, Shaw, Clyne and co. Pochettino is sacked, Cortese decides he's had enough and bails, and we're taken over by the fans who put the money they've saved from selling their season tickets together to buy the club. We end up back in League 1, but new chairman Alpine Saint apologises to Nigel Adkins for the way he'd been treated, and he agrees to take over the reigns again after being sacked by Chelsea. With limited finances, we're led to the nPC mainly by the form of Chaplow and Hoskins, and end up comfortably mid-table in the nPC. The fans are mostly happy at this predicament. All jokes aside, I think we're in a prime position to stay up. Ignoring the way Adkins went, we have the same players, the same spirit, and the same points total. I also expect new signings to come in pre-deadline day.

Sunderland have picked up of late. Always thought they were too good to go down, especially under their manager. Win Monday and we don't have to worry what the scores are today, but ideally Newcastle winning (I hate Reading and it'd be nice if they were a certainty to go down) and Sunderland beating Wigan would be great. Norwich are catchable as they're not all that. A west Brom win later would be cushty too. I still think the relegated clubs will be Villa and Reading (as things stand) and one other. Perhaps us, who knows. We can only hope the form we have under Adkins continues under Pochettino. After all, it's the same set of players...

Had none of this Adkins sacking occured, he'd have had a lovely reception on Monday. Now he's going to wonder what he's walked into.

This has been the most confusing day since I've been a Saints fan. Welcome Vegard, but I get the feeling you have't picked the greatest day to sign...