angelman

As a pure strike, Martina's takes it. Alli does the bit of juggling which will get the pundits making the final choice all exited.

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/form-guide.html Top of the pile

Ballcocks. Palace had a back 8 at times today. That's why we brought Pelle on. He can deal with it better than others and actually is vital in giving us another option.

Ah the good old Daily ****ing Mail doesn't waste too much time: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3590945/Ronald-Koeman-unable-prevent-Southampton-s-players-leaving-Champions-League-clubs-come-knocking.html Nice to see the comments section and people (presumably non Saints) finding it all a little tedious.

It will be a Payet orgasmatron love in.

I'm just ****ing stoked (does that count? ) that we beat Wet Spam.

If you don't ask you don't get. I've no doubt that other clubs would want him, so a little stir of the pot (via a PR company or other) with a leaked story showing interest to see how things pan out.

St C, I'll take your Mail article and raise you with the Sun's: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/transfernews/7149355/Ronald-Koeman-tells-Southampton-to-match-the-100m-war-chest-Everton-are-offering-to-keep-him.html

This Everton/FdB is a bit strange. He leaves Ajax, says he would like PL with someone like Everton and lo and behold, reports are that he is Nº1 choice.

JBS, I'm 45 and understand wholly what you talk about. Especially about being able to walk to the ground with the oppo fans chatting away. Age mellows you. Anyway, I asked my 9yo son whether he would prefer to sit in the Kingsland (where me and my dad have our STs) or stand behind the goals yelling his head off. He "upset" me by saying Kingsland. That's all he has known so maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but it is sad that he has only been to sanitised games. I don't mean that I would want him to go to a game with hooligans, but standing on the terraces was a great place to be. All seaters were compulsory in PL from 1994, so anyone under 22 wasn't alive, so let's say anyone under 27 or 28 won't know what supporting Saints from the terraces is like. OK, the last time I was on a terrace watching Saints was on Tuesday 28th September 2010 at Huish Park, but that's not quite the same thing as the top division. I did buy a few tickets for the Newcastle game for him and his uncle and cousin which was in the Northam right behind the goal, and he said it was much better there than Kingsland. I think he enjoyed singing "You're f***ing s**t" which would make sense as it is at the intellectual level of a 9 year old.

More millions that is for sure. I don't find it funny though. In footballing terms, he made a perfectly rational decision to join a club that plays at a different stage to us and has done for years. I find the whole thing rather strange. Saints have to show "ambition" to keep these sort of players and to push on. Ambition. WTF is that save for how much money you are going to spend? Is that really what ambition has come to in modern day football, how much money you can throw at players to entice them to your club? If football players had ambition, they would look at the club that they are with (like Saints) and see if they could get to the top with that club. Not jump ship to a club that waves more money under their nose and that plays CL year in year out. Ok maybe that is a little off the mark, as players want to see how they fare in the CL. Earning a shît load more money isn't ambition in footballing terms.

Everton - big club, massively bigger than little old Saints. New owner and lots of money, £100m no less. Therefore he would be expected to do better than what he is doing here, which basically means Champions League.

Don't care too much about history. The next game is the most important one, and looking backwards doesn't help. If you are interested in history buy a VHS rather than a season ticket.

Wholly agree with you. We have our club. It maybe shît to some. But it is our shît and far better than supporting some club that I have absolutely no connection with. I went onto their forum linked up the page and there are some strange posts on there. Magnanimity (and respect) is in serious short supply. One of the first things I was told when taking a selling job is never to belittle the opposition/competition as all it does is make you look small time. Everton are better than that (or rather, they should be), but as you say, I don't really give a damn. Whatever people say about Saints isn't going to change the way that I view the club. I know perfectly well what the club is. I know it's good points and bad points and after 40 years of supporting it, I'm really not going to be concerned/upset/annoyed/rattled or what ever by things others say. It's football. I love my club, others don't and vice versa.

Cannon fodder like Bournemouth?? I would have liked the South Coast to be better represented in the PL. Us, B'mouth, Brighton. Maybe Plymouth, Exeter and Yeovil too - OK that's pushing it a bit, but would be good.

Italy, Spain, UK, Argentina and Portugal are done. So that leaves Germany and France. Maybe Turkey or Greece. Yes - Turkey. There's the place for him.

I find it faintly amusing all these supporters going on about history. Most of them probably weren't even alive when they won the league. It also makes you look a bit Mickey Mouse if you have to resort to that sort of argument. We all know that EFC has a bigger fan base and has been under performing for years, and is a "bigger" club. They are behaving like Pompey - maybe it is living in the shadow of a bigger club that makes them so chippy. History is worth a big round fat zero points in the league and is just a way of not having to face up to the failures that are plain to see.

Brighton down to 10. 4 injuries. And half an hour to go.

I feel sorry for him. Let's face it, he is different from Lovren, Clyne etc. He came to us as a nipper and we made him into what he is (or was). Shame that all the work that went into making him a £25m defensive midfielder seems to have disappeared.

BP, not sure he will actually. You name me one who would take the chance?

My comedy moment was the Scousers throwing away a 2 goal lead - I should have put seeing RK running down the touch line to celebrate, but presume that that is a given as being part and parcel of it.

Agree. Also getting out of the stadium from high up the stands is a pain in the backside. Would be good to have another exit at the top of the stand straight out the back of the stadium to ground level.

I am not sure whether to pity him or not. He has got a fair few screws loose.

Ah ha. Didn't actually consider that bit.

Yes, but was he interfering with play? That's the problem with this damned rule - it is open to interpretation. I personally (was only half watching) didn't think he did interfere with play, not like Kane against us.