Cabrone

Yes, the Camara goal was the loudest I've heard. SMS was like a pressure cooker as the game ebbed and flowed - thought the roof was going to blow off that afternoon.

Yes he was the best of Harry's desperate deals in that 'swing Lowe from the Itchen bridge' train wreck of a season. The rest of them were chuffing sh*te though, Davenport? Bernard? Jamie 'pay day' Redknapp? It really was do or die kamikazi stuff. That's what happens when you're down the bottom and looking desperate though.

Threads like this give me horrible flashbacks to 04-05 when we were like a drowning man flailing around desperately using anyone who vaguely expressed an interest in getting a big pay cheque, Camara and Redknapp spring to mind but I'm sure there were others.

Just like Black was, or VVD? Manager picks the team, manager sets the tone. The manager didn't pick Austin for an eternity and wondered why we weren't scoring goals. The manager is still utterly fixated on 1 up front from the start even though it's been a complete flop, not even a glimmer of hope that he might try something different. His influence permeates throughout and it's a defensive, cowering one. Take a 1-0 lead and defend, invite pressure and invariably concede. Players heads have dropped, Gabbi looks a shadow of his former self and the lack of spearhead has screwed up the whole 11. Les Reed is to blame as much as he hired this guy and still appears to refuse that he isn't up to it, but the bottom line is MP has taken an adequate squad and wrecked it. Maybe he's a nice guy - unfortunately being a nice guy doesn't necessarily make you a good manager.

Agreed - I think the majority of fans would like to see him back here, see what he can do. Looks like the Brum fans are starting to warm to him now their manager is playing him as a CF. Why are we thinking of spending good money on an iffy looking striker when we already have one that looks promising and plays in the same role? Not saying we shouldn't get a CF in - we absolutely should - but get a proven one that we know can do the business and if we aren't prepared to do this then at least recall what we actually have got.

Player agrees to go on a deal, buying club backs out because they think they are paying too much - as is their right. Player's contract runs down, buying cub comes back a few months later and agrees a cheaper deal. Not sure what he's getting worked up about.

Ralph: What is it? Les: I don't know but it cost me £75M.

As someone who still loves the cups really chuffed to have gotten through that, thought we'd lose TBH but we didn't look too bad. Thought Long took his 'goal' pretty well too even if it didn't count. MP as per usual only played 1 up front, why doesn't he at least try 2 up front from the start in a game or two and see how it goes? He's got such a fixed mindset, no plan B whatsoever. Anyway it sounds like the club are going to stick with him so what will be will be, I'd prefer him gone but we're stuck with him so let's hope we can get at least get a little cup run and survive in the league (which is now a coin toss for me).

Looks like a real gamble, especially as our prem status is on the line. Would like to see a proven act but that's going to cost a lot of money. Agree with getting Gallagher back. How long is Charlie out?

'He's not an excuse guy and we like the human being he is, the coach he is, and the potential for our squad moving forward with him in the lead' He might be a 'nice guy' but he's a lousy manager. Has Krueger been watching anything? Heads firmly in the sand and relegation looking like a scary possibility now.

To be honest the only thing about tonight was that we managed to score. Man Utd was also down to them having a poor day, not anything our manager did. The difference tonight was that Palace have a manager that knows what he's doing and we don't but then you could say the same thing about umpteen other games this season. We have the worst manager in the prem and quite why the board can't see this is utterly baffling. We can still get out of this self inflicted nightmare but only if the club: A) Gets rid of MP right now and replaces him with a manager that believes in attacking football (I'm starting to forget what it's like to see 2 up front). B) We get a proven goal scorer. Be prepared to spend big on a good spearhead, forget CH's, attacking mids etc - we MUST get a goalscorer or we're done. If we have any cash left over then strengthen elsewhere but goals should be the boards overwhelming priority. If we do go down it will have to go down as the biggest case of self inflicted damage in the club's history. We should be nowhere the relegation zone, it's quite incredible how badly managed the team has been.

Palace haven't lost in any of the last 5 matches whereas we haven't won. I personally think that they, like us, are better than their position suggests. However the signs are that they have a manager that is getting their act together. Palace have goals in them whereas we don't. Goalless draw or loss I'm afraid.

In my time of watching Saints the outstanding CHs have been Wright, Deano, Killer, Toby and Virgil. I'd put Toby as the best and Killer/Virgil 2nd. Commanding in the air, great attacking distribution and a threat up front. Toby was a better out and out defender though and no coincidence that we had a mean defence when he was here.

Not for me, he's too injury prone and doesn't score enough. I want SFC to go big on a proven goal scorer, Giroud would be fantastic but can't see it. Not easy to get a good target man but the club must secure one if they want to stay in the prem. Trouble is if MP stays he will probably destroy any decent player.

I've been around long enough not to get too worked up about players coming and going and to get £75M for Virgil is a superb piece of business. Of course we now need to spend wisely, not on experiments but proven players. We need to go big on a goal scorer now that Charlie is out otherwise where are the goals coming from? However top priority MUST be a decent manager if we can find one. I still think that with a good motivator in charge and Gabi plus a real spearhead up front that this squad could do pretty well in this league. Don't feel any particular animosity to Virgil, football is a business and we've done well by him. Ironically it could be his lack of loyalty that saves our conversation prem status.

The best 'signing' would be to replace the manager is with someone competent. That would be worth a few players. After that I'd spend big on a goal scorer. Current squad plus decent manager plus regular goal scorer would see a massive improvement in all areas but MP has to go.

I like him, bought to score goals and has never let us down. Not his fault the plum in charge didn't pick him for so long, says more about mp than Charlie. And yes, I do like the back story. He's reached the prem the hard way and full credit to him, makes him more relatable in my book. Funny how some players can't score in a brothel yet are constantly praised for running around yet others who know how to do the business get slagged at the slightest excuse. Evidently running is good whereas intelligence and razor sharp finishing ability is meh.

TBH I always thought he'd be a punt as he wasn't pulling up trees at Norwich and was cheap. That said like a lot of the players I've not seen him under a decent manager so there's still a part of me that is willing to give him a chance. Let's get a decent manager first and then we can truly judge the players. Even the best would struggle under this incompetent manager.

The new guy surely must be realising that mp is not up to it. I'd suggest that he gets shot of his ass before his £200M gets flushed down the pan. It's beyond a joke now.

The football is dull defensive s..t and he has no clue as to who his best players are and where to play them. If he stays then Premier league football is touch and go, either way ST sales will nosedive. Someone needs to put him and us out of our misery ASAP.

He's overstayed his welcome by about 6 games for me. By now the club could have put someone in charge who would have had us moving forward but instead we are stuck with Mr Negative and his rigid 1 up front , no plan B, players out of position, bizarre team selections management 'style'. TBH just waiting for the club to sack him now. It hasn't worked and both sides need to be put out of their misery.

I admire the OP's optimism with 2 up front but this manager has never ever shown any inclination to start with 2 up front and I don't see him changing it for this game. He'll probably start with 1 up front, try to nick a goal and then go ultra defensive because he hasn't got a clue and doesn't care if he bores everyone senseless.

If we get into a relegation situation then MP will probably go even more defensive if that's possible, sort of a 10-0-0 formation with everyone crowded into the goalmouth. Don't think we will go that far down though, the squad isn't that bad despite the manager's best efforts at getting us down there.

It's time for chairman Gao's cultural revolution. Football is supposed to be entertaining.

Currently on track for 36 points, very touch and go. Another nail in MP's coffin, surely he can't go on for much longer?