BARCELONASAINT

I already feel sorry for this lad, he arrives and we should be really pleased to have someone that potentially could be an improvement on what we have up front.....but instead most of us are really P***ed off that VVD is out long term and no CB have been brought in....welcome to the club MG!!!

which is it guys, the bad news I can cope with....it's the hope that is killing me!!!

The positive part in me says that the club are not too worried about securing a another full back because the injury to VVD is not as bad as first thought and he will be back very soon....the pessimistic part of me is saying oh my god have we royally screwed this up and are risking everything on a centre back pairing of Yoshida/stephens or Yoshida/Gardos.....normally i don't worry about the January transfer window but this one has me really concerned....however 6 hours still to go....anything can happen he says praying for good news

As much as we could do with a new striker i'm more concerned that we might not get a new defender in which i believe will seriously cost us given VVD is now confirmed as out for several weeks (which could be 3/4 weeks but easily could be 10/12 weeks!

I suppose it's possible he's being allowed to say goodbye and might come on in the final minute or so.....however i must admit i find it strange as well that he is featuring tonight.

some of you really make me laugh.....I had no doubts that virtually the whole first team would be rested after Wednesdays brilliant result and effort by the players. We do not have the squad depth and hopefully in the next 72 hours we will see some incomings. We were always going to lose today after Wednesday night and i personally dont want to risk anymore first teamers being injured when we are already going to Wembley

it's going to be a long evening.....i've taken the attitude that i really dont care about this game....just as well now...lol

must admit that this is the first time i can remember not really being bothered if we go out of the cup this afternoon. Yes i would love us to beat Arsenal but i will still be happy if we have lost at full time in the knowledge we are already going to Wembley. In my mind the most important thing now for us is to avoid any more serious injuries and to pick up form in the league so we go to the cup final on a rich vein of form.

On such a high right now not sure i'm going to be able to sleep!.......got to go into work tomorrow and beg someone to work my duty weekend on the 26th Feb now:uhoh:

gutted beyond belief that VVD is missing tonight.....trying not to be pessimistic but its bloody hard

Thanks for posting these articles. I confess i have never seen this lad play but i do like what i've read about him.

I honestly think so much depends on VVD being able to play

I find Fontes instagram message interesting because there is no hint of any falling out with other players or the manager......it really does suggest he believed rightly or wrongly that he deserved a better deal in light of his summer success and the board were not prepared to give him what he wanted. I can understand that he then felt very aggrieved after his long and loyal service to the club and thought enough is enough i can get the deal i want elsewhere. Personally i dont think he got that deal....i think pride has played a huge part in him accepting West Ham. Huge respect to him for his parting words to Saints fans.

I do wonder how many on here actually go to or watch Saints games that are available online. Yoshi has taken his chance this season and deservedly is playing alongside VVD. Yoshi has the perfect temperament, he has been a model professional and his performances have been good this season. I except he has has made the odd error.....so what so has VVD and he is our outstanding player this season. I'm sorry Fonte is going and the way he appears to be leaving.....if he was going to a bigger club i would have wished him well but he's going to West Ham who are most definitely not a step up.....they are the best of what was on offer and Fonte has cut his nose off to spite his face. I hope we do sign another quality defender....but i'm happy we have Yoshi

Deulofeu from Everton is available and only 22years old, great pedigree having come from Barcelona. When Everton signed him Barcelona inserted a buy back clause should he turn out to be what they had hoped! Is there a good player there to be had, right age for us and a career that has not quite manifested itself to the potential that was expected. Personally i always liked what i saw of him....and he has an eye for goal.

I will refrain from being argumentative and expressing my thought about JWP ability or lack off and instead ask one very serious question.......why have all the previous managers and the present one continued to play him???....what is it that they see that so many on here do not??....It is genuinely interesting to see how many on hear think he is absolute garbage but manager after manager have picked him.

Wow is how I feel this morning. I went to the game last night fully expecting us to get turned over and we go and produce a complete TEAM performance. Everyone battled out there last night closing down and rarely letting any Liverpool player have too much time on the ball.It is difficult to single out individual performances because this was a team performance....however our man mountain Captain VVD was immense and a complete leader of men out there last night. He was brilliantly assisted by Romeu who has emerged out of the shadow of Wanyama to show what a top player he is.Redmond gets a lot of criticism on here but last night he was a royal pain in the arse for the Liverpool defence....and stood in the Northam his goal was a joy to watch!Must say I thought our fans totally got behind the team tonight and the atmosphere in the Northam end was great with some funny chanting, I particularly liked "we won a free kick, we won a free kick, we are Southampton we won a free kick"....yes that ref really does need his bank account investigating today to see how many deposits from Liverpool he got!!Can we reach our first League Cup Final in almost 40 years.....YES WE CAN, WE ARE SOUTHAMPTON, WE MARCH ON!!

got my ticket for this game but considering it's a Cup semi final i've never been less excited about a game and would happily not go. I'm not slagging off our side, the manager or the board but i'm realistic enough to know we don't stand a chance ON CURRENT form. Liverpool have rested their entire first team for the game against Plymouth and it is clear they are going for this tie big time. I will support my team and hope against hope that the footballing gods somehow smile on our players who rediscover the art of free flowing attacking football with some end product. It wouldn't be so bad against any other team but it's Liverpool and my god i hate them and their arrogant supporters.

Lets put this all into perspective...Fonte is paid what?...about £70,000 pw to do what he absolutely loves. He earns in 1 week 3 times the average national YEARLY salary. He will retire from football somewhere in his mid to late 30's and unless he has been a complete plank he should never have to do a days hard work. God i feel so sorry for him:x

mmmm, not sure what to say about this...surprised???....no not in the least, I think everybody had worked out Fonte wanted out months ago and was hoping a big money move would have happened in the summer. Personally i think he was made to look a bit of a **** with his lack of communication with the fans after the Euro's.....it was obvious he hoped for a move then. He has been brilliant for us, no question. Is this a good time to sell?...hmmm, possibly if the price is right.....personally i hope a Chinese club are in for him because they are paying massively over the odds for players and the amount we would get from China WOULD buy an adequate replacement. I honestly cannot see a top 6 Premiership side coming in for him and if thats the case why would he leave....which then makes you wonder if there has been some massive player revolt. Either way it's a sad way for a player like Fonte to leave and i put this on par with Lallana leaving. Another loved by the fans but is now loathed by many for the way he handled himself....surprisingly after another big football tournament!!!

This does not bode well for the rest of the season.....whoever said supporting Saints was dull:lol: I won't get too down in the dumps about this as there is no point....there is nothing i can do to change things and generally speaking nothing we fans can do as a whole....look at the last time fans on here championed a boycott or walking out of a game at a certain point:? I will just wait to see how this all plays out

I'm no different to any Saints fan out here.....even Heisenberg:lol:....I want to see us challenging at the top, maybe winning trophies and keeping hold of all our star players. However i like to think that after over 40 years of supporting Saints and just being a football fan in general i have a realistic view of football and what most owners of clubs want or are prepared to accept. Marcus took over a club that was worth very little and between he and now Kat has turned it into a well run club with assets worth absolutely millions more than they inherited...by anyones standards that is success. We have had seasons of success upon success and now find ourselves in that group of about 6 clubs potentially challenging for a European spot each season. Personally i think most owners of a football club would take this story of success and financial security every day of the week......football fans have a different outlook, they want all of the above and to be winning trophies and qualifying for Europe every season....(take Arsenal fans for an example, fantastic success under Wenger and yet they really are a bunch of miserable gits wanting more and more) I think most owners of clubs go into every season with the ambition to do well and improve on the previous season and if luck is on their side have a decent cup run....and if luck really is on their side a cup final....however i honestly don't think the majority care about a cup.....they care about survival, not making a huge loss and hopefully having one or two players that have a blinding season that increases their stock value.....This is a business to the owners of clubs, nothing more nothing less (i accept there are a few insanely rich owners that care not about losing money providing they can buy a title) Whatever the football fans will still turn up to games....especially if you continue to be a top flight club....yes u may lose a few but in general we love our sport and love our club. As we go into 2017 accept that football is a business and unless we get taken over by an insanely rich owner we will continue to be a decent top flight club that will sometimes get some great results and might get lucky to get a good cup run but we will never challenge the top 4 and unlikely challenge the top 6....a one off like Leicester is all we can dream about. Have a good 2017 all Saints fans including you Heisenberg....relax more.

that was a silly tackle when we are already down to 10 players

Sometimes you just have to hold you hands up and admit the opposition are better without slating everyone of our players and having to have a scapegoat. Poch has got his tactics spot on and we can't deal with it. It was a penalty and it was a red card....if that happened against that we would have all been baying for a pen and a sending off. Personally i think Puel got it wrong playing Redmond, Boufal and Jayrod all together against this Spurs side.

Personally i think the board have got it spot on with this one, they offered him a pay rise to reflect his position within the club after a great season for the club and Fonte. He is contracted to 2018. Think back how many time we bought players and offered silly money to ageing pro's looking for that last big pay packet.....some worked out, some didn't. We are no longer that club, thank god. Fonte has been excellent for Saints and i love the guy.....but Saints have been fantastic for him, lets not forget that! I completely understand him wanting to extend his contract and therefore extend his Premiership footballing days but this is a business and i believe the board are doing what is right for the club. I'm sorry but Fonte does not really have much to moan about at all.