vectraman

Pompey at home. Smash them 6-0. Laugh at them. Makes me happy !!

Well I hoped for 3-2, wrong way around though. Thanks Saints, bottom three now, can’t see us getting out of that bottom trio this year, with our upcoming fixtures. Tough times ahead I fear.

Fulham have been fortunate, scored twice against the run of play. We will Come back and take this 3-2. I hope... Sub Austin for Obe and have a go at them. They are not great at the back and we will know we can get more goals against them. COYS for a stirring second half comeback - you owe it to our noisy fans who have travelled today.

Our defending (or lack of) at the sixth goal is frankly an utter embarrassment. That is under 11's football in the premier league. God.....

Cedric you total plum.

Le Tiss Keegan Mané Van Dijk

Armstrong busy not bust v Burnley!!

Gunn- not seen him play, highly regarded at City, and reports say he’s been good when playing in Carabao cup 7.5/10 Ings - Really looked the part early on, busy, quick, looked an upgrade on all of our current incumbents 8/10 Armstrong - looked bust against Burnley, injured since. Can’t rate him based on 1 game. Vestergaard- tall and imposing, terribly slow. Has looked ok. Hoedt is not his best partner though. 6/10 Elyanoussi - hugely disappointing so far. No goals or assists. Best moments hitting the bar from 2 yards at palace and missing a sitter of a header V Brighton. Also slow. 3/10 So other than Ings, approx £45 million spent on players no better than we already had. Poor when you can’t afford that kind of money on non first team starter shoe ins. We are still a team that desperately lacks creativity and pace. Been like that for 2 seasons now, and our recruitment does not address it. A big squad of mediocrity breaking into averageness.

Entertaining 2-2 draw.

This. Unless we can sell some of our below average squad fillers, I feel there will be little in the way of players in. We are average or below average all over the pitch apart from GK. Depressing.

I watched MOTD last night - at normal speed Hoedt's tackle looked good. On slo mo replay Hoedt didn't touch the ball, just took Giroud's back foot out as he slid through him. So, retrospectively, with the benefits of replays, it should have been a penalty. They didn't show all of the yellow cards on the highlights - like Bertrand's for moving the ball etc.

2-0 saints tonight. I’m looking forward to it. Games under the lights are always somehow more special, more of an occasion. It’s what makes live football so Much better (to me) than watching it on TV. Come on Saints, two wins on the trot !!

Man City away. Just to end our hopes early Ideally the worst team left at home though please mr cup draw gods...

Saints to win this 2-0. We have a decent side out tonight, should be easily enough to see this Brighton side off

Exactly this - as with all jobs, it’s supply and demand. Premier league players? 800chosen from around the world? Doctors, nurses, police, firemen, medics etc? Hundreds of thousands in the UK alone. Lots of people could be trained to be our well respected emergency response professionals. Virtually no one makes it as a premier league player. It’s all about individual skills, excellence, fitness, coordination. Most people couldn’t even get close. Top tennis players, golfers, F1 drivers, film stars, all earn amazing wages because they are top of the tree. The best, in their field. We should say well done, you’ve made it, good luck to you. But people cant, jealousy shines through and it becomes “ too much, unfair, doctors, nurses etc” Because deep down, we all know people who are police, doctors, nurses etc. They do a fab job, but it’s not beyond lots of people. Top level football player, entertainment industry, loads of cash due to its popularity? Name your price. Market forces, supply and demand. That’s life.

I find it interesting that when Saints were in the Europa league it was a curse. A guarantee of a poor season based on playing Thursday nights every week. Every team that’s been in the Europa league has struggled... For Burnley, it was a blessing, an advantage, having played extra games. So what’s it to be?

No chance I would imagine of any future plans/expectations. Being pragmatic, no fan is going to want to hear “consolidating our Premier league status”. For I believe that is the realistic truth. Top 6 will never happen - the amount of money required to overhaul our average squad, and then compete would be impossible for Saints to achieve. FFP would be the obstacle, even if an incredibly wealthy, money no object new owner came in. As things are, we need to be self sufficient. The new owner won’t put money in, so sadly I think staying up is our aim, and not spending money we don’t have. It’d be a boring and soul destroying speech from Kruger methinks.... To a certain extent, I’d think most level headed fans can see this is the future, although we don’t want to admit it! Say we signed a new striker for 25 million, and we finished 12th in the league as opposed to 14th...we’d get 2 million extra prize money for our large outlay. It wouldn’t make financial sense, and I don’t think out new owner is chasing any dreams other than cost neutral survival.... That’s my take on our future anyway...

Ordered two shirts and shorts for my 10 and 7 year olds. All arrived safely and in good time So thank you Batman for highlighting the special offer - saving 50% is a fab saving in a new shirt. I would never have found the deal so excellent job Batman !!

Let’s not let facts get in the way though...we did play Arsenal (lost 3-2), Chelsea (lost 3-2) and Man City (last second loss) who we would not have expected to get anything from realistically anyway. So take the usual unwinnable games out and it was a decent return. You know and I know and everybody else knows Hughes turned us around and got the players to perform when it really mattered most. But if you want to slate him when the season hasn’t even started then that’s your prerogative I suppose.

Saints to finish 11th and play more attractive football. More goals at both ends! More entertaining games at home!! Man City to win the league again. Arsenal and Chelsea to miss out on top 4. Cardiff, Huddersfield and Brighton to go down.

I think it proves how inept and unadventurous our previous two managers have been. Defensive and non-attacking. I feel confident that under Hughes the team will create and score more goals.

As we are the away side tomorrow, and Croatia play in red and white shirts, what kit are England wearing?

I agree, it'd be like signing Rodriguez - good once, now, probably damaged goods. Sad I know, but signing a twice seriously injured player? Barge pole time sadly.

Clearly Maguire easily mom for me. He was literally immense.

Well done boys, a comfortable win in the end. Well played Pickford, trippier again and it pains me to say Henderson who I thought was very good. Sterling? Got in some great positions, f**ked them up very nicely though. Still unconvinced by him, great pace, no end result. The English Shane Long maybe? Looking forward to Wednesday now, we are good enough to beat Russia or Croatia, they really are not that great. COME ON ENGLAND!!