SaintBobby

Did the BBC commentators really say that? I watched in a noisy bar, so was able to miss the terrible BBC expert commentary...

Sports punditry and commentary in England is seriously feeble. Well, football coverage anyway. I'm always amazed by how much better the US TV coverage is of their major sports. The anchor also forces pundits to state a position beyond "I expect a tight game" or "I fear for them" - and will use this against them if they are wrong.

Presume you mean "Joan of Arc"? (if your intention was to compare her to an historical figure, burned at the stake). Or was Noah's wife called Joan? (and you think she is good at saving animals in bad weather conditions?)

FA Cup. By a mile. The only trade off for the FA Cup would be actually winning the league.

It says in your post at the top of the page that you edited it on grounds of "stupidity". How mind-blowingly stupid was the original?

Seem to recall even Saints wearing the new home kit for the last game of the preceding season about ten years back.

Bit of a side issue this. By the way, it is impossible for two teams to lose all 38 games. If you lose a game, you have to have lost it to someone. So some other club has chalked up a win. As I said though, you can technically be relegated on 57 points, but not on 58. But if this extreme mathematical position is true at the start of the season, it can't be a figure that high (57) with 21 matches gone. As ever, of course, in reality, it will be about 0.9points a game for safety..

Is possibly playing a south London team in the FA Cup 4th round now considered an international break? Ok, then.....

Huh? 57? At the start of the season, 57 is basically enough to guarantee safety. 57 points is W 19 D 0 L 19. For that to end up with you relegated would require all 20 teams to end up with exactly 57 points and for you to go down on GD. A bit far fetched...

Really good article. thanks.

Yes. Pretty much.

6th Behind Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Spurs (in that order). But only a few points behind 3rd/4th/5th. Ahead of Liverpool. Way ahead of Everton (both of whom were considered to be clubs we couldn't realistically "overhaul" not so long ago).

I rather like the "loan, with option to buy" deals we have done for Bertrand and Toby. Although, I'd like have our right-to-buy inked in not pencilled in. Taking a CB and a CF on this basis might make sense. I'm a little less worried about a GK, just cos I imagine the odds are that FF can play every game. But maybe taking someone stronger than Kelvin on loan would be prudent.

What we really want is for City to have nothing to play for on the last match of the season (1st or 2nd place being a certainty), plus them to be in the Champions League final (I assume that's a few days later), plus us to be level with Man Utd heading into that game. They'd roll over, surely?

I've never trusted that site. They seem to treat all individual match results as equally likely (I think they start the season giving every team a 5% chance of becoming champions).

As explained elsewhere, he isn't eligible. Apparently, you can't play in a replay if you weren't registered for the first fixture

I'd go for a few changes. I'd probably start with Targett, Isgrove and Long. Damn shame that Jay's return date has slipped. Biggest worry for me is lack of cover at centre back. If one of Fonte or Gardos gets injured or sent off, we have a massive problem.

That would be a recent change then?

I still think Europa League is the realistic shot and that Champions League is going to be too much of a stretch. We've adapted well to injuries so far, but I still think, sadly, that two of Man Utd, Arsenal, Spurs (and possibly, just possibly, even Liverpool) will end up above us. So, if you're a (mild) pessimist like me and want to chew over how we make it into the Europa League, these are the outcomes you want to maximise our chances: 1. Chelsea to win the Capital One Cup. Alternatively, if Liverpool or Spurs win it, we'd like them to finish in the top 6. That would keep open the chance of Saints only needing to finish 7th to secure European football. We don't want a Sheff Utd win, even if most "neutrals" do. 2. If we don't win the FA Cup ourselves (or end up as runners-up to a top 6 team), we want the final to be between two top six sides. If the final is, say, Stoke v Everton or even Chelsea v Ipswich, this means a Europa League slot going to a team outside of the top six and so seventh in the PL won't secure a Europa League place. 3. Subject to the rider* below, we want an English club to win the Champions League but to finish outside of the top 4. Arsenal are the only credible candidates for this, unless you think Chelsea or Man City might win the CL but collapse so badly in the league that they finish out of the top four. (* I assume that if 5 English teams qualify for the Champions League, that we still get 3 Europa League slots rather than this being cut back to just two?)

The game is def on Weds, right? Surely it's more interesting than f-ing Spurs....

Toby for me.

Paul Telfer

It did use to be very moderately funny. Those days have long since gone. Credit to you though, you do still get the very occasional bite.

It's brilliant trolling by RK. Love it.

Great 41 minute advert. Loved it. For the main audience (presumably Americans with some interest in "soccer"), I particularly liked Ralph's suggestion that Southampton FC are basically the same as the Green Bay Packers...