Minsk

Or, alternatively, the one more likely to contribute to us scoring a goal. You know, the one has scored times this season, as opposed to the one who hasn't scored in a full competitive match since May 2015.

Didn't deserve to lose that. Not sure where the 5 minutes came from. A much, much, better performance. Now hoping the players to take out their frustration against Bournemouth on Sunday!!

Watching the match live on a Russian channel. The commentators think we are very unlucky not to be in front at half-time and that the best 2 players during the first half were Lemina and Forster! I must admit, I enjoyed watching that half. Here's hoping we can keep it up!!!

It is a squad game nowadays, plus we will need pace and movement to hit them on the break. With that in mind, completely change it up in midfield and up front from Sunday - which will have the added bonus of those guys then being fresh for next Sunday. ---------------------Forster--------------------- ---------Yoshida-----VvD--------Hoedt--------- Cedric----------------------------------Bertrand ---------------Lemina-----Romeu--------------- -------Redmond-------------------Long--------- ---------------------Gabbiadini------------------- But it will probably be: -----------------------Forster--------------------- Cedric------Yoshida----------VvD---------Bertrand --------------PEH-----------Romeu-------------- Davis-----------------Tadic---------------Redmond -----------------------Long-------------------------

Match Day 13 - home to Everton - WON 4-1 Finally, a very good performance (even accounting for the opposition being pretty awful right now) with all 4 goals coming from open play!! Match Day Comparison Last season we won Match Day 13 by a single goal to nil, at home to Everton. So we remain with a..... 1 point deficit Match by Match Comparison As mentioned above, we also beat them at home last season, which means we remain with a..... 4 point deficit Next up, on Wednesday, is Match Day 14 and little matter of an away trip to table topping (and winning every match) Man City. Last season we lost Match Day 14, by a 3-0 scoreline, away to Palace; whilst our trip to the Etihad saw us return with a point due to a 1-1 draw. Right now, I honestly believe a draw would be an outstanding achievement for us this time around! COYS

Match Day 12 - away to Liverpool - lost 3-0 I must admit, I didn't watch this match nor any 'highlights' - as I don't think there were any from a Saints perspective...... Match Day Comparison Lat season we drew Match Day 12, 0-0, at home to Liverpool. So, one point dropped gives us a...... 1 point deficit Match by Match Comparison A 0-0 draw was also the scoreline last season away to Liverpool. Therefore, another point dropped gives us a....... 4 point deficit As you can see, which ever way you look at it, we are now officially worse than at this stage last season. Moreover, in my opinion, we are playing far worse football to boot! Next up, on Match Day 13 (13!), is a must win match at home to Everton. Last season Match Day 13 was also our home fixture against Everton; which was won, 1-0, thanks to a first minute strike by Charlie Austin. Failure to win this time will, obviously, put us even further behind in comparison to last season........ Just a bit of further information: our home match against Everton last season came three days after our trip to, and defeat in, Prague; this year, we will play the Toffees three days after their home match against Atalanta in the Europa League - which they have already been (effectively) knocked out of and should, if they are wise, play an U23/reserve side in.

Feel free to pop along to the other end of the M27. I believe you should find a team playing in league 1 there............ I know my dad (now in his 80's) and many others, in those days, used to visit The Dell one Saturday and Fratton Park the next. What is seriously weird, is anyone who would actually want their team to be relegated 2 divisions so that they get to attend cheaper matches and see more Saturday 3.00pm kick-offs....... Here's a thought, how about going to cheer on Eastleigh, or Sholing, or maybe just pop along to your local playing fields of a Saturday afternoon - that would be even cheaper and with even fewer players 'on the gravy train'.

IF this is true, why today? Why has it taken a week? What is the point in doing this now? Is now, with matches against stronger teams coming up, the best time to change tactics? Other than switching to a different formation (3-4-1-2/5-3-2) I think not. If MP was going to be given the boot it should have happened at least 6 days ago, giving us a week (at most) to bring in his replacement and (at least) a week for that guy to prepare for the Liverpool match.

I just use the good old, tried and tested, word of mouth and/or friends/relatives; over here and back in the UK. Back home (I'm originally from Eastleigh) I have: a nephew who fits kitchens (has his own business and is very good - currently lives in Romsey area); 2 nephews who are plumbers; a brother and a cousin who work in the building trade (not actually builders but have lots of contacts); and a good mate who is an electrician. I know a fair few people who are on Checkatrade and are very reputable. Of course, I am sure there are a few cowboys too.

Okay, I know we have got the international break now but this game is already on my mind. I am sure many will be hoping it is the first match for a new manager; however, I will be extremely surprised if that is the case. In any event, there are many questions to be asked about the team and tactics for this one: Do we go (even more) ultra-defensive? Should we go to 3/5 at the back? (I know Pellegrino preferred that formation last season when Alaves played the big teams, especially away from home) Will everyone come back from the international break fit and healthy? Will Lemina be fit for this one? (I sincerely hope so) Should VvD even be included in the match day squad? And, if he is, should he be handcuffed to someone at all times (except during the actual match, obviously) to stop him sneaking away for a 'chat' with Klopp? If so, who should he be handcuffed to? (I would go for Fraser for 2 reasons: 1. he is one of the few players bigger than VvD; 2. if VvD were to convince him (Fraser) to allow a meeting maybe it would force Liverpool into bidding for him too. Personally, assuming all are fit and healthy, I would go with: ---------------------------------Fraser------------------------------ -----------------Maya-----------VvD-----------Hoedt--------------- Cedric----------Lemina-------------------Romeu---------Bertrand --------------------------------Boufal------------------------------- ----------------Long-----------------------Gabbiadini--------------

Match Day 11 - Home to Burnley - Lost 0-1 Match Day Comparison Last season we lost Match Day 11, by a 2-1 scoreline, away to Hull (although that did come just 3 days after beating Inter 2-1 at home). No points either lost or gained means we remain.... on equal points to this stage last season Match by Match Comparison Last season we beat Burnley at St Mary's, 3-1. The three points dropped here means we now have a....... 3 point deficit Next up, on Match Day 12, is a trip away to Liverpool. Last season, strangely enough, Match Day 12 was our home fixture against Liverpool. I am sure most will remember that both of our league matches against Liverpool last season in 0-0 draws. Just for once, I think I would be happy with that scoreline this time around - but I wouldn't put any money on it............

Very good post. I am generally a 'happy clappy, get behind the club' type. Like you, the only managers I ever jumped on the bandwagon in wanting sacked were the ones you mentioned above - but I woke up this morning hoping to see the news that Pellegrino had already gone.

Match Day 10 - away to Brighton - drew 1-1 I don't think anyone should ever really grumble about an away draw, but somehow this feels like 2 points dropped - especially given our early lead. Match Day Comparison Last season we lost Match Day Ten, 2-0, at home to Chelsea. The one point gained puts us..... on equal points at this stage last season Match by Match Comparison Last season we won (2-1) away to Middlesbrough - whose place in the PL Brighton took. Two points dropped means we are now also.... on equal points at this stage last season Once more, this demonstrates that - in the league - we are no better or worse (thus far) than last season. Of course, we have not had to contend with European football, got knocked out of the EFL Cup at the first hurdle and have as yet only played one of the 'big teams'...... Next up, on Match Day 11, is a home fixture against the mighty Burnley. Last season we lost Match Day 11 (2-1) away to Hull; however, our home match against Burnley gave us a 3-1 win. Oh for 3 Saints goals tomorrow............. COYS

And if those missed penalties had gone in?????? It wasn't Puel who missed them. He did a good job last season and shouldn't have been given the boot. However, you are right in that Pellegrino wasn't the best replacement..... Remains to be seen what he can do over the season; I very much doubt he will be replaced any time soon.

This

Match Day 9 - Home to WBA - won 1-0 What was looking to become yet another frustrating 0-0 draw (mainly thanks to the Baggies anti-football) despite having the majority of possession, was overturned by what will surely be the goal of the season from Sofiane Boufal. Match Day Comparison Last season we got one point from Match Day 9 with a 1-1 draw away to Man City. The 2 points extra we gained here now puts us on a..... 1 point deficit Match by Match Comparison Last season we also scored one goal against the Baggies at St. Mary's, but they scored two. So, three points gained. This makes us....... 2 points better off Next up, on Match Day 10, is an away trip along the coast to Brighton. Fit the purposes of the Match by Match Comparison I will compare them to Middlesbrough from last season. Last season Match Day 10 saw us defeated 0-2 at home by Chelsea; whilst our away trip to Middlesbrough saw us come back with all three points following a 2-1 win. Another away win this weekend, with the away team scoring 2, would be very nice! COYS

Goals on Sunday - featuring Rickie Lambert - thought it was a certain penalty. Foster grabbed Dusan's thigh, clearly impeding him - he did fall rather dramatically though...

Boufal - supersub! A really excellent goal. And good to see Frazer keep (yet another) clean sheet too! A much needed 3 points. My missus will be most happy not to have a grumpy husband this weekend. COYS

Ooopps, let's just update this quick before today's match starts........... So, last time out a drab match producing a 2-2 draw at home Newcastle. Nice to see Gabbi back amongst the goals though, and two decent ones at that. Yes, I know one was a penalty but WHAT a penalty! Match Day Comparison Last season we won match day 8 (3-1) at home to Burnley. Therefore, 2 dropped points gives us a..... 3 point deficit Match by Match Comparison I am using Hull for this comparison and last season we only managed a home draw against them too. So, we remain with a... 1 point deficit Next up, very shortly, on Match Day 9 is a home match against WBA. Last season we drew Match Day 9 (1-1) away to Man City; whilst our home game against WBA resulted in a 2-1 defeat.

It is always nice to get a decent opposition supporter on here for some insight, and you do seem like a decent guy. So, no dig at you but, do your lot always cheat by refusing to return the ball to the opposition when the match has been stopped for one (or in this case two) of your players to be treated for (head) injuries? Or was this a one off? What is your take on that situation? We clearly had possession, in your half, when the ref (rightly) stopped play.

Good post, especially the first half!

You do realise that you quoted a post from this time last year? Anyway, thanks for doing so as it means it is just above here for easy comparison to the same time last season. Match Day 7 - Away to Stoke - Lost 2-1 Yet another match where we dominated possession but failed to make it count. I am really starting to get worried about the manager's persistence with starting with the same formation and the same front four....... Match Day Comparison Last season we drew Match Day 7 (0-0) away to Leicester. One point dropped means we now have a...... 1 point deficit Match by Match Comparison Last season we drew 0-0 away to Stoke. A dropped point here means we also have a........ 1 point deficit If you look above, you will see that this time last season the Match Day Comparison was level whilst the Match by Match Comparison was on -2. However, what we need to remember here is that last season was being compared to the highest points we had ever achieved in the PL - 63 points - the season previously (under Koeman); whereas, this season's is a comparison to the 46 point total we attained last season under Puel! We now have a 2 week international break to lick our wounds and for Pellegrino to come up with a master plan to get us scoring, and winning, at St. Mary's. The next match, on Match Day 8, is at home to Newcastle (who replaced Hull in the league this season). Last season we won Match Day 8 (3-1) at home to Burnley; whilst our home match with Hull resulted in an 'all too familiar' 0-0 draw. I would like to say that I am feeling confident all will be well against The Toon, but I have a nagging feeling that MP is not a man for changing his mind very quickly, and am also a bit worried about the fact that he dropped both Maya (yesterday's goal-scorer) and Lemina (our best player thus far this season) after the last break; which, I feel, played a big part in our home defeat to Watford!

Fully agree with that. If only he would play Long and Gabbi together from the start, I think we would be better up front. Ever since they were (briefly) on the pitch together against Sevilla I have been wanting to see them pay in tandem. Hopefully, one match soon........

Match Day 6 - Home to Man Utd - Lost 0-1 I have only seen a few highlights of this match as I was in the air flying back home during the actual game. It seems we put up a spirited 2nd half but, yet again, failed to score at home. Match Day Comparison Last season we won Match Day 6 (3-0 away to West Ham). These dropped 3 points now mean we are.... equal to last season Match by Match Comparison Last season we drew at home to Man Utd. A dropped point here also means that we are now....... equal to last season So, there we have it - six games into the new season and we are exactly where we were last season for both means of comparison. Additionally, we also seem to be exactly where we were at the end of last season with our goal-scoring prowess (or lack thereof) at St. Mary's. I am usually one of the more positive posters on here, but I'm not feeling all warm and fuzzy right now. For me, the main highlight of the season so far has been Mario Lemina - what a joy to watch him play. Next up, on Match Day 7, is an away trip to Stoke. Last season we drew Match Day 7 (0-0) away to Leicester; our match away to Stoke also brought about the same (0-0) scoreline. I guess it comes as no surprise then that I predict the same goalless outcome tomorrow. However, in order to prevent such an outcome I have dropped all Saints players from my fantasy football team for this coming weekend; hoping that will mean we keep a clean sheet and Gabbi will get on the score-sheet. COYS