positivepete

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/20150606-st-marys-pitch-renovation-under-way-2484431.aspx A couple of pre-seasons where the normal pitch preparation has been disrupted, although Andy Gray was confident that the pitch would be better this season. I seem to remember also reading that installing the undersoil heating meant that they had to have a new mixture of natural and artificial grass, and the extra amount of natural grass was affecting the quality of the pitch. I noticed this week the the subs were moved regularly during the warm up so that they did not destroy one square of the pitch.

It is all about partnerships, and these two look like they could be a good one. Both players are prepared to attempt positive forward passes as well as safe passes when required. They move around more as a pair supporting each other more than any other combination we have tried this season.

Well to be fair that was his best game for us....

Mind you Boro have only conceded 12 goals in 24 league games this season and are top, so not surprising that they have not changed their defensive line up much

Would Pep go there with no Champions League next season?

The Times had an article a couple of days ago where it was stated that Chelsea were impressed with Koeman, and he will be on their short list. Maybe that is where the link with Pelle comes in.

We did go for Butland but his mentor went to Stoke, that is why he joined them

If we are going to change our style to accommodate someone like Austin, I would rather see Ryan Seager given a go

i went to see Millwall play a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say he looked ok. Made a fantastic save in the first minute, and was calm and collected the rest of the match, commanding his area well. kept a clean sheet. Millwall also had a decent left sided midfield player.

Gareth Crooks thinks very highly of the set up at Southampton. I have sat down with him a couple of times for lengthy chats about football in general and the first thing that struck me was how different (and much better) he comes across one to one than he does on the telly.

Thanks Dutchie. those of us fortunate to have seen Clasie play for Holland or for Feyenoord before he joined us would know that his passing and control of the tempo is exactly why Ron wanted him. I certainly had no doubts he would show those qualities.

They have also taken some seats out to accommodate cameras in line with the penalty area or thereabouts in both ends of the Kingsland. And the seats they left in and tagged "restricted view" actually have no view of one half of the pitch from behind the cameras, so I doubt they sell them very often.

Using the corresponding fixtures method we are on course for 58 points as opposed to 60 last year. After four games we were on course for 53 points, after the Chelsea game, 59 points. It supports the fact that we are only just getting back to the form we showed last season, which I think most would agree with.

Blimey, bit of an over reaction on here. Yes we conceded possession in the second half but it took them until the 86th minute to have a decent shot on goal. We were in no danger in the second half. It was like a training exercise. Poor challenge from Vic for his second yellow. He had an up and down game. Terrible back pass in the first half that should have led to us conceding. Our two goals were lovely pieces of play, as was much of the first half. Cherries had nothing in the final third, that is a major concern for them, but meant that the players were much more in control than the fans on here, and many in the stadium.

was it Neil Moss who saved the penalty against 'Boro and Ravenelli? If I recall this game was also notable for the injury to Robbie Slater and the introduction of Matt Oakley who had a stuuning match

I remember watching Boruc playing for Poland against Northern Ireland during his Celtic days. He got huge amounts of abuse and had a complete meltdown. Couldn't happen again could it?

Is a loan better than playing against or with our first team every day in training? Certainly not if they are not getting regular game time.

Probably, and certainly will not be Austin.

It will be more interesting following them in France than England. There will be great atmospheres at the games and around the grounds. Ps. Nearly forgot. Well done Steve. Interesting to see how many he scores this season now.

Reasonable on what we know after 8 games except Swansea who I think might finish higher. Be interesting to see how much it changes after 15 games.

I am in San Francisco / Oakland for this game. Any Saints fans in that area?

And the irony being that Jose has just been charged by the FA for his post match comments about referee bias! If only Jose had said the bias was the other way, I wonder how the FA would have reacted....

Stek's passing accuracy to all areas of the pitch is outstanding, bar far the best in the Premier League. His presence gives the defence confidence. I would say we have done very well to get him on a one year deal. Whether he will be here next year is another matter and I expect that depends on how 44 gets on with his recovery. As we have seen with J-Rod, being physically fit and getting confidence back are two separate issues.

Interesting to see if Caulker plays, rumours of an alleged incident in town recently that involved the police.

I wish him well for his recovery, fantastic player. A key team member of our glory recovery years.