Chewy

Both Toby and Bertrand are here on loan, no certainty that they'll be staying, so it makes sense to be looking at alternatives.

Well thank goodness you're not the manager. This thin squad argument is a myth. Aside from in goal we have adequate (and in some places excellent) cover, and I'm led to believe we can recall boruc if needed. Rotation is over used and unnecessary unless you have a 60 game campaign with the modern european format. We don't. The most consistent selections this season have been by us and Chelsea. The two best sides? Yep, you got it. Yes football has changed, but the liverpool that dominated 30 years ago had a far thinner squad than we do, and played more games. We can cope. And two failed cup wins and a mid-table finish would hardly be a below par performance versus our last ten to twenty years, would it? I know you're trolling and I'm biting, but your posts are utterly stupid.

I think this is possibly the most ridiculous thread I've ever seen on here. The op is gibberish. We are having the season of our lives. Who knows where our form will take us and when it will end. Ride the crest of a wave and try and win something, be it a cup win, a european place or even, unbelievably, a champions league spot. But we should commit on all fronts. We can not pick and choose, we've had so little real success over the years that we have to try and take every opportuniy available to us, be it the league, league cup or fa cup. To suggest now, in November, that we should give up on one front to try and improve our chances on another, completely unlikely front, is bonkers. Get real.

Firstly, I think I speak for everyone when I say this spat is getting very boring. Secondly, cb, it is obvious to absolutely everyone that he was posting a hypothetical set of results to try and back up his argument, not his actual predictions. It's a simple concept, making your subsequent posts even more tedious than the whole argument between you both already is. Please, for the love of God, stop it. We are second in the league. Try and be happy people, not sad Internet bores.

That's a beautiful little story.

Seriously, I'd like to know. I've spent almost 40 years accepting that my Saturday evenings (and since the premier league, Saturday lunchtimes, Sunday lunchtimes and evenings and possibly Monday nights) will be mostly ruined by the saints result, occasionally interspersed with an uplifting result, and even more occasionally with an outstanding result against a top team. This year? Turn up and win, turn up and win. It's so monotonous it's almost boring. I can't get my head around it. How's a saints fan meant to react? I genuinely don't know what I'm meant to do. Please help me.

Don't worry, we've still to play them twice so will make up 6 points in those games easily enough

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This is one of the best weekends I can remember in a long time as a saints fan. Spurs and Liverpool lose embarrassingly, so do united. None of the players or manager who left had a good day except chambers. And we win away and are second in the league with our best start since 1988. What's not to like? Shame Pompey got a point, but even then, they're in league two playing Wycombe. I so hope we back it up by tonking Harry next weekend.

I think this season looks very open outside of the top 2. Chelsea should win comfortably with citeh second. Arsenal will probably be third. If wenger ever got the concept of replacing vieira they would be able to challenge, but as long as he picks 5 pretty ball playing midfielders that will be their limit. Thereafter it's anyone's guess. United has a frightening front line and a frightful defence, with a mediocre midfield. Liverpool will do nothing with gerrard as their anchor man, and with champions league games as well will falter badly. Spurs and Everton will be hampered by the Europa league, I fancy Everton as the best bet for 4th though. Given our start, our squad depth, and a bit of luck I actually think we could pip one or two of those teams and finish even higher than last season. At the bottom, I'd probably go for burnley, palace and qpr just now, but Sunderland, Newcastle and west brom all look poor. Swansea, stoke and hull are our most likely challengers for 'best of the rest', with villa, west ham and Leicester possibly flirting with danger, but ultimately being safe.

Great video, but seriously, was that you singing?? Whoever it was is properly tone deaf.

Even a blind pig finds the odd acorn.

I just spoke to my brother who's going to the game and asked him if he'd donated yet. He hadn't and now will. That's what I think and hope happens right across the fan base today, certainly for anyone going to the match. Ask your mates if they've donated, and make sure they do. As someone said above, it's a cause which will touch almost everyone and it's an epic achievement. I expect today will be by far and away the biggest day for donations.

Disappointed, obviously, but also very encouraged. Tadic and Bertrand look like they could be quite a handful down the left. Thought Morgan and Davis were a bit meh, same with pelle. Wanyama was excellent, Clyne was tosh 1st half but transformed in the 2nd. Maya started shakily but gained confidence as the game went on. Bottom line is we deserved something from a game at one of the top 5 sides, so we don't look too far off last seasons team.

Disappointed, obviously, but also very encouraged. Tadic and Bertrand look like they could be quite a handful down the left. Thought Morgan and Davis were a bit meh, same with pelle. Wanyama was excellent, Clyne was tosh 1st half but transformed in the 2nd. Maya started shakily but gained confidence as the game went on. Bottom line is we deserved something from a game at one of the top 5 sides, so we don't look too far off last seasons team.

I normally break the league down into sets of five. I think we may drop from the second five into the third, but would be amazed if we are in the bottom five. My sets are: manure, citeh, arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool; spuds, everton, stoke, toon and us; west ham, hull, Swansea, qpr and palace; west brom, villa, burnley, Leicester and Sunderland.

Like.

I like this idea. My left field suggestion is that the fa employ people on central contracts and loan them to clubs each year for a fee plus wages. The fa would try and ensure that their best players get regular football so stop the biggest clubs hoarding players to sit on the bench, and if done globally it would allow smaller nations to stop all of their players going abroad. But as all the money sits with the clubs this would never happen. The other option would be to cap basic wages and allow the astronomical extra to be paid as bonuses based on appearances and performance, incentivising players to want first team football rather than sit on a bench, and also to perform.

Think it's more likely that they acted in response to Koeman - I'd imagine he's also asked what the f*** is going on. I can sympathise with Morgan more now than if he'd been the first to leave / express a desire to leave. All the players must have known that we were, what, 3 or 4 players shy of having a real shot at breaking into the top 6. As soon as a couple have gone, the rest will have been thinking that we are heading back down the league, and not wanting to be the only ones left playing in a far less capable team. Would rather he'd had that conversation in private than on twitter, but then if the board aren't communicating with the players before making such statements then why should the players care. We are so miss-managed at the moment it's not funny. My biggest concern is that there was a real sense of a togetherness from the whole club including the academy players, and now it seems that even these kids who are our future will be sitting there thinking exactly the same as us, Morgan, j-rod and Koeman - what the actual f*ck?

#itshappening

I am not, and never have been a bedwetter, but even I would be very concerned if we sold chambers. There is absolutely no reason to, and if chambers is forcing the issue I'd be really worried as to why everyone is so keen to leave. I really hope this is rubbish ...

Well yes, but we're not a champions league side able to afford 22 top class players to give like for like cover. In midfield we have Davis, wanyama, cork, reed, ward-prowse, gaston, tadic, and even Flanagan who's played some of the friendlies. Compare that to left back where we targett (never played) and Clyne (a right back) Or the wings where we have tadic and three untried youngsters (McQueen, isgrove and Sinclair) Or up front where we have a crocked j-rod, pelle (could be a bony, could be an altidore), mayuka (not good enough for a relegated french side), sharp (not good enough for a championship side) and Gallagher (looks promising, but nowhere near proven) Or centre back where post lovren we have the own-goal machine jos, maya, Fonte and an untried youngster Or in goal where we have boruc and two leaky buckets as back up. Morgan is great, but there are much bigger priorities for the squad than replacing him. The standard of cover in midfield would be diminished but at least there is still cover unlike any other position in our squad apart from right back. And indeed, some of our positions don't even have a suitable standard first choice.

Sorry, but I disagree. Our form in the first season back in the premier league improved when cork returned from injury, and our best runs of form last season were when we had wanyama, especially in terms of goals conceded. Morgan is an excellent player no doubt, but I think we have enough options in midfield. I'd far rather we got a gk, dc (2 if / when lovren goes) a left back, a winger and a cf before looking at a replacement midfielder. If the funds allow a replacement then great, but the squad has bigger priorities IMHO.

I heard that he left due to the clubs lack of ambition, saying that his head was already in Liverpool ...

As it stands right now my premier league table is: Chelsea City United Arsenal Liverpool Spurs Everton Newcastle Stoke West ham Palace Saints Swansea Hull Sunderland Qpr Villa Leicester West brom Burnley Cup winners Everton Promoted Fulham, reading and Wigan