View From The Top

As it says in the title? I'm going to assume Newcastle and Brighton are going to stay as the top 2, I'd like either Sheffield Wednesday or Huddersfield, but my preference would be Wednesday. Always good for a decent pint, good fans and a traditional style ground.

There has always been zero chance of us going down. None. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Naff all.

Or perhaps those with half a brain can see what he's actually trying to achieve now he has a mobile striker making telling runs and with a week on the training pitch and more to come now we don't have such a killer schedule. With Boufal and Redmond either side, Barry up top and Tadic in the number 10 position we'll be fast and fluid. The 2 fullbacks are both excellent and we know about the issues at CB so the only really question is who partners OR? Of course some would still prefer failure to justify their position. Unlike the low brow

I get that totally. My story is a wee bit different to how I'd like it to be as I won't be able to go with the fellas I'm been going with for over 20 years. When I moved up north 22 years ago I met, through the now defunct Midland Saints, 2 lads, 1 of whom posts on here, Corky Morris (and his dad hasper57saint) and @waggywagman who is on twitter. Home and away we've dragged our sorry arses up and down the country from Newcastle to Plymouth, Carlisle to St Mary's, week in, week out for 21 years. We always had a great laugh as well as a few beers, often at a time when getting any Hampshire based fans to travel north of Villa Park was a major achievement. We've seen us go through uni, been to each others weddings, helped each other through the dark times of family death, serious illness & imprisonment, had kids, grown middle aged and contented but always been mates. We've had season tickets together, taken our kids since they could kick a ball, right up to this year when our kids own sporting endeavours have taken centre stage so the season tickets finally went, mine a couple of years ago, Corky's this year. Waggy due to his own sporting commitments now does a handful of away games a year. So, alas, despite 21 years of going together, watching us get relegated twice together, being there together in our rise we won't be together at Wembley. My son and I will be, we secured our tickets via Northern Saints, Corky missed out as he has only 3 homes and 3 aways and Waggy knew we'd not get one, but as he said, he had Anfield when 1000s missed out because they didn't go because they though we'd lose. So Wembley is bitter sweet for me. I'll have my lad with me, nearly 15, already a 10 year vet with around 60 grounds done which makes it very special, but I'll not be with my mates who I've laughed with, argued with, fallen over seats with in stupid celebrations with, frozen on terraces with, stood in stunned silence as MLT smashes in another screamer with, been sat in a stinking car full of Saturday morning beer and kebab farts with and who are Saints to their soul. So whilst it'll be wonderful, it won't be perfect, even when we do win.

I said to my lad during the Arsenal game that we'd win it and that belief has never wavered.

I'll be there with my lad and I'm fully expecting for us to be watching our club lift the cup. I cannot wait.

Amazing what having the players to play the preferred formation can do in addition to a whole week on the training field to get the coaching right. The usual cu_ts will say it's just papering over the cracks, I'll say it's a glimpse of the future.

As I said, an utter idiot.

Rich, the idiot thinks the only measure of support is money. He also appears to believe the north is very small and every game is just 30 miles away. Only an utter moron believes not using away games has been fair and the membership scheme has shown up to be a farce. I'm sorted for tickets but not taking away games into consideration and flogging membership as they have is plain wrong.

Last year when I was recovering from cancer treatment I too massively struggled to stand at the game for more than a few minutes. All I did was before KO to wander with my lad down to the front row, explain my situation to a couple of fellas and ask to swap seats, was never a problem If I'm at an away game and I have a sprog/elderly/infirm behind me I'll always ask if they want my position so they can see better, it's just always struck me as the right thing to do.

My F-I-L was on about getting one with a Firestick, which means nothing to me so would someone kindly explain how it all works and point me in the direction of buying one, something you actually recommend. Please remember that I'm a tech incompetent.

He's the best available free agent I believe and since we can only sign them...... As Doddisalegend said, it's not the sale of Fonte that is the issue, the club clearly thought that was covered my Yoshida and Stephens, but the injury to VvD. They should have paid out the extra that Hoffenhiem wanted and got their man instead of all this utter BS shambles. Reed has well and truly fu_cked up.

We are parking at Harrow Boro FC, having a beer and then it's only 1 stop on the overland. The London trains will be chaos so it seems the logical thing to do.

Chris Samba? Hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahhahaaa. Genius.

Anyone who measures support for a club in mere financial terms is at best, naive.

I was discussing this with a couple of Wolves ST holders when out on the bike on Friday. They are allocated, say 300 points for their STs and then each away is worth say 30 and each home 20 on a match by match basis. Those with the most points get 1st shot at the rarer tickets. To cut away attendance out completely as the club has done is utterly farcical and a mere exercise in money making by saying both the Arsenal and WHU games counted.

Supporters cheering their club on benefit the club. If you judge it just on money then you're a fu_ckwit and your clearly not stupid man.

Why? I know people who live up north, as I do, who have done 4 home games but 7/8 away games. Why should their support be valued less than someone based in Soton who has been to 5 home games but no away games.

ST should always get 1st dibs but to suddenly use home attendance only over away attendance or a mix of both for everyone else is just plain wrong in my book.

Being an utterly smug bast_ard who already has tickets for his son and himself I have to say that if folk are willing to fly back from Oz, Argentina and the like then the club should be putting a few tickets aside for them as that's a monster effort. I still think it's an utter farce that those who have done away games have been totally cut out of the equation regarding tickets. It's just plain wrong in my book. We've been given 31400 tickets, take out 24k season tickets, the clubs slice, sponsors etc I reckon that leave 6k for members, probably more likely 6.5k. It's going to be mighty tight getting down to 5 homes I reckon. It's blokes like Corky Morris I feel for. Had STs for 2 of his lads, his dad and himself from L1 until this season, which he gave up as his lads both now play a decent standard of football on Saturday mornings making home games almost impossible but they've still managed 4, plus away games and yet he looks like dipping out.

1st time I've seen that. All I'd heard was the main target was playing in Germany. The loan was Tasic (however you spell it) who wanted such insane money that even Palace, and we know Sam loves a defender, baulked. I'm now more interested if Schar, if that's who it is, is still coming in the summer. Reed is taking one hell of a gamble and I can't help but feel Puel is being royally fu_cked over.

It would appear that we tried to bring forward the signing of our number 1 summer CB target but the price went up by €5m and the wage demands also increased dramatically. Looks like similar happened to the main loan target who want £3m for the period of the loan, tax free, meaning both we and Palace walked away and then panic ensued. I agree that Reed has royally fu_cked up as if we'd done the deals early as we should have then the issues wouldn't have arisen.

I've had my pair confirmed although I know not where they are bar that they are the £72 ones. I have one very happy son.

I agree with the sentiment of the OP. Puel has been dealt a cr_ap hand by Reed and has had to play it the best he can. If VvD is out for the final, and I'm not convinced he will be, then not bringing in a solid CB for Puel to use is pure negligence.

The fact that Sahko wants a pay rise despite being on north of £100k per week tells you all you need to know as to why we're not getting him. It would also appear that the player we had planned to get in on loan has got himself injured, which is a right ball ache. Now, if Ake as is being reported, is available for £18m then, IMHO, he's a player to go for regardless of immediate need. The usual mouth breathers will be spouting off about not getting in a top rate CB but there really isn't much out there in the market and my gut feeling is that VvD will be fit for Wembley anyway (this maybe more of a wish).