Graffito

Only Newcastle and the bottom three have conceded more. For a team that wants to play possession football that's appalling.

How did you think Trippier did today? I thought Bertrand gave him a difficult afternoon.

As well that I didn't say then or I'd have been a meat-head. What I was saying of course is that teams have success at St Mary's by playing defensively and hitting in the break e.g. Manu, Liverpool.

Must admit to not having seen enough of Burnely this season to hazard a guess as to how they'll play on Saturday. Do they really attack? If Dych has learnt anything from matches at SMS this season his two up front will be there to defend from the front and with the rest sitting back and trying to hit us with a sucker punch, like most others have. In which case Sunday's selection of two pacey forwards isn't going to have the same impact as first half against Chelsea.

Ryan Bertrand can consider himself very unfortunate not to have been selected. Playing for the best defence in the league, two of which are English, why not put them both in? I can see the argument for Shaw as the likley medium/long term option but Baines hasn't been pulling up trees this season and is Gibbs, a decent enough left back, really better than Betrand? I haven't seen anything in the media where RH explains his choices at left back. Perhaps nobody is interested enough to ask the question. Looking at the defenders in the England squad, it's a very mixed buch. I assume Smalling is in there for comedy value, clowns shoes and all. Rob Jones mmm...., Walker? I think that bunch could do with a Champions League winner to up the quality.

It's only England.

Was it not tracking or was it poor marking? I haven't seen the tv but I thought Costa got between two short players (Davis and Clyne?) when he ought to have been marked by TA or JF. My recollection is that the bigger error was allowing the cross in the first place. Time and again in the first half Ivanovic was unmarked wide on the lef,t and when on the ball, had time and space to cross. It was up to Tadic to track back and cut out the cross and he didn't do it effectively, or sometimes at all during the first half. Whilst on the subject of the flanks, Chelsea double up on the fullbacks. They did it to Clyne but we coped better on the right.

No he didn't. Just said something about Chelsea never getting the kind of penalty we got today. He's making an arse of himself. He'd get a lot more respect if he just dropped all this weird sh1t about refs. It's not like he's Ferguson.

That thread's absolutely priceless.

Most I've enjoyed Saints match for as long as I can remember. The trick will be to play that we'll against Burnley. Think I heard Mourinho saying in so many words that it wasn't a penalty. Looked one from down the other end. Hiw did it look on TV?

The second was a penalty. The ref can't assume it was a dive because he might have thought Duricic dived. He has to view each incident objectively. In any case you are making an assumptions about both incidents. We might equally ask if Friend didn't give the first or even both because he thought Duricic dived then why didn't he book him for simulation. Plus Friend missed a blatant handball in the box by Lovren. Poor performance by the ref as recognised by his demotion the following week.

Pompey's a two up two down with a big trashy porch stuck on the front because the owners have delusions of grandeur. Inside its falling to bits because a series of feckless owners spent all their money on gambling. There's a pile of unpaid bills in the hallway. It's now occupied by a group of travellers.

He's Welsh?

The club shop should do those with "I'm a little Saint" on the front.

Only legal time wasting allowed. Possession football. Considering we play the ball so much across the back four and across the midfield we ought to have dealt better with the 4 minutes added time on Tuesday night but these skills simply deserted the players. It's a game played in the head.

Or falling off bar stools.

Isn't it the Barclays Premier League?

Great picture which captures perfectly the public images on both Dave Mackay and Bremner. There was a copy in the front window of Dave MacKay Ties shop in Winchmore Hill.

Just fart and wait for the Echo.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31693872 Jose Fonte says "just shoot". Fonte urges teamates to take more shots. Doesn't our captain know he's talking rubbish? Clearly he should read Saintsweb.

I noticed Pulis was tapping his watch as well. Really. Perhaps his watch had stopped.

West Ham employ Sheringham. Personally I think Saints just need to shoot.

Some may have suggested buying. I was thinking about a loan. Low risk and relatively low cost.

If so then no reason to move.

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