Graffito

One of those fillers prompted by Mourinho's comments. Anyway he's talking out of his @rse. Agree Palace. Nowhere else has impressed.

You lot think it's tedious? I'm fcking stuck on here waiting for you tell me who we've drawn.

Quite right. You have to know what all the West Ham nobs think to be able to generalise.

This is a curious comment. "The first few days I got tears in my eyes when I saw my players on the training pitch, there was a lot of senseless running and the players seemed not to be able to control the ball." A feature of Saints' play has been the ability to retain possession and play a highly drilled pressing game. It seems odd to suggest that the players could not control the ball and ran around like headless chickens.

Boos at full time. Third home defeat for Tottenham. Newcastle now a point behind them.

Newcastle 2 - 1.

More sunshine blowing this was. This from the Stoke Sentinel: "Early evidence suggests Southampton have upgraded on Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert by signing Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle. They even have a manager who speaks English now. They were high on confidence, always dangerous going forward and tight at the back. It was a tough day for Stoke who should get some credit for keeping the pace, even if they could not find the cutting edge to steal a point. Can Southampton maintain their form and book a place in Europe? They may be a unique case, with a world class academy and complicated recent back story. But they are still flying the flag for clubs outside the red tops’ favourite four and keeping the dream alive that eighth isn’t the best a big middle-sized club can hope to achieve. It is to football’s shame that no one thinks the best side a club like Southampton can produce in 30-odd years is able to mount a challenge for the title with one mega season."

Yep. We're upstarts who will get put back in our place in November.

West Brom v Palace now. Perhaps we're really will be on last.

Another clean sheet. Bit nervy towards the end, not because they threatened but because Saints seemed to run out of steam. Fresh legs required for Wednesday. Great finish by Mane. Let the Dubious Decisions Panel try and take that one off him.

Didn't they think he dived?

You are right, his predictions often bear no relation to the preamble. In fact, he frequently draws a contrary conclusion. Nothing to do with wanting him to predict Saints wins as someone keeps suggesting. His predictions, like everyone elses, are immaterial.

So they are not a physical side. All well and good, they can take us on at football if they like.

Poor Garth. Completely oblivious, courtesy of the BBC.

Listening to 5 Live commentary and the Man Utd bias is unreal to the extent that the commentator claimed West Brom nil Man Utd 1 when Sessegnon scored. Simple error or Man Utd obsession? Should know better than to comment, it's always been this way. I hope Baggies stuff the ******

Long would be a good choice. Both he and Mane are quick. Long played well on Saturday and he's good in the air which will be useful against Stoke.

Shades of our relegation season under Redknapp; conceding late goals, the blaming of everything and everyone else by the person who should be showing some leadership. He's losing it in that interview just like his team is losing it on the pitch. One way or another his days are numbered.

From the BBC, "It's embarrassing the ease with which Bobby Zamora continues to win headers against Dejan Lovren."

That game was won in central midfield, aided and abetted by some comical defending by Sunderland under constant pressing from Saints, preventing Sunderland from getting the ball out to their fullbacks to get crosses in to Fletcher and Wickham. Schneiderlin in a slightly deeper role than of late. It's about time we beat that lot. An 8-0 loss lives long in the memory. Everton beat us 8-0 decades ago.

He'll have to do something exceptional like score a belter from 30 yards.

Seriously, given the money available to clubs in the PL, can any PL team be thought of as minnows for which any respectable player is too good? You might be closer to the mark with the tub thumping. Anyway, if he carries on diving, like his compatriot Diouf, he's welcome to leave.

The most inspiring thing I've read about football in long time. That Scott guy's a hero. This bit is good: “He came back and told me he’d scored four, but Arsenal reckoned he was too small. I still remind them of that when their scouts come down: we sent you Nat and now you’d pay a lot of money for him, and he’s just knocked you out of the [Capital One] Cup". I do hope Clyne, the England international, goes back occasionally and pays his dues.

I think it was the best goal. Team build up and that finish is a difficult skill. Chipping the keeper is hard enough with a stationary ball but with player and ball moving.... It was a great goal.

Just back from game. Thought we were worth a draw. Tough game which got bogged down in midfield. Looked dangerous when we got to the byline which wasn't nearly enough. The ref was poor for both sides but mostly, it seemed against Saints. The yellow in the second half for the foul on Mane. I wasn't sure it was a foul from where I was at the other end but if the ref thought it was a foul then should it have been red? Also, from distance it looked by we won a corner at the end and the prat blew full time.