redkeith

Freind frpm Boro would be a good option if Bertrand goes. Maguire has looked good in some games, but maybe lacks pace.

It doesn't matter who is up front , if we play 2 in midfield, they never get the ball. Back 7 was OK, but the shape is wrong. McGuire looked godd for them, although , having said that we played most things straight down his throat. Simms needs to go out on loan, as he he too easily pushed off the balll, and Long and JayRod need to leave. I goal evey ten games for Long this season, but I suppose that is better than Berahino. Match of the day looks like a goalfest tonight !

On Football Weekly recently they were talking about Jack Wilshire and his recurring injureis, and one of the journo said that ankle injuries can be much more serious than even an ACL injury. as the joint is so complex. It could mean that Virgil will no longer be a 40 game a season player, or it couild mean that other clubs will want to see him back in action for a few months, before they commit to spending 50 or 60 million?

Also. their young French No 10 Gourcuff ( a €22m signing from Bordeaux) got a series of injuries that more or less finished him.

Thery were better than us in all departments. Pep did a good tactical job in shutting us down in the wide areas, and when we did win the ball, we gave it straight back with poor passiing. No-one ever tried a ball through the channels for Gabbi to run onto. Stephens had a good game, other than the 3rd goal. It is typical Saints that when we did get it on target, Bravo makes his first save of the year. Hope Long keeps storming right up that tunnel. Also, other than giving us the benefit of the doubt on the penalty call, Swarbrick gave us nothing. I hope we aren't on BT again, as their coverage of anyone other than the big clubs is ****e! Mc Manamman is just awful and their commentator gave out a lsit of our 6 home defeat this season ( it was the fifth) and listed Everton and Leicester in the teams that hace beaten us. If we are on BT again this season, I am going for a Russian stream instead.

Two players on some peoples get rid lists absoloutley bossed the central midfield today. Pleased for both of them as they have had to be patient. Yosji and Stephens were immense, although I did get nervous when Stephens set of on his VVD/Beckenbauer runs up the field. Forster should gain a lot of confidence form that performance. As for Shane Long diving when he was through on goal, in the words of the Velvet Underground "What goes on in your mind ? ".

Is it too much to expect that during the massively important negotiations of the next couple of years, that our national broadcasting service attempts to report the process and the future prospects of our country fairly and with some degree of optimism? The BBC always gives a balanced point of view, often too balanced. I anm constantly surprised that they don't have to follow every Brain Cox appearance with a response from flat earthers and Creationists As for the idea that they should keep an optimistic tone, these are trade negotiations, the country is not at war with Europe. Censorship may be high up on Trump's and May's agenda, but not mine. Tell the 78 MP's to switch over to Fox news instead.

Much better 2nd half, but the Penalty calls cost us. Davis was awful, Boufal was bad when he came on and Long just cannot time his runs at all. He made it sooooo easy for the Spurs defence. Every time we attacked they got a free kick for offside. With Gabbi out injured it looks loke a disappointing end to the season . Davis needs to be dropped for the Bournemouth game.

What was Mariner doing letting Spurs start play during our substitution so that Long can't get on ? No excuse for the defending for the Pen, but that is **** poor reffing.

I think that when Saints bring the eight year olds in for training they start them off with simple passing and movement, whereas United just get theirs to surround anyone with a whistle or a flag, everty time the ball goes out of play.

... and the Ramirez fee would have been amortised over the four years of his contract, so no loss there either, although there would be income from the loan fee from Boro.

He has improved a lot this season, and may have done enough in the U21's to gain Southgate's trust, but I don't think he will maje the squad, as Harry Winks has made the statutory 6 first team appearances for Tottenham, and Davis has almost got to 10 games at Everton. Don't forget that Nathan Clynes understudy at Southampton got capped before him, just by signing for Arsenal.

I was suprised that Zlatan got a ban at all, as I thought that the FA would hide behind the fact that Friend spoke to Zlatan and say that the ref had dealt with the incident. Some commentators were suggesting that Zlatan wouldn't have had the chance to retaliate if Mings had been sent off, but then you could also suggest that Zlatan should have been booked in the first half for through Mings to the ground. Still there is nothing new in this. I think if you were to keep a diary of these type of incidents you would see a similar, if not worse bias. I can remember Fergies last game at West Brom, when they lost 5.4 . For one of the Albion goals you could ckearky see a United player punch on of the Albion forwards as he ran past him. No disciplinary action for that one.

On this season's form. I rate Martina as slightly better than Steve Baker. Other than Sparta Prague at home, he has been awful.

I'm doing the TGV/Eurostar from Angouleme starting at 6:30 CET. I could have flown back on the Friday, but when I heard about the engineering works I decided that the TGV would be much more civilsed.

Please please Saints can you play this instead of that god awful my way rewrite !

Gabbi is a different gravy up front, or a Ragu as they call it in Italy. Romeu was immense as were the whole back line. Don't mind if Boufal isn't back for Wembley, as Tadic is such a good player, when he has someone making the runs that Gabbi does.

No midfield preasure for their first 2 goals. What the **** was the wall doing for the 3rd. You do notallow a shot from that angle, and you do not waggle your foot at it like Steven Davis did. Gabbi played well, although he should have puleed it back to 2-3. Stephens plated well, apart from being too far from Yoshi for Carrol's goal. Looks like Boufal will be out for a while as well. No fight from JWP and Davis in midfield, and although he is not perfect, Hojdberg needs to start more, if only for height in defence. We are in a scrap to stay up now.

Not looking forward to this. Saints have not won on a Saturday all season. Caroll generally scores against us, so unless we get some debut magic from Gabbiadini it is hard to see us winning this one, although Claude could stun the football world by playing Bertrand as a flase number 5 !

Bad news after a bad tackle. I hope now that the Leicester film they were talking about after last season has an Empire Strikes Back style sequel, where they gwet relegated and the big chinned pikey is preserved in Carbonite to stop him joining Arsenal.

Martina is soo bad. Not expecting much with this team, but the midfield should be doing much better

I've heard Gabiadini talked about as a real talent on Football Weekly. James Richardson and Paolo Baldini really rate him, as an inside forward, not someone to lead the line. Would suit the way Puel want's to play, but not the big man up front back stick early doors brigade.

Good perfromance, although Leicester were poor. If they get through to the next round of thr CL they could end up in the bottom 3. Cedric was brilliant, the midfield were all good ( apart from PH''s shooting) amd the fowards alll linked well. Shout out to Peul for getting Stephens to stay back for corners after we got outnumbered on the break when Scheichal caught one of ours.

Positives - Once te Chinese league sign up Clattenerg, next on the list are some internet trolls to spice up traffic on their message boards.

Just like the Everton game, only one side looked like winning for the first 70 minutes and the we contrive to lose. Can't fault the selection, other than rotating JayRod for Long. The Betrand cross in the first half summed Long up, he just stood still and watched it rather than attemping to geton the end of it. In contrast JayRod was a whisper away from giuding a similar 2nd half cross in at the far post. I'm not a fan of this stand to one side and then step behind the wall move for keepers at free-kicks. I was right in line for Bales free-kick in Bordeaux at the Euros and the Slovakia keeper did the same thing. If he had stood still he would have saved it with his shins!