Tom & Gerry

Of course Burnley couldn't possibly win 3 matches in a row could they? Oh I forgot, they only need to win 2.

Yes, but what if they win. I feel slightly less worried than last weekend, but only slightly.

In the early 60's the authorities were a bit more relaxed about these things. Pitch invasions and running round the ground with banners before the game was common. There was one occasion before segregation when Saints youngsters ran on the pitch every time Saints scored . After the 3rd goal Pompey fans got a bit miffed and there were fights on the pitch which the players were breaking up. But that was kids and not grown men. I must admit I was annoyed as I came to watch footballl not them.

I wondered if it was an organised thing? They were all about the same age and dressed similarly, some wearing caps. They seemed to come from different directions though , not all sat together.

I don't want to be a big club. Nothing better than being a giant killer. Big clubs only have to lose one match and they are in crisis. even if they win something it's expected, they can only be disappointed. It doesn't mean I don't want to win things, but our way of slowly getting better by improving players and keeping them happy by letting them go to bigger clubs if they want, and we get the dosh, and having ready made replacements seems more sustainable and more likely to keep us in the premier league and win a cup than chasing glory for a short fix and then crashing and burning like Wigan, Sunderland and one other unmentionable club I could name.

My favourite most jaw dropping teleprinter moment goes back quite a long way before radio Solent to Grandstand in 1960. 3rd Division Saints were playing 1st Division Man City away in the 3rd round of the FA cup. Incredibly the half time teleprinter told us that Saints were winning 2-1. We waited nervously for the full time scores, could Saints possibly hold on. There were no other updates broadcast. Imagine the disbelief when the teleprinter chugged out : Manchester City 1 Southampton 5 That scoreline would be just as unbelievable today.

It's quite a stretch, but he clearly didn't mean this year. So if he meant last year and like me he doesn't realise how time flies, especially in football and got that wrong it could be Potter.

Thats what I thought

Not sure what people mean by a better manager. Football is a very simple game and most managers are well qualified for the job and there is very little between any of them. If you get a bit of luck with injuries, signings work out, get off to a good start so the players have confidence in you , fans like your style of play you may become a good manager. Take Mark Hughes, with his experience he should have been one of our best managers but wasn't yet some of our best managers have been awful elsewhere - McMenemy , Ball, Strachan, Koeman . Were they good or bad managers?

As always it comes down to how we are playing. The club has time to plan for every eventuality.

The media are now in such a frenzie of short termism that any one who won their last match is a hot candidate for any job going, and anyone who lost their last match is a candidate for the sack.

Because we have been in the premier league for so long many of our younger and even middle aged supporters do not realize what a privilege it has been. I'm proud that a club of our size has spent so long with top flight status. That it will be a struggle at times to maintain that status is inevitable and it is always an achievement when we do. That doesn't mean that we can't punch even higher above our weight at times and maybe win a trophy or finish high in the league but that can rarely be the norm. Some of us remember where we have come from.

I thought we played some great football yesterday and Redmond was part of it. Like all players he makes mistakes and when people get frustrated by that they are blind to the good things he does. He's frustrating in the final third like several of our players but that's the hardest part and the players trying to stop him are pretty good.

Player of the season 2 years ago but apparently he's never been any good. Do people have short memories are you the only ones that didn't vote for him?

JRM seemed to indicate that the club directed Archers Road enders to the Northam End, but in any case there is a precedent for fans changing ends. When the club built a roof on the Archers and moved the away fans our singers moved from the Milton to the Archers. Not so easy now though of course as the present incumbent's will not be easy to budge after 20 years (myself included). Good idea in theory though.

The problems at St Mary's originate from the singing fans decision to sit/ stand at the Northam end presumably to better wind up the away fans. If they had congregated at the Chapel end we could have had a whole end of singing fans, there would be no criticism of the club for not moving the away fans, there would be a better overall atmosphere, and it would be easier to implement safe standing at the Chapel End. Fans have only themselves to blame and have made it difficult for the club to relocate old duffers like myself who did their share of standing for 40 odd years at the Dell and now prefer to sit ( at least some of the time)

Mine's come, but will the team turn up? But I guess that's another thread.

We've stayed in it longer than any other club outside the top 6 with the exception of Everton which is an achievement. We are either doing something right or overdue to go down depending on your point of view.

We have to appeal. Even if we then drop him, which would be interesting. We have to stand up for ourselves.

The thing that gets me that I can't see mentioned is that the sending off was for denying a goal scoring opportunity. When was there a goal scoring opportunity? The sequence of events was Vestergaard plays the ball back to McCarthy, his follow through catches Vardy's ankle and you can argue if that is even a foul., but the ball is gone (not long gone I grant you but Vardy is never getting to it), there never was a goal scoring opportunity. It has to be rescinded.

A bit of a compromise, dont think he could play both Redmond and Walcott together again. Nothing against either but both together is a luxury. Think Armstrong may play more centrally. Djenepo will help out KWP.

He will either play Jankewitz (if he thinks he can trust him) or 3 at the back replacing Redmond or Walcott.

We are not good at getting draws either (Chelsea aside) and there is an outside chance we might face City but apart from that no need to worry.

Yes but Chelsea have not beaten us this season with 2 different managers. Also don't forget we don't have to win, just draw and be good at penalties . So I can't see any need to worry at all.

It is interesting and amusing to see how fans handle the pressure of an FA cup semi final. Whatever they will admit to all the posters on here desperately want Southampton to win, but how do you protect yourself from the awful pain of defeat. That's why some will say we have no chance and criticise everything about the club from the owner to the players. My first semi final was in 1963 and I was convinced we would win. Man Utd were having a terrible season and Saints had just thrashed a team higher than them after an epic series of 6th round clashes, Cup fever in Southampton was at boiling point. On the day the 68,000 crowd at Villa Park overwhelmed me and the team. I was heartbroken, we were only a second division team and had never been in the top flight - this was probably the only chance of getting to a final we would ever have. I was determined never to raise my hopes to such a level again so that by 2018 I was convinced we would lose and we did. We had other things to worry about and it hurt less than a covid jab. This time is a bit different though. Semi finals are normally a gathering of the clan, a time to celebrate being a Saints fan, a bit of a party but on Sunday the only thing that matters is the result. The team have not done a lot to raise expectations, though Ralf has the unusual knack of being able to both raise and lower expectations at the same time. Leicester are clearly the favourites we will probably lose - if I don't think like that how will I cope with Monday morning? On the other hand is there anything sweeter than winning when you don't expect it?