Tom & Gerry

He did say FA Cup semi finals, he just repeated it on Sky Sports news L You are right , he just repeated it on Sky Sports news A few might get lucky

Thanks, that's probably what he meant, though I'm not sure that's what he said.

Did I mishear or did he misspeak, I wasn't really awake, but I thought the Culture Secretary said on 5 live that the FA Cup semi finals and Final would be test events? Did anyone else hear it?

I don't want a visable owner, just a rich and sensible one

How many times have we drawn Utd? Seems like every other year. Leicester will be a nice change anyway. Someone we haven't played at Wembley before.

You can not argue that Redmond is a good Premier league player based on one performance. You do have to accept though based on one performance is that he is a very talented footballer, you've just seen it and it can't be denied. Who knows why he doesn't show it more often. Is it mental? is it physical? Why do some players play better for different teams, in different leagues and in different countries? It is one of the most frustrating things in football that match winners are often the players with the most streaky form. In the end the club and fans lose faith in such a player. He inevitably goes elsewhere and has a hot streak at least for a while and everyone says, why did we let him go?. Look at Tadic.

Of course we wont win the league, but then again if we beat Liverpool twice , which of course we wont , but then again....

Number 1 for Christmas has a nice ring to it.

Just a by the way observation. If you'd have said in 2010 that in 10 years time Saints would be one of the 9 longest serving clubs in the Premier league I think you would have been amazed. We complain about a lot but it is worth reflecting sometimes on how far we've come.

Brucey bonus? Someone from Newcastle?

Surprised he wants to go to a club who rate him so lowly. £15 m players are bench warmers at best at a top club.

Mick Judd ?

Might have to revise my opinion of Adams. I have to say I was surprised that so many people have rated him when they haven't always backed what I considered more talented players. So well done for sticking by him.

When it comes to potential, and you don't pick a team on potential Obefemi all day long. For me Adams could be another Brett Ormerod. Nothing wrong with that, he was a good player and a great partner to James Beattie. On the other hand, and you would have to be a very old supporter to even begin to understand what I am getting at, Obefemi reminds me of a cross between a young Martin Chivers and a young Mike Channon. Yes he's clumsy, naive and has poor games , as they did but look at the pace, look at the strength and power he will gain as he gets older, look at the flashes of skill , and he is not afraid to score goals in the premier league. Of course he may not reach his potential and Adams might become the better player. He also reminds me of George Lawrence, a player with all the attributes but not the coordination to become a top player, but Obefemi does have that potential.

McCarthy KWP - Stephens - Bednarek - Bertie JWP - Romeu - Hojberg Djenepo- Redmond Ings Steel in midfield, pace up front

Any discussion which starts with "can we keep hold"nearly always ends up with the player leaving doesn't it. If only these players weren't so ambitious, but I suppose if they weren't they wouldn't be so good. If we could keep him one more year and get our home form to match our away form maybe just maybe.

Only Everton and the usual top six have been up longer than us. Us or West Ham who came up with us are statistically well due for the drop.

It's a scoreline that sums Saints up over the years- played well but a few defensive errors and we've lost. It's held us back. Oh how our meagre honours board would have been transformed if the scoreline could have been 3-2 to us . We've lost 3 Wembley cup finals by that score for heavens sake. For me it all goes back to 1964, a re-run of the 63 Semi final against holders Man Utd, 2-0 up at half time, played well but defensive errors in the second half and we lost 3-2. It was a template for things to come. I'm sure we have won matches 3-2 over the years but you will only know that Saints are a force to be reckoned with when we win one of the big matches by that scoreline. I suppose 0-9 is worse but oh do I hate 2-3.

There was a goal given in Scotland today that wouldn't have been given in England (for handball). How can you play the game by different rules in different countries and indeed in different competitions ?

I think I would rate Van Dijk as slightly better than good. I've heard him described as the best in the world and no doubt all our defenders suffer in comparison. I did qualify my description of Stephens by saying he makes terrible mistakes but perhaps you didn't get that far. If he could eliminate those he has good footballing ability. The Liverpool game was an example of the player he could be.

Heath for sure, but a couple of real sickeners from the 60's/70s for you. FA cup 1968 4th round replay at home v WBA ( Pompey in the next round) Astle 89th minute 2-3. Inter Cities Fairs Cup1970 3rd round second leg First leg away 0-0. 1-0 up in 2nd leg then Pop Robson 84th minute 1-1, out on away goals. But I find the present day, with modern technology when we are a goal up away from home at games I don't attend absolute torture. What can you do with yourself? wait for the inevitable bleep as notification of another goal comes up on your phone,watch Sky or final score waiting for the worst, listen to commentary on Solent dreading every time the opposition has the ball, or just hide in a darkened room till you know the game is over? It's no fun being a Saints fan.

So you are saying he's put in 85 bad performances. I don't think so

How do you win a cup semi final at Liverpool with a terrible centre half? No he's a good player who sometimes makes terrible mistakes. He can only eliminate that from his game by playing more matches and gaining more experience. The problem is that it is difficult for players when they are not in the team as they play no competitive football. He could have done with a season on loan in the championship earlier in his career. Maybe if we do sign a good centre half in January he could get that.

I've come to the conclusion we don't have good or bad players, just confident players or no confidence players. This seems particularly true of all our centre backs who can look good one game and not the next. It can't help Stevens confidence when even his back passes are booed. I always thought it was better to pass to one of your own players than give the ball away. I think he's better than our other centre backs at playing from the back but yes he makes mistakes and get slaughtered for it so he can't really win.

Good luck if your wages have gone up that much but I'm glad you get the point