S-Clarke

The reason fans feel a little bored with it is simply because the clubs don't give a ****. The 3rd round weekend used to have a real buzz about it, and everyone would be chomping at the bit to go and play - no matter who it was against. Now we're charged a fortune to watch the youth and reserve sides, and that simply doesn't excite me and I know others feel the same. Once the clubs start taking it seriously again, then so will the fans.

So, he should have said this, yes? ''Is Europe the next target?'' ''Nah, we'll just carry on bobbling around in mid-table, getting dragged into occasional relegation battles and lose in the cups. No ambition here, nah nothing''

Seems a bit feeble, but it was obviously a ''had to be there moment''. If it was said at the heat of the moment, after he'd turned down the penalty appeal, with a smirk on his face...then he'd get anyone's back up, and I'm surprised he wasn't smashed. I think the FA should look at the entire picture, over his entire career and just sack him. He's simply incompetent, he cannot do his job. Therefore he should be sacked, just as myself or anyone else would be if we kept making **** mistakes. He likes to think he's some sort of superstar referee and the pinup boy for the referees, but he's actually probably the worst ref' going. If this slagging match highlights his continuous incompetence then so be it, at least we won't have to have him mucking around with our games.

His start with us has been nothing short of disastrous, unfortunately.

Hopefully this is the final straw for him, and he's finally demoted down the leagues. He's really not a top referee, easily the worst. Mistake after mistake, horrendous ref.

Probably a bit of misguided hope to be honest. I've been hoping the same for over 18 months, he's not changed a bit.

The only issue there could be is with surface water on the pitch, from what will be a very, very wet couple of days. With a high tide, there won't be anywhere for it to really drain away to - so that could be a potential issue.

Johnny Heitinga rejects WHU. Quite funny, a player with no game time what so ever rejects a chance to play at WHU. They are officially ****ed IMO.

He's a good player, very tidy - but we do get played through very easily when he starts. Him and Morgan together, although very tidy, are easy to shrug off the ball. Hence the increase in goals we conceed outside the box. Wanyama is a pretty big barrier between the CB's and the midfield. Crucial to our defensive discipline.

Barnard? Are you still drunk from last night or something???? He may still be around, somewhere, but he'll never ever play for us again. That I can be sure of.

Yes. And has also been put up here - http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/10908185.Saints_won_t_be_panicked_into_making_transfer_market_moves/

The Astori link was laughed off by MP today, as was the link of Lambert to WHU. The main priority from him was to get our best players back fit and playing, as opposed to signing any new additions.

Lallana I'll give you, but the others should be fine to go again. Morgan has missed a few games in the last few weeks due to injury and suspension, so should be fine and rested. Lovren too. Lambert was only a sub today. There's no real need to make wholesale changes for this.

As the league cup was, it would be a complete and utter wasted opportunity. At the end of the day, we rested players for the league in the Sunderland cup game. We lost it, and then went on to lose lots of league games. So it didn't exactly help. I think whatever happens this season will be progress, but being in a relativity begin premiership position (and i wouldn't expect our position to change a great deal come to the end of the season) it gives us an opportunity to approach the cups with vigor - or it should do.

Ah cool, another take the **** out of your own fans ''bump''. I've missed these.

Would be good to have a cup run, in fact it's a good season to do so. I'd hope Osvaldo gets a start, and can see Clyne and Chambers continuing @ full back. This will not be your standard easy game, Burnley are an excellent side who will pose a real threat. So for that reason, I wouldn't have Jos anywhere near the side for starters.

He had a couple of good moments today, but unfortunately far too many frustrating and annoying passages of play - i.e giving the ball away, being brushed off the ball so often, losing out in a tackle....losing the ball whilst running with it. So basically, the same as usual. Exceptionally talented, agreed. But to me....after what is now 18+ months, I cannot see a future for him in the PL. He's still so off the pace of the game at times, it's unreal. His misplaced passes almost cocked us up in the first half, with Chelsea breakaways. I'd have to agree, that he can be a bit of a liability in our team in terms of the formation and tactics we deploy. You have to be very sound with the ball, otherwise the high press is blown out of the water and the opposition just break on you. Ramirez was the weak link in that sense.

Jay Rodriguez and Lallana both had nightmares today, and when you have a player like Lallana having that sort of game...we haven't got a hope in hell! They'll have better games, that's for sure. But I'd agree from what I've seen, Jay is not a central focal point striker - he's best deployed as part of a 3, or as a 2. He doesn't do a job on his own at all.

Great thread to start 2014. Impatience is too apparent in the modern day football fan, and so is the urge to change absolutely everything on the back of a snapshot of fixtures. Bloody fickle generation

Well beaten in the 2nd half, you have to give credit to Jose who won that game tactically without a shadow of a doubt. He exploited our high line excellently in the 2nd half, with the agility and pace of Oscar and Willian - it worked a treat for them, and we had absolutely no answer. To be honest, it was a fair result. We weren't at the races, and when your big players have off days, then against Chelsea we don't stand a smidgen of a chance. It was all just a case of keeping the score down in that 2nd half. At least that ***** of a run fixture wise is over, now let's start consistently picking up some points again - and get Wanyama back in the side!

Still got a lot to prove! A long way from being a ready made replacement! Looks decent though in the few times I've seen him, excellent movement.

No ****.

It would be a little silly to sell him right now. What we need to do first is have a ready made replacement, who we know can come in and do a similar job for us. At the moment, we have nothing. Jay is decent, but a totally different player in that sense - he needs supply, and relies a lot on pace and beating a player etc. Osvaldo still has a hell of a lot to prove.....and that's it. If we bring in someone like Lukaku, then maybe...but until we have someone else of Lamberts ilk ready to come in, that's the reason why we can't sell him. £8m, £10m, £10m, whatever....that money would be nothing to us if we have no one of his ilk ready to come in straight away.

He's always been decent I think, but nothing special. He's probably top half championship at best, which is probably where he'll be next year.

TBF, statistically, there were very few differences in the contributions of Gaston and Puncheon last season. You could argue, that if Gaston hadn't been in and out of the side in the 2nd half of the season - he may have had better stats. And Puncheon needed to leave for personal reasons, he didn't really want to as he was finally settled here football wise, but family life came first for him. The club reluctantly agreed. He's also had a bit of a nightmare season for Palace, his best performance came last week. Palace fans have actually been asking to get shot in the January window..