benjii

Giggsi's? It's bloody miles away! Further than the ones near Tue north station that Brasser mentioned. Also, I see on the letter that it says it's a 19:00 kick off which I don't think is correct is it? It's 20:00 right?!

I have been sent a link to a letter by the club, having pestered them. I presume it will be put online soon (if not already). In summary, there IS a free return bus from Tel Aviv!

They have replied recently to someone saying they are "awaiting confirmation". Not the most helpful! I guess that plans for collecting tickets are also dependent on what they sort, if anything, for the bus.

I assume no one has heard anything more about the club bus or about the ticket arrangements?

Hi Rob, I've been looking into airport transfer a bit more. The train is cheap but it's still a 45 min walk or a 15 min taxi, costing approx. £10 from the train stations to the waterfront areas like Ha-Yarkon. And the train stations don't seem to have organised cab ranks. A direct taxi from airport is about 150 Sheqels - £30 or so. Seeing as we are on the same flight and are staying in roughly the same place, if you want to just share a direct taxi from the airport then let me know. Trains run every 30 minutes so that journey could end up taking a lot longer and not actually saving that much cash, compared to sharing a cab.

That's great, thanks!

For clarity, I am not asking if the fans are going to sing some rude songs, I'm asking if there are any parts of town which are best avoided.

It looks like the area around the North Station is about a 45 min walk to the stadium and there are a few bars around there so I guess that's the best bet? It would be useful if the club could confirm: I) if there is a club bus and when and where it drops off; II) where and when tickets need to be collected. Here's a blog with a list of some places: http://vizziy.com/blog/en/bars-in-beer-sheva/ Can any of our Israeli friends confirm if there is anywhere in town that should be avoided? Is there any potential for a hostile reception from some fans?

That feels a bit likely, unfortunately!

From my view in the Northam, it looked as though Long's only thought was to wait for the challenge then go down. That said, the challenge was rash, nowhere near the ball and across the line of Long's run. And he didn't have to dangle a leg out unnaturally to make contact with the defender or really break stride. On that basis, it was probably a pen. Unfortunately, Long has a reputation for going to ground easily and it counted against him.

Is anyone else planning a day trip from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem / Dead Sea on Sat 1st (or any other day)? Settled on a tour operator? I've been looking but it's hard to choose one. TripAdvisor is awash with independent tour guides but they're the sort of people you need to book in a group. Does anyone have any thoughts/tips on the organised trips?

------------------------------Forster------------------------------- --------Alderweireld--------Van Dijk------------Bertrand------- Clyne--------------------------------------------------------Shaw -----------------Schneiderlin----------Wanyama----------------- ------------------------------Lallana----------------------------- ---------------------Mane-------------Rodriguez----------------------- Subs: KD(?!), Fonte, Yoshida, Davis, Lambert, Pelle, Tadic That team would smash it. If Toby not allowed because of loan status then go back 4 and add Pelle or Lambert upfront.

Pretty sure there will be a club bus but I wish they would get on with it. I don't want to be running for a train!

-----------------McCarthy----------------- Martina-----Fonte----Yoshida---Targett -------------------Reed-------------------- ----------JWP--------------Classie-------- ---Isgrove-------Jay Rod------------Long ---/Olumula ---/Hesketh I think we should put out a pretty strong team. If Rodriguez is fit then he should play and 45 mins for Long won't hurt. I think we need to protect at least one of Fonte and Van Dijk. Ideally we would rest both but with Gardos injured that really depends on whether Stephens or Jones would be considered too weak to play a reasonably strong Palace team. I think Davis, Romeu and Hojbjerg should be kept fresh so the midfield pretty much picks itself. Would be nice to see a youth product or Isgrove start up front with a couple more on the bench.

Hi Gadi! Where do you recommend Saints fans should go in Be'er Sheva before the match? Most will want to go for a few drinks in the hours before the game. Thanks, Ben

P.S. You might be interested in this thread as well: http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?57045-Europa-League-Hapoel-Be-er-Sheva-travel-accommodation-thread

HBS, Sour Mash is right. I will be at the match in Israel and I have no interest in making any kind of political statement. I hope everything will be friendly and we can all enjoy a few beers in the sun!

Play off defeat again would be most amusing!

Beer will be quite expensive I think. Food will range from cheap street food to the poshest of restaurants. It's not mega expensive like Norway or whatnot, but it's not cheap in the way that some countries are decidedly cheap.

I like him. What a cross.

I think that's probably right. I would expect Hojbjerg and JWP to be replaced and obviously for Fonte and Bertrand to come back in. Personally, unless Martina is feeling after effects from Thursday I would start him over Cedric. I think Cedric needs a kick up the arse. He could come back in against Palace. Probably one of Long or Austin, with Redmond in the accompanying forward role - the only caveat would be if Redmond impressed enough in the "10" position last night to replace Tadic. If Rodriguez in ruled out then I would expect it to be Long and Redmond because of how tired Austin looked.

They need to be confirming this over the next couple of days really, rather than by next weekend. People are travelling across the whole of Europe to the Middle East to get there, at significant expense. Some people are crossing the Atlantic to get there as well! I think it's reasonable to expect more than 3 or 4 days notice that I need to be at a particular point at a particular time. Don't see why this couldn't have been sorted by now.

In my view, he's a very limited player who benefitted from some League One standard defending. I would love to be proven wrong but he doesn't have the game to play in a passing side in a strong league. That said, he is obviously an excellent finisher so if we can find a way to carry him he will get goals. Perhaps when we have Boufal available the striker role might change a bit and he can play to his strengths a bit more. What we really need is a cross between Austin and Long - what a player that would be!

Why? He looks massively unfit. He's half the player of a fit Jay Rod.

I think Austin seems like a total *****, to be honest.