Dark Munster

Slim? Three games from winning it! We'd be favourites against Hull/Brighton, and after that a semi final where there will be at least one lower league team, and one of Everton/Arsenal gone. And for the last 5 years we haven't been in a position where we are now, with no relegation/promotion to worry about.

Can someone please tell him if he does it again next year the disrespect is going to be ramped up to a whole new level.

I think you'll find we believe that beating Sunderland, rather than losing to them, would have given us a better chance of winning the cup. Correct us if we're wrong.

You sound like Mrs. Munster.

Who's the man with the big nose about to swallow Krap Nottarf?

I've been thinking about those who say the team that played should have been strong enough to beat Sunderland, so it's the players fault not MP's. Perhaps the following analogy may get through to you lot. Imagine you're a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and you are forced to a play a game of Russian roulette. You're given a choice of two guns, one with 3 bullets in 10 chambers, the other with just 1 bullet in 10 chambers. Would you choose the one with 3 bullets because it has a good chance of not blowing your brains out?

Corrected for you.

I think we'll have agree to disagree. A lot. Not if MP (assuming he's still here) has the same attitude. That's why I think the fans have to make it clear how pissed off we are. It may make him think twice about a repeat performance (assuming no relegation or CL issues). Certainly the "let's move on, it's the team let us down" mentality won't help in that regard. To answer the OP's question, yes, and I'm going to be angry for a long time. I'm going to be in a particularly filthy mood on the day one of Hull/Brighton/Sunderland play the semi-final at Wembley, and even more so if they get to the final. But that won't stop me enjoying the rest of the season, and hoping we'll finish as high as possible.

But that's the whole point. Sunderland's reserves were no mugs, so it needed our strongest possible line-up to see them off (no guarantee, but much more likely we would have drawn/won). If we'd played our weakened team against Hull, and our strongest against Sunderland, we probably would be looking forward to a quarter final against Hull/Brighton, maybe at a cost of being 9th rather than 8th in the league.

And the award for most convoluted excuse for fielding a weakened team against Sunderland's reserves goes to ....

See above.

FFS. A lot of condescending crap being spouted here. Just because we are pissed off at MP for unnecessarily fielding a weakened team against Sunderland's reserves, and throwing away a golden opportunity to have a good chance at our 2nd trophy in 100+ years, doesn't mean we're not thrilled to be in 8th in the PL, not enjoying the great football being playing (with our bloody first choice team), haven't forgotten where we were just a few years ago, and are not wanting to see the team win every game of football. This shrugging of shoulders, jolly bad luck to have been dumped out but let's move on, no big deal attitude, just gives free rein to MP and the rest of the Saints management to repeat their actions next time. If enough of the fans vent their fury at the totally unnecessary capitulation, maybe, just maybe, they'll think twice about doing it again (assuming no relegation or CL issues are at stake).

See above.

To clarify, I meant: Yes, competing to the levels that we are is exciting. I'm loving the league season, free of relegation stress. And yes, playing a weakened team against Sunderland's reserves was a disgrace. Even the West Ham fan agrees: 5. What have you made of Southampton’s season? Been an excellent season for you lot, with the amount you spent you would expect to be where you are. I just don’t understand the cup game last week? Why on earth does he play a weakened team when that has to be the biggest game of the season. In my opinion you had a massive chance to get to Wembley. If that was us I would be furious.

Let me ask a simple question. If the team sent out against Sunderland's reserves was instead sent out against Hull, and if the team that played against Hull instead was held back to play against Sunderland's reserves, do you think there would be a greater chance that we would still be in the cup?

Play the reserves on Saturday, and the first 11 on Monday. Simples.

Best: Saints in the league. Worst: Saints in f**king cups.

No comparison. There was promotion/relegation to battle for. The whole point of our tirade is that we are now in a unique position where league points aren't crucial.

Your first paragraph explains perfectly why players like Lallana, Shaw, and Lambert were so ineffective in the cup match. It's a team game. With players like Guly and Hoofeld included, and Cork and MS dropped, the system collapses. The blame lies squarely on MP and his team selection.

Didn't realise you could get a mortgage on a caravan.

Wouldn't say inevitably. Last time we stayed up for 27 years. We are much stronger financially now too, with a billionaire owner and filthy Sky lucre. I hate to say it but Gus has done brilliantly for you so far. If you stay up (and win a cup or two) you will have indeed had a great season, you bastards. Going down can be a disaster, and we almost did die actually after our last relegation. Yes there are parachute payments, but the gulf in money now can cripple a club. I admire you being sanguine about the possibility of relegation, but I wouldn't swap positions. If we went down our billionaire owner could get bored (or rather her nipper might) and it could all unravel damned quickly.