sidthesquid

1.Not being relegated 2. Seeing us win another home game er... that's it really

Only one thing decided it sadly - money. He was one of our highest earners and (unlike some) actually wanted by another club, so he had to go. All other opinion is irrelevant.

The difference was McGoldrick was not expected to lead the line. He can't do it, but put him as the secondary striker/ player in the hole or however you want to describe it and he comes alive. Let's just hope Jan has taken note

McGoldrick played well today because he was playing off the centre forward, which he does well, not leading the line which he is cr*p at. Was it 4-4-2 or 4-5-1? I'd go for 4-4.5/1.5 to keep Jan's pride in place

Where are the next three points going to come from? 1 on 17th Jan v Doncaster (H) 1 on 4th April v Charlton (H) 1 on 3rd May v Nottm Forest (A) when it no longer matters

Kelvin Davis - Reminds me of Paul Jones - fabulous shotstopper, but I still think he is part of the defensive problem. It is not a coincidence that we concede far too often from set-pieces & high balls into the box. Anything inside the penalty spot should be his and most often it isn't. Lloyd James - Not the greatest defensively, but improving all the time, he has neat feet and an eye to getting forward. Would I swap him for Jermaine Wright at full-back - no bl**dy way! He will surprise people over the next 18 months and just as the crowd grow to love him he'll be off. Oliver Lancashire - I liked the look of him when he first appeared, but like so many of them looks a bit lightweight at times. Still think he has the potential, though, to make it. Jack Cork - Quality player, but needs to impose himself a bit more to move up to the next level. Way to good for this league, he will be a Prem regular in the next couple of years, but not quite top-four. Skacel - I still think he is the most overrated player ever to pull on the shirt. Everyone waits for him to do something great and it never happens. I would be happy to see him go. Chris Perry - Good old pro, but his lack of pace and presence make him borderline adequate in this league. Alex Pearce - I hope he stays for the rest of the season, but his performances have been erratic to say the least. Joseph Mills - Time for him to have another go. I thought he did well when he had a run & I'm not convinced that Skacel is any better. Jake Thomson - Another incredily erratic performer - could be the next Walcott, just as easily the next Dyer, I really don't know. Jason Euell - I tried to defend him last season, but I give up. Possibly the biggest waste of £12000/week ever. Lee Holmes - Looked good early on, I suspect he's not yet fully fit again after his injury. Andrew Surman - Still the smartest, hardest working player we have. When he functions the whole team does. Looks a bit like he did at times last year at the moment, ground down by the weight of all those around him that he carries. Simon Gillett - Liked the look of him early on, but he seems less busy, less combative, less everything since he was injured. I am beginning to seriously doubt he will make the grade. Morgan Schneiderlin - Looks good at times, but doesn't always work hard enough or his dodgy hamstring goes again. Oscar Gobern - Certainly has something about him, but should not be a first-teamer at present. Romain Gasmi - Looks shell-shocked by the whole Championship experience. Adam Lallana - Has the talent to be one of the greats, but has to learn to make it count. I hope he can. Bradley Wright-Phillips - Same old, same old. Flashes of brilliance, but generally clueless, particularly about the offside rule, and looking less and less likely that he will ever make it. Macclesfield or Rochdale within 3 years. David McGoldrick - One day it will all come together but he cannot lead the line and never will. I still think right-wing or inside forward is his best role. Jordan Robertson - A poor man's James Beattie, he has failed to live up to his stunning start. Matthew Paterson - He definitely has something about him, but he is in the team a year too early and it is wrong to expect too much of him. Next year he will be leading the line. Tomas Pekhart - A (very) poor man's Peter Crouch. Ryan Smith - looks like a Millwall reserve and far too lightweight, too. Nathan Dyer - will be turning out for Rochdale with BWP in 3 seasons time.

Life is never as bad as you think it is. Pompey got stuffed and are going down faster than we are.

Just a suggestion, Jan, old mate, but we have failed to score in 5 of the last 7 games - I think that just might possibly be where our problem lies....... (or possibly the 10 goals conceded in the last 4 games)

Is it just me that thinks Skacel is one of the biggest disappointments we have ever had. He arrived with such a reputation, but apart from occasional moments in one or two games he has never looked better than a journeyman Championship player. I wonder how many of those on here bemoaning the fact that he may well leave have seen him play this season. He's okay, but no more. His defensive capabilities, his crossing, his positional sense is no better than everyone's favourite boo-boy, Lloyd James, and personally, I think it's worse. I'd rather see Joseph Mills there.

I was so wound up I forgot to rate the players Davis - 5 Almost a stinker. A couple of great saves but at least partially to blame for the goals and couldn't hold onto the ball for his life in the second half. James 5.5 -Not the greatest defensively, but I still think he is OK and as much of our creative play came through him as anyone Skacel - 4 - because I expect better from him. Defensively wanting at times and a worse crosser of the ball than James Perry - 5 - okay, just. Hideously at fault for the goal and nearly gave away one earlier Pearce -4.5 - not the worst, but not good Cork - 6 - our best player, kept plugging away when heads were dropping around him. Why the hell would he want to stay past next week? Surman -5 - not dominant enough, but those in front of him never seemed as alert as he was Lallana - 4 -you need more than twinkle-toes, I'm afraid. Found wanting physically and mentally today Holmes - 5 - generous score because he looked a bit like a player who's been out for three months Euell - 2 - pathetic. As bad as any game he played last season. Not a right winger, not a striker, not a player in the hole. To think he earns half the average year's wages for for that display... McGoldrick - 3 - I think he tried, but he never managed a shot on goal all game. Wright-Phillips - 4 - back to his clueless worst Gasmi - 2.5 - was he playing? Oh yes, I saw him dive once and complain to the ref Poortvliet - 1 - got it all wrong today. It was the kind of display today that finishes manager's careers. I am struggling to take a single positive from today's performance. They had a team full of youngsters, too, but they were quicker, more alert, more determined than we were and they looked better than us in all departments.

For the first time this season I believe that a) we are down & b) Jan has to go. Clueless, aimless, hopeless. Two comments from those around me today - firstly a young lad of about ten sat behind me - 'Dad, why don't they take number 15 (Euell) off. He's completely useless,' and two Nottm Forest fans talking - 1st fan 'We played really well today.' 2nd fan - 'Mind you, Southampton were truly shocking.'

EFM: Because some of us dislike them intensely and get tremendous pleasure from their misfortunes. Get over it. What he said

Our last 46 league games since Xmas last year - P46 W9 D18 L19 Pts 45 = certain relegation Just thought I'd throw it in to cheer everyone up Incidentally last season was 24-4-11-9-23pts, this season 22-5-7-10-22pts

Originally Posted by Stanley Defeat in front of a sub sellout crowd. This guy must be a skate plant, surely

I thought it was an attractive game to watch, but a bit soulless - not much atmosphere, but a lot of neat football without an end product to rouse the fans. We did try to be too intricate at times, and there was a reluctance to shoot or play the simple ball, but overall I thought we did play quite well, though clearly we tired towards the end. We kept our discipline, kept probing away trying to get through their two banks of four, but sometimes you just need a break and last night we never had it. None of the loose balls from our numerous attacks and corners ever dropped nicely to one of ours but seemed to spin away to their solitary man upfield to try and catch us on the break. But we dug in, kept persevering and it WILL come right. I've watched enough games down there over the years where, when we come up against big strong unambitious teams, it becomes headless chicken time and we resort to hoofing it up the middle time and again until we loose to a stupid goal, to realise that last night was definitely not all bad. And there were some positives - I thought James did OK, Patterson looked quite useful when he came on and BWP acquitted himself quite well, so I didn't go home too dispirited.

So what if he called us customers first. Who cares? I'm a supporter, not a customer. It's a state opf mind

And another thing - I would far rather watch Lancashire & James and the others develop and grow into the good footballers they will become than see a bunch of unknown unpronounceable foreign mercenaries drafted in for half a season of indifferent effort at the end of their careers.

Is it just me that doesn't get it? I love this club, I have supported it for nearly 40 years, I have made my son love it too, poor lad, even though we live in a PO postcode. It's not negotiable - we are season ticket holders, we go to every home game, we cheer the team on, we groan in despair at some selections/decisions, but we keep supporting and we hope and we keep hoping. I am not a customer - I am a customer of Sainsburys, but not of Southampton. I am a fan (short for fanatic), devoted to supporting my club through thick and thin and it really, REALLY p*sses me off that when the club desperately needs our help and support so many mealy-mouthed 'customers' and alleged supporters find excuses not to turn up and back the lads who do their very best for us every week. It is nothing to do with Lowe or the credit-crunch or anything else, it is a lot of self-justifying whining from people who can't accept we are no longer in the Prem. We might get relegated, we might have to sell off our bright young stars, but then again, we might yet amaze everyone, and I bet if we are pushing for the play-offs come March all these fair-weather fans will find some warped justification to start coming back again. It is bloody simple - it is our club, not Lowes or Wildes or some Arab businessman who might buy us on a whim's club. But ours. And to me it is shameful that all these petty people actually think that administration or relegation will in some way be a good thing while they stay away feeling smugly superior to us poor saps who turn out in rain and frost to cheer the team on. YOUR club needs you. Prove you are a true fan, not a customer, and get off your asses and support them at their darkest hour.

Five who never appeared in the league for us A McNeil M Sarmiento T ForecastL MettomoJ Hatch M Tejera

Sad man that I am, I looked up our home results since we beat Hull City 4-0 last season - and it ain't pretty. Played 20 W 5 D5 L 10. You could see it in the players today - nervous, edgy, playing it safe for fear of being the one to give it away, always wanting the extra touch. When we went a goal down we suddenly seemed liberated and started to play some football and I thought, at the time, why couldn't they have put that much effort in earlier? But it wasn't a lack of effort but fear, and once we were a goal down it was 'what the hell, we're going to get beat anyway so let's give it a go' and they did. I don't know what we do about it, though. It wasn't that the fans were on their backs, either, just a collective sense of anxiety that got through to the players. No wonder we do better away. A scrappy 1-0 with a last minute winner against Wolves would be my prescription.

For what it's worth, my thoughts on the team on Tuesday Davis - 7 - not much to do, but did nothing wrong James - 7 - I watched him closely all match, because he has become a real scapegoat on here & I really couldn't see much wrong with him. Not the greatest defender, perhaps, but attacks well (ie our goal) & does seem to get left exposed by our various right-wingers this season Skacel - 6 - did fine, but as earlier posters mentioned, hardly stood out as the million pound player in our squad of kids Cork & Wotton - 6.5 - generally okay, but we do seem a bit lightweight in this area Thomson - 6.5 - like Nathan Dyer with a brain Schneiderlin & Surman -7 - classiest players on the pitch. I think Surman has found his true position in central midfield Lallana - 6 - wasted out wide Euell -7 - pleasantly surprised & he worked hard, too McGoldrick - 7.5 - took his goal brilliantly & put in the level of effort that is needed every week Peckhart, Smith & BWP - 6 - hardly made an impact Poortvliet -6.5 - got a response from Saturday, but his substitutions were a) odd & b) poorly timed Overall, an entertaining, open game. We do play better against other footballing teams & we deserved to win, but they had about three chances for one goal & we had about twenty

For what it's worth, my thoughts on the team on Tuesday Davis - 7 - not much to do, but did nothing wrong James - 7 - I watched him closely all match, because he has become a real scapegoat on here & I really couldn't see much wrong with him. Not the greatest defender, perhaps, but attacks well (ie our goal) & does seem to get left exposed by our various right-wingers this season Skacel - 6 - did fine, but as earlier posters mentioned, hardly stood out as the million pound player in our squad of kids Cork & Wotton - 6.5 - generally okay, but we do seem a bit lightweight in this area Thomson - 6.5 - like Nathan Dyer with a brain Schneiderlin & Surman -7 - classiest players on the pitch. I think Surman has found his true position in central midfield Lallana - 6 - wasted out wide Euell -7 - pleasantly surprised & he worked hard, too McGoldrick - 7.5 - took his goal brilliantly & put in the level of effort that is needed every week Peckhart, Smith & BWP - 6 - hardly made an impact Poortvliet -6.5 - got a response from Saturday, but his substitutions were a) odd & b) poorly timed Overall, an entertaining, open game. We do play better against other footballing teams & we deserved to win, but they had about three chances for one goal & we had about twenty

Is it just me or are a lot of our problems stemming fron Davis's inability to move from his line from dead-balls. He may be a great shot-stopper but three goals from set-piece crosses worries me. Everybody here gives stick to our two young fullbacks, but I didn't see much wrong with them. Our problem, time after time after time, over the last three years has been set-pieces - common link - Kelvin Davis. I noticed in the second half, when Saints were defending at my end, that all their corners/throws were aimed at the six-yard line & not once did Davis come out and punch or catch. And once the ball is bobbling around in that zone you are in trouble - and we often are.... I noticed a lot of people giving Davis a rating of 6 and the defenders 3s and 4s, saying it was not his fault how bad the defenders were, but I'm afraid it's not the defence that is the root of our problems, it his inability to dominate his box.

My ratings for today Davis - 3 - I know he makes good saves, but I still think a lot of questions need to be asked of the keeper when all three goals come from set-piece crosses. James & Mills - 5.5 - both okay, fullback was not the problem today Wotton & Lancashire - 4 - too similar, neither dominant enough physically Smith - 5.5 - I quite liked the look of him, but wonder how much end-product he'll produce McGoldrick - 4 - flits in and out. Should be fined for that penalty (perhaps we should sign the girl who took the pens at half time - at least she knew how to kick it) Lalllana - 6.5 - classy on the ball but not enough end-product today Surman & Cork - 6 - looked quite a good pairing, but lacked a bit of bite Robertson - 5 - a poor man's Beattie Pekhart & Thomson - totally anonymous Overall more total pants than total football against the worst team we have played this season. If you give away 3 soft goals to set-pieces straight after two missed penalties and a one-on-one with the keeper you are doomed, no matter how good the coach or players are individually

£10 to park for the U21 match about three miles from the ground