shurlock

Coz he's crap. We have hammond/morgan at CM, Antonio at RM and Otsemobor/Thomas at RB. Possibly he might have gone to RB yesterday but its not like he's much quicker than Thomas and it was pace/power that undid us. I've seen James skinned more times than Thomas at the back.

Not when they've been publicly stating that they had covered all contingencies. Failure then becomes embarrassing and its in your interest to talk things down.

Is that a fact?

Agree we're missing a fox in the box (which RL isn't really). Whether that's alone enough to justify Barnard's place in the team, I'm not so sure. I'd be more happy with Connolly. That means losing somebody like Papa whose pace did stretch Pompey -some of the press reports say he was a bigger threat than RL, notwithstanding his miss(es).

And apart from his goal at Huddersfield, RL hasnt got to the end of a corner/setpiece. I don't actually think he's that mobile around the box. He's certainly not a David Connolly or Kevin Phillips who can find space, get to knock-ons and fire shots away.

Let him continue taking freekicks and corners, especially away from home -James, Mills and Lallana have failed to produce. We have some big boys whose presence has been criminally wasted. Today we were as threatening from setpieces as any match this season. Ultimately I'd rather have some guarantee that the delivery is going to be good than an extra body in the box, even somebody like RL.

The last six weeks have been one of his poorest periods of form. Even with today's MOTM performance, too early to say that he's returned to form.

Had an excellent game (and probably the closest either team came to fielding a local player). Still have no idea where it came from coz he's been very ineffectual in the league recently (and I'm a fan of his).

Yes, especially in defence where the cupties made a huge difference. That said there isn't much of a winning mentality amongst some of the newer recruits - they've joined at a time when our league form has dipped and asking some pretty serious questions about the direction of the team and the manager. There was no pressure on the players today - a totally different kettle of fish from the league in which we're expected to win every game.

Totally agree - said the same thing to someone else. Was at the Memorial in 2008 and the difference between then and today is massive. And that's not just because we were the favourites then- the performance itself exposed the rottenness at the core of the club. Will wait and see, though. Pards drones on about a winning mentality - for me the most persuasive piece of evidence that we're turning the corner will be if we kick on from today rather than hang our heads like the freefall after the BR result.

Our situation was nothing like theirs. In contrast to their binge-fest, we were a model example of thrift and self-restraint during the Burley years (which Lowe ultimately spun/exaggerated for his own purposes). They lived beyond their means, it was unsustainable and none of their supporters complained (hence today's "you've never won f**k all", betraying a total ignorance of our history and suggesting they wouldn't have done things any differently, though most of them are too f**king thick to work out that the 2008 FA Cup was built on quicksand). . If some unfairness had befallen them that was not their own making, I might agree (albeit with massive reservations). But no they're just reaping what they sowed. Had two run-ins with skates on the train to and from London; nice reminder that there's not even room for humerous, if tense banter. We genuinely don't like each other.

I agree to that extent. Their first was an excellent strike - zero backlift almost nudged in. But how they casually worked the ball from right to left and found him in so much space eludes me.

Different game - we were leading in that game; today we were chasing. I have less of a problem with the way today panned out -apart from their incredibly soft second goal- than the Brum game.

Had good opening few mins, and then was one of our poorest players for the rest of the half. But definitely brightened up in the 2nd.

Wouldn't say the second goal was the sucker punch - if Barnard hadn't greedily taken the ball from the toes of Lallana who was in an onside position, we would have been 2-2. After that chance and still sensing we could still get something we threw the dice even harder - and some on here say we're too negative- for which we then paid the price. The irony is that its easier to get suckerpunched when you're playing well - had we been playing badly, the scoreline might well have been more flattering.

Rob Smyth's minute by minute coverage at guardian makes good reading post-match http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/feb/13/southhampton-portsmouth-live In his words "This is the most scandalous 4-1 I've seen since Andrea Dossena lobbed Edwin van der Sar 11 months ago. It's almost up there with Napoli 1-4 Sampdoria in 1990-91, the ultimate smash-and-grab"

If it hadn't been for Millwall's late winner, it would have been a good day's results. Alot of draws - and we now have two games in hand. Taking into account Norwich and Wycombe, six of our last seven game will have been away from home, so we've got home advantage to look forward to. Today's result has focussed the mind - not just because we're out of the FA cup but because we will taste high-stakes games like today only if we go up. Lets really go for it and see how close it takes us. Like today, there's nothing to lose.

yeh loads of threads on the subject but its a good article - surprising for the mail- and deserves a read. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1250700/Saints-winners-Why-old-rivals-Southampton-Portsmouth-bitter-enemies.html And from a Telegraph article thought this was amusing: "Grant, who has travelled the world watching football, said that the atmosphere in Hampshire this week was beyond even what he had experienced in Buenos Aires, Milan or Istanbul for local derbies".

Thomas, Morgan, Ben Haim throw in the comically self-important (and crap) Howard Webb and you've got fireworks. I quite fancy Ben Haim to go off for some reason.

Homophobia - the acceptable discrimination around which all colours and creeds can unite Sanctimonious c**ks at the FA - not all our worldviews are based on the showers we took at Eton when we were younger.

a skate?

Like the way the media initially credited one of Papa's goals to Hammond in an earlier round! :confused:

Goals up on the Saints Player - 100% Papa's assist - did all the hard work to first beat their defender to AL's cross and then deftly flick the ball to Lambert who was running on.

They're not going to Wemberlee this season

Yes he is. Watched the game - was appalling - bottled giving the scousers a pen with the last kick of the game. But made crap decisions all night. Don't rate him more generally. Fantastic at posturing and acting the big man but utterly inconsistent.