Tom28

Boss Pochettino said: “I’m not really keen on the Europa League. We’re all more attracted to the Champions League. “I like it when my players have ambition and that way of thinking obliges them to work even harder to achieve those things. It also forces you to be very demanding of your team. “The Europa League means you haven’t been good enough to make it to the Champions League. All managers are aiming to go one step higher. “We can’t set ourselves any limits. We have to be ambitious. We don’t know if that will happen in one year, three years or five years. If we are ambitious one day we will achieve it.” Wasn't lost in translation. Wasn't disrespectful. He just wants more. So should we. As I said earlier in the thread, our managements' ambition exceeds that of a lot of our fans'.

You're crazy. Seriously though, you may be right, but someone above made a good point... if we were to play Lambert and J-Rod, and one or both picked up a knock, or we ended up playing 120 mins, and then Osvaldo didn't recover in time for Saturday, then I really wouldn't fancy our chances of beating Hull. It's a percentages game; my view is we shouldn't take the gamble. We have a squad - lets use it in this competition. We've used the League cup in years gone by for our fringe players and for the likes of Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers, James W-P, Alex Ox-C, etc...I'd far rather we use the League Cup for giving our fringe players game time and for bringing younger players through like Omar Rowe, Harrison Reed etc. Why move away from that strategy now?

Pochettino said himself (I accept this isn't verbatim) that Europa League is just a cup for teams not good enough for the Champions League. Thursday night trips to some far eastern corner of Europe in late November against a team no one has ever heard of with a tin pot stadium full of racists? No thanks. Barcelona at the Nou Camp? Oh go on then..... Too many on here with a small minded, English mentality of "it'll never happen for us so we may as well just settle for the League Cup". Dream bigger. If we don't get there, we don't get there, but I'd far rather we focussed on the league and gave it a good go.

Pompey won the cup a few years ago; look at them now. Winning one trophy isn't long term success. Champions League qualification and the extra money that would bring would secure us in the upper echelons of the Premier League for years, and would allow us the opportunity to grow and to build a squad that could win multiple trophies, not just one League Cup. Your ambitions are small time and short term. They do not beat the Chairmans'.

We must be the only club in the world whose chairmans ambition exceeds that of the fans.

Small timers. Yes I want to win something. The premier league. A Champions League spot.

Those of you hoping/predicting that there will be significant first choice 11 presence in our line up on Weds are setting yourselves up to be disappointed. I will be amazed in any of the starting eleven from Saturday start on Wednesday night. In fact, I'd be disappointed if they did. I don't want to see any of them even travel. We have enough depth with the 'reserve' eleven plus the youngsters to give a good account of ourselves. I'm not bothered about the result. Only the performance.

Davis Chambers Yoshida Hooiveld Fox Cork Reed Davis Ramirez Isgrove Lee Gazza, Fonte, Rodriguez, Rowe, Seager, Lallana, JWP

You're a bedwetter. And you know **** all about football so **** off.

Nick Harvey's replacement was a guy who was his assistant last season and was a guy relatively fresh out of Uni. We don't appear to have missed Nick Harvey though do we.

Nick Harvey left before the start of the season. He's just joined Reading, but he left a while ago.

Being completely honest, and from someone who really wants him to be amazing, I have to say he hasn't been very good so far. But I think he will be; just needs time. I rate Lambert and Osvaldo equally, and right now if I had to choose between them, then from what I've seen on the pitch this season, I'd pick Lambert. Lambert just gets better and better around the box. Some of his touches and passes in the first half today were complete class. His vision is outstanding.

Boruc Clyne Fonte Lovren Shaw Wanyama Schneiderlin Osvaldo Lallana JRod Lambert Subs: Davis, Chambers, JWP, Cork, Ramirez, Davis, (Lee, Rowe, Reed or Guly) For a game like this, I'd take the risk of not having a centre half on the bench and go with an extra attacking option. Should one of Fonte or Lovren get injured, Cork or Wanyama could fill-in.

Davis Chambers Yoshida Hooiveld Fox Cork JWP Ramirez Davis Guly Lee Subs: Gazza, Turnbull, Targett, Stephens, Reed, Rowe, Sinclair

Boric Clyne Fonte Lovren Shaw Cork Wanyama Schneiderlin JWP Lallana Lambert Subs: Davis, Chambers, Jos, Davis, JRod, Ramirez, Osvaldo

I agree (for a change) with a lot of these posts. I think the issue isn't necessarily the formation though but more the fact that there was oftentimes yesterday a big gap between Morgan and Wanyama, and the front four. There was no one linking that devide I would rather see three holding players and three up top on the proviso that two of the holding three have license to break forward. I also agree that Wanyama does seem slow on the ball and was caught a few times yesterday. Cork very rarely gets caught and he can often worm his way out of tight spots.

I cannot believe the number of people that would drop Lambert. Its crazy. The guy has just lead the line for England in the last two WC qualifiers. I also don't understand the logic of thinking Lambert should drop into the 10 position. Our formation works best when Lambert leads the line and we have runners to get beyond him like Lallana, Rodriguez, and now Osvaldo. I also don't understand this fascination with Ramirez. Until he starts impacting games he shouldn't start, regardless of his price tag. For me we should go with... Boruc Clyne Fonte Lovren Shaw Morgan Wanyama J Rod Lallana Osvaldo Lambert

Boruc Clyne Yoshida Lovren Shaw Wanyama Schneiderlin Osvaldo Lallana JRod SRL Subs: K Davis, Chambers, Cork, Fonte, JWP, Ramirez, Guly

Personally I would play a 4-1-3-2 at home. Boruc Clyne Yoshida Lovren Shaw Wanyama Rodriguez Schneiderlin Lallana Lambert Osvaldo Away I would play the same players but with Schneiderlin playing deeper, Lallana in the 10, and Osvaldo and Rodriguez coming off the flanks and Lambert up top in a 4-2-3-1.

Whether he plays well tonight, scores a goal or two or not, he's getting the opportunity. After tonight, and possible Tuesday, none of us can hide behind "it's because he plays for Southampton that he isn't getting his chance". We'll know once and for all whether he's up to the task. He has one, maybe two games to make his mark and if he doesn't, then I suspect that will bring an end to his brief England career but at least he will have been given a reasonable go. I, for one, think he'll play well and pop up with a goal and put himself in the hunt for a World Cup spot; he's constantly stepped up for us. And even if he doesn't he'll still be an absolute Southampton legend. Good luck Sir.

Boruc was at the Nuffield earlier...

Boruc Clyne Lovren Fonte Shaw Schneiderlin Wanyama JWP Lallana Rodriguez Lambert Subs: Davis, Chambers, Yoshida, Cork, Davis, Ramirez, Osvaldo

I'm going with Boruc Clyne Lovren Fonte Shaw Wanyama Schneiderlin JWP Lallana JRod Lambert Subs: Davis, Chambers, Yoshida, Cork, Davis, Ramirez, Osvaldo And I'll go for a 0-0 draw. Was impressed with the way Sunderland played last week, but don't fancy them to score. I think both sides will cancel each other out.

No. It isn't. I know for a 100% fact that its £300k this season. I also know Fulham were after £10m this season from FXPro. Looks like they did pretty **** against that target (although I suspect the accuracy of those numbers is poor).