david in sweden

I don't think Cole even got a yellow card - did he ?...or ....

Mané is very mobile, and seems to turn up on the left as much as the right side. (won't make too many early comparison but has scored from some unbelieveable angles (ala Marian Pahars) With Pelle being so tightly marked of late, I can see Graziano dragging defenders off (as Lambert used to) ....and opening up space for Mane to run onto a pass / centre. (Similar situation with Elia). Like you, I like the idea of saying so-and-so is a left winger, or striker but playing styles are much more varied nowadays. When I started watching Saints in the 1950's....we had centre-forwards who were served by tricky wingers, and inside forwards who were fed by wing-halfs, and full backs who rarely crossed the half-way line. However, so far this season .....we've had 12 different goalscorers, and most of them have come from midfielders, or defenders. Interestingly, neither of our all time goalscorers was an out-and-out striker. Mick Channon (though occasionally wearing a no.9) was an inside forward (old terms) and MLT was called an attacking midfielder. As players no longer having meaningful numbers on their shirts (1-11), I'm glad every time we get the ball over the line, no matter who scores it.

they're not. Those MU players were Academy graduates and began playing in their first team after 1992 ....... .......most of our lads that I wrote about were born around 1995. Some of them graduated 2013-4 (JWP / Shaw amongst the first), but others have only just started to come into the side.

we play nice one-touch football in midfield...but suddenly want 3 or 4 touches when we get closer to the Area......unless it's inside the 6 yard box, they might just as well let fly from distance. Any distance.

far too long.....thanks to Pochettino.....think it was until 2017

hope they're all still smiling at the end of the season. We might only get a fraction of his fee back if he's sold, but at least we'll be making a saving on his salary.

whereas Man U used to boast about their Academy successes who graduated 1993 (or was it '92?) and included; Beckham, the Neville brothers, Scholes, Giggs, Butt (amongst others) these gave Ferguson the basis of his 20 years of success at Old Trafford, but now we see that most of the Saints' Academy group (born around 1995) have seemingly all come on line together and many of them have got longer contracts in the last 12 months. We may be looking forward to new signings, but here is part of the 50% ....which is planned to be the mainstay of our future squads. The latest..(U21 captain Jason McCarthy) gave a very good impression in his interview after havíng signed an new contract until 2017. He joins Jordan Turnbull and Matt Targett who have both signed extensions in the last few weeks, and it's breathtaking to hear these lads saying..... I've known Matty, Prowsie or Harry Reed....since I was 7 (!) . Talk about a side ...."gelling" A closer look at the list from back then is even more impressive, and the U21s are at the top end of their U21 Premier League and have lost only one of their last 11 games. Despite having sold Shaw and Chambers from that era, the existing group also includes; Dominic Gape, Jake Hesketh, Lloyd Isgrove, and Ryan Seager who have already clocked up first team match minutes this season, whilst Ward-Prowse and Harrison Reed are now familiar names on the team sheet. Whilst " the media" is still coming to terms with the past successes from Saints' Academy, we might well say ....." you 'aint seen nothing yet !

I saw that, too.... and wasn't just his face as it looked dangerously close to his left eye.

A good example of a player who rarely got a run of games in his best position, often in a queue behind Fonte, Hooiveld and Lovren. Has played as well as I've seen him in his recent outings. How Carlton Cole remained on the pitch after that high kick will remain one of life's great mysteries. Intentional or not - it was dangerous play. Automatic red card.

.....they like to be called " assistant referees " these days.

There's nowhere else for him to play for SFC. He's never first team material, but he does still have a contract extending to Summer 2016.. I think(?). Even those first team games were only because Nigel Adkins didn't sign (someone like) Boruc from Match no.1 after our promotion. (failed with Butland offer (no great loss)..but got PG instead). However, " young goalies " are very rare at this level, perhaps the one of the few exceptions being the Chelsea lad, (who had a great season in Spain ....before coming back to the Bridge).

my thoughts, too. Although Lalllana gets some game time neither Lambert or Lovren are even " regulars " on the bench. I wonder of Rodgers is considering the " old boy factor ", ......or will simply leave them in the stands.

....and I have to ask myself.....Did he really come out of the " Black Box " stats.......or was signing him merely a gesture to Pochettino. If so ..it was a very costly one.

Boca Juniors !.....let us be thankful for small mercies. He's off the books until June.... at least........How long was that contract he signed?

.........and according to some stats I saw last week .....has hit the woodwork six times.

does the FA revue system for retrospective punishments / suspensions still apply......or ? How does that work ......?

with those rumours AGAIN ....about Toby returning to Athletico, sad but maybe we shouldn't be too concerned if we can't sign him permanently. Jordan and Jack (Stephens) have both progressed through the ranks to U21's very well and seem to be having a good season at Swindon. CB is always a difficult position to fill, but if these lads are the real thing, then they won't need time to " settle in " and will save us £20 million instead of sourcing some unknown hidden away in the " Black Box " OK ..yes.. its only L1.... but they have had a lot of game time in a tough division, but remembering the way that Shaw and Chambers and Targett appreared on the scene ..do you think these two lads ..can be worse?.....and if they come in alongside Fonte, Gardos or Yoshida.. then they have a good chance to establish themselves, and become (their) eventual replacements.

A very physical game,and some very "uneven" refereeing decisions. Carlton Cole looked as though he was playing Australian Rules..instead of Association Football.His high kick could have cost Yoshida an eye. Gone are the days when you could shoulder-charge the goalie, but also proved that " worrying " a goalkeeper can pay dividends, although if Adrian (rightly) got a red card...why no penalty for the incident? If we look back in May at lost opportunities of what may have been in Euro competitions, we can probably put it down to these two last home games, and say it was FIVE POINTS LOST. ....v Swansea we had 63% possesssion and 15 shots to 6...and 67% v Wham (20 shots to 4)...against 9½ men.....yet still couldn't find the killer touch for a winning goal. If people say " luck " plays a part in every season, Big Sam got a big chunk of it last night.

I always thought that it was a preamble to getting his Dad in to run the team at a time when " Manager of the Month " had a rather unpleasant meaning for Saints. In the end Tony senior didn't come, and we got landed with the son.......(obviously a long time before the " Black Box " was ever thought of......otherwise he wouldn't have got past the car park).

LIKE:toppa:

me too, but watching the game last night. I couldn't remember the last time I wanted Liverpool to WIN a match.....and to think that Super Mario became a hero - at last.

The headlines make it seem more important than it is in reality to the club. The main concern seems to be the money we've laid out for him with (apparantly) zero return. (Sadly)..Emmanuel has never been a first choice player - under any manager. He must have had some degree of talent in the beginning, but it hasn't come to the fore at SMS. He may well be in that group of players who aren't played in their best position, or aren't available when they have the chance to play, and so we are not as "dependant " on him as we are for some others. We can only hope his op. will be successful, and that we might still see some benefit in the remaining time of his VERY long contract.

.......if only that season had been .......a little longer. We finished quite well and Liverpool were on the wane, but we weren't quite good enough at the end.

.....think it's around 14 times after the one on Saturday

With the 3 pts at QPR, at least we " recovered " 3rd place, but regardless of the performance of others, our next 2 home games will help us retain that spot, and both games are highly winnable. I don't think there is the same sort of " pressure " on the Saints squad, as we are already outperforming everyone's expectations, but the "so-called " big clubs " (still under us) will really feel the heat from their fans who are used to Euro football and don't take to disappointments so easily. Both WHam and Liverpool are used to playimg open football and this is to our favour and could be their downfall....