M271

Seeing as we will have 8 or 9 games* in the 4 weeks after and including the Leicester game I'm sure that all 3 will get their chance at some stage. I think that the proven partnership of JWP and Romeu will be Ralphs first choice for most matches. Diallo will get his chance when rotation is needed, potential injuries, tiredness or if Ralph feels that he better suits the way of playing against a particular opposition. * Depending on progression in the FA cup

If it does go ahead I hope that social distancing between the teams is enforced. Makes me smile when the teams come out separately and the subs from the same team sit spaced a part but at the end of the match the teams embrace and hug each other! All that running about must have made them immune.

I guess that if the match is postponed then it will be played mid-week next week or on the weekend of the 4th Round in 2 weeks time? Depending upon when the necessary negative tests come back. I think there will be many postponements this weekend.

For once we have 5 days before and a clear week afterwards so should be OK to put out a full strength side, from those that are available. However this is the ideal match to bench some of the high intensity players like KWP, JWP, Bertrand, Walcott, Ings, Armstrong and assess their replacements. On balance though I think that somewhere in between with 3 of those listed will start and 3 on the bench. The crunch comes a week later when we start a period of 7 games (if we progress in the cup) in 3 weeks against teams that will be challenging, this is when management of the team / squad will be vital.

First Man City after playing us and now Fulham 4 days after playing us, are we the super spreaders? Seriously, I hope that our players are OK after playing against 'infected' teams. Hopefully all our tests will be negative over the next days.

The way that he bombs around the pitch he has to be careful in this cold weather not to pull a hammy, reappearance of the long johns I suspect!. Although he does seem to have had more calf muscle issues in the past. Theo Walcott - Injury history | Transfermarkt

West Ham looking very ordinary with little energy and urgency, you just watch them raise their game against us as they always seem to do. I remember Anderson against us a few seasons ago who had a fantastic game but I never saw him play so well again (selective memory?).

And their online shop. We ordered 1 3rd kit shirt but 2 arrived under 2 order numbers and charging us for both. Sent 1 back immediately and they received it back 2 weeks ago today (tracked), still no refund. Have tried to ring them but the online phone option just rings and rings, and the megastore option just bleeps 3 times and cuts off, both of these options have been like this for at least the last week. I used their online contact message email yesterday to chase up the refund and of course no automated email acknowledgement for me to know that they have received the message!!

Covid cases have more than doubled for Southampton in the week up to 17th Dec (209 cases last week up to 433 this), if this speed of increase continues I can see our home game v West Ham being the last with fans for a while. Pity with the Liverpool and Shrewsbury home games soon after that. Next Tier review is due on Wednesday 30th Dec so I guess we will know then, when they look at other factors too in making the judgement.

And especially when looking at the next 5 League fixtures after Fulham against Westham (h), Liverpool (h), Leicester (a), Leeds (a) and Arsenal (h)!

Just signed up for a free month of Amazon Prime, watching Wolves v Chelsea through new Sky Box App.

The word for black in Romanian is negru, so that may be the problem?

With 3 games in 6 days there will be squad management going on, maybe not the Sheff Utd and Man City games but what about the mid-week Arsenal game can all the first pick team play that? If not who to rest?

We got an email Wednesday before last on 25th November saying it was being shipped and still hasn't been received, Ts and Cs says 5 to 7 working days which was up last Friday. Tried to phone them without success to chase it up.

Had a feeling of dread even at 2 - 0 up at half time, wife said to me you should be happy but I said I just know what's going to happen and I was right (not difficult being a long standing Saints fan!). Towards the end I was happy with the draw but the inevitable happened in extra time just to bring true what seems to be a predictable script against Utd). I don't normally criticise RH but bringing Long on at 60 min and what until near the end to replace anyone else when we were obviously being out played way before that was a mistake IMO.

On Sky Sports news they were saying that people from Tier 3 areas must not attend matches in Tier 2 due to this clause (the Tier restriction applies to them whichever tier area they are in): there should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances The nearest ones are Bristol area, Slough, Kent and Midlands, could the club use season ticket address postcodes to make sure that fans from those areas are not invited to attend?

His tights / long johns do look weird but better than pulling a hamstring, which I presume that is why he is wearing them. Or maybe he just likes to wear tights even in public!!

I know the feeling. Being positive: We're playing really well and there is no reason why we can't keep that form going into this game. Being negative: Trouble is that being a Saints fan I'm just waiting for the 'down to earth with bump' feeling and the normal month or 2 period each season when we get very few points. COYS. I know that not all games will go our way but at least play as we have been as a team and we will stand a chance.

I normally watch any football game going but the last 2 England games without Ings or JWP in the squad I did not watch. Mind you I don't understand the European competition format and didn't realise the importance of the Belgium game, I think that having friendly games at the same time period as competition matches hasn't helped. In theory we should have a good England team to compete with any country (Belgium a small country at number 1 in the world!!) but over the years England managers have poorly selected and mis-managed the resources around them.

"Unlike other travel to the UK, there will be no exemptions to this quarantine policy," the guidance says. Since June, elite sportspeople have been exempt from coronavirus-related travel restrictions. The Football Association is awaiting clarification from the government. The latest rules, which took effect at 04:00 GMT on Saturday, will be reviewed after a week, the Department For Transport said.

I wonder if Vestergaard has travelled to Denmark yet to join up with his national team. If he has he may not be able to travel back due to new government ban from Denmark due to Mink covid. England game v Iceland is in doubt due to them playing Denmark before then this week. Travel ban will be reviewed in a week. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54858614

Stoke supporters seem to be taking to him. Getting good game time now that Davies is out injured. https://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/277904/angus-gunn?page=25

A UK luxury car company that a friend of mine works for is heading for record sales this year even though they were shutdown from late March until early May, they have been working overtime since then to meet demand. Some reasons given are that the lockdowns have prevented buyers spending on lavish holidays, socialising etc and not investing in high end property due to price reduction risk. And forward sales orders for 2021 are well ahead of planned as well, many from China who are still seeing substantial economic growth of 4.9% in the last quarter.

For me sometimes they are missing but if I go back on a thread later they are there. Seem to come and go.

I'm finding the same but on a laptop using Edge as the browser.