M271

Unfortunately difficult run of fixtures has coincideded with several injuries. In most matches we have more then matched our opponents, today we showed the effects of 4 games in 11 days against a team with plenty of quality rotation options. Just need to get Saturday match out of the way then take a breather and take stock ready for a hopefully easier period of fixtures and Boruc and Wanyama returning. P.S. are some of the idiotic posters on here actually Saints fans or Wind Up Mer hants with nothing better to do, they certainly don't know much about the football.

It's been 3 weeks since Boruc injury, did they say at the time it was a 5 to 6 weeks recovery time. Anyone heard/seen any update?

What a difference 3 weeks make, ever since Chelseas first goal and Boruc was injured things just haven't gone our way. Huge injury list, defensive mistakes that we managed to avoid for the first 10 matches. I don't think that we have played too badly for most of the last 6 matches but this run of results can erode the confidence of the most spirited squads. Now Cardiff and Everton away followed by Chelsea at home !! Things could get worse before hopefully getting better. Recent run has parallels with the first MOPO matches followed by the limp end to the season.

Well captured Glasgow. Score came up then went soon to adverts, after adverts Videprinter had gone, must be a Pompey director at Sky trying to hide the embarrassment !!!

Just come on Sky Sports News videprinter but now gone to adverts

We'll probably get a reasonable championship team away (Leeds, Leicester, Derby etc) , so classed as a giant killing but a very difficult match.

We're number 35

'Using Manchester United as an example, given the speed at which the tickets sold, we do not believe that we would have been able to sell all of the additional tickets on General Sale for this game, an opinion which is supported by the amount of tickets sold when the game reached General Sale in the 2012/13 season'They shouldn't use last seasons Manchester United game as a comparative example as it was on a Tuesday Evening at the end of January not a Saturday in October. They don't seem to be using this criteria very well: 'Selecting the appropriate allocation for away tickets is a decision that is not taken lightly for any game, and one into which a lot of thought and consideration are placed. For each game, we assess a number of criteria, many of which are fairly obvious such as the day/date of the fixture, travel time from Southampton, previous attendances at that ground etc.'

If you can get to Watford Junction there is a 8.10 which gets into Liverpool Lime Street at 12.21, bit long and tortuous but return is quicker/better. £62 if you buy 2 singles, which is cheaper than return ticket.

When I watch or listen to our League matches I feel nervous as hell, tonight watched at home quite relaxed and not really bothered, probably says it all. I would much rather finish mid or higher in the league than win a cup and be in a relagation scrap, each to their own I suppose. I don't know what people expect, playing away from home at the other end of the country only 2.5 days before our next league match (stupid scheduling). I think that more first teamers would have played if we were at home with 3.5 to 4.5 recovery time.

Interesting comment about Wanyama (the Lion Sleeps Tonight song LOL) on their Oat Cake forum and for a number of our other players: I thought the best player on the pitch was victor wanyama who broke everything up , won every loose ball and never misplaced a pass or lost a tackle. Tremendous performance Read more: http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/222005/james-ward-prowse#ixzz2jZo3lYgA

It will be between Rickie and Carroll barring injuries to other established strikers. Who of the 2 performs the best / scores most goals over the next 7 months will get the place, however I have the feeling that if things are equalish between the 2 then Roy would choose Carroll to go with his younger looking side. Is the squad size for a Tournament the same as for individual games or is it larger?

My Saints Supporting friends living in the North are getting really peed off about the ticket availability situation, most supported Saints when in the lower leagues at places like Oldham, Rochdale, Tranmere, Carlisle etc but now the glory supporters have come back and they don't get a look in. The price of success I suppose.

I see that already there are only restricted or severely restricted seats left even before being offered to Season Tickets holders without away match priority, let alone going on General Sale. This is after and I quote from the website 'as Season Ticket Holders with away match priority have been quick to snap up most of the un-obscured views behind the goal at the Anfield Road end' Can't they put them on sale more weeks before the match to gauge demand or close up the time period between the first and last sales so that they don't have to make the decision to return tickets (if true) so soon. I hope that they have learnt from the first few away matches that have sold out before general sale and realise the away support this year is larger then previously seen.

IMO Saints being back in the top English League is where they need to be financially and for the quality of football, it gives the Club, fans and city the status and world exposure of which we can be proud. However I am not as fixated by this as some who get season or match tickets depending upon which league we are in rather than supporting the Saints whatever (difference between League 1 and EPL attendances). I love the excitment and specticle of playing the big clubs but going to Championship/Div 1 sides at places like Barnsley, Oldham, Tranmere etc does have a back to football roots and true England in the raw feel about it. The games weren't any less exciting just a different level of football, so I wouldn't say that it was better in the Championship just different. Off Topic: I do think that free to air TV Channels such as ITV and the Football League are 'missing a trick' by letting Sky the televise Football League matches with a 3 year contract of £195m (£65m a season), there is a big potential audience without subscription TV access who would readily tune in to watch regular live football and this would promote the standing of the Football League and ITV audience numbers. But I guess people more knowledgeable than I have done the analysis of this and not seen it as financially worthwhile.

We should be taking full allocations for all away games except maybe Hull midweek or may be Newcastle or Sunderland, the ticket office must know what the likely demand is. More supporters acting as the 12th man could be worth a quite a few points during a season.

I like the type of player that Punch is and the type of football that it brings i.e. running at players, high energy/tempo, not scared to have a shot from distance (not always on target!), we'll gloss over trying to take on 1 too many players at times. He probably scored the most memorable goals last season after SRL. However IMO he will at best only be an impact sub which he could probably accept but with the amount of mid field players now available I presume that he would not be satisfied with not even being on the bench for some matches. If he felt or was told that this was the likely scenario this season he may initiated a loan move (if this loan rumour is true).

What about a lucky tie with a bulldog on it!! Or maybe they are not that lucky.

It would be a good gesture and wouldn't cost much in the scheme of things. A quick calculation with 'top of the head' figures (those in the know please correct) 22,000 season tickets x average of £400 (including childs concessions etc.) = 8,800,800. If they increased prices by 3% (inflation) then it would net them only another £264,000. If prices were frozen less would be likely to cancel and more may be tempted to get a season ticket, resulting in more up front money to the club.

"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." reported quote from Shankly. I once hurried my wife out of A&E cos Saints were live on sky!! She's never let me forget this.

The positive to take out of our stuttering end to the season is that Poch and Cortese will have seen the strenghtening and improvement that needs to happen to move us to the next level. If we has comfortably fininshed mid Table if only 5 of 6 points more then they may have been complacent and stuck more with what we have got.

But if they do .................

I seem to remember it was even higher than 24 (maybe 27?), we are not going to turn every lead into a win but if we could half the amount of points given away i.e. an extra 13/14 points it would have put us this season inbetween WBA in 9th and Liverpool in 7th.

Totally agree, Wigan know the script for these sort of games!