Winchester_Saint

Weird seeing as though you were stating how we would certainly get in the playoffs just 3 nights ago! 1 goal has made you do a 180 eh?

Trotman nearly screwed us over there! Phew

I thought it was a good advantage played, to be honest, although the ref could have/should have booked the Rovers player afterwards. Not enough of this happening in my opinion - too often are refs these days eager to stop the game when he thinks it's a bookable offence, even if the team retains possession and are attacking. Why not just play the advantage and then book the player the next time the ball goes out of play - it's not as though they need great memories or anything to remember to book the player afterwards!

I don't think we would find many better than Puncheon and Lallana who would both be more than effective in the Championship, so I wouldn't be overly concerned about getting in someone 'better' than those two - other positions are more important to strengthen. Let's not forget that it's not going to be a massive turnaround of players - hopefully just three or four coming in to add competition in some of our weaker areas. Davis isn't old for a 'keeper, either, he's only 32 or 33 isn't he? Can certainly still do a top job for another three or four years yet

Really was a weird night - a superb away win and yet mixed emotions at full time. Terrific effort by Walsall. Can't wait for Friday night now, thank goodness it's on TV as I'm sure we will all be watching as Millwall fans that evening!

This would be the time to do it, unless of course we fail to win and miss out on the playoffs by a point or two!

Pardew wouldn't let them get away with anything like that so I wouldn't worry

Agree that it won't ever happen, but do you think Heskey would have scored more for us this season than Lambert has if Heskey was playing in Lambert's place?

If you have a face like Harry Redknapp or Avram Grant this idea would be appealing

Surman would be wishing he was on the pitch!

I doubt any of them would come to a League One side, and there aren't many who stand out either. Let's just enjoy seeing them sink as they try to shift them all out on free transfers

My take is simple - it's basically all a mental issue. We have the confidence now which has seen us play exceptionally well recently and saw us start brightly today. Indeed, the 1st half saw us play well and we should have gone in ahead at half time. However, after half time, Swindon played better and our confidence started to lower after we couldn't get that first goal. When Swindon scored, you could sense the frustration in the crowd build. Every loose pass was groaned at, and the players started to get more and more edgy and lose their way. They rushed things and didn't have the confidence to play with the freedom which they have been doing of late. The longer the game went on, the more you could see the players' confidence fall and they tried more in hope than in belief. When we are playing with confidence the players have freedom and the crowd act as a 12th man. When things don't go our way, ie the opposition stop us from playing like tonight (2nd half), we don't keep our cool or our composure and we end up desperately trying in vain and lose all freedom and creativity and end up hoping for the best. Of course, there will always be reasons such as the opposition being better than us, but I don't think Swindon were tonight, as we played well 1st half, then when they put us under pressure after half time we crumbled as we are not used to being bossed. It's almost as thought if we can't play the way we want to play, we end up just hoping we will get a break rather than playing with the freedom and belief which always sees us overpower teams, especially at home. And I'm tired so I'm going to stop writing now...

I was up there near the back and didn't see anything. Probably just tempers running high after that frustrating performance, mind you a lot of people around me clearly weren't Saints fans judging by their 'who is that player?' and 'where are Southampton in the league?' questions to each other, so maybe they agrivated the 'proper' Saints fans!

Your spelling is almost as scary as your display picture

Really makes you wonder just how people decide things like this. I mean this really is a joke. Basically everyone about has described Beckford accurately, and yet he picks up an award like this. It's almost unbelieveable. We think referees are making bad decisions these days, well this decision tops it all off!

Jaidi and Fonte do resemble Killer and Claus very much. Like Killer, Jaidi plays the attacking defender role - he is the one who will challenge for all headers and try to win everything in the air. Like Claus, Fonte is more of a cultured defender and will 'mop up' so to speak if Jaidi is caught out or fails to win the ball. This combination suited us very much with Killer and Claus and Jaidi and Fonte seem to be applying themselves just as well. To keep strikers like Beckford and Becchio completely out the game for 90 minutes is very impressive, even if Beckford is a diving, complaining pansey of a player (please don't anyone ever say you would like to see him in a Saints shirt, his attitude stinks!)

And we had 2 or 3 other decent chances which they couldn't even fit into the highlights - it really was an outstanding performance at home yet again

That would make much more sense just to expand, especially as we have the ability to. Agree that I love the ambition and plans they have for the future, but this one doesn't fill me with enthusiasm

I think it adds an extra dimension to supporting Saints. Obviously, Saints are always the priority, but having this fierce rivalry with them makes things just that little bit more interesting. For example, when our first season in the Championship petered out and we had nothing to play for, the season was still very exciting because we could all watch Pompey's relegation battle and hope and pray they would go down. If the league becomes pointless this season as playoffs are unreachable (arguably the case already), we can all laugh and feel good about Pompey's nightmare in the Prem. It's not obsessive, it's the whole point in having fierce local rivals. If we didn't care, then what would be the point!

Have no worries about him going to soon-to-be-relegated Hull, it is teams like Newcastle who will be a newly promoted Prem club next season who may do the bidding. Doubt we will let him go for £3million - not like we need the money and he seems happy. Unless he says he wants out, I doubt we will except any bids unless someone offers a ridiculous amount

It is a worry, but then a quality team should be able to adapt to whatever surface they are given. Carlisle will be playing on the same surface, so to say that the pitch is to their advantage is rubbish. They are just more used to adapting to these sorts of boggy messes than we are.

Jelle van Damme. Quality player on footie manager!

Barnard for his current form. Terrific options in the squad now though, this competition for places is just what we need

A little harsh putting all the blame on the ball-boys - what about the crowd who chuck the ball down and onto the pitch?! The ball-boys can't stop it going on if it's thrown over their heads or takes a deflection off the advertising boards etc. on the way to them

I'm just gonna call up at 9am and tell them my customer number, along with my brother's and my mate's. We all bought tickets for both the away and home legs, so they must have this record on their database. I agree though, Saints always seem to do things the hard way, no matter what it is, on or off the pitch