yorkie

Imagine Chaplow must have been suffering the same illness as Puncheon in the week? We must have had at least 2-attempts on target - didn't they clear two off the line? Not the end of the world still unbeaten - off to Tranmere with more than hope in my heart! Obviously missed Lalanna's trickery and guile - obviously he is the key to the teams good approach play. There will be more twists and turns in the remainder of the season - more turns than the twistyist rollercoaster!

Cup tie wasn't an issue as Blackpool are now out of the Cup and he played against them to show his worth - obviously worked if they offered £200k!

I believe The White Hart on Oldham Road is the favoured watering hole for home and away fans!

Wrap up warm folks - see you over there in a pub near the ground. Went there last season and had a couple. It would be a shame to break the habit of a lifetime!!

Can it get any better - only downside was a knock to Lallana, but he seemed to run it off. Lost 2nd place to Cherries for a few days...Oldham here we come!

I'd be a bit miffed if you bumped into me when driving my Bentley - that's his no claims stuffed then as well as a defeat to the mighty Saints tomorrow!

I have thought long and hard on this and I have now changed my mind since the beginning the week. Tomorrow is about tomorrow. Players need to play not rest. One game at a time and tomorrow is the next game - and the plan has to be a win. A bonus would be no injuries, no bookings (or sending offs) and a clean sheet! Think about Oldham on Sunday! Never mind putting back the Charlton at home game if we win...Charlton mind still be in the Cup! (or will they?)

WE did what we needed to do - unfortunately so have Brighton & Bournemouth. Not catching Brighton tonight then!

The deamnd for tickets at SMS will increase with our climb through the leagues - same at every club. When a Premiership club we regularly filled the ground with the local "footbal" not Saints fan used to come making up the numbers. Plus most clubs used to fill the away end with 2,000+. To be honest I find league football much more exciting than The Premiership (as a fan). I reckon we have a loyal 15,000 fan base that goes up to around 24-25,000 when we have a half decent game and some form. We regularly take a 1000+ away from home which is a major move forward - perhaps it's because we seem to have a chance of winning plus the attraction of a new ground? However you look at it we are not a big club - we have a decent following but not massive compared to the size of the City. Once upon a time Saints fans were ridiculed for being that nice little club on the south coast with a tight ground - and people hated coming to it. We punched above our weight for years - but now we are expected to roll teams over. Recently at Hartlepool on a cold Tuesday night the locals couldn't believe the support we brought. The thing is these clubs all want to beat us and send us home with a flea in our ear... As long as we are in League 1 (a league we should never be in but for the mismanagement and greed of the previous regime) we will always be a big fish. Look how Leeds struggled to get out of the division - but did clubs in the league want rid of them? I would suggest if a poll was done of clubs you want to see promoted from League 1 - many clubs in The Championship and League 1 would pick Southampton. Especially L1 clubs after all the humiliation inflicted by the lads at SMS! (Smiley ironic thingy!!). In a strange way a couple of seasons in L1 has been a bit of an eye opener. All the fans are real fans - and if you want "it" - it's still there available! The humour is better, the pre-match pint less hassle, and the stewards less up their own backsides (except at Huddersfield!). As a big side in a small pond - on the whole Saints fans have added to L1. On the whole the majority are well behaved and enjoy a few beers - the numbers are welcomed all over the country and generate some revenue for the locals. I honestly beleive there will be some towns that will miss the visit of Saints fans next season!! And so to next week - your local derby with Pompey...do us proud and stuff 'em! On the otherhand we play a Premiership club - Blackpool. It seems like yesterday we were in Blackpool playing them in the Championship and now we are leagues apart literally. Nothing against Blackpool but I still can't get my head around the fact that they are in The Premier League - what an awayday that is for Chelsea fans! Unlike last year when I really thought we would beat Pompey - Blackpool will be real test. It won't be a sell out either - but Blackpool will never be a sell out... Perhaps we should dedicate a thread to the south coast derby in the cup next week just for BHA - nah I don't think so!

I find this thread a bit surreal! Why does anyone visit a rivals on line forum? This forum often attracts rivals fans for a bit of banter prior to games, but why just to say how "arrogant" we are as fans? I understand rivalry and hatred - but as a kid I used to watch Southern Soccer on ITV on Sunday afternoons and want to see Saints, Pompey and Bournemouth win (honestly don't remember Brighton featuring think they must have been covered by ThamesTV?). Anyway that all changed with puberty and whilst always seem Bournemouth as a lower division club, Pompey became the rival of choice - especially after we got relegated in 1974 and had to play them in the then 2nd Division. Even then the hatred seemed to be more from "them". I've tried to analyse it - I started watching Saints in 1966-67 when they were the top dogs on the south coast being in Division 1. I had no idea Pompey were the "bigger club" as it was never talked about in our household (my old man was an Arsenal fan from the 1920's). Being a Saints fan has never been about winning anything - sure we'd have a few good results a season against the big boys in the 60's/70's - then we got relegated. Then it all changed suddenly we were in a lower league - and expectation was high. Promotion wasn't won in our first season - but I seem to remember winning a trophy at Wembley in 1976. The following season I can only describe as a golden era in the clubs history - promotion, finishing runners up to Liverpool in 1984, decent FA Cup runs...then we became a plc, and the dark Lord (he who must not be named) became our leader. His legacy was to get us up to our eye balls in debt, a new stadium and become a laughing stock. His parting gift was Administration when in The Championship making us a bigger laughing stock than Manchester City. So fellow football fans in Brighton and Bournemouth there are many fans who seem arrogant because they genuinely do not know that there is any football outside The Premier League. Visits to far off places like Hartlepool and Carlisle used to be a dream Cup draw so we could visit new grounds - not Highbury, Old Trafford or Anfield week in and week out, season after season. Sure I've been there and done it - and I can assure you we never thought we should win every game then except in that season in 1984! I expect Saints to win every week (now) in this league because we have a side that wants to win, unlike the shadow of the side built by a Dutch joker using boys not men seeing us fall into League 1. There is an arrogance about the club which goes back to the dark Lord - now with Mr Cortese at the helm some would say that arrogance hasn't gone away with the press photography ban. The Manager has a certain way - I call it a confidence not arrogance...and this is gradually passing to the team (who seem to have started believing) and the fans again. To be honest under the current circumstances I can see us going to the end of the season with only a couple of defeats - and that of our own doing. So "so called rivals" you will be glad to see the back of us this season, and we won't be your rivals again for a long time...we have a 5-year plan and never mind The Premier League looking over their shoulders - watch out Europe. The thing is we all have dreams - some bigger than others admittedly, but somehow I think our dream has more chance of coming true as we stand. As football fans we all have rivals, we all "hate" at least one club - but the fact is you don't ever change your team or alliegances. For the people of Brighton and Bournemouth is is so much easier to pick a Chelsea or Man United for your team - so good on you for standing by your local team. In Southampton there are many misguided kids now wearing the wrong shirt - even when we were in The Premiership it was the same! So there are a couple of things to remember - I will for ever be a Southampton supporter, I will always want any team playing Pompey to win. Brighton & Bournemouth will never be rivals and would probably like them to win any game not involving Saints. You will never be a bigger club than Southampton as long as you have holes where the sun don't shine - so get over it and get on with following your own club (and leave this forum alone!)

Good day at the office but it can be all undone if we fail to turn up on Monday - fantastic for the squad and fans...keep it up!

Surely this is a long term plan by the big clubs to invest in English talent to comply with the new UEFA/FIFA guidelines about playing at least 5/6 "English" players? They know at 17 the fee and wages are going to be much lower than if they wait until he's the finished article at 20/21! Not sure at 17 if I could turn my back on £10k/week or look at the bigger picture. My heart says loyalty will go out the window - but at 17 I still think Mr Chamberlain (Snr) will have a big say regardless of what his agent says. It all adds up to if he wants to develop his game at this and the next level with men rather than boys in the youth teams at the other clubs? Like all talented players - you are just part of the team/squad until you get a big fee then you are expected to do it every week regardless of cramping up or having an off day. A move could ruin any potential - and I believe it is the duty of any club to take a player when he is ready for a move. He's just broken into the first team - he's not ready for the next move yet in my opinion. If he'd been a star in our team for a season and a half loitering in Division 1 and under achieving perhaps OK - whoops just justified a case for Adam Lallanna to go then!

Just heard Adkins interview on Solent - we are going to win the league!

The game was off last Saturday - I believe because of a frozen pitch? It hasn't got any warmer since then with double figure minus temperatures at night locally. There is plenty of snow falling too so I think I would put money on the game not going ahead this Saturday. I know it's only Wednesday - but the chaos at the moment makes travelling hazardous!

Having followed Saints for over 40-years - I undersatnd what is trying to be said but at the same time I am quite enjoying football again. In the latter seasons in The Premiership we carried a squad of has beens and couldn't care less players. At least now you feel as though the players give a sh*t - and try their best. I'd rather watch 11-triers in this league than 11-overpaid prima donnas at grounds I was bored of going to. Apart from all that have you seen the cost of going to a Premiership ground? That's enough to put me off! Not embarased at all - just proud to have a team to follow, even if all the other south coast clubs are above us at the moment. Every dog has it's day - and ours is coming!

I would say at times we played as badly as we did at Huddersfield! Whilst Rhadi is good in the air - he lacks pace and Carlisle exploited that on several occasions. I agree to a lot of what was said above - but we looked less than composed when we started hoofing it to Lambert again because no one was free for the pass. I still believe we will be in the mix come the end of the season - but I wonder who else will be?

Having gone yesterday and slept on it - we were a bit naieve yesterday. We clealry had more idea coming forward - but Carlisle invited us to, and they counter attacked very well. Unfortunately Rhadi has no pace against fast forwards, and with Harding unable to cover effectively they were easily ahead of the game at h\t being 2-goals up. We didn't play that badly - but we do lack something when Chappers gets the ball as the most forward player! Rickie wasn't really in the game the centre back had him in his pocket (I think he is the loanee from Leeds?). Second half much more in it - everyone seemed to up their game - but we were nearly caught by a counter attack - which led to the corner to make it 3-1. I just wish people wouldn't over react - Saints cannot win every game! Just a couple of more home games - and then the trip to Hartlepool. The season isn't over because we lost one game - but I do question the constant palying of Lambert. I would have taken him off at h\t and got Barney on - but that's just another option. Adam showed touches of brilliance too - but what is the point of playing Chamberlain if you don't pass it to him? I think he saw a lot more of the ball in the second half - I think an impact sub on the away games. It was tough for him yesterday - but even then he scored with his head (I think) and was regularly beating his man and putting in some decent crosses. Lot to learn as a team - not quite there yet! When No.3 went in everyone looked at each other and started pointing to blame someone. More coaching on defending corners - but please what about scoring from one ourselves. Our corners are absolute sh*te - rarely hit our man, and never seem to threaten the goal. I can see managers telling their players - if in doubt put it out for a corner - they never score from them!

I am strangely amused by this thread - such is my want. I actually think a crowd of just over 10,000 isn't that bad in an event we have shown very little interest in over the years! Let's hope this season is the last time we have to enter the competiton at this stage! Cheap tickets were not the answer either - no disrespect to Shrewsbury but they aren't exactly a big draw are they? Tribute to the brave 727 who ventured to SMS - I guess we sang "You'll never play here again" at them after a while! I shelled out to go to Notts County, then managed to get back to Southampton for the Daggers game - and already booked to go to Carlisle and Peterborough games. The league is much more important than the Cup to me and I guess many others. The FA Cup is a nice distraction to keep the lads fit, pick up bookings and injuries - but at this level why would anyone get booked in a glorified training game (according to some)? What really matters is our league form until after Christmas. Sure a 3rd round tie against a big team would be nice, with a good display but ultimately a defeat (home or away). Now regardless of the number of games I plan between now and then if we get Pompey again in the 3rd round (sorry Cheltenham but you won't win - will you?) I predict SMS will be full again with people fighting for tickets. So I would expect a decent crowd of 20,000+ again for Peterborough - and if we win at Carlisle possibly 24,000+ would be a good indicator of people beginning to see the light under the new Manager. Saints of old always managed to let us down after stringing a few results together, and we'd get all complaicent. The team has more resolve, they are given clear instruction and direction. Neither Carlisle or Peterborough will be easy games - but at least we won't go out with the same tactics and game plan against two teams up there with us!

Not sure if this has been picked up - but just watched the goals on bbc pages and Chaplow was bundling into their keeper for the first goal - does that count as an assist? He does offer something else to the team that we have been lacking for some time - he's not the box to box goal scorer from midfield, but he is a willing participant trying to get on the end of things giving our "play makers" someone else to aim at instead of Lambert or Barney. His effort is hard to deny, his tempered agression is a must in this league - and perhaps a few goals will come as he gets sharper in the box. Wellcome back Chappers - may not be too long before you are playing in The Championship again - and dream of a Premiership start for the Mighty Saints!

I think we do everything right except get the early goal - if it happens and one day it will teams like D&R will buckle and the flood gates will open. We get caught on the break because we are presssing so hard for the first goal, and defenders get caught out of position. I just hope and pray we get the early goal - and press on and not sit back. We need to send a warning to all clubs we are getting better, and SMS is not a soft place to come for a draw or a win. They will shut up shop - but with patience we can grind out 1-0 wins at home and go to places and win handsomely. After Liverpool of old use to do it week on week. I'm not suggesting we should become a boring "1-0 to the Southampton" team...but if needs must 3-points is the target not hatfuls of goals. Remember we are playing decent passing football - starting to mix it up a bit and be a bit more direct when needed. As fans and players we must be patient - OK at 0-0 or 1-0 there opposition are still in the game. They will want to keep it tight so it doesn't go to 2-0 - but then again they will be tempted to have a go.

Managed to wrangle a business trip to Worthing - so it's game on! I honestly can't see any benefit from changing the team that last started. I would even hope that Schneiderlin gets booked and misses the Shrewsbury game. Not sure if Chaplow is able to play - was the month loan up on Sunday? But with him and Chamberlin on the bench to be called upon if needed seems the right way of doing things. I can't understand why anyone would want to change a winning team unless there is a tactical reason to do so. If we want to go all out attack then simply play the same team as Saturday - I think it will be more than good enough to pulverise D&R (arrogance is not intended but we should)! The true mark of a team is to support those not playing well, and I think Puncheon knows his team mates are doing a lot for him. It seems to me watching him he has issues with the role he is playing. Perhaps he needs a freer role - and a lot more shooting practice!

I had a funny experience yesterday too. Came out of the game on my own and started walking back to the car parked about 1-mile away from the ground. Bearing in mind I am 51 - some bloke came walking at me just outside the ground and looking to square up/throw a punch. There were a couple of younger lads walking by me - and it even took them aback! Perhaps he thought I was younger at a distance and then decided not too be cause I was older than I looked? He was about 30-ish I suppose - on his own and seemed to be intent on looking for someone to hit! I guess even in this day and age it's worth looking out!

Great win under the circumstances - why are the officials so bad at this level?

A good day out - a couple of pints in the Vat & Fiddle were excellent. Invasion of the chav army down in front of us just after kick off. Honestly where do these people come from? Good win - never looked like getting anything until the penalty. Officials were attrocious again in the first half - blatant fouls waved on, hand balls called when it was not an arm to control just contact, and unbelievable challenges going un punished. Not sure what the complaints were about after they scored but Davis raced out of his area to moan at the ref! Amazingly got approached by an irate County fan afterwards who "wanted some" - neatly side stepped him, and he continued on...what was that all about? Surreal day - but 2-points from second place and Brighton fans don't think we'll catch them on Five LIVE...funny old game!

We're The Itchen We're The Itchen We're The Itchen over here! Corporates getting above themselves again? Bloody riff-raff they'll take anyone in the boxes these days!