Saint86

Yes, i understand the opposite mentality. But ultimately it is one of thinking we can't hack it at the top level, so rather than try we'd rather be a big fish in a small pond... its fun for a while, but ultimately demeaning and pointless. Better to compete at the best level we can. Always. And anyway, we may yet survive! I think we'll know if there is a chance after Leicester and this weekend.

Personally I wouldn't put League 1 and Championship over our poch and koeman seasons. For me the first game back against city was incredibly special, as were the 8-0 and 6-1 games, wins at old trafford and anfield, as well as watching players like Mane in a saints shirt. Can't think of a lower league game that comes close. But to each his own. Although i do have a soft spot for the 2-2 Norwich cup game with Papa

Being able to watch some of the best saints football in decades, and against some of the best players in the world.... But why would we want to see that as fans when we could be scrapping in the lower leagues like the good ol days... At least we can win some games right? Even if they mean less than f'all.

get some faith guys!! We can do this. Although a loss to Leicester will look very bleak!!

Absolute minimum now is 3wins from the 5 games. Leicester - Possible Everton - Possible but very unlikely imo. Always a bogey side for us. Bournemouth - Never try and call a derby. Swansea - Tough and could well be the deciding game. Man City - I honestly think that if we need to win this we will. In all likelihood, fail to beat Leicester and we could be down physiologically.

Yeah, but with his ego and the way he was forced out, you know he'd come back just to show what a pair of idiots Les and KL are....

He should be gone now. He needs to have no role in future planning or succession, and he should not be drawing a wage for the remainder of this season. I really hope we don't get relegated and then have to pay him off, that would be the ultimate insult to cap of his disastrous time in charge.

Yes but certain fans on here will blame Ryan for being an average captain, rather than let any blame be levelled at those that have weakened the teamsheet to line pockets.

Sadly the fans lapped up the board (mainly Les reed's) PR guff and let them get away with it repeatedly. Those of us that did protest got told to shut as we were trolls. Ever summer window, there were some posters who pointed out what was happening... only for posters to ridicule them. The result is you get what we have here now. A failure to communicate (amongst the fans).... and the subsequent tolerance with which the abject failure of the club's management has been treated. We mock other clubs. But there is no way this would have been tolerated at West Ham/Liverpool/Everton etc. There would have been protests after the first summer. Let alone the subsequent 6 transfer windows.

Absolutely gutted. But the ref was a joke. Should have been 1 and maybe two red cards for Chelsea, and the free kick for their first goal was frankly an utter joke. Yeah, we can't defend, but Mike Dean is total cock jockey. Also the atmosphere and support inside the ground was superb given the anger that should be vented at the board. And I think gao was there today as well? Couldn't see any bald pillocks sat in the directors box. Have my dreams come true and less Reed has been sacked? Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Yeah, and yet we still have a huge proportion of fans (well armchair pundits on here), that defend this strategy and management. Madness.

Do you reckon its too late to sign Cairney?

Offers were made for lallana in the championship and league 1. Lambert and Fonte in the championship. Why are you people defending our current transfer strategy and management model? It is garbage. We are treating the youth players poorly, not talking to them on loan and effectively blocking their progression to the first team. In the meantime we are spending fortunes on mercenaries that have zero loyalty and questionable passion. And who are arguably not as good either. I think a lot of the fans would be happy to see the likes of Sims playing more matches over any of Tadic, Boufal or Redmond for example.... Targett / Mcqueen also - and it just goes to show how good they are when you see the praise that Targett and Mcqueen have garnered in the championship. Or the fact that even Poch played and bought through more kids than the current model is managing - JWP and Gallagher being two of the same kids now struggling for game time and progression.

Not really fry, why are you joining a discussion you don't understand or can't be bothered to read. As usual you just want to misrepresent what people say... please show me where i said surman was sold by the current board... Oh wait, you can't. Duck was saying none of our players were loyal. I was using the example of Surman to say he didn't want to leave. Kelvin would be another one who did stick with the club and reach the premier.

If only we hadn't send Target on loan we could have played bertrand at LCB. Or we could even use Mcqueen as a left back and bertrand in defence. This is basically a must win game. And we're starting a very inexperienced (especially to English football) CB against players like hazard. In Jan and Sparky we trust. But nervously!

Why can't we go with Yoshi ffs. We look far better with him in the side.

You really are warping the fact to so suit here aren't you? We lost one player after League 1 (which was a very good deal at the time and helped get us promoted). No other players left despite interest in Fonte, Lallana, Lambert and others, and we were not expected to get promoted... so frankly "we were flying" so kept them all is laughable. We even had Surman who didn't want to leave before this. Then when we got to the prem, we kept that core together and signed more young players. Nowadays we flog our core players and sign cheap foreign (not Carrillo / Lemina) knocks offs to replace them, a process which completely blocks the pathway from developing more kids and championship players (not that we have signed a championship players since reed got control!)... The simple truth is that bringing players through is cheap in terms of wages and fees. Signing foreign ones is expensive. And Signing foreign ones also cuts off the supply for more kids to develop and completely hamstrings our business model (not surprising given the imbeciles in charge - more surprising that our fans choose not to see it!). Gallagher was good enough for Poch, as were chambers, shaw, JWP etc. He left and we shifted them all out except JWP who we refuse to give a regular starting place to even when he was showing good progress and scoring/assisting. Then we ship out players like Targett who is now regarded as one of the best in the championship and has had premier league players interested in him. And we have fans that say these kids aren't good enough for saints.... but totally ignore how crap the current squad has become. Mental. Our strategy has completely changed, we block the pathway for kids coming through (where the hell is Sims... oh yeah, he's behind the far more useless boufal and redmond), and we sign foreign knock offs that don't know the english game and are pure mercenaries. To argue (as you have implied) that academy players are not going to stick around as a defence for our currently appalling transfer strategy is just wrong. They will be far more loyal to the club than any mercenaries. And you call me stupid. Unreal.

Think we'll win this.

Someone else completely ignoring the approach taken between Pardew and Poch; i.e. collecting a squad of young British players and players familiar with English football, then keeping them together as a core as the club progressed. Funnily enough that did change completely in line with the change in board structure... but I am 100% sure that was just coincidence.... Of course, they were all always certain to leave us... and of course, every single one of them was a money hungry traitor that the club couldn't wait to get rid of and were all to keen to leak negative press stories about. Beyond me why our fans want to defend the abject failure this board have presided over. Momentum turned into abject failure. Top 6 to championship in less than two whole seasons. Will take some doing to repeat any of it. At least if we get relegated it will hopefully bring change and we can look to return to the far more successful and healthy strategy of a "team" with loyalty and spirit. I for one look forward to seeing what Target and Gallagher can do for us. Maybe you can explain why us blocking their first team opportunities and farming them out on loan has always been "our way"... You wont be able to though, as its pure bull crap centred around defending this appallingly inept board.

Looks like Ryan Bertrand is on his way for £25m this summer. Even clubs like Newcastle being linked as picking us bare. Good job Les and Co. Way to destroy a top 6 club that nearly achieved Champions League football. Hopefully relegation will put an end to these charlatans flogging our kids and we can look forward to developing a loyal core again.

More defence of Reed and co?

Probably a skate in all honesty. Expect a "welcome back / good job Les" press release from them over the summer.... saggy chops esq Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

It is possible to do both you realise? The players and manager are not called Les Reed. Although I'm pretty sure he'd like to be the latter.

If we beat chelsea, are we in the Europa League again next year?