Saint86

Better than ruining the current league structure for me.

Hate to break this to you, but we are approaching the last thing fairly soon I'd imagine... and as already stated, that is exactly what Tottenham did with Kane

Chirst we have some negative odious c u n t s on here Get a hold of your teats and support the team. We have no right to win a game against Pulis side away, it is his bread and butter, big physical powerful sides with vociferous crowds... ready made for him at west brom. To read the comments on here you'd think our fans expect us to win this 3-0 and because we aren't all the players aren't fit to wear the shirt... Lets ignore the incredible season we've had so far after the entire team was ripped apart. If you can't support the team when they aren't winning please **** off with your negativity. Jesus

Total disaster for us this week. Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool all crashing out of Europe. Good buybtired squads and goodbye Europe for us quite likely. Champions league is Deco unlikely now

Bertand is better than shaw for me. Defence has improved and he has contributed far far more going forward. Clyne is hands down the best english right back, and is in the top 3 in the country no doubt in my mind. Shaw was not at that level and clyne will be far harder to replace, especially for the money we will get in. Mane is an excellent addition and tadic and long are useful players no doubt. The big one is Toby, if we could somehow sign him he would be the best player we've had on the permanent books since le tiss. Utter class and looks like a boss whether he is playing in CB or midfield... What is worrying, is that we are going to lose Morgan, Toby and Clyne this summer.... and we are going to have a european campaign to contend with. I really hope we get claisse and toby on permanent deals. God know who we replace clyne with.... i too would take trippier!

Should probably add this is from the guardian and I don't agree with him! Chelsea City Arsenal Southampton Liverpool United Tottenham

Late February and, while the Premier League title race has become into a straight sprint between Chelsea and Manchester City, the bottleneck at that pair’s back is tighter than ever. Not since 2009‑10 has the race been so close between so many, with four points covering five clubs and with two Champions League qualification places up for grabs. Liverpool are mounting the charge from deep as Southampton heave to maintain their early-season form. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United offer flashes of brilliance and bouts of inconsistency, while Arsenal have glided almost unnoticed through the pack and into the top three. So, as things stand, which two are likeliest to have a tilt at a place in Europe’s elite competition? 1) Current form The team displaying the most consistency are Liverpool, a side unbeaten in their past 10 league games stretching to mid-December when they were traumatised by their brush with the Champions League group stages and appeared such a defensive shambles. They are transformed, comfortable in Brendan Rodgers’ adopted system after five successive clean sheets away from home for the first time in 30 years, Steven Gerrard waiting to return from a hamstring strain, Daniel Sturridge back to fitness and even Mario Balotelli stirring. Memories of last year’s run-in will serve as inspiration. Advertisement Of the others, Arsenal have won five of their past six league games – the only blip a hurtful derby defeat to Spurs – to suggest they are summoning momentum in a campaign of fits and starts but 15 wins in 19 matches in all competitions is impressive form. Manchester United will cling to their own encouraging statistics, with only two defeats in 16 league games, but those numbers still feel rather deceptive. There have been only three victories in eight matches, with unconvincing if unbeaten performances against Burnley, West Ham and Stoke in that sequence, and Saturday’s defeat to Swansea did not seem that surprising. Tottenham Hotspur have lost only once in five league games but they are still saddled by a certain inconsistency: a team capable of thrashing Chelsea but succumbing at Crystal Palace; of beating Arsenal but sloppily throwing away points at home to West Ham. Southampton are enduring an uncharacteristic, sluggish period with only one win and one goal in four league games, and three successive scoreless games at St Mary’s. Every blip is seen as evidence the campaign is catching up with Ronald Koeman’s team which, while perhaps unfair, only a flurry of wins will dispel. How they rate 3 Liverpool 4 Arsenal 5 Manchester United 6 Tottenham 7 Southampton 2) Squad depth Arsenal probably have the greatest array of options, a squad who consistently compete in the knockout phases of the Champions League with an array of attacking-midfield and forward options at their disposal. Injuries across the backline would leave them more stretched, but they have learned to cope when depleted already this season and while they appear short of being title challengers, they are probably the best of the rest on paper. Advertisement Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been built with participation in the elite competition in mind – even if the latter are experiencing a rare season on the outside looking in. There is arguably more balance to Brendan Rodgers’ options than Van Gaal’s at Old Trafford. United have the look of a work in progress, a group supplemented lavishly last summer but in need of defensive reinforcements (despite results hinting at solidity) and still to see the best of the attacking recruits who cost so much. It suggest they may not capitalise on the lack of European football. Liverpool, who had done just that last season, appeared frail at the back earlier this term and their forward signings took considerable time to adjust, but they have struck on a system that ekes the best out of their personnel. Southampton added midfield and forward bodies over the winter but still rely heavily on Morgan Schneiderlin’s presence in the centre. Over-reliance on one influential figure is risky, and they may lack options up front, where Graziano Pellè has scored once in 12 and Jay Rodriguez is still missed. He has been coveted by Tottenham for a while and Mauricio Pochettino’s squad can seem stretched. Runs in the Europa League and Capital One Cup have tested their strength – their involvement in both might have been curtailed by Sunday evening – with the reliance clear on Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen. While interest is retained in different competitions they may rely rather too uncomfortably on players from the ancien régime whose futures at White Hart Lane appear doubtful. How they rate 3 Arsenal 4 Liverpool 5 Manchester United 6 Tottenham 7 Southampton 3) Remaining fixtures Arsenal’s run-in might appear the least daunting, with home games against Chelsea and Liverpool and the trickiest trip to one of the other contenders, at Old Trafford on the penultimate weekend. Certainly, their home fixtures appear very winnable, while Southampton will also be encouraged by what lies ahead. They must visit the top two, with City on the final afternoon, but there are seven fixtures against clubs involved in the scrap at the bottom. To date, Koeman’s team have imposed their class on such opponents. Tottenham will hope to inflict damage at Old Trafford and at St Mary’s against direct rivals, and have only one derby with which to contend in their final 12 games. Manchester United, in contrast, face Spurs, Liverpool, City and Chelsea in a five-game sequence which will potentially determine the fate of their campaign. Then there is Liverpool. At first glance, their run-in appears awkward at best, with the top two as well as United and Arsenal lying in wait. But recent history, and new-found momentum, may work in their favour. In the two seasons Rodgers has overseen the side, Liverpool have played 58 games before 31 December, winning 26 but losing 18. Their record from 1 January to the end reads 44 matches, 29 wins and only four defeats. Three of those were against United, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton in his first season. They are a team who tend to find their rhythm late. As the manager stated on Sunday, the run-in does not hold too many fears. How they rate 3 Arsenal 4 Liverpool 5 Southampton 6 Tottenham 7 Manchester United 4) Experience Where Arsenal and their manager, Arsène Wenger, have grown accustomed to timing their run to a top-four finish, Tottenham have become rather familiar with missing out late-on. They have slipped from the perch they had enjoyed 12 games from the end of each of the past three seasons so under the new management of Pochettino, any higher finish than their current seventh would actually represent progress. While Southampton are in uncharted territory, albeit under the stewardship of a manager who has upset the established order previously in his coaching career, Liverpool will lean heavily on memories of last season when there were 11 successive league wins before the infamous and costly slips in the spring. Yet, if any of the sides in the race should be able to count on experience to see them home it is the United team of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Michael Carrick and, above all, Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman’s reputation precedes him and it remains rather baffling that his time at Old Trafford has appeared to lack pattern and long-term strategy. Yet salvage Champions League football from the run-in and this campaign can be put down to transition before a return to the elite. The weight of his experience must tell. How they rate 3 Arsenal 4 Manchester United 5 Liverpool 6 Tottenham 7 Southampton Final verdict Logic suggests Arsenal should secure a 19th consecutive top-four finish, with Liverpool the likeliest to oust Manchester United from the Champions League places. However, the sheer number of meetings to come between those currently ranked between third and seventh should maintain the drama to the wire How they are likeliest to finish 3 Arsenal 4 Liverpool 5 Manchester United 6 Tottenham 7 Southampton

I think Benji is actually Kevin Friend....

Sorry Tottenham and Liverpool...

I personally think it is between us and united for 4th, arsenal will get 3rd. Tottenham and Spurs aren't good enough and have European/cup games to play. Get a settled and full strength starting 11 back soon and sort out the striking and it is there for the taking.

At the game I was sat right behind forster and in line with the first shot. I thought he was slow to react it and saw it coming even before he hit it... but no it is just a worldy. The second one is clearly deflected making a tough save. Despite that he tracks the ball and almost gets it. You can't praise him for the QPR reflex save and then moan at him for the second goal yesterday. He does his best in both cases... sometimes that is good enough, other times it isn't. We didn't lose yesterday because of Forster. We did not score from open play and we created only half chances. The current system, with Pelle off form, is not working. Koeman needs to sort it out. Likewise we didn't lose because of the ref. although he certainly gave the game to liverpool for my money and should probably be investigated. Should have been 2 pens and 2 red cards but meh.

Pelle plays well for 20-30min, gets tired and is then useless and like playing with 10men. Gets bullied by any big centre back and is useless in aerial challenges against such players. His composure is appalling and has been all season, and he seems to be the last man in the box, doesn't ever attack the back post and stands at the front one where he can't run and jump to attack the ball. In summary, when he is playing like this he is Koeman's biggest weakness, he is far to loyal to Pelle and we are suffering as a result. There was a genuine change to get top 4 and we could have clinched it with a decent striker in January. Unfortunately Koeman's faith in Pelle is making this look unlikely now. I appreciate than when pelle is on confidence his shots are more accurate, but at the moment we are playing with 10men with him in this system. Either play someone off him or drop him and play the speedies through the middle with through balls. We have no plan b at the moment, and Pelle as a target man is awful. THERE ARE EASILY PLAYERS IN THE LOWER LEAGUES WHO WOULD HAVE SCORED MORE WITH HIS CHANCES THIS SEASON.

It was Pelle right? Not surprised and frankly he hasn't been good enough for a long while. It is like playing with 10men all game and no outs down the middle. I'd draw the line at anything stronger that "useless donkey" or "****" etc though. If the stars indicate the c word then very out of Line.

Is there any evidence to support this thread? or is this pages of utter tripe so far

Many players go round the pitch to previous fans at the end of a match though, especially when they've not had a farewell... look at debuchy when arsenal and newcastle met this season. Or even Oxlade and Walcott at arsenal coming over to saints fans after a game. Pretty short sighted if you don't think Lambert would do something along those lines surely?

There is a lot of talk about Lallana atm... My personal view is that creating a bad atmosphere inside the ground affects our players more than liverpools - as with Redknapp on his return with QPR, the opposition expect it and will ride it far better. But that is aside. With Lambert, I can't wait to see the big man. I doubt he'll get on the pitch, but I hope and expect he'll do a lap at the end or something, as a chance to say farewell to the fans. The man is an utter legend and will always be epitomized by the pictures of his fist punched in the air while the fans carried him after Coventry... or by his instant impact and celebration in that first game back at city... Love the man, all the great times (Still vividly remember the JPT pen in the final), great goals and even the way he carried himself when he left. Will we as a fanbase give him the welcome that he alone deserves? I hope so, because this could well the last time we see him in a playing role at all, let alone at SMS. On top of that, a chant of Southampton's goal machine would certainly get the fans going and generate a loud and vibrant atmosphere in support of Southampton, rather than loads of boo's, jeering and cries or W*nker all aimed at lallana.

Hang your head mate. Could easily have got on the train and was denied doing so. Trying to then defend that as "tongue and cheek" is an utter joke. Disgrace

I have changed my mind on this banner/plane thing.. I think it should simply say, "NO REFUNDS"

No. We need to go for this. Golden chance that will not come again if we get dragged into europa league.

Would be incredibly small time and embarrassing to be honest. Think it would make us a laughing stock

I also approve.... I also though a rendition of "champions league, your having a laugh" could go down well

Does anyone have a picture of his cheek/eye after the challenge. I have a west ham friend who thinks cole didn't even make contact and doesn't believe there was any injury (be it blood or bruising) to yoshida. Laughable really. But what do you expect from fans of hoofball united.

Generally bad traffic is caused by the queue getting into IKEA.... Whoever did that traffic modelling was either inept or paid off. To fail that badly is simply retarded. Most undergraduate traffic modellers could do a better job in 1st year.

Reminds me of the 84 season, crying out for more signings, didn't make them, and ultimately we missed out.... Will history repeat itself with our champions league quest. To miss it now would be a massive failure all things considered. Don't get me wrong, we can't moan about it. But this season is our one shot at a bigger future for the club. Fail and we will be Everton. Succeed and whole world of new doors will open for us.