Saint86

Les Reed's beautiful, "No one will be sold. No one will be sold. No one will be sold." mantra. Then the season ticket renewal window closed, and (basically) the next day Lambert was sold to Liverpool along with the rest.

I had totally forgotten Chris Perry and Gillet! Great day. Rare in that so much of the fanbase could all attend and be a part of it - i'm sure that had a part in building the atmosphere and bond between the fans and the teams that carried us through the promotion and first prem seasons. Sadly something that was dismantled by the lies and sell off that happened summer 2014. Still, great memories that to enjoy as a saints fan.

I would speculate that any relegated teams could take a legal suit against Everton if they've breached spending rules and stayed up.

This is continuing to rumble along in the background. Feels like it has shades of the 2007/08 crash where a few things were going on just under the radar before Lehman and black rock eventually went. https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2023/mar/24/bank-of-england-chief-warns-further-rate-hikes-firms-raise-prices-council-tax-retail-sales-business-live

We will suffer a circa £100M drop in broadcasting revenue if we're relegated, but that will be mitigated by parachute payments of circa 55%, 45% and 20% of the equal share of broadcasting revenues over the first 3 seasons respectively. It will also be mitigated by relegation clauses in contracts reducing the player wage liability. Once we lose KWP, Salisu, and one of Lavia/JWP, we will have likely eclipsed most of the immediate hit. I don't understand this thinking everyone seems to have that we'll be unable to keep players or forced to sell most of the team. We'll also likely see a lot of peripheral players leave i'd wager - theo and Ely are both out of contract this summer. Whilst KWP, Salisu, che, maca, Diallo etc. run out in summer 2024 - A list of player sales will probably largely tie in with contract dates. https://www.hampshirelive.news/sport/football/football-news/southampton-player-contract-expires-summer-8220168 Tella is under contract until summer 2025. Given that, i imagine we will only sell him if it makes sense from a squad depth / cost perspective. I.e. if we decide we don't want him (which would be batshit mental in the championship imo), or Burnley simply offer us over the top for him etc. Smallbone is in another similar position although his contract does run out summer 2024, as does Jack Stephens.

I just assumed it was because Latvia is a friendly, whereas the next games against France and Greece are competitive games.

Can't see them getting one with Woy... 😆

I just read it as another mechanism to maintain a general level of fear in the population tbh.

Its hardly worked out well when he should have been playing for saints and improving our criminally blunt attack this season.

Big issue with the brentford game. We had nothing to unlock them despite having over 65% possession. Needed different tools and it was obvious most of the match. Instead of Walcott (who I don't have an issue with), we should have played Edozie - he's got the skill to go round players at that slower tempo, or buy fouls, which would have created space or chances for others. Ditto we should have combined him with tall Paul and sulemana as a front 3 imo. Give brentford some actual problems rather than just trying to play pace to get in behind a team that were very organised and well set up to silly defend and counter. I like selles, I think he knows a lot about the game, but he's been chucked in the deep end with saints - and I also wonder if he is a bit too close to the squad to sit back and look at us with a different viewpoint to the last 2 managers. He is worse at Ralphball than Ralph, so he needs to do something else that is effective, and so far he is failing. We've been outplayed in every game bar united with respect to attacking threat - and they had 10men and kept it fairly even on xG...

This. He's going to be a good player provided he doesn't get injured and saints don't ruin him. Some of the comments on here, it's literally like reading the mane threads all over again.

Why do people think we will sell all our best players? SR have said we'll be fine financially, we'll sell the players we are forced to sell (due to contract situations), and perhaps a couple like jwp/lavia where the player's stature effectivley dictates a move. Reckon we're looking at lavia, kwp, jwp, salisu of the players we'd want to keep. But most of our better/younger players are on long contracts - we won't just sell them all for knock down prices for the hell of it...

Actually think that is a bit crazy by Palace. A bit like with Ralph, they've had bad injuries and tough fixtures. They were always in games so seems like a total panic sacking, they're not going down imo

Optimistic. I suppose we may keep it to two if spurs can't be bothered.

Maybe the grand plan was always to buy Luton? They're up to 4th since SR saved them from jones and bree and now on a great run of form....

Wish we had recalled him! 😂

I like selles, but we have been outplayed in every game under him bar maybe united, which was fairly even but we did have an extra man. That maybe down to just how shite our attack is I don't know... But whilst we may have more possession under reunen, on the stats that really count (chance creation and xG) we are losing out in every game under him. And we all know we were very lucky to get the 3 points vs Chelsea and Leicester re absolute profligacy from their strikers. United as well really should have scored (as should we). We have absolutely zero chance of survival without carrying an attacking threat. And we're also far to easy to play against as a direct result of our bluntness. Teams don't really need to attack us, if they just defend we'll simply gift them chances... That's the reality. Looking more and more likely that it's all too little too late now anyway.

Was absolutley horrendous when he came on. Terrible touches, awful crossed / passes, and one lazy one to jwp on the final 3rd where he quite clearly could not be fucked and messed it up even though it was a basic 5yard lay off.

Totally outplayed by brentford tonight, and the reality is that they played in training ground mode for the 2nd half.

We could keep playing until the weekend and we wouldn't score. Men against boys.

This game would suit tall Paul, wer'e playing with quite a slow tempo and a lot of hopeful balls into the box.

Money spent on childcare will be directly recycled into the economy one way or another, and it will very clearly help people to get back into work - boosting the economy and productivity. Also, as a general rule, being a new parent is one of the toughest periods in life financially, and easing that process therefore clearly brings social benefits due to imrovoed quality of life for families and children. What's actually going to annoy more people is that this will come into effect in late 2024 and 2025 and won't help current parents who have been battling spiralling inflation and the cost of living crisis. Of all the things to criticise a government for, supporting new families and parents work, is not a topic I'd go after 🤔

BBC News - Credit Suisse shares plunge as bank fear widens https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64964881

I don't disagree. Hence saying that for the rest of the season we need to get the rub of the green more often than not - we simply aren't playing well enough to pick up points otherwise.

There was always a chance, but just not the way we were playing. And the longer that went on the harder it would be to turn around. Even now, the margins are so tight that taking less than 3 points from Brentford and Spurs could very likely leave us adrift once again. Credit Selles for turning around the atmosphere and keeping us in games and getting results, but i do think we need to be objective. We were extremely lucky to beat Chelsea and Leicester (given oppo chances missed), and we ultimately did fail to score vs 10man united whilst also getting a bit of jam with them not scoring. It would not have taken very much for those two wins to have been draws or losses, and for the united game to have been a loss... Any of those results going worse than they did, and we'd be rock bottom/adrift again. We have to just keep going as we are and hope that we get the rub of the green - or become more clinical. If we can take 4 ponts from Brentfor and Spurs going into the international break, we might even get ourselves up to 17th and have put ourselves really in the mix to stay up subject to other results - although think 26points is more likely to be 18th place. But eitherway, its going to be a crazy end to the season - any clubs that can put together some form are going to get out of it, whilst ones that can't get any momentum (or drop points vs rivals) will be trapped in the general malaise right up to the final whistle of the season!!