Saint86

I reckon 34-35 points will be enough. It may even be lower given how many teams are down there and the fact they'll take points of each other. 3wins and 2 draws takes us to 34 points. Just don't give any points to our direct rivals and I have a sneaky feeling that will be enough, albeit squeaky bum time.

Agree with all of that!

Agree except on VAR - its the officials that are the problem not the tech. I don't miss incidents like the nongoal that triggered Charlie Austin's rant, Gabbi's offside goal at Wembley (that may well have stolen only our 2nd ever cup win), or things like that Doucoure handball goal (that could well have sent us down in another season). To name but a few purely saints related shockers. I hate that the officials make terrible mistakes even with VAR - Mike Dean's VAR red card/penalty decision in the United 9-0 should never have happened, nor should villa have got away with the matty cash diving save vs saints in the 1-0 loss. But those are far smaller errors compared to the ones detailed above - and they remain fundamentally officiating errors, not the fault of the tech. Also, its surely only a matter of time until VAR is in the championship.

Not specifically aimed at you robo so i hope you don't take it that way, but i actually hate these particular fan fantasies about being relegated to so we can win. Not only do i not get it, but i also massively disagree with it. It just reads like a big fish / small pond idealism to me.... However, if you follow it to its other quite likely outcome - I.e. we fail to get promoted, the teams quality declines, and we eventually start to struggle in the championship (vs the parachute payment teams and those with owners/momentum)... what will we get? I'd guess that we'd start to lose more fans/atmosphere as the same fair weather romantic ideals resurface in line with the team struggling - this time going on about being relegated to league 1 so we can start to win again. Alternatively, we get promoted and the same fans will be moaning that we're struggling in the prem. I just can't agree with it at all. What is even the point of competing or progressing as a club if we're just going to down tools and look forward to relegation to an easier level? Notably no one was saying this when we were challenging for europe. Equally, the tougher times make the good times more memorable - even if saints' good times are more modest than those of richer clubs. Its true of nearly all fanbases bar a select lucky few (because success is relative), but if all you want to see is a successful football club all the time, i hate to break it to you but you've fallen for the wrong bloody club 😆 - a reality everyone trying to get their kids into saints must surely have considered at some point... I want to see saints at the highest level they can be at - if that means scrapping away at the bottom of the prem so be it. I enjoyed the times when we had Ostenstadt, Tessem, Kachoul, Berkovich, Tissier etc. and were constantly under pressure fighting away as underdogs 🤷‍♂️. The championship was utterly grim in comparison. The only merit i can see to ever being relegated, is a chance to rebuild, blood a new team/youngsters, reset a losing mentality, and come back stronger.

If we drew our remaining 10games we'd finish on 33 points and be in with a shout of staying up - and certainly in with a shout on the final day. Giving points to direct relegation rivals will only move the required points total upwards. Its still more important not to lose these games (away) than it is to win them. What we have to do is win the home ones - those are our must wins. Beat Palace, Bournemouth, Fulham (the absolute must win home games). That's 32 points. Then get a couple of draws out of west ham, Forrest, Brighton, Arsenal, City, Newcastle, and Liverpool. That would get us to circa 34-35 points and likely stay up. The people saying we have to beat Bournemouth, Forest, West Ham, Palace, Fulham etc. (38points), or even 6 wins (41points) to survive... Eh?!?! I don't see it. Its so tight down there, the teams will take points of each other and its quite unlikely to be that high.

Its not clear that he is fit to play - i was just querying if he is out injured! 😇

Who is out injured? Che, ABK, Bednarek, Salisu?

Wasn't that interrupted last year by the ongoing post covid logistic issues and the intermediary falling into administration? (Apparently they were owed £10M by Rangers when they went bust as well 👀). You'd like to think it will be back this season?

Yes it was weird that he didn't get on with Koeman, man basically saved his ass. Always wondered if the Everton approach made it easy to get rid of Koeman. I.e. you're not getting a new deal here at saints so you best be off mate - we all know Koeman was after the barca/netherlands job at the time. And yeah, it was a strange time that summer. Some of the best years as a saints fan in modern history - met with immediate uncertainty. I just back checked (a lot of the articles and quotes are still around). Season ticket renewals closed 30th May that summer, Lambert was sold 2nd June. You can still find quotes from Les Reed even up to the 12th June (sky sports) saying we were not intending to sell any of our other stars... Shaw 27th June Lallana 1st July Lovren 27July Chambers 28th july Must have moved quick to negotiate all those sales in a few weeks if we weren't already in negotiations 👀 Even found an article with quotes from him saying we wouldn't sell any more the following summer, obviously Morgan and co didn't that message. I honestly think that period did a lot of damage to the atmosphere at SMS and the bond between the fans and the players / chants etc. We'd had an amazing few years and had great togetherness. Then Marcus passed, cortese got ousted, poch went, and reed got the top job. We turned into a talent trading machine with seemingly no loyalty or soul - and within 2 summers we'd basically dismantled the entire team. Still, you've got to have the bad to enjoy the good - and at least Koeman kept up the momentum for another couple of years and built a cracking team with Tadic, VVD, Toby etc. Now that was a side! Anyway, massive digress although i see the jpt and the above as book ending that period! The JPT was a superb day out and what really kick started us up the leagues. Hopefully a great many of us will have those memories for a long time to come! And even better yet, hopefully we get some more success in the future - Preferably not in the lower leagues though 😆

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! 😂