melmacian_saint

Another manager would've got a lot more goals from those two than Park the Bus Hughton did. Wolfswinkel for all his lack of goals would be that constant presence in the box that we need for our link up play to have continuity. With the chances we create, aerial and on the floor, I'd expect him to at least have more than 7 goals. All Norwich have done all season is try to get balls to his head.

Do we need young talent with regards to our strikers? I mean, we've got Rodriguez and Gallagher. If anything, we need someone who is at a later stage in their careers.

Shaw needs another season with us to learn and improve his crossing. A lot of pace on his balls but often very poor direction.

Roma must be loving it. They got rid of two overrated nutcases for certainly almost half of their annual budget.

People seem to forget that Puncheon was our League 1 Ramirez. Luxury player with an attitude (ok, Ramirez seems a less complicated character), who everyone knew had loads of talent and potential, but failed to deliver it consistently. I'm surprised we didn't offload him in one of his "luxury" loans to PL Blackpool and QPR. It was actually a bit like what the rumour mill suggests we want to do with Ramirez (except with the Italian powerhouses).

Luxury player who will come up with the pass/dribble/move/goal of the week every other month, and not turn up any time in between.

I quite like Bournemouth, and as far as I'm aware Saints have always had a good number of season tickets holders in BH post codes?

I'm afraid Northampton and Torquay are just too **** for them to do us a job.

Always good to see. I think we're creating a generation of very mature players which may become England's true golden (and sober) generation. Before we had good prospects quickly taken off rails by media, socialite living etc...I think that's why the national team never benefitted from legendary club players (and we've had a few in the last decade or so). Just a shame that in many cases, these young players are given a chance often at the expense of other English players. Apart from the Barkley-Osman case, here we have Chambers being given a chance...at the expense of Clyne.

I believe the roughness of the sea would come into this as well? We can't really compare the open Indian ocean to a river. I remember a Tunisian plane back in '06 (I think?) that ran out of fuel due to having the wrong fuel indicator installed and ditched in the Med. The pilot (who survived) followed a textbook approach to the ditching, and the plane impacted the water at a perfect angle, in an August sunny day with perfect flying conditions and even then the sea was too rough for the plane not to break in three and for some passengers to be able to make it (about half of around 35 died).

Apparently his likely replacement in the WC squad is called Immobile. If a player does not react to that then he might as well call it a day.

Indeed. Everton had been looking the perennial "if only" team for the last 5/6 years. They were stuck in 4th gear, and it only took a slightly braver manager to get them off the ground. Football changes much quicker these days but I can see Martinez staying there for a while. Can only get better really.

Of course he hasn't been bad for us, he's been one of our best...but the truth is that I do not think he has outperformed Fonte so clearly as many on here make out, nor am I convinced that he is that good when Fonte is not on the pitch, as we have seen this season. I agree the same goes for Fonte himself. Truth is all our current CBs have performed well at some stage of their Saints career, and that happened with Fonte alongside them. Be it with Hooiveld in the CCC, Yoshida, and now Lovren this season (perhaps the best yet!). That tells me the player is not only good, he is adaptable. Of course he is not amazing, but I'd argue he is more important to us than what we judge him to be.

Talk about Fonte but I'm a bit worried with the ease at which Lovren becomes a passenger in a not-so-good team performance, and sometimes in other games. He seems fearful after his injury and clearly will not engage as actively as Fonte in tackles and defensive pressure situations, leaving Jose incredibly exposed. But of course, Fonte is always the odd one out. Having a starting CB and vice-captain signed from those peasants Crystal Palace for 1m is insulting in our new superstar project. The only member of our back 4 that has not been replaced in the past 5 years, but hey we fans know better... I'm also shocked at the sense of entitlement that some of our fans have after 5 years of continuous improvement. Have you forgotten who we were for most of the last 25 years, and where we've come from??

Talk about Fonte but I'm a bit worried with the ease at which Lovren becomes a passenger in a not-so-good team performance, and sometimes in other games. He seems fearful after his injury and clearly will not engage as actively as Fonte in tackles and defensive pressure situations, leaving Jose incredibly exposed. But of course, Fonte is always the odd one out. Having a starting CB and vice-captain signed from those peasants Crystal Palace for 1m is insulting in our new superstar project. The only member of our back 4 that has not been replaced in the past 5 years, but hey we fans know better... I'm also shocked at sense of entitlement that some of our fans have after 5 years of continuous improvement. Have you forgotten who we were for most of the last 25 years, and where we've come from??

I love how only a few years ago penalties like the ones we've had in this match would be waved away as embarrassing for the striker. Today, defenders are idiots for trying to get the ball.

An expected defeat with scapegoating potential. SWF idiot dreamland.

If Lovren had been at the end of that it would've been a dive for everyone. Just like his pathetic attempt at getting a foul vs. Spurs was seen by many in this forum as a refereeing howler. Fonte will always be hated by this forum and any new CB will always be overhyped because people here dislike him. It happened with Hooiveld, with Yoshida and now with Lovren.

I think people overestimate how desperate we are to sell our good players. Namely our academy ones. We've only done it out of need before, and once because it was ridiculous money for a L1 player. I honestly do not see Lallana moving away. I think he is one of the most likely of our recent academy players to become a one-club man. Then again who knows...

Speaking of MOTD, that Berahino moment for West Brom brought the Crouch v. Everton moment to my mind. Somehow I believe the season outcome will be similar for the guilty party.

Think so. Remember QPR and Stoke were sellouts, and I was going to say WBA was too but I'm not sure.

That was great. It was 4, but we deserved at least 5 and it could've easily been 7 or 8. After those 8 changes in less than 30 minutes, I felt that things could've gone wrong, but we were very focused today and as a result a candidate to performance of the season. Not a single bad performer today. Newcastle were terrible. Worse than Norwich as the Canaries had actually shot at goal before getting those 2 late goals.

This time last year we were selling out every week, including not so good games. Anyone know the official ST figure, and is it higher than last year?

Diego Garcia has population. Surely if a plane landed there a photo would've been leaked?

To be honest one should not forget the contribution of agent Naughton to our bright start. Neither were that clear chances. It would've been a 0-0 game considering how uninterested both teams looked at times.