NewYorkSaint

Meanwhile, I've been watching Mane in the Senegal/Egypt game. He has been hacked to pieces. Pretty unhappy with the ref. Must have been down 20 times, though to be fair about a third of those may not have been actual fouls. He is one tricksy player, and looks like Egyptian defense under orders to make life really hard for him. Anyway, he's still on the pitch so hopefully no lasting injury.

We will take exactly 6 points from these games. And that will be just fine.

The toughest games have been when teams come and park the bus, like Leicester. It's often then been a long, stressful wait for a goal. But happy clapper is right that this should not be the case for Villa at home. Even if we go in as favorites, they will be cheered on to attack. If we can continue our amazing feat of shutting teams down in midfield before they even have a chance to shoot, we should find ourselves often with the ball in space. I think we'll get a first half goal thanks to a devastating through ball from Tadic or Wanyama, and then ramp it up to 3-0 by the end. But this is a game of luck. Some of our clean sheets could easily have contained goals against. There have been bizarre misses, woodwork hit, etc. At some point we will have a game where we play brilliantly and lose. But I think we'll take this one.

He has. But taking the season overall,it has to be Dusan Tadic. Morgan, Pelle, Wanyama, Bertrand and Fonte also strong contenders.

Personally, I'd like to see... - stripes in the front - more solid red at back (partly so that numbers read more clear on crappy Internet streams, and to differentiate from Stoke, Sheff U) - shorts with white trim (black a little boring) - the stripey red/white socks from last year (really liked them). - a couple of bold, modern design touches that break up the rigid vertical design. Just how disappointed will I be, Turkish?

Originally Posted by Guan 2.0: "Who was pressuring their keeper before Wanyama scored? Great to see." Actually, pretty sure it was Pelle... though Long is a great harrier. I agree that 1/4 the credit due for forcing the error.

Truly incredible performance by our defense. Not just the back four. Morgan and Big Vic absolutely immense. Toby's best game for us yet. We're starting to see what he can do. Fonte inspirational. Clyne, despite the most intense pressure, was superb. Never let us down. Hull were impressive... in the same way that we were impressive last year. Endless energy, closing down, some promising midfield moves ...but ultimately failed to pose that much real risk. I get more certain week by week that this is a team for the ages. We could easily have won it 3-0. To be able to grind it out at 1-0 is a really, really good sign. I mean compare and contrast with Chelsea today. They were at HOME to a relegation side ...and were lucky to scrape through. A fantastic, hard-fought, professional, thrilling win.

There seem to be two schools of thought going into this one. 1) Pick the best available team because the Cup matters and we don't want a repeat of last year's Sunderland. 2) Bring on the changes. I think 2 is the right answer here... for two reasons: --> Unlike Sunderland last year it really is all to play for still in the League. We could end up top six, conceivably top four. We can't compromise that main goal. In terms of building for Saints future, 6th + no cup, is probably better than 8th + cup. (I know some will disagree.) --> We have far, far better depth of squad than last year. There are many spectacular players who need game time. Rotating them in will boost their confidence and ability for the time when we will need them in the middle of the winter. Therefore I personally would support a fair number of changes for this one. Certainly all those the OP recommends (Long, Gardos, Wanyama) but also Targett, Reed and maybe even Yoshida. The three people it's dangerous to rest are Pelle, Tadic, and Schneiderlin (in that order). They are at the heart of the engine that has powered us to 2nd place. Not sure how well the team will function without any one of them, let alone all 3. But for that very reason, if they are showing signs of tiredness, we need to look out for them. Maybe rest Tadic for this one, but have him ready to come in 2nd half if it's not working w/o him. I'd also love to see Isgrove coming in as a sub if he's fit again (anyone know?) The other riddle is whether Fonte could use a rest game. He's turned out to be an amazing leader, but was looking wobbly by the end on Sat. Maybe he could lead from the bench on this one. Yoshida has been impressive this season. And Clyne is such a key player for us... but I wonder if he too is in danger of being overstretched. I don't think it would be crazy to go with: Forster Toby, Yoshida, Gardos, Targett Wanyama, Morgan ©, Reed Long, Pelle, Mane Bench: K Davis, Tadic, S Davis, Fonte, Clyne, Isgrove, Cork That tier 2 defense would probably ship a goal, but I still think we'd come away 3-1. It's amazing that we could make 6 changes and still put out a fantastic team. p.s. One final reason to welcome some changes. It will screw up Stoke's planning. They have just had 90 minutes of one team. Why not surprise them?

Important win. When you look at the stats, there's no question which was the better side. But so much luck in football. We hit the woodwork four times, I think. On another day at least half of those would go in. But we could also easily have seen an equalizer in that second half. And on a couple of occasions lucky not to have conceded a penalty. So impressed with Pelle. With that hold-up ability, it creates an aerial option forward at every moment. He was really unlucky not to add a goal. Wanyama made a big difference coming on. Against physical teams like Stoke, I'd love to see him start. I also found myself missing Shane Long. Even though he got a rough reception here, he's winning the hearts of a lot of fans because of his incredible pace and tenacity. So many great choices in our team. Will be interesting to see who Koeman picks for the cup game. Feel v lucky to get to watch Saints from the other side of the Atlantic on NBC Hi-Def TV. They show every premier league game. And this could yet be the best Saints year in history.

Fantastic play again by Saints. Pelle, Tadic, Mane, and MORGAN are stand-outs. But everyone playing well. Cork and Davis winning the midfield. Love how they're hunting in packs to win back possession. I'm predicting 2-1. I hope we get the 2 before the 1 !

"Within the England group we believe in their qualities." Oh oh... Hodgson has been watching video of Koeman. What can it mean?!

One day we should find a song as emotional as "You'll Never Walk Alone" is for 'Pool. Seems to me that song alone is responsible for holding thousands and thousands of fans loyal. try googling the version of it sung in Sydney. Incredible. This isn't it... but just as a starter, here are words to the tune of Edelweiss. That one always makes the ladies cry. Southampton, Southampton Every weekend you greet me Red and white, red and white You look happy to meet me Blossom O Saints May you bloom and grow Bloom and grow forever Southampton, Southampton Bless my home team forever

This. And don't forget: - a couple of spectacular saves from Forster - incredible game by Fonte. Lost count of how many blocks and interceptions he made - CLYNE What an amazing amazing team we have.

What a GREAT first half. Mane looks to have added an exciting new option for us. Wow & wow!

Tadić, Mané, Pellè. A trio of accents to make any defense shudder. Can't wait!

We have a fantastic chance to win now. Tadic and Bertrand have had terrific games. Bring on Big Vic! And I'd consider Gardos for Fonte or Yoshida. Worried about a sending off.

Fantastic performance. Pelle thrilling. So many aspects to his game. I thought Morgan was MoM. Won the ball time and again. Gorgeous strike at the end. Worth a shout out too to our maligned scouting network. You can see now what they saw in Shane Long. The lightning fast counterpoint to Pelle. Give every defence two very different things to worry about. Until he was half knocked unconscious in the penalty we weren't given, Long looked really, really dangerous. I think he's going to be a great part of the mix. Koeman tonight will be thinking: so I dreamed of what would happen if you put together the two best players in the Dutch league. And guess what? I was right. They're going to light up the Premier League. Exciting season ahead, friends. Beat Swansea next week and second place beckons?!!

What a fantastic team we've assembled. Morgan was magnificent all half. And Pelle... WOW! Now Franny Benali. What a legend. I hope everyone on here has donated.

Strong strong team. And bench! Welcome to Saints brave new world. Delighted Cork starting. Leaving out big Vic is a little risky, but let's try it. And Toby! Will he play LS centre back? 3-1 Saints. One big defensive misunderstanding on our side, Pelle, Tadic and Morgan to score.

Personally, I like this team. Pace and creativity galore. But I think Wanyama CAN play with Morgan, and would prob have him in for JWP. Isgrove ahead of Long would be brave call, but personally I like it.

I agree that that's the team he'll probably play (or with Davis for JWP). It's a great team. BUT here's the team I'd personally like to see tried at some point: Clyne Fonte Alderweireld Bertrand Wanyama Schneiderlin Tadic Mane Isgrove Pelle I think big Vic and Morgan strong enough to hold the midfield, while Tadic Mane and Isgrove would tear them apart. I know, I know. Isgrove. I just really rate him. Every time I've seen him play he's added something special. Blistering pace. I think he's a more exciting option than Shane Long right now, though I'm sure Long will come good. Play this team for a 4-2 win !

Ha!

VectisSaint wrote: "I'd be interested to know how you think that the squad has been strengthened. " Instead of Lambert: Pelle. Instead of Lallana + Gaston: Tadic + Long + Mane (+ Isgrove) Instead of Shaw + Fox: Bertrand + Targett Instead of Lovren: Gardos + Toby Instead of Clyne and Chambers: Clyne (+ Toby) Instead of Boruc + Gazza: Forster + Boruc Plus continued improvement of JWP, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Cork. Defense you could argue is a push, but overall looks like clear step up to me. Not to mention the £30m to stash away for a rainy day.

Like most others here, I'm impressed and excited at what LR, RK and the board have pulled off here. I agree with the general opinion that while the first team may be about equal to last year's, overall the squad - and the club - are definitely stronger. I'm intrigued by how this fits in to the overall strategy for the coming years. Last year's biggest frustrations were: - tendency to fail in last part of matches. We started games incredibly strong, but tired. Already signs that Koeman has a different fitness & energy utilization strategy. Every second half has been super strong, and we've already done what MP never achieved, and come back to win from behind away from home. - dramatic fall in performance when injuries happened. Loss of, at various times, Lallana, Wanyama, Cork and others stopped our top of table surge in its tracks. This year, the same number of injuries won't be as damaging. Plus it's clear we have a manager who can contemplate a wide range of playing systems - refusal to compete in cups. The Sunderland story was one thing. Even worse, to my mind, was MP's public ridicule of the Europa League. Given that stance it was irrational to try for higher than 7th place, or to compete in the FA Cup. Of course, with last year's squad, there was a strong argument he was right. That squad probably couldn't have managed EL along with being PL competitive. But that means the club can't progress. You'd have to leap from 8th to 4th somehow... a near impossible task. So what I give the board most credit for, is it seems to me they've been doing some long term dreaming about what progress would look like and how it might play out. I think the rationale may be that the only way we'll get to CL is by first climbing up to a top-6 finish. That means getting equipped for Europa League. The good news is that the same investment in depth that makes it possible to imagine qualifying for and gaining success in EL, also strongly increases our chance of competing effectively in cups this season. We can afford to play really strong teams in cup games. Lifting some of that silverware wont' make a ton of money, but it will lift the profile of the club, and help propel momentum toward greater things. Ultimately, to be top 4 contender in the long run, we will need a bigger stadium and a bigger worldwide brand. I think our best route to that is to become known globally as the club that is the best developer of youth in the world. And all the signs are that that too is part of what the board are dreaming of. RK may come off to some as not speaking like the kind of football person we're used. But you could also argue that there's a role for the more strategic, analytics based sports management in the English Premier League. I think he probably brings that. He's a lot more than just a motivational manager. What we've seen these past couple weeks is strong evidence of some really intriguing long-term strategy at work. I'm excited for what lies ahead.

9 hrs to go. Toby or not Toby? That is the question.