eelpie

Stoke to win is our best hope. So that when we play them they are already out of the relegation zone and on the beach. It might not be such a desperate match for them.

Which kit are you talking about? And which logo? All logos look stuck on. Sponsors control the rights to make them predominate, There is nothing we can do about that. For what it is worth, there is more of a design problem applying any logo onto a bold red and white stripe than a background which is mainly one colour. I would agree that the aap logo would have looked better if it were simply white against red background instead of the current black with white outline against the red background. That would have been better. Aesthetically simplicity works best. Meanwhile I am very happy singing 'Come on you reds' which is what we are wearing.

The current kit is the smartest kit we've ever had imo, and worthy of a forward club that is aiming higher than we have done before. It does make the old red and white stripes and black shorts look somewhat old fashioned. That is the Struggling Southampton kit

We don't need to beat Spurs. A draw is all we need for survival. Sunderland will be a difficult away match and we don't want to leave it until the last match against Stoke who are the sort of tough nuts that we do badly against. So to play for a draw against Spurs, who's tails are up and desperate for a top four place, would be ideal. With Bale and an inform Defoe playing there are going to be goals in the game. The important thing is not to concede too many and hope Jay and Lambo are in form. Our goal difference might be crucial at the end of season. What concerns me is that our gungho front pressing style might be taking its toll on the energy of the players. They looked knackered against the baggies. So keep it tight at the back fellers and aim for scoring on the break. I repeat, we must not leave our keeper exposed as we did on Saturday. That would undo all the good work of the last few weeks.

That is a useless response.

Maybe, but this is Cortese's ambition and the day he loses his belief in SFC may be the day he packs up and takes the Liebherr estate's money elsewhere. Let us all dream. That is what football is about. Realistically we can expect more exciting football next season, because the club has built the foundations here to build on hardwon success. How far that goes we will find out. Meanwhile we must concentrate on fighting for those extra points we need for survival.

The current red kit is the best for years and looks great on the pitch. Much smarter than the old fashioned red and white stripes and black shorts, historical as that may be. This is a new era. We are now a new exciting Saints heading for Europe and need a modern look.

This is a fake post. No ******* asterisks

Without reading the article it is very clear from the statistical analysis above what Gaston's strengths and weaknesses are. They do show that he has skills that set him apart from the ordinary Premiership player. A tackle win percentage of 82% is quite outstanding, and passing accuracy of 79% is pretty good too. I remember reading Opta's passing stats taken mid-season during (the golden age of) Strachan's time as manager here and not many players if I remember correctly scored above 55/60% for passing accuracy (I can be corrected). Gaston's stats for this are very high in a comparison and compares with anyone. I can't beleive anyone can have a 100% though but allowing for margin of error his possession winning skills seem top quality too. His weaknesses are laid bare, and frankly not good enough, but they can and will be improved significantly. This should not be a difficult challenge for MC's team. Last season individual Saints players also erred with plenty of inconsistent performances that cost us Championship first place, but my how this has been worked on since! Those with Premiership quality have responded, and how! It is a common fault of supporters who understandably want near perfection to criticise players weaknesses without giving credit for their strengths. (The baiting of young Dyer comes to mind, and also of Bale in his first season with Spurs). If they expect every young footballer to be perfect they should support Barcelona. Does Ramirez have the talent, inventiveness and intelligence to become a major player in the Prem next season? Of course. I hope it is with us!

..in Guernsey http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/apr/11/matt-le-tissier-guernsey

Barcelona German clubs?

It wasn't for us.

Way back in the dark days before the duckhunter was ousted first time there was an attempt by some Saints supporters to buy shares in SFC. It came to nothing, it never looked likely to succeed and if it had would probably have been a financial disaster. That was before we actually did go into administration and nearly ceased to exist. Now Portsmouth Supporters look to have become owners of Pompey. I think they are clutching at straws in hoping that they will be able to save their club. But part of me hopes they will. Because without the skates there will be no rivalry. My question is, is there a bond between fierce rivals? Who hopes that PFC survive? Does anyone know of skates that would have been sad if Saints had ceased to exist?

Another less attractive tactic they used when they defeated us earlier this season was to crowd the keeper and defenders on the goal line. I was a few yards behind Saints goal and hefty Nolan (or was it Noble) kept backing comparatively diminutive and frustrated Clyne over the line during corners, effectively crowding him out of the game. I know all teams do this to an extent, but this was particularly cynical as they knew the ref couldn't even see Clyne

We might have to censure the 'we hate pompey' chant.

Yes, Collins did well blocking Suarez out of the game on Saturday, and so he will be confident he can do the same v Lambert or Rodrigues and block out their game. This battle could well decide the game imo. I think JayRod will be able to speed past him and Rickie needs to be at his best. And Sam's Sham team will surely hoof the ball over our midfield to try to catch us out at the back. Much depends on Spiderman and Cork's mobility too.

Idiot

Just about to leave for the Madjeski. I'm looking forward to a great sporting contest. "There's only one Pochettino and one Nigel Adkins But Pochettino's our manager now! We'll beat Reading!" Then let hostilities commence. One team will be relegated, and it won't be Southampton.

No it was definitely Gandy. I remember he forgot his right football boot and had to wear hobnails, which were lethal.

Of all time? Well my memory is a bit hazy, but in 1888 Gandy's 90 yard thunderbolt that went right through the net and landed in the pond has to be up there too.

"kill Pompey fans song'' is not exactly fair -play

"There's only one Nigel Adkins But Pochettino's our maestro now"

I'm really looking forward to Looroll's end of season predicted table. He will have Saints relegated and QPR in 10th place.

He impressed on his first game here with his speed and he scored. He is able to beat the off-side trap and get behind players which is often lacking in our play so imho he could have done well here had he not got injured. Then he never regained full fitness, and we signed JayRod, so it's a case of never knowing how good he could have been for us. If he does well in Japan and toughens up I wouldn't be surprised if he was given another chance here, especially if we were were to be relegated, heaven forbid, and JR were to leave us.