eelpie

This

"There's only one Nigel Adkins - but Pochettino's our manager now!"

Also interested in how Saints approach the game. We so often recently seem a little rusty and lack-lustre after a break. Not confident that either team will be playing their best, so the spoils could go either way. 2-2 hopefully, or a 2-1 win if Shaw is fit.

'There's only one Nigel Adkins But Pochettino's our manager now' Chant if NA is in charge of Reading when we play them

I was amazed to hear a while back that Saints were sometimes getting attendances of around 30,000 back at The Dell (in standing days). Unlikely to top this but I wonder what the record there was then?

Agree. Best sung in unison beginning slowly all around the ground. I read somewhere that ManU have a fans choir that practices their songs and chants. Is it time for a Northam Choral Society? On a different tack, there are so may versions of 'When The Saints Come Marching In'. I keep meaning to start a project of discovering if there have been 1000 different recordings. My out of season project perhaps. Then perhaps a different one could be played at the ground each week.

Yes and no.

Great stuff. Schneiderlin was my motm. Not only for his crucial early goal, but the way he controlled Liverpool who seemed to think they only had to be here to win. Did we surprise them? Notarf! They were crap.

You could be right

At Long last - after years of complaining by supporters - the club is refunding if supporters cannot make a rearranged match! let's hope that this becomes the norm with ALL RESHEDULED matches if supporters cannot make the re-arranged date or time.

(corrected)

Exactly. We are always going to be vulnerable to fast running towards our goal when we play so far upfield all of the time. And if we don't score early we become more porous as the team tires. We suffered badly for our first ten matches before Adkins rethought tactics and moved us out of the relegation zone. Now we are sinking back into it. MC (and NC) are in denial of the reasons why NA achieved better results in the weeks before he was sacked. But perhaps not all is lost yet, as we defended so much better against Norwich

We had an extra week to prepare for the QPR game. oh..

Just got back too and still thawing out. Your summary is pretty much as I saw the game, but I think you've been harsh on Maya. His two magnificent interceptions were of international class and certainly prevented us losing. He dispossessed and broke up Norwich attacks on several important occasions too so I would give him at least 6.. About our defence - I, and many others, have been very critical of the way we have been so often caught out mostly by playing so far upfield, but against Norwich they were tight and excelled for much of the game. And another plaudit, despite really atrocious conditions our pass completion and accuracy rate on very slippery turf was very, very good in the first half. Some have criticised loss of stamina towards the end. Well the same applied to Norwich. After a a patchy start by both teams Saints settled and dominated for much of this end to end match. I came away frustrated at the misses - perhaps understandable in the conditions, but pleased with the draw. Artur was my man of the match before his fantastic last save. So much so that I knew he would save the penalty! What a signing he has turned out to be. He must be given an extended contract!

So are you suggesting that nothing needs to be done (or can be done) to improve the porosity of our defence? Certainly Adkins managed eventually to improve matters there. The problem with MP's game plan, exciting to watch as it is, is that we are not seeing alternative strategies which we need to switch to when other teams are becoming increasingly adept in dealing with our tactics.

Nooh. The manager needs to follow his own instincts and not let Cortese dictate his game plan.

Plan B should be to strengthen the defence which means changing tactics. But Pochetino will be sacked like Adkins was if he tried that. Adkins learned following successive defeats that continuous all-out up-field attacking left the team porous at the back, and so easy for the opposition to exploit. (I'll never forget that horrible away match at Arsenal.) Adkins reshaped tactics so that the back four were supported more by others and we climbed from the foot of the table. We don't have the quality defenders to play Cortese's way. All teams know how to score against us again, and early season history is repeating itself.

Interesting read. This quote sticks out for me ‘The fact that he (Bale) stayed at Southampton longer than Theo will have helped him.’ I hope that our current young stars take note. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/focus-on-the-main-man-as-tottenham-face-arsenal-how-gareth-bale-became-a-worldbeater-8517494.html

Is that the new Saints logo he's wearing?

No, they frighten the pants off the opposition. He should laugh more often when he surges towards goal.

This. It was beginning to look like we were going to lose Punch, so it''s like a new signing. He has been a very important team member this season.

Under MP we have only won one match and results have not matched our performances. Who can deny that this is true?

QPR colours? surely not...?

I presume this doesn't have to be players from the current squad. Nathan Dyer What a load of rubbish he was. Own up. Who hired a taxi for him?

Difficult to call. Will we maintain our momentum? Geordies did well in Europa Thursday and could be confident and boyed up to overtake us in the league. I reckon there will be a couple of goals for each side. I'll be happy with a draw right now, though that won't be in MP's thinking. An exciting game in atrocious weather methinks.