eelpie

Will Coventry be the latest team at the bottom of the table to thrash Saints? Coventry beat Brighton 2-0 while we flopped against Brighton's makeshift side (skip the excuses). We really do have to overcome our away hoodoo if we are to make it this season. Do something about it Nige and fellers! Just TURN UP and show some fighting character! End the soft away habit of gentile tip-tapping the ball around and allowing the other team to take the ball away from us. Disposess the ball off them! End the complacency! You have to graft for it! This may not be the right match to experiment with the youngsters at this stage of the season. We need a victory! We need our first win of the year. Otherwise we'll become a laughing stock.

A particularly important match for both us and Brighton now, both having been beaten this weekend. We were terrible on Friday and clearly the team were still suffering from late Boing Day hangovers. If the team aren't still suffering from New Year's eve celebrations we should do it by a single goal, but in truth I'm not confident. Brighton will, as usual, throw every foul imaginable at us to unsettle the players (like Bristol but more so) and if you thought Brizzle got off lightly with their manhandling and wrestling don't be surprised for a repeat performance on Monday. Just how much do the team realize that the second part of the season will be harder than the first half and is going to be a real scrap for points, or are they over-confidently assuming they will be promoted because they are quality? if the latter, we're all going to be in for a shock. I hope not. So lads. A test of character. Mindset! We can do it! Enjoy the battle!

Deduct 1 from each of your generous ratings (not lambert and Kelvin) and I agree. We learned little from our thrashing at Brizzle. They had their tactics spot on. They were fast and snappy as we were slow and sluggish from the outset. By the time Saints woke from their torpor the game was firmly for the visitors to take. Every time we do badly it is for much the same reason. We concede the ball to the opposition. too easily. Other than the ecellent display against Palace we are becoming too erratic. Not promotion form.

Arsenal have good relations with Saints have they? But is it in the best interests of the players they sign from us? What has Chamberlain done since he left Southampton? And have Arsenal really been the best for Theo? Not according to Arsenal supporters, in today's blog in The Guardian on the best and worst of 2011: "And so to the worst performers. In many cases readers' appraisals seem to have been all the harsher because of the high expectations invested in players: so, for example, Arsenal's worst player so far this season has apparently been Theo Walcott, while Liverpool's has been Jordan Henderson. Neither judgment seems fair: both players have delivered fine performances, not as regularly as hoped but certainly more than some of their team-mates (has Walcott really been less useful this season than Andrey Arshavin, for example?)."

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/stars-of-2012-on-the-brink-of-the-big-time-6282897.html

How many players are guaranteed a start in the Prem? Not many that have been purchased from the Championship. And how many players would have a guaranteed start in their contract? Every player worth his salt has to fight for his place wherever he is. If he were a Rooney he wouldn't need the guarantee because his talent would guarantee it, provided club rules haven't been broken. And even Rickie was subbed recently.

CHAPEL END CHARLIE quote:'But you have to say for all that talent on display there was a hell of a lot of backwards/sideways passing going on yesterday' The boss said that the team needed to draw Palace out, and so possibly the sideways passing was intended to do just that. Tactically it seemed to work since Guly found space and Rickie had chances (though unlucky to have his efforts saved). It's difficult to criticise Guly on his home performances since he's only one goal short of being second best goalscorer in the league. But I agree that we need strengthening up front with a proven striker with the speed that will give us other options. That would terrify the effing daylights out of oppositions.

Morgan easily. Guly got the goals, Cork grafted, but Morgan ran the game with beguiling passes around the pitch that confused the opposition, and sharp tackling that we haven't seen too much of this season from him.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11734/7386538/Rovers-Sharp-will-cost-3m The possibilities improve. He is worth 3 mill in goals he will bring to a team currently lacking sharpness in front of goal (deliberate pun).

Each division has it's own last day. Heaven and Armagedden can't cope with everyone at the same time.

I always thought that the last games of the season always had to be played at the same times for all clubs in each division.

"Despite having only recorded one win from their last five outings the ex-Brighton and Colchester man does not think the squad is in need of re-enforcements in the January transfer window." Unfortunately we do because goals from midfielders is drying up.

Nigel's summing up is true of many of Saints recent performances: "You have to go and win the first and go and win the second ball. It's as simple as that." Too frequently recently Saints have backed off challenging for the ball. Earlier in the season they were hungrier to take the ball from the opposition. Now they are more often relying on collecting the ball from stray passes. That is why they drew against Blackpool who were allowed too much possession, and why we are drawing matches which we used to win.

I hope it isn't cardiff's turn.

But we don't need back up for existing players so much as replacements where the quality has been found wanting. Like a fast quality striker upfront of the class of Maynard which we don't have, and because Guly, brilliant as he can be is inconsistant, as is also Deano (who I can't see as premiership first team quality). We are an up and coming pre-Premiership team heading for promotion and three points ahead of the field at half season. That should be of interest to the right quality players , so long as we can match wage demands. One reason that we dropped out of the premiership (and failed to return) was that our previous owner made false economies. A difficult balance for Cortese, but now is the time, because if we miss this opportunity we may again lose our best players to top tier clubs.

The minuet is a slow refined dance, but Jonno will still fall over. Best kept for half time entertainment.

Yep. He'll need to expand the ground if only too find enough room for benches for our talented youth teams.

Be careful what you wish for. Whenever I see Fulham's and other clubs 'modern' crests I'm so thankful that we have a well drawn traditional and colourful crest that is rooted in Southampton and Hampshire.

Sometimes the pubs show other games. Any London Saints gathering in a pub in south west London around the Richmond area to watch the match?

All you guys jumping on the 'sack Bart' bandwaggon should remember that Kelvin did the same thing and now he's the guy who keeps Bart out of the team, meaning that Bart has not been getting enough first team practice, unlike others on the bench. Bart had an attack of nerves on Saturday, just that. It happens to many keepers. He is talented, there is no doubt, and we don't have an alternative anyway. Anyone else from the youngsters would be more of a gamble if sent out on a match day. Sure, he should go out on loan for his own good, but he is needed on the bench. Meanwhile it is qute likely that Bart will be our keeper for several weeks if Kelvin's injury recurrs, which might be the case if Kelvin returns too quickly. The best thing for Bart would be to get back on the pitch at Pompey and confront his demons by becoming a hero. He has a long career ahead, and his mistake will be history (unless you guys keep on at him). Richard Green and Kelvin survived their own horrific setbacks. So will Bart. So at Notarf get off Bart's back and give Bart the support he deserves!

Tbf there isn't much on there that we don't say about them. Let's hope Kelvin is back though, so we can have the last laugh. Remember our last defeats at notarf and avenge!

We cannot complain of our current league position, however we do seem to be less invincible than earlier in the season. So what is the ONE player signing that could make the difference, and why? And what is the SINGLE most effective tactical improvement that, in your opinion, could make a difference? Contribute one sentences each to describe two essential improvements that need to be addressed if we are to be promoted. Remember, use a maximum of two sentences (ONE EACH). Also must include the word 'BECAUSE' to eplain why. (Realistic obtainable or doable suggestions only) Mine are: NEW PLAYER We need to sign Maynard BECAUSE we are now relying too much on Lambert and lack a direct speedy striker, Maynard being the best available out there, imo. TACTICS Saints need to improve tackling/interception BECAUSE Blackpool and other teams are now enjoying too much possession and are stringing together long sequences of uninterrupted passing, one sequence of which led to Blackpool's first goal.

The ref gets the players mixed up again and blows for handball against De Ridder

Following a promising start we allowed Blackpool too much time on the ball They were stringing long passing sequences before they equalised. Saints should have tackled and obstructed them. In the second half the ref wouldn't let us tackle, but the draw was our own fault. We could have won.

I wasn't an ST holder then, just a member, and it was definitely more difficult to get tickets for the popular games. It would be worse now that memberships have been done away with because every Tom Fairweather supporter will be in the queue. And sometimes circumstances prevent being the first. I'm not sure that I will be able to afford to renew my ST next season, so it is a concern