Saints v Coventry, 12.30pm Saturday 20.12.2025

[lambtiss]

21 hours ago, saintant said:

Their fans are very confident which isn't surprising. One of them reckons Lampard has said that Bazunu is having a torrid season 🙂 Prepare for lots of low shots from the edge of the box.

Personally, I'm hoping Bazunu is dropped (again)

[SW5 SAINT]

15 minutes ago, lambtiss said:

Personally, I'm hoping Bazunu is dropped (again)

Good idea if Lampard is planning to exploit his weaknesses…..

[coalman]

42 minutes ago, lambtiss said:

Personally, I'm hoping Bazunu is dropped (again)

If we're allowing unchallenged crosses I'm not sure it matters much who is in goal. Our centre backs aren't great in the air.

[whelk]

Is it going to be postponed due to waterlogged pitch?

[Football Special]

We're not keeping a clean sheet are we 

[Matthew Le God]

31 minutes ago, whelk said:

Is it going to be postponed due to waterlogged pitch?

We aren't Blackburn. We have a pitch with very good drainage. Plus no rain is forecast for Southampton on Friday and only light rain on Saturday.

Edited yesterday at 14:24 by Matthew Le God

[tdmickey3]

8 minutes ago, Football Special said:

We're not keeping a clean sheet are we 

Not a chance

[saintant]

3 hours ago, lambtiss said:

Personally, I'm hoping Bazunu is dropped (again)

He won't be.

[whelk]

45 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

We aren't Blackburn. We have a pitch with very good drainage. Plus no rain is forecast for Southampton on Friday and only light rain on Saturday.

Apologies for making you answer seriously 

[Saint86]

3 hours ago, Matthew Le God said:

We aren't Blackburn. 

Thanks for letting us know...

Out of curiosity, at what point did you A.) Realise this fact? and B.) feel that signed up members of a Southampton Football Club forum would need this fact explaining to them? 😅

Edited 23 hours ago by Saint86

[ChrisPY]

3 hours ago, Matthew Le God said:

We aren't Blackburn. We have a pitch with very good drainage. Plus no rain is forecast for Southampton on Friday and only light rain on Saturday.

Of course you and Whelk are not Blackburn. Blackburn is a town and towns can’t communicate through a football forum.

Where is the pitch you and Whelk own that has good drainage? Would be interested in hiring this for a 5 a side game if you could provide details of pricing.

[lambtiss]

6 hours ago, coalman said:

If we're allowing unchallenged crosses I'm not sure it matters much who is in goal. Our centre backs aren't great in the air.

Quite the opposite, a keeper that isn't rooted to his line and tries to claim or punch crosses has to be a better bet. 

McCarthy is far better than Bazunu in this regard.

[spyinthesky]

4 hours ago, Football Special said:

We're not keeping a clean sheet are we 

Do we ever?

[Barton Saint]

I think they will be a bit concerned about going too hung ho as we have shown we can be very dangerous on the counter attacks.

Probably end up 3-3

[Ted Bates Statue]

 

5 hours ago, Football Special said:

We're not keeping a clean sheet are we 

To be fair, we gave everyone a head-start in the league by deciding not to attack or defend under Will Still. Since Tonda took over, we've scored 22 and they've scored 16. In terms of goals against, we've conceded 11 and they've let 10 in. 

On that basis, I reckon we'll outscore them to the win. 2-1 to us... I write this without keeping a straight face  😆 

[Dr Who?]

0-0? 

[StrangelyBrown]

7 hours ago, Football Special said:

We're not keeping a clean sheet are we 

That could be said no matter the opposition....

Edited 19 hours ago by StrangelyBrown

[Dr Who?]

7 minutes ago, StrangelyBrown said:

That could be said no matter the opposition....

Skates? 

[VectisSaint]

8 hours ago, Football Special said:

We're not keeping a clean sheet are we 

Last 3 games:

Ipswich 3 Coventry 0

Preston 1 Coventry 1 (Preston played most of game with 10 men, Coventry struggled)

Coventry 1 Bristol City 0.

Famous last words, but they have not been ridiculous in front of goal during December.

[tdmickey3]

9 hours ago, VectisSaint said:

Last 3 games:

Ipswich 3 Coventry 0

Preston 1 Coventry 1 (Preston played most of game with 10 men, Coventry struggled)

Coventry 1 Bristol City 0.

Famous last words, but they have not been ridiculous in front of goal during December.

Probably make up for that on Saturday

[Zorba]

[Saint NL]

Do the managers get drug tested? Judging by the state of those eyes it's probably best if they don't.

[Matthew Le God]

20 hours ago, whelk said:

Is it going to be postponed due to waterlogged pitch?

 

19 hours ago, Matthew Le God said:

We aren't Blackburn. We have a pitch with very good drainage. Plus no rain is forecast for Southampton on Friday and only light rain on Saturday.

 

19 hours ago, whelk said:

Apologies for making you answer seriously 

What in your question indicated it wasn't to be taken on face value looking for an answer? Especially given numerous Saints fans over the years think some heavy rain mean the game will be off.

16 hours ago, Saint86 said:

Thanks for letting us know...

Out of curiosity, at what point did you A.) Realise this fact? and B.) feel that signed up members of a Southampton Football Club forum would need this fact explaining to them? 😅

The numerous times Saints fans on this forum and on X have raised the question in the past after some heavy rain and it continuing to be asked.

[whelk]

4 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

 

 

What in your question indicated it wasn't to be taken on face value looking for an answer? Especially given numerous Saints fans over the years think some heavy rain mean the game will be off.

The numerous times Saints fans on this forum and on X have raised the question in the past after some heavy rain and it continuing to be asked.

Fair enough and my sarcasm wasn’t necessarily obvious

[whelk]

We’d be moaning like fuck if we had Ellis Simms as our centre forward 

[Turkish]

Their centre back Liam Kitching is from where i live now and trained for years at the futsal club my son goes too. 

[Saint86]

11 hours ago, VectisSaint said:

Last 3 games:

Ipswich 3 Coventry 0

Preston 1 Coventry 1 (Preston played most of game with 10 men, Coventry struggled)

Coventry 1 Bristol City 0.

Famous last words, but they have not been ridiculous in front of goal during December.

So a 4-4 draw incoming?

[Saint NL]

18 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

So a 4-4 draw incoming?

We'd all take that.

We could talk about Armstrong being clinical at this level, Fellows and Scienza are assist machines.

Then moan about Stephens and Bazunu letting in soft goals and throwing away a 4-0 lead.

 

[Turkish]

who remembers the 5-5 draw v Coventry in the early 80s? The following season we beat them 8-2 at the Dell with Steve Moran and Danny Wallace both getting hattricks. 

[Toadhall Saint]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

who remembers the 5-5 draw v Coventry in the early 80s? The following season we beat them 8-2 at the Dell with Steve Moran and Danny Wallace both getting hattricks. 

Was at both of them. Keith cassells scored a good one from the corner of the area into the top corner from memory in the 5-5.

[Turkish]

Just now, Toadhall Saint said:

Was at both of them. Keith cassells scored a good one from the corner of the area into the top corner from memory in the 5-5.

weren't we 4-0 up at half time in the 5-5? I was remember the 8-2 but i was very young and my first game wasn't until a year later but it was that season i got into football.

[BARCELONASAINT]

It makes absolutely no difference who is in goal, even Ramsdale at times was made to look ordinary by our woeful defenders. Neither Baz or McCarthy are great but if we are going to share the blame for the amount of goals we concede then give our defenders as much shit as we give our goalkeepers because our back line are bloody awful. There is not a single defender that has crowned themselves in glory the last 2 seasons.

Edited 4 hours ago by BARCELONASAINT

[Toadhall Saint]

8 minutes ago, Turkish said:

weren't we 4-0 up at half time in the 5-5? I was remember the 8-2 but i was very young and my first game wasn't until a year later but it was that season i got into football.

Can’t remember to be honest. It wouldn’t surprise me tho. Some very entertaining games against Cov.

[franniesTache]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

who remembers the 5-5 draw v Coventry in the early 80s? The following season we beat them 8-2 at the Dell with Steve Moran and Danny Wallace both getting hattricks. 

That 8-2 was my first ever game, think it's probably safe to say i peaked early in my time supporting Saints

[Saint Fan CaM]

4 hours ago, Zorba said:

Double helping for Manning then!

Unexpectedly I’m going to this game, so I apologise now - it’s likely not to be a win. 😉  Unless they’re a bullying high press type team I think we can match them. Hopefully Tonda has done his homework and started to eradicate the senseless 2nd half capitulation by sitting back and allowing them to continually test the lack of quality in our defence.

Head: 1-3

Heart: 3-2

[Stud mark of doom]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

weren't we 4-0 up at half time in the 5-5? I was remember the 8-2 but i was very young and my first game wasn't until a year later but it was that season i got into football.

I thought it was a game where the lead changed several times.
 

I think I recall Danny Wallace saying he’d left the pitch thinking we’d lost 5-4 as there were so many goals flying in (and it was before we got the late 80s scoreboard at the Archers end). 

Edited 3 hours ago by Stud mark of doom

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

who remembers the 5-5 draw v Coventry in the early 80s? The following season we beat them 8-2 at the Dell with Steve Moran and Danny Wallace both getting hattricks. 

Yeah at both of those, 20 goals in the two games, different times. The 5-5 was the same evening that HMS Sheffield was sunk in the Falklands which overshadowed any enjoyment.

46 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

That 8-2 was my first ever game, think it's probably safe to say i peaked early in my time supporting Saints

Soon after I first started going we'd lost 7-0 at Leeds and 8-0 at Everton. Should have put me off for life!

[Turkish]

48 minutes ago, Stud mark of doom said:

I thought it was a game where the lead changed several times.
 

I think I recall Danny Wallace saying he’d left the pitch thinking we’d lost 5-4 as there were so many goals flying in (and it was before we got the late 80s scoreboard at the Archers end). 

actually you're right found this

 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/southampton-fc_coventry-city/index/spielbericht/2563215

 

 

[Turkish]

1 hour ago, franniesTache said:

That 8-2 was my first ever game, think it's probably safe to say i peaked early in my time supporting Saints

yep the first season i got into it was 1984 and the year we finished second and got the semi final, grew up hearing all about 76 and 79 finals and European trips, thought it was always going to be like that......

[ecuk268]

4 hours ago, Turkish said:

who remembers the 5-5 draw v Coventry in the early 80s? The following season we beat them 8-2 at the Dell with Steve Moran and Danny Wallace both getting hattricks. 

A very young Stuart Pearce in the Coventry team.

[Dark Munster]

3 hours ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

It makes absolutely no difference who is in goal, even Ramsdale at times was made to look ordinary by our woeful defenders. Neither Baz or McCarthy are great but if we are going to share the blame for the amount of goals we concede then give our defenders as much shit as we give our goalkeepers because our back line are bloody awful. There is not a single defender that has crowned themselves in glory the last 2 seasons.

No offense but that’s nonsense. We were in the PL last season. There’s a huge drop off in the quality in opposition attack now. A semi decent goalkeeper would make a huge difference in our promotion attempt compared to the current poor (Macca) and disastrous (Baz) choices. 

[BARCELONASAINT]

6 minutes ago, Dark Munster said:

No offense but that’s nonsense. We were in the PL last season. There’s a huge drop off in the quality in opposition attack now. A semi decent goalkeeper would make a huge difference in our promotion attempt compared to the current poor (Macca) and disastrous (Baz) choices. 

No offense but you have just proved my point that our defence continues to be utter crap at defending and despite the huge drop off in the quality in opposition attack now our defence continues to be largely absent when it comes to defending!

[warsash saint]

5 hours ago, Turkish said:

who remembers the 5-5 draw v Coventry in the early 80s? The following season we beat them 8-2 at the Dell with Steve Moran and Danny Wallace both getting hattricks. 

The 5-5 was one of my first ever games - only thing i remember was leaving early & walking up Milton Road with my late dad only to hear their fans cheering their late equaliser ... just had to look up who scored - Mark fucking Hateley!

Edited 53 minutes ago by warsash saint

[Wade Garrett]

1 minute ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

No offense but you have just proved my point that our defence continues to be utter crap at defending and despite the huge drop off in the quality in opposition attack now our defence continues to be largely absent when it comes to defending!

So you think Baz letting in shots that a competent keeper would save isn't a problem?  Righto.

[BARCELONASAINT]

2 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

So you think Baz letting in shots that a competent keeper would save isn't a problem?  Righto.

where did i say that??!!!

I said our entire defence is crap including the goal keepers!! Why just single out the keepers when our defenders are abysmal and have been for 2 seasons.

I've seen the argument that the defenders have no confidence with the keeper behind them. Do you not think that goes both ways and the keepers have no confidence with the inept defenders in front of them! 

[saintant]

31 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

where did i say that??!!!

I said our entire defence is crap including the goal keepers!! Why just single out the keepers when our defenders are abysmal and have been for 2 seasons.

I've seen the argument that the defenders have no confidence with the keeper behind them. Do you not think that goes both ways and the keepers have no confidence with the inept defenders in front of them! 

For Norwich's second goal the cross is in the air for around 3 seconds so no reason for Bazunu to be rooted to his line rather than coming out to catch or punch it. I'm pretty sure in those 3 seconds he could have taken the few steps and jump but no, he'd rather stay glued to his line.