SaintDonkey

I'd go for 'fringe' players all round - if we're going to get to the play offs we're going to have to blood a few more line ups as injuries and suspensions catch up with us (as they have!). ---------------------Bart Thomas----Lancashire----Perry-------Mills Antonio----Wotton----Gobern------Holmes -------------Paterson--Connolly/Saga Subs: Forecast, Saga, Saville, Boyle, Doble and any other youth teamers with squad numbers you can think of.... My selection might be slightly coloured by the fact I'm going to have to miss the game, but I honestly think this team could give Ipswich a run for their money

Worth mentioning that Blackburn only took 1500 fans to Villa Park last night, compared to Southampton's 3000 to Milton Keynes. Very similar situation - just over 200 mile round trip, chance of seeing your side through to a Wembley final, midweek, televised match. And we took twice the fans, who says we aren't a big club

I like the 4-4-2 but a central midfield combination of Lallana and Scheinderlinn would get murdered. I'd go for: ------------Davis Thomas---Fonte--Perry---Harding/(Mills if harding injured) Waigo---James----Schneiderlinn--Holmes ---------Lambert---Connolly Subs: Bart Antonio Lallana (if fit) Gobern Paterson Lancashire (if not cuptied)

More cover up front. Lambert and Connolly can't play every game, Paterson is 'one for the future' rather than a regular starter and AP seems to like Papa on the wing (and I don't disagree with him).

Ask yourself how many Saints fans were delighted when we got shot of Kevin Davies (2nd time), Rory Delap or Ricardo Fuller to name but three. And how many wouldn't want them back in the squad now? All where slated in their time at Saints, but have gone on to flourish elsewhere. Admittedly there are plenty who have left we weren't sad to see the back of that have sunk withiout a trace, and a few we were devasted to see leave who have done the same! Basically give Ostemobor and Seaborne for that matter a chance and bugger what some fans thought of them at their last clubs.

On the BBC now http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8449319.stm

Mates with Fonte? he's only been at Palace in the UK so I guess it has to be a Palace player. So a Palace linked with Premiership sides? Could this be the man to lead us to the promised land? edit: Cancel that - didn't register the differnet club bit

For him to complain after Martin (?) got away with a booking for clearly swinging at James right in front of the lino is a bit rich.

If we get a draw at Leeds then after the game I would say it was a good result. Before the game howver anything less than a win by 3 clear goals in unacceptable

The defender handled the ball away from the top of Lambert's head from 3 yards out. How on earth is that not a goal scoring opportunity?

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/federation/81/42/36/lawsofthegameen.pdf Sending-off Offences A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off if he commits any of the following seven offences: • serious foul play • violent conduct • spitting at an opponent or any other person • denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball HTH

Lovely video - better than the one they have on Sky

How the ref decided that wasn't intentional (i.e. a straight red) is beyond me.

Finally back via rail replacement hell and a few crafty pints. At half time I was contemplating leaving early the first half was just that poor. Very very glad I didn't! Quality finishing from Harding (my MOTM) for the first and just how good was Lambert's free kick? I've got to put a word of support in for James who seems to be the bete noire of a lot of posters on here. He had a half decent game, yes he's not a right back but he's still better there than many at this level and he's starting to develop a real maturity to his game. Having said that I agree with the idea of picking up Tranmere's who did a decent job of playing Lallana out of the game

Terrible terrible memories

Bloody hell that's a long time without a non-league side! We have to take Luton very seriously. They are only a non-league side through circumstance, not ability. Only player I'd rest would be Lambert who's looking increasingly knackered.

Some people will find any reason to boycott. It's just a bit sad really.

Can we start some kind of petition to get Eric banned from the UK

Lambert has probably had the biggest impact. Even when he has an off day he's scoring and creating goals - goals that have given the rest of the squad the confidence needed. It could be argued that Lallana is the most improved player (is it an improvement to recapture your form?), that Hammond plays a more important team role, that Connolly is a cut above or that Jaidi, Harding and Davis have enabled us to build from the back. However without Lambert's goals we might never have reached the 'winning' mentality that seems to be driving us up the table.

Promotion is possible - especially if we have a nice morale boosting JPT win. Don't sacrifice a chance of silverware for the league, the effect on morale cannot be underestimated.

He's French for gawd's sake. Would anyone be questioning whether it was disrupting Saints morale if Lallana had said he hopes England are drawn against the French and knocked them out? It's dressing room banter - the world would be a duller place without it

Getting back to Scheiderlin the player he has come on immensely this season. In a way it's actually quite a good thing from a Saints perspective that he's not been scoring goals, nothing draws attention more to a player than the ball in the back of the net. The fewer goals he scores the less atention he'll receive and the lower he'll be on the Premiership radar.

Mods - isn't mentioning he-who-shall-not-be-named cause for an instant infraction?

I love reading other clubs message boards. It's nice to know that miserable bastards aren't restriucted to an SO postcode (anyone know a good p*mpey board I can laugh at )

It includes the minus ten - without it we'd be up around the 150 mark instead of 305. Just about level with the mighty Eastleigh