CB Fry

Alan Ball and the greatest MLT era in our history no thank you very much because 'chopping and changing never works'. Branfoot should have been given a 10 year contract IMO. He would have turned into Alex Ferguson for sure.

But Russell Martin was an improvement on Selles or do you not think so? I don't understand this argument that every new manager is always worse than the one he replaces, and that idea in itself is a reason to stay with the shit manager we have. We're bottom of the league on one win and seven goals. Honestly there is no scenario where things get worse.

Of course he should go but he's not going to. The "chopping and changing managers never ever works" brigade on here are going to get their dream. We won't chop and change so lets see how fantastically successful that will be.

I think you are missing the very real scenario that Lord Duckhunter is indeed an astronaut.

I feel sorry for that lad we got from Peterborough. Yes maybe we get a decent prospect to play in the Championship in a year's time but just feels to me he's throwing away a year of his career when he probably could have played 40 odd games for Norwich or Luton or something this season. There's not much in it for us or him. As for the Swansea one, that seems a borderline corrupt signing, difficult to not see it as a signing to help out an old friend/agent/whatever.

When does "the greatest era in our history" actually start?

This £12m or whatever it is is payable over the life of the contract. It's not some lottery payment.

So you're a not-loyal shit fan then.

That's got fuck all to do with your "even if it was Pep" bollocks.

Because he was a shit appointment. Who is the "even if it was Pep" thing based on? Who is the ambitious appointment of a decent manager with a decent reputation that has been rejected immediately like you are claiming would happen?

Bad Wolf's point as I understand it is that Nathan Jones was a Pep-like appointment that the Saints fans should have been dancing in the streets with joy at the ambition of it all. Or something.

They were cheap, every club pays wages and compensation and release fees mate. Just tell me which of Selles, Martin and Nathan Jones are the closest to being the "Pep Guardiola" figure that you are saying we have had and rejected as a fanbase?

So you're saying Ruben Selles, Nathan Jones and Russell Martin were big money huge investment appointments that showed towering ambition? Is that what you're saying?

I would like to formally apologise for making the baseless, without foundation claim that we "piss about with it" to no great effect. The Martinettes demanded evidence and I am sorry I was unable to submit an acceptable dossier in time. Anyway on a completely unrelated point, our possession today was 71%.

Should have been sacked two international breaks ago.

When do we start "breaking through the lines at speed", again?

We just need to focus on winning the cup.

Yet more evidence of us doing that thing that we definitely don't ever do.

I don't really think anyone can complain about picking the same 11 that won last week. Sensible, especially as we have a manager than can be prone to over thinking. Happy with that. Dibling to come on and win it.

That was the fundamental text for the Graham Taylor England era. Get it in the fucking mixer.

Today will go down in history as "that game when Tyler Dibling...." He is going to win it and be featured all over Match of the Day etc etc.

Over and over again we piss around with it and put ourselves under pressure, and that this is pumping up our possession figures and it is of zero benefit because we score fuck all and we let in shitloads. That is all happening, pretty much every Saints fan breathing oxygen knows it but yeah you've never noticed it.

If you ignore the examples it doesn't happen, got it. Of course my pitiful examples won't begin to match the abundance of examples of us "playing through the lines at speed" or whatever it is supposed to be that has seen us return no less than seven entire goals this season, worse than any other team. There is lot of "fantasy" about, that's for sure.

Arsenal as above. Newcastle away, the first game of the season. There are others and plenty of chances given away. I read here the system allows us to "break through the lines at speed" but we don't do that. And also the system gives us "defensive solidity" when we had an appalling goals against record last season and this. Let's see if you demand evidence from contributors claiming we are "breaking through the lines" and being "defensively solid" like you jump on me.....

But we can, because our possession stats are phenomenal but our goals against is appalling. Often because of losing possession through dicking about with it. It may be counterintuitive but it is, sadly, true.