Saint Keef

Yeh, you're right, I'd particularly forgotten Wan-Bissaka. If there was a World Cup just for Right Backs, we'd probably win that! If KWP can get on a par with him and Trent Alexander, then we'll be laughing. Something for him to aim for though!

Welcome to KWP. This feels like a good signing to me. A definite upgrade on recent right backs. Possible England caps in the future too - probably part of the add-ons - obviously behind Trent Alexander at present, but who knows? A five year contract? - pure speculation, but stays with us for 3 years and moves on to "bigger things" still with 2 years on his contract and therefore possibly with a good profit as well. Time will tell...

The Loch Ness FC has to be the coolest shirt. The Inter Milan one hurts the eyes. The more I look at the Sheffield United shirt, the more I think, if a shirt determines how a season will go for a club, they are doomed. I bet their fans don't like it. Some of our designs have been dire recently but not as bad as theirs. They don't even seem to fit the chosen players properly all rucked up under the arms.

BBC Sport website showing lots of the new kits. Hope this link works. If not, go to BBC Sports Football page. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53388384 Two comments, Ours gets an honourable 4th place and actually doesn't look too bad against some of the others. And oh dear, what have Adidas done to Sheffield United? Remind you of anything? Looks like they can't make their minds up between a Fulham and Sheffield United kit.

£12m for KWP and £20m for PEH. If these figures are correct, I can't help thinking we've come out of this pretty well. Based upon what we've seen since lockdown I think KWP could be the best right-back we've had for years. Just think.....a right back who can cross the ball accurately. Whatever next?

Steady on......Hoedt must have improved since I saw him. Like watching Bambi on ice.

Absolutely deserved. I'm pleased for him. I think he has worked bloody hard to turn this team around and to get them to buy into his style. It was never going to be an over night thing. The way I feel at the moment is we are very lucky to have him.

Yeh - accepted - I didn't see it, but followed it on here and remember the comments were pretty scathing in the first half. Improved greatly in the 2nd half didn't it? In quite a few games we were better in the 2nd half and I think a lot of that was fitness - we seemed to come back from lock down, fitter than almost all the other teams I watched over that period. Credit to all the staff and players who obviously worked hard on fitness in lock down. That's why we were still scoring in the 106th and 110th minutes of games. Anyway I've digressed from the PEH topic - apologies.

Maybe Ralph could work wonders with him - and what an absolute bonus that would be. Get him into the closing down, harrying, chasing down mindset.......but I really can't see him buying into that. Unfortunately my abiding memory of watching him play was "lazy - with a half-arsed, can't be bothered" attitude. I accept he may have had some good days (unfortunately I missed those) but when I watched him, it's sad to say, I really couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

There is no denying, in the past few weeks, we played some of the best football we have seen in (3 or is it 4 +) years. And it has coincided in PEH not being in the team. I accept there may be other factors as well, however, coincidentally or not, the one game since lock down where it didn't work, where we seemed to lack ambition and a forward drive, and a momentum, was against Arsenal in which PEH played a significant part. And it could be argued that PEH was partly culpable for one of Arsenal's two goals with his loose passing back to Jack Stephens. (Wasn't PEH involved in the first goal somehow as well - although I know it was ultimately Alex McCarthy's error). I don't dislike PEH, I'm not out to batter him, he always put a lot of effort in, chasing down, breaking up attacks but I found his distribution was very poor (unless passing back) and he was very hot-headed, clumsy and rash in some of his tackling on many occasions. I often came away from games feeling that he had flattered to deceive. Tried very hard for the team, but just not quite up to it......maybe a lack of composure on the ball. I know Romeu isn't to everyone's taste, but lately I've been really impressed with his composure on the ball and distribution, a whole new side to his game.. Obviously Jose knows a bit more about football than I, and obviously sees something in PEH that he likes. I don't wish PEH any ill, but I'd really be interested to see if he can sustain a place in a fully firing Tottenham first team. Haha.....Everton on the other hand. Now that's a whole different ball game. Could Harrison Reid do the job? He certainly looks like he's come on - good luck to him tonight by the way, but I think I'd like to see Brentford come up.

Makes a mockery of the whole medal thing and surely devalues the medals of those who played a significant part in the match/tournament. They'll issue them to the ball-boy and the programme seller next (not that there are any of those around at the moment). Oh well, Cedric can add that to his Portugal Euro Winners medal on his mantle piece and tell his grandchildren he scored the winners (bullet headers no less) in both finals. No one will know.

I have no sympathy for Chelsea at all.....for anything......ever...... but the sending off decision today was appalling. For a long time I have felt Anthony Taylor is not up to the job of refereeing top-flight matches and today proved the point. He gets a lot of "big" decisions wrong. He has been "corrected" by VAR a number of times. But he is not the only one, overall the standard of premiership referees is very poor and in my opinion, getting worse. They are ruining a number of matches with bad decisions. With 11 on the pitch the last half hour of today's final could have been really interesting but it knocked the stuffing out of Chelsea.

Romeo is back to his best. Broke up a lot, last ditch tackle was superb and distribution better than PEH by a mile. Romeo also looks the fittest he has looked for a season or more.Having him back in this form is like a new signing in itself. Very pleased for Che, (Looks like we have another goalscorer in the team) but Romeo MoTM for me today. McCarthy was close, but for his brain fade pass to a Sheff Utd player when Romeo made that tackle. Really proud to be a Saint these past few weeks. Well done Ralph and the lads. (ps....get KWP signed)

Vest is obviously in the shop window.........unfortunately it's the charity shop. KWP not having his finest hour either so far. McCarthy brilliant so far - it would have been 0-3 without him.

Let's round this off with a win. Whatever happens today though, it has been a joy to be a Saint since lockdown. Great effort by the lads and what a turn around since "that result" As much as we'd like them to, the commentators won't ever forget it though , so as a completely pointless side bet - how many times with "that result" get mentioned in the commentary today? I'm going for 3 times. Sorry, I still find it difficult to say he actual result, but therapy is helping. 3-1 Saints for me.

Haha. Ahhhh, I see you've stumbled upon the "away" version of the Pre Match Shirt. Don't show UA, it'll only give them ideas.

Yes indeed. I totally agree. Ole comes across as an honest straight up guy. I bet he doesn't suffer fools gladly in the dressing room though and I reckon he's a hard taskmaster. He has to be for the way he has turned United around from the mess he took over. And Jose is doing to Tottenham what he did to United......sucking the life out of them. I too wish Ole well. it makes a change to have a decent guy in charge of Man U. I bet there's a lot of mutual respect between Ole and our own Ralph. Compare our fitness and overall rhythm of play to Chelsea and Norwich tonight........what a bore. Both teams looked lifeless and Chelsea are supposedly pushing for Champions League against a team already relegated. I don't know what Ralph has done to our boys with regard to fitness, attitude and professionalism, but Wow! Keep it up for next season and who knows?

I said recently on here that Armstrong had gone from the £8m player that we bought him for, to a £30m+ player now. I reckon you can add another £5m after tonight. His goal was really well taken. He gets better every game. Credit to Redmond for picking him out as well.

Always proud to be a Saint, but especially so since lockdown. Ole actually said before the match that we are the fittest team in the prem and when you are the fittest team you score injury time goals.......all 10 minutes of injury time!!!! Well done lads. Difficult to pick a MoM.

Richarlison and Mina (Did you see him having a go at Che having climbed all over him and flattened him) come across as a real obnoxious pair. I bet their dressing room is a real bundle of laughs with those two in it. I bet its non-stop hilarity and jokes. I bet Carlo Ancelotti goes home aching from laughter with those two. Actually has Ancelotti ever smiled?

Obviously disappointed with 1-1 when, we could (should) have been 3-0 up before they scored and they would have been dead and buried. However, the style of football we are playing is great. Slick passing, great movement, attacking mindset and closing down from the front. Players getting stuck in....and smiling! Compare all that to the style of play we had to endure under Puel, The Clown and to some degree, Hughes although I acknowledge Hughes saved us from an almost certain drop and who knows where we would have been by now if we had dropped. Ralph has turned so many of these players around and long may it last. I'm always proud to be a Saint, but especially so at the moment. Disappointed with a draw at Everton having completely outclassed them?......that ain't so bad.

So let's see how next season pans out and how the shirt will be remembered...... Top Four finish a Champions League = "The best shirt we've ever had. Let's stick with the sash forever" 5th to 8th finish = "Really nice shirt. It got us into Europe. Maybe let's have a sash again next year" 9th to 13th = "OK, we tried it.......it wasn't the worst kit ever, but let's have stripes back again please" 14th - 16th = "Phewwww, that was close. Now get me stripes and make it without a damn bra" Bottom Four = "It wasn't the players fault, it was that bloody sash shirt.......oh yeh, and that bloody sponsor's logo. I'm gonna see if I can get a couple of quid for mine on ebay" FA Cup win = See Top Four Finish. (Sorry - not a blue away kit please - too much like the nasty neighbours)

About three years ago I said to my son, Jack Stephens will play for England one day. I agree, he has made some mistakes along the way, had a few ups and downs, been absolutely slated on here, but I still think he will play for England. He must be on Gareth's radar after Sunday. Not only was I impressed with him under pressure on Sunday but when he got the ball at his feet in the box, in the main he didn't just hoof it out (a couple of times he did) but he was playing intelligent balls out and setting up possible counter attacks. And yes, as stated above we have a settled CB pairing and that makes a big difference. As someone else said, he also marshals the defence and is showing leadership skills. Well done Jack!

If I remember rightly - we paid about £8m for Armstrong. That is looking like an absolute bargain now. To me, he's looking like a £30m + player now. He suits Ralph's style perfectly and is chipping in with assists and goals. As I said in another post he must be one of the first names on the team sheet.

A very smug and satisfied feeling today........mates who are non Saints fans have called & emailed me saying they were actually cheering Saints as they watched it, something they've never done before. One mate, a Spurs fan (I know....he can't help it) said he punched the air and cheered at the final whistle. Don't worry, I won't reciprocate if they beat Everton tonight, although a couple of Everton injuries to key players tonight and I might raise a discreet smile.