Fitzhugh Fella

Sam got man of the match yesterday and scored!

Replace "less" with "un" and I almost agree with you

A few points - relegation is not almost a certainty but if you think Gabby would still be here if we were to go down, then think again. I gather he's none to happy here at the moment.

No wonder 90% of the squad are unsettled

Fans are more fickle true, but there again the clubs/players don't give a fig about the fans anymore. It's the way football is going and is why many are falling by the wayside. Not Saints fault but we now have a virtual faceless owner who's main priority is to use the club to make money. And you can say that about virtually all the top 40 clubs these days.

When all said and done we can argue the merits of Puel and Pellegrino all night but the truth is evident that Puel has inherited far better players at Leicester. You only have to look at Schmeichel's distribution that led to their 2nd to realise he is a class above FF. You only have to look at Mahrez's direct run and finish to realise he is twice the player Redmond is and then look at Vardy's mobility and compare it to dear old Charlie's impression of a cart horse.

Rebranding it the Pink’un was a cringeworthy mistake

I have absolutely no regrets about getting rid of Puel. There were some highs but there were a lot of lows, most notably in Europe where we let a very good chance to make a name for ourselves pass us by because of his ineptitude. He was a truly crap communicator who was never going to inspire the players and I think he will be caught out at Leicester once that team starts to disintegrate. Yes we finished 8th but more by luck than judgement and yes we got to Wembley. Had we actually won that game - yes we were unlucky - I would not be writing on this thread but, the facts are we lost and coming second does not win your prizes. Nice guy probably and if we had kept Mane and Pelle things might have worked out better but I am not looking backwards despite the fact Pellegrino seems nothing special.

With Long/Boufal selected instead of the truly awful Redmond we might have won that.

In over 120 years of FA Cup football Saints have never drawn Leeds, Swansea or Huddersfield so one of those would be "historic" and Stoke are another big side we have only played the once - in the 30s. But for me I would love to get Newport (A). it would remind me of my first cup-tie at the Dell in 1967 when they earned a replay and we won at Somerton Park 3-2. I bet "LetsBeAvenue" will soon be on here telling us how he was there! (he was) Wolves away would be good too although the way it's looking we will be playing them next season anyway (as long as we stay up ). Crewe away - a decent away trip? We'll probably be home to the Palace though!

West Ham have got some good players, I reckon Huddersfield may falter over the winter although their home support will do their best to sustain them.

I agree. Some people seem to think that not to show unconditional support for a football team is a challenge to your manhood. The mantra "get behind your team ffs" is lemming like. Support them yes but that doesn't mean you can't criticise when its needed.

He'll learn from today, he looks a decent player but I feel for Stephens.

Boufal will make mistakes and lose the ball but for me it is imperative he starts as he is truly creative

Ward-Prowse’s needless back pass to Hoedt started the rot.

Play your best 11 players is a pretty good fall back tactic. MP is experimenting v the top team = suicide!

Kettle and Pot. You rarely comment on the football but then you rarely make the effort to go!

Some nice football inspired by Boufal but Everton were simply terrible which means I remain very doubtful about the manager. This time next week we could be back to square 1.

I also think McMenemy being invited onto the Board was the crucial factor into Branfoot then getting the bullet. One of Lawrie's skills was understanding where the fans were coming from and he knew Branfoot's time was up. Plus of course he was not part of the Board when Branfoot was originally appointed - that made the axe easier to swing. Now with Reed, he knows sacking MP makes him look bad and that's where our problem lies.

Be interested, if we lose, to see if you remain a Pellegrino must stay fan. I would almost, almost prefer Hoddle at the moment much as I detest the man. #catamongthepigeons

This all seems a bit desperate and coordinated protests have a habit of ending up being damp squibs, but I really do think we have a big problem here with MP and to persevere with him - while commendable for loyalty reasons - ultimately will cost us. In this day and age you can't afford to "wait and see" or "give someone a longer time in the hope of turning things around". The annoying thing about him is he doesn't seem to be learning on the job, no doubt his team selection tomorrow will be based around the same old Tadic/Redmond axis that has let us down this season. For that reason #PellegrinoMustGo and while I am at it #Reedshouldbeworried

we will never play a team at such a low ebb - it should be a massacre

At least you are paying attention!

Your last sentence is interesting although the story goes Puel was given the chance to stay if he changed his tactics. My point really is not to have an influence over big matters like whether the manager stays or not but an input on things that directly effect us as fans.

I was reading in today’s press about how after being attacked in Seville by the local police the Liverpool fans were able to report back to the group that calls itself “the Spirit of Shankly”. http://www.spiritofshankly.com/ It got me thinking that as Saints fans we have – to my knowledge – no such “organisation” to represent our views or protect our rights (such as they are, or ever can be) as supporters. Back in the day we had the old fashioned supporters clubs that started in the 30s that even financed the club buying players and then of course, in the Lowe era, we had all sorts of groups from SISA, London Saints, Cardiff Saints etc etc which provided a voice of sorts but were hardly truly representative and often partly driven by politics (SISA) or parochial ambition. Then we got bought/saved by Marcus Liebherr and while we were relieved to get such a genuine and upstanding benefactor, we also lost any “right” to have any say whatsoever in the way the club was now run. The price you pay and all that. At the time no one was too bothered, we were on the up after all and life was good. The last 6 years have been very happy ones for Saints fans. For the first time since the Liebherr takeover we now find ourselves unsure of our new owner’s motives, we find ourselves increasingly at odds with the Board who have appointed a manager who 85% of this Forum want removed after a dozen games. There is a definite sense that we may have peaked in terms of breaking into the top 6 and, as strange as it may seem after 4 pretty remarkable seasons, a sense that we are at some sort of crossroads. The stadium is full most games so, on the surface, all appears well but there appears to be quite a lot of discontent - whether it be on the concourse, down the pub, or on social media. It’s just not to do with Saints either, a lot of fans seem equally disenchanted with football in general from the corruption/ineptitude of the governing bodies (FIFA and the FA), Sky TV, to the dodgy owners who only invest their often ill-gotten wealth to line their pockets. I am not advocating anything like a “fan on the board” which most of us know would never work and have no personal interest in being involved in setting up anything myself, but was just wondering how others feel? Do we all quietly sit back and accept things as they are, feeling increasingly isolated from the club we grew up worshipping or do we organise ourselves into some sort of collective voice that could at least be heard on matters like bringing back safe standing areas, ticket prices, the club strip etc etc? At present our input as a fan base is negligible. I see darker times ahead as things stand, the club appears to have lost its way as well as losing its benevolent owner and the one thing that remains constant at a football club – the fans – are powerless to have any influence. I am not looking to stir up a hornet’s nest, I have no agenda whatsoever other than a sense of frustration at current affairs and am just genuinely interested to find out if the average fan is happy with the way things are heading at SMS and whether people think anything can be done to make the fans feel more inclusive.