John Boy Saint

Think you might find he lives in an upside down world compared to us, or has spent a lot of time there

Hey! At least we will get to see him on the pitch sooner rather than later - because as "Jonesy has no idea" we don't need to have any of this getting him "conditioned into the Southampton way" cobblers RH use to spin out with a new signing, only to trot him out for his debut in the last 10 minutes 6 weeks later.

You just made me think of the night p*mpey came to town in that League Cup game yonks back - the atmosphere between both sets of fans before the match was intense and crackling as kick off approached. They sang their song with gusto, we all sent our response back with even more, each rendition louder than the last - whoever was running the PA system just kept turning the volume up to try and drown all of us out, so everyone sang even louder - you just thought what's the point you can't compete with this, its superb. Its just like the Premier League "Anthem" that goes out with the handshakes - any natural crowd atmosphere and enthusiasm just gets a wet blanket thrown over it.

I wouldn't be surprised if that cost the club nothing - looking at how it went left me feeling that it was a test run for a company who put these things on and the wrist bands were a new toy that needed a big canvas to test it on. Because the flashing under roof lights and the huge jets of flame diluted the effectiveness of the wristbands. Almost "right lads we have no idea if we have got this right on this scale - so lets fire up a bigger distraction just in case we have got something wrong or the whole lot fails".

Light show was pants in all honesty - but then I’ve been spoilt having seen Genesis live on stage just after they invested in the Vari-light company, who spun concert light shows on their head. ( The Cage at the NEC Arena in 1980something I was searching for an Umbrella because 7 rows from the front “it was pouring down” - very clever) It’s quite funny folks are shouting down others for saying Ralph must be laughing his head off watching us now (that said I would be laughing with the reported £9m in my bank account and no work stress). But quite honestly watching that tonight with the tools he was given to work with, 90th on that table posted the other day is even more telling. Because sitting in the Stadium tonight with a great view of the whole pitch, I’m watching a bunch of blokes who have chased the Holy Grail of being a professional footballer in the Premier League from the age of 8 , the simple object of the game is to put a ball in a net against 11 other players, and be paid a bloody fortune for the privilege, yes I wouldn’t last 2 minutes on that pitch given the chance, but comparatively most of them would fall on their arses doing my “simple” job. Professional Footballers have abilities beyond our comprehension, but watching that shit show tonight you just thought perform like that in my world and you are getting rinsed. There is just no drive, application, passion out there, Jonesy has said it, KWP on Solent said it post match “we are just not getting the basics right”, which is pretty crap as the basics are very basic. Second half we had a few corners, JWP fired in, and every one was headed away before the front post by one of two defenders doubling up - our team was en-masse positioned somewhere closer to Ted Bates statue than JWP and you just thought has not one of you got the nous to come round and cause mischief in front of these 2 buggers repeatedly heading it away. But then in retrospect, was I just watching the team not actually playing for the manager, Prowsey can put a ball on a sixpence, three times he manages to find an opposition head miles away from a Saints player: hmmmmmmm. I kind of feel sorry for Jones, the hierarchy selected him to replace Ralph, obviously hounded him after he said “No - I’m not ready” in the summer, in the end probably went “ sod it - if it goes tits up my contract pay out sees us comfortable as a family if managed well”. He has done the one thing that Ralph was criticised for since arriving, he has made early substitutions to try and change things, he has gone through the toy box of first team players, but no matter what he does no one seems prepared to seize a chance. Maybe we have reached a watershed where the team has been so pared back over the years through selling on and nothing has been brought in that would have much onward value that we are rightly in our deserved position in the league. With players not capable to do the basic stuff to win a game. Hey what do I know - I’m just a fat bloke who sits in the stand, who has not learned a thing from watching Saints live before my eyes for 45 years. Before the season is out, I would just like to be walking out of the ground without the party in the away end being the soundtrack!

From my perch in the ground v Brighton Perraud had burst up the wing got into a bit of scrimmage with Brighton players and, at the time, strangely didn't track back as usual. Uttered to Mrs JBS "oh dear Perraud looks like he is broken" moments later his number goes up in lights on the touchline. I figured his omission on Saturday was a continuation of his niggle was, then when he came on I guess he was held back as a precaution with Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday on the horizon and no other left back at his level to call on.

if I recall correctly, after that Palace shitshow we didn’t lose a game for the rest of the season. The starting point being putting Bertie into left side of a back 3 - funny really.

BBC’s online rolling thread seems to think that giving Lampard the Tin-Tac will achieve nothing - as the revolving doors of managers since Moyes left has seen a hotch potch of players following them through the doors, leaving them with a pickle of a squad. Getting a new Johnny in will just perpetuate that cycle.

Its bad enough that them down the road think they already have Agent Gavin here, they'd be in apoplexy if Agent Saggy Chops returned to us.

I won't tell you what happens and spoil your fun..............aside from if you get there in time there are free Mince Pies to be had on the concourse!. 🤪

Please can my wristband be connected to all our players on the pitch so that I can give them a bloody good shock when they are playing half arsed.

Bazunu deffo needs a week out - that’s 2 games running where he has been like the time delay you use to get on an international telephone - ball fired into the corridor of uncertainty and he’s diving for it it after the ball has gone, Monday Perraud is knobbled by the failure to cut the ball out - today he got away with it. Watching MOTD - that Che one on one chance, where the f**k was everyone else…………..oh yeah look, there’s Aribo just ambling up to support.

I’ve upgraded to Beef Wellington now (unless I’m in Cornwall) - Happy New Year mate …………golf course flooded yet?

Where’s the Pasty - 😘

Or at Old Trafford

I will say that JWP does seem to be a bit more in the refs ears since NJ has turned up

Nothing changes

I’d imagine Blackpool fans roll that little nugget out all the time when talking about the greatness of Holloway 😁

I don’t think we have enough substitutes we can make during a match to achieve that.

Got to say from my seat in the stand - you can’t pin this on Jones the application is fucking woeful from the players - simple passes are just going to no one - Brighton were beginning to look like “hang on boys this looks like a cunning trap” we’ve been that bad!

Anyone who use to watch Soccer AM when it was good - that was proper Kung Fu! 🤣 Cheeky whatsit had my new Christmas jumper on too - can’t keep anything to myself 😢 😀

Or AMN!

Seeing that Twitter post further up the page, whilst Che should have done the business when he had sat the the keeper down, what was Elyounoussi doing running past him and then ending up behind the keeper getting in the way as "another Lincoln defender" momentarily. That said looking at this photo he is already on the back foot in his mind, being so right foot dominant. Anyway as Jonesy said its a win and we are in the next round.

Talking to my diehard Chelsea fan Brother in Law - most of that sentence with a little tweak fits them too now.

The fact that he'd put the keeper on his backside and he was on his right foot compounds that - nowhere to hide when Jones has his tuppence worth in his post match analysis. The Lincoln goal was farcical and was nearly duplicated a little later with ABK heading to clear again, and once again sending the ball straight up high into the nights sky and again dropping towards goal at a very awkward angle for young Gavin who probably thought "you have got to be kidding - again". The first goal offside confusion was yes a Lincoln player was possibly offside, but the ball came off ABK's shite "clearance" dropped and hit Gavins hand and in- Lincoln player didn't touch it. It certainly was Stumblebum Utd v Lincoln City for a fair amount of last night, both Salisu and ABK, in particular, looked very ropey and being young probably thought "I've just been to the World Cup so I must be better that everyone on the pitch". AMN can be packed up and sent back to Arsenal, or pinned against the wall and have it beaten into him that he is a million miles away from being a Brazilian. On more than one occasion he did these silly blind backheel type passes, one was so bad I think even the 3 Lincoln players he back heeled the ball into the middle of paused, thinking "do they have an invisible player!?" or even "careful lads its a trap". Many moons ago Graham Taylor was the manager of the Celebs on one of the early Soccer Aid thingys, something he tried to get into their heads was the thing that all good professionals do is take photographs in their head of who is 360 degrees around them, either as a threat or who to pass the ball onto. I think AMN (and Elyounoussi too for that matter -actually I don't think he even owns a camera) is waiting for his head photos to be developed at Boots! No wonder JWP is being dulled, he's having to keep his eye on a liability alongside him. Bright spark of the night was Sam Edozie, enjoy him while he is here folks. He looks like you could snap him like a twig, but his close control and especially his deception is a joy to watch, even I was suckered more than once sat up on row EE in the stand. I'll forgive him his miss, as I think he was more ready to tidy up than receive the ball.