Sarnia Cherie

Managers styles are different. Some will want to watch from the stands. Others like Antonio Conte spend the match having convulsions on the touchline. The Van Gael style of management is to sit through the game writing in a notepad. They all do it their way. I used to like watching Barry Fry. He put everything he had into 90 minutes.

All credit to West Brom. They have been stuck in 19th place for most of the season and despite their wins against Chelsea and us, they are still 19th in mid-April. It is still mathematically probable for them to escape relegation but it is a big ask, especially as Newcastle have the likes of Saint-Maximin back in their team. Some teams would have given up by now and accepted the inevitable but not West Brom, it seems. They were better all over the pitch and played with a sense of purpose that Saints did not possess. Ralph will get the blame from some but just look at the squad he has. His 1st team choice is limited in footballing ability and he can't look to the bench to see much in the way of quality there, either. Ings is eyeing the exit and if Ralph doesn't get the green light to offload some of the players and have some money to buy new to strengthen the team, then he may well walk too. It is our salvation that we had a purple patch at the end of 2020 because the points won then are keeping us away from the trapdoor to the Championship.

After the international break, it doesn't take Mike Dean long to get back in his stride. Brighton should have been awarded a penalty in their match against Man U but the great Mike Dean just ignores that. The bloke's a joke.

Chillingly similar to the young white girls who were abused by Asian grooming gangs and not believed by police or social workers for many years. Their inaction, like the jury in the football trial, handed their abusers a free ticket to keep on doing it.

If you go missing then.............................🙄

Here we go. There would have been moans and groans had a white applicant got the job and there's still moans and groans now an 'ethnic minority' candidate has been appointed. Whatever happens, someone has to pick it all apart and look for the racist element so they can get on their soap box and start preaching. I am getting sick and tired of it. Surely if he is the best candidate for the job, that's what matters. Good luck to the bloke.

Their star scorer Pen must have been injured as well. How they are 2nd in the League is a mystery to me.

It's nice to feel wanted at times and the quarter final teams must all have wanted Southampton in the semi. Having watched Leicester take a woeful Man U apart last night 😄 it will be a very difficult game but this is the FA Cup so who knows. One thing you can be sure of is that the commentators won't hold back reminding us of THAT result over and over again.

The times they do that. It drives me round the bend. Hoof it up the front and hope for the best. More chance of scoring than faffing around at the back tippy-tapping to each other.

I hated Ian Branfoot. The bloke couldn't have run a raffle far less a football team. I prefer Ralph to him any day.

The non-players scapegoats for me are Ian Branfoot, Rupert Lowe and Les Reed. The players;- Guly de Prado, Shane Long and Ali Dia.

It will always be the same with teams like Manchester City. They have a world class manager and huge amounts of money at their disposal. Therefore top class players are attracted to a club like City. They want the high wages, Champions League football, the chances of winning trophies and the Pep experience. Injuries don't affect them too much as they have such a depth of squad. Just look at their bench and tot up how much money alone is sitting there. We may all be Premier League clubs but the playing field is by no means level. I am puzzled by your post. Going to the Etihad will result in most teams coming away without any points. On a personal level I view games against the Big 6 as great to win, pleased with a draw and accepting of a lose. The games Saints have to concentrate on are those with the teams below and just above them in the League. I don't know how long you have been a Saints supporter but for me it's decades. Yes, it's a roller coaster ride and amongst the good times there are just as many times I could tear my hair out with one thing and another but Saints always have been and always will be my team. I am proud to be a Saints supporter.

IFAB will no longer consider it an offence if an accidental handball leads to a team mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity. Let's hope the refs can understand that one.

McCarthy, no question.

Apart from Man City, the next few games are must wins against teams around us in the bottom third of the table. Saints are the only team in the league without a win in their last 5 matches. I keep my fixture and results sheets pinned up in the loo. It seems the best place for them at the moment.😪

You are spot on here. MOTD reckoned that Lee Mason spotted Johnstone out of position so that's why he blew his whistle but apparently it is not a rule that the goalie should be in the middle of the goal mouth. So the goal should have been allowed. Shouldn't a referee know this?! Mason shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a football match. Anyone can make mistakes but he made himself look a complete clown. In the papers this week there was an article saying that a referee's annual bonus will be decreased whenever they make an error. At this rate Lee Mason will end up owing the FA money, along with that other twerp, Mike Dean.

I would count that as a blessing at times.

I do get annoyed when near the end of a game where we are either level or losing, McCarthy and the defence tippy tap around between themselves. Kick the damn thing up the pitch at this stage. What have you got to lose?

Pity the fans won't be able to give Lallana a warm welcome. 😄

If you can believe paper talk, he may be going to Sevilla next season in a player swap.

Quite an unpredictable side, Leeds Utd. I have watched a few of their matches. I suppose like most teams they are a work in progress but on their day they are a hard team to beat. Even when they are on the back foot they give it everything right up to the final whistle, so Saints don't need to get complacent. It will be a good game.

Tuchel didn't like Hudson-Odoi's body language and effort. Fair enough. Tuchel's his manager and needs to let him know the reason he was subbed but I personally don't like managers who announce opinions which should be discussed in private with the player, shouting about it to the media. Nobody responds very well to being bawled out in public. Mourinho did it with Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba and is now at it again with Delle Ali. I wonder if instead of motivating that player it has a negative effect and impacts on the relationship with his manager.

A draw between these 2 was the best result for Saints.

I hope you flushed their heads down the loo!

I'm not as worried as I have been other seasons. Our saving grace was doing well and winning points earlier in the season which has given us a bit of a cushion.