de-fence

I thought it was just a bit of not feeling loved enough when people were criticising this commentator at first but he has been so biased! Every decision the ref makes he says it should have been to Swansea's favour. Getting really quite tiresome

Great play from Clyne down the wing there

into the wall from rickie. disappointing really

free kick for us - dangerous position

Wasn't really an analogy. Just another example of a completely pointless question.

What a ****ing stupid question. Someone asked me today if I either had to jump in a paddling pool of my own sh1t or do two lengths in a pool of my own p1ss which I'd rather do. I think the answer to that question bears more interest than what you have put forward there. (I went for the p1ss)

Currently living in Gothenburg. They are a very mild mannered bunch out here. No surprise that they are leading in terms of fair play.

As it goes I did look up the definition of merit. 'The quality of being particularly good or worthy, esp. so as to deserve praise or reward.' I don't really know what point you're trying to make there as if anything it agrees with what I was saying. Unless you do believe that being top of the fair play league makes you worthy of a spot in Europe. I stand by what I said originally that it is not qualification by merit.

I agree with you. When we last qualified for Europe was that really on merit? It was essentially the prize for beating Spurs 4-0 then winning a whole load of games the league table pyramid would suggest we should win. Sort of brings in another argument as to the legitimacy of the number of teams that do now compete in Europe. As it goes I think there are far too many. But in what you have just said you seem to suggest the definition of merit has been lowered from your own paradigm of what you believe to be worthy. So we're essentially in agreement here. None of those scenarios you have stated above are particularly based on merit and as such you wouldn't expect them to compete well in European competitions. My point is that the term merit being stretched so far to include not getting bookings and sendings-off will result in a team of inferior standard to what is required in European competition being allowed to qualify and, I believe, suffer in their domestic conquests as a result. That's my attempt at an eloquent explanation. In more simple terms I just wouldn't take any pride in qualifying for Europe through the fair play league.

Umm.. no it's not actually. On the commonly used term of merit in football, ie winning football matches. How many trophies have ever been won by being the fairest team in the league. You clearly know what my point is, don't be so anal and antagonistic.

The attitude of a club we often criticise, no?

Point taken but we achieved the rise in levels on merit of footballing capability. Being top of the fair play league is not qualifying for the next level of the footballing hierarchy on merit.

Very good. The endless number of wisecracks on here never fail to get me... As I apparently didn't spell out what I was saying clearly enough for some I will do so again. Where we are now, we are in no position to add another 10-15 games onto our schedule for next season. We may have put a run of results together recently but for the majority of the season we have been bumbling along the bottom of the league. Let's not kid ourselves into thinking we currently have the squad to compete in the Europa league. Quite obviously my point above was, let's give it a few more years, build slowly to the point where we are good enough to be able to compete in the Europa league without it affecting too drastically how we get on in the league. And let's do it on merit. What would you rather? Qualify for the Europa league next season through the fair play league, receive no respect for being there, perform OK at best and put the extra toil on our league campaign or spend 2 or 3 years building until we are a regular top half club with good squad depth, qualify on merit and have a chance of actually doing quite well.

Bloody hope we don't get into it and that if we do then we also turn it down. Look at the impact it has had on Newcastle this season. We could be on the path to something really special here, perhaps ultimately ending in qualifying for the tournament through the league. Playing in the Europa next season will only hinder that. Besides, there's no pride whatsoever in qualifying for it through the fair play league.

Why not have a bit of fun and recount this sorry tale of misery (along with some absolute legends of the past 3 seasons) by trying to remember them all. There are some incorrect ones in there though just to warn you. http://www.sporcle.com/games/Saintme/southampton-fc-squad-2005-20121

Watched that video that that moron posted on facebook just then. Couldn't resist commenting below it. Nullify that video by liking my comment. It's fairly obvious which one it is..

Don't mean to take this off the topic of where were you when it happened but I have a question. I know this is a very sensitive subject and am asking this simply as someone who is not all that educated on the event and not as a show of any disrespect or accusing anyone of blame. It occurred 2 years before I was born so wasn't until my old man told me about it many years later that I knew anything of it. What I wanted to ask is, I know after this report has come out that the Liverpool fans have been absolved of any blame. What I'm curious to know is if there has ever been any blame attached to the ticket-less Liverpool fans who ultimately provided the extra numbers that created the crush. If they hadn't been there then surely this wouldn't have happened. They must have been aware of the safety risk associated with squeezing them and those they were there with into an area where they weren't supposed to be. Have I missed something drastic that disregards this?

I sort of agree with you in the way that it has been reported by some parts of the media. ESPN saying we can show you some stuff but there are some things that are so bad that we can't show it to you. That was obviously not true, they showed the worst of it. But photo's like that are horrible to see and you cannot call anyone who condemns it a tart, even if you are a puristic protagonist such as yourself.

I'm pretty sure I'm on the side of right here. I enjoy the tribalism nature of football support, it is what separates it from other sports. There is a line though and when it gets crossed, you see some very disturbing scenes. I don't even know why I'm giving you time of day really. You sound like an odious human being to come out with that after the scenes this weekend.

I don't find it so. I just have to put up with having my view of the game interrupted as some yuppie with his collar up goes to get a beer every 10 minutes and shows more interest in obnoxiously banging on about his sexual conquests then watching the game. Obviously talking from a couple of specific, unpleasant experiences at the rugby here..

Making you a disillusioned moron. 'I love my team and am so passionate about them that I'm going to...... punch a horse??' There's nothing to do with passion in the violence seen this weekend. Just an outlet for those with violent tendencies to channel them through. Would you still be applauding their 'passion' as one of your relatives gets caught up in it? 'Fans' with attitudes such as your own are not welcome (in my view of course) to watch football at St. Mary's.

Cheers for sharing. Just for reference I think MOTD2 goes up on iPlayer on either Tuesday or Wednesday

Tenner says your first thought when reading that was to put 'I don't like to get involved' in bold and write below, well don't then

Just like your stonewall prediction that Reading would win yesterday? I don't like to get involved in this pettiness but your arrogance really is grating.

Have to laugh at times when reading some of the nonsense spouted on this forum. So you have seen him, perhaps observed that he looks a little overweight and as such decided he gives it large on away days and so it is his fault anyway. As there is no grounding WHATSOEVER for that wild assumption of yours the link you've essentially made is he looks overweight so fan restrictions are his own fault. I'd take the fact that he's only 15 yet going through a solicitor to resolve a national problem as much stronger evidence for the fact that maybe he is actually a fairly upstanding citizen.