Bourne Valley Saint

Excellently summarised as usual Billy. I didn't go but watched it on the box and it was one of the most frustrating matches I have watched in a long while. The expectations were high but deep down I was fearing this kind of match as I knew that Villa would defend deep and we have to be on top of our game to break stubborn defences down, which we were not. However, its another point and all will seem rosy if we pick up 3 points on Sunday!

Some of their fans are complete knob ends but irrespective of that I've wanted them to do well. Had to laugh when we beat them 3-1 and I walked into a pub about two miles from the ground with my Saints top on to be greeted by one as "He's a *uckin' Scummer". I just looked at him with pity and bought my pint. I think that he thought I shouldn't be on their patch! Anyway, I know several Bournemouth fans who are decent people and good luck to them. Great results against Birmingham and West Brom and hopefully they'll be in with a shout of promotion. At least we'd have a local derby to play because we cant rely on that lot down the road to participate in one for a few years yet! And yes, please forget about Bompey - it definitely is cringeworthy.

Good article but the piece I agree with most strongly is - "What is the point of it all?" It sums up my feelings at this moment exactly. We had everything in place last season to be able to make a challenge for the top 6 until Cortese and Mopo left. It is like watching a house of cards come tumbling down because someone has stolen the foundations and then trying to build a new one with some of the old cards and some new ones and hope that is stays up. It all seems so pointless as had we not let the foundations go, we wouldn't be in this position. I am not stupid enough to think that we could have kept our players once Cortese and Mopo left but it does raise the question - "what is the point of it all?"

How come none of these f**kers wanted to leave last season?? Why the mass exodus now after such a successful season. Must be something seriously wrong at the top level for all this to be happening. I can't understand anyone who takes any positives out of how the club has handled these sales. Some are even looking forward to next season!! F**k me we are going down and I've been stupid enough to renew (after the early bird discount because I was waiting to see what was going on) season tickets because I believed once Koeman was appointed and we were told that we are not a selling club that the ship was in safe hands. It clearly isn't and selling all our youth and L1 players who have played together for so long is utter madness. They cannot be replaced in such a short time. What a f***ng shambles.

Sour Mash - Fair point but hardly comparable.

Sour Mash - NO I wouldn't cheer Lovren!! One a mercenary who after one season wants away and the other been at the club years and gave his all right to the end. Would it be ok with you if I were to give SRL a quiet round of applause? Not that I'm going to be there as explained above.

Well said Mitch01 - my sentiments entirely. Always loved watching Adam play. My son and I met him in hospitality when he was 19 and was just about breaking into the squad and I've marvelled at his trickery and sublime skills ever since. If I was going to Liverpool (and I am not because I refuse to give them a penny just so they can flaunt their wealth and our ex players in front of us), I for one would not boo him. Some fans are so fickle and have the shortest of memories. I am totally gutted that he has left but I wish him well for the future and will be proud for him when he graces the Champions League and extends his International career with England.

Disappointed doesn't do my feelings justice!! I know that we have little choice but to fill the void left by the departure of long serving Saints players with foreign imports but I am afraid that it will mean next to nothing for me when I see our starting line up with a host of unfamiliar names. It just doesn't make sense to me that a club who had their best season in years is dismantled and we have to re-build hoping that the parts that are purchased fit neatly into the massive gaps that have been left. Anyone who thinks that spending this wadge of money is going to replace what we had is, in my opinion, going to be hugely disappointed. You cannot replace what the likes of Fonte (still here at the moment thankfully), Schneiderlin, Lallana, and Lambert have given us in their 5 or more years together or the understanding that Luke Shaw had with his fellow academy players for 7 or more years. I am totally gutted at the departures of Lambert, Shaw and Lallana and if Morgan and DJ go, then I shall seriously consider asking myself what was the FU**ING point in putting all that effort into supporting my team from the dark days of L1 (and many seasons before) to last season just to see it all disappear in a cloud of cash from the "elite" clubs who by buying all our players only make the divide greater between the top 4 or 5 and the rest. I have renewed my season ticket but the way I feel right now - I consider that I have been mugged. I thought that maybe if I get too demoralised I could go and watch Salisbury City but they have been dismantled as well - not by success like Saints but by incompetence and poor decision making and are now on the brink of extinction. Its a lose lose situation supporting either of theses clubs at present as far as I'm concerned. Feel free to disagree and I'm sure you will but I've followed Saints for over 40 years and been to nearly every ground in the country with them and have rarely felt more despondent than I do now!

We are Southampton - we've got no players left!!

Perhaps we can have a settled side for another 4 years until the next effing World Cup. I certainly shall not be singing "Matty Targett he's off to ...... wherever the F**K the next one is being played!!

Well said Badger - you cant replace a team that has bonded, a team that have grown up together (Shaw played with Chambers, Reed and Ward Prose for the under 11's) and a team that the players have close ties to with a wadge of cash and mercenaries. It would be great if a player such as Shaw (and the club) told Man Utd to F O, state that he is happy to carry on his time with Saints and help the club who got him to where he is now to take the next step up - Dream On!! Great example of loyalty. And before anyone says the same happened with Walcott, Bale and the Ox, we weren't sitting pretty in the Prem when they left!!

As the originator of this post I can now report that I have just renewed. I couldn't stand the thought of not going on a regular basis and I've taken my two girls (now aged 9 & 11) since they were 2 years old and don't want to curtail their interest in Saints. It has cost a fortune though - £655.00 for mine, £374.00 for the 11 year old and £172.00 for the 9 year old. (plus a £7.50 booking fee). I've lost the decent seats we had but have managed to get three together not too far away in the Kingsland North. Of course I should have renewed when the early bird discount was on offer but at the time I was so fed up with the likelihood of our manager leaving, Lambert leaving and a whole host of others bidding to make their escape - especially after such a good season. What was the point? However, after a few deep breaths, the appointment of a respected manager and not wanting to miss out on the matchday experience with my mates, I have just parted with £1208.50 and I don't regret it for a minute!!

Thanks for the comments so far. It really is a sad time and to be asked to buy into a product that looks sure to be stripped of it's prized assets just doesn't make sense. I love the day out with my kids and mates at St Marys and the away days but do not wish to be taken for a mug by the club or Premier League football. Apparently money is the root of all evil and that is certainly true with the Premier League. As Stan Collymore tweeted earlier today with reference to Saints - "Feel for Southampton, getting mercilessly picked off now. The glass ceiling for progressive clubs is getting lower every year". Spot on Stan.

Today is the last day for discounted renewals of season tickets. I've had one for years but am not sure that I have the inclination to renew (the kids ones as well). I've watched them win the FA Cup, come runners up, relegated, League 1 and the subsequent recovery to a solid 8th position last season. I had enormous pride in seeing our players called to the national team and looked forward to seeing the name Southampton as the team they represented alongside their name in the England squad. Oh how things have changed in the space of four weeks. The manager has been nabbed by Spurs - why? He allegedly loved our academy and introducing the young home bred players into the first team. That's not going to happen at Tottenham. Our talismen, Lambert and Lallana, who took us from the depths of L1 look set to join Liverpool whilst our young left back looks to be heading off as well. No doubt others will follow. I love the club and have put my all into supporting them over the years, home and away but I can't really see the point in carrying on if this is what happens when we have a hint of success. I really thought we'd move on next season with a superb manager at the helm, a predominantly English squad, a few top internationals and the potential for more academy players to make the grade. But no - little old Southampton can't be a success. The vultures gather and pluck them off one-by-one until just the bare bones are left. The same happened to Norwich after their flirt with success in the mid 90's - manager nabbed by Everton, Sutton and Fleck tempted away and relegated a season later. Can I bear sitting in the Kingsland watching a team bereft of Lambert, Lallana, Shaw, Lovren, Schneiderlin, etc., replaced by mercenaries who have no affinity with the club, being torn apart by the likes of WBA and West Ham? Why not cut out the next two seasons, spare us the pain and put us back in L1!! So today is deadline day for discounted renewals for the fans who had season tickets last season. Apart from loyalty, can anyone give me a good reason to renew as things stand at present? I'd really like to!

A good post and in an ideal scenario he will stay. However, this is Premier League Football and unfortunately big money talks!! I just hope that Adam reflects on how he got to where he is today and that he believes that he can improve on it by staying at Saints. I'm immensely proud of the fact that three of our players are in the England squad especially as two have played for us in L1 and the other is from the academy. It is a fairytale for a club like Southampton to have this happen. Let's keep moving forward. On a separate note - did watching Man City collect the trophy mean anything to anyone? The richest team with mercenary players with and virtually no connection to Manchester picking up a medal!! Give me this Saints squad finishing in 8th place any day.

Great video - what a class act. He was with us, along with Adam, when we were relegated from The Championship and has remained loyal and is an essential member of our squad. He fully deserves a call up to the French team. I just love the fact that Kelvin Davis, Fonte, Lallana, Schneiderlin, Lambert and Guly played with us in League 1 and are currently performing at the top level. Coupled with our brilliant youngsters coming through, it is not difficult to understand why the club have made the transition from L1 to the upper half of the Premiership look so comfortable.

The Times printed an article today written by Oliver Kay suggesting that Lallana would be tempted by a move to Liverpool as they play his style of football with a good nucleus of English players. Does he not have that where he currently plays!!??? Turn back a page and there is Matt Dickinson advocating that Roy Hodgson should take Ashley Cole to Brazil ahead of Luke Shaw. Never mind that the players that Shaw plays against week in week out voted him as the best left back in the Premiership this season! A couple of weeks ago Oliver Kay gave his list of the top 5 achieving managers in the Premiership - not a mention of MOPO (I did send Kay a tweet and he replied saying that MOPO was 6th!!) Surprised that Moyes didn't make the top 5! I expect that dear old Gus would have made the top 5 after their scintillating season if he'd waited a couple of weeks before publishing! You've got to wonder at some of these journalists and papers. Saints have barely got a mention in The Times all season but now come the end of the season when the transfer speculation starts, the only reporting is on the negative aspect of losing our best players (and possibly our manager to a team 2 places ahead of us!!) to the teams that they drool over week in and week out.

"Superman goes to be wearing Rickie Lambert pyjamas" He liked that one

Just look at the number of posts attributed to the posters above - some in their many thousands. That says it all really!! An opinion on everything and they like to share it. It does get a bit monotonous seeing the same points made several times a day, day after day, often with insults and petty point scoring. My favourite thread is the "back from the game" one" as the comments made are from people who were actually there and of course "League One Minus 10" which is always a quality read and one which many of the above seldom comment.

I want something that can rub out ink!! Like a ***t I put the dates of the qf sf and final in my diary!

Quote Originally Posted by Bourne Valley Saint View Post We had a great time apart from the bit between 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. yesterday afternoon. What happened? I told you it was a long day!!!! I meant 12.45 to 14.45!!!!!!

Got back home just before 12.00 last night having left at 4.30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. We had a great time apart from the bit between 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The locals were friendly, the beer good (and cheap) and the weather much better than down here. When I saw the team that MP put out, I didn't think it that weak - we had 2 current England internationals starting, with a potential 2 more at full back and one on the bench. We also had Steve Davis and VW in midfield + JWP. It wasn't a weak team and I held out high hopes for a victory. However, from the first minute onwards it was apparent that their hearts weren't in it. They were second to every 50/50 ball and allowed Sunderland the freedom that they seldom have given/gave other teams so far this season. We were dire and the only player who seemed to be giving it a fair crack was Clyne who often had the better of their right back when we attacked. JWP could barely muster a pass to his own teamamtes and was probably Sunderland's best midfield distributor, Vic was so far off the pace it was embarrassing and Shaw, Lallana and Lambert had probably their worst games for a long while. Guly was conspicuous by his absence and Jos as ever screwed up to assist with their goal. Apart from one great save by Kelvin at the end, he had one of his poorer games, especially his kicking to the wings which more often than not ended up amongst the vast swathes of empty seats! By the time that MS (who to be fair played well) and J-Rod came on it was too late. All in all an abject and dreadful performance. I don't know how many of us were up there (probably 700 or so) but I really hope the players and management went home with our jeers and boos ringing in their ears. It was not the defeat (we as Saints fans know better than most about defeats) but it was the manner of it and the apathy with which MP treats the FA Cup obviously fed through to his players. We've played effing Sunderland six times in the past 17 months and not got the better of them once. I really thought that we would do it yesterday but alas how wrong I was.

I was lucky to record at that particular moment! A pleasure. I hope most on here find it.

Hopefully this link will work

Look on the bright side - at least we wont be selling Rickie Lambert in a hurry now!