Charlie Wayman

On his day he can be mesmerising but he can be very inconsistent and you never quite know which version will turn up. He was automatic first choice under Alan Pardew but his bad luck really was the emergence of Chamberlain; somehow as a result his relationship with Nigel Adkins deteriorated to the point that he rarely made a start this year, perhaps understandably because he hates being thought of as second choice to a 17 yo kid. But Adkins has had no choice with our new 'Whizzo' Oxo as our new Chairman clearly wants to see the fruits of his investment in the Academy pay off in terms of young players making it to Saints first team and staying here for the long haul, unlike Walcott, Bale & Bridge who were gone as soon as they were out of nappies. He did well for Millwll and he'll do well for you if he can stand Holloway's mumbo-jumbo nonsense. Lots oh here have an axe to grind over jason Puncheon, I don't - he's a pretty decent player and like ll of us needs an arm around the shoulders from time to time and a whisper in the ear that he is truly valued. Ex-Saints players are littered all over the Premier League and the Championship, having moved on from here because "they were not good enough for us!"..... You work that one out. Good luck and I hope he helps keep you up, otherwise we'll see you down here with your first team next season.

As Gareth Southgate observed on ITV during the match. Adkins inherited a bloody good team who had already won a trophy and would have been in last year's play-offs were it not for the 10 point deduction whereas most new manager's are hired to sort out a effing mess. All the statistics about Adkins won't really matter until we get to the NPC when he will be starting from scratch. The jury is still out on his overall capabilities, whether can he find and bring in players who make a difference and turn them into a team. This is Alan Pardew's team like it or lump it and let's all go boo-hiss but Lowe discovered Morgan Schneiderlin and had the foresight to snap him up as a promising kid.

Let's be honest, a goalie rarely makes a difference if the defence is working well and ours is reasonably solid this year. Most goals conceded recently have been goalie cock-ups so why not give Bart a run he can do no worse that let one or two in but whats new about that?

Frankly with only 24 hours to the door being slammed we're going to have to come to terms with the fact that whatever has been going on behind the scenes no bugger out there fancies coming here, probably because they've never heard of Adkins. Would it have been different if Pardew was still the name over the door? Just a thought but not one to be dismissed too easily

I worry about Adkins, what's he on? Does he really believe all the crap he spills out at interviews. So, if we get beat 7-0 Nige who'ya gonna blame? How will you rationalise that. FFS we can't even beat Tranmere when it really matters. This is Manchester United were talking about Nige not just another bunch of losers from the north like Blackpool RESERVES. They think football like you think bull****. They'll sit back and let us play for about 15 minutes just so's the home fans can get excited, then once they've assessed the game and lost patience they'll stroll up our end, knock a couple in for fun then bugger off down the tunnel for tea and biccies before taking the **** in the second half by playing keep ball whilst our great heroes huff-and-puff themselves into exhaustion, meanwhile popping in the odd goal to keep themselves amused and stop Ferguson doing his usual apoplectic fit routine. And a bit of advice, don't waste your transfer kitty on a crate of Mouton Rothschild for the grumpy old bugger in the hope that he might say something nice about you and the boys to the press like "They definitely had the best jerseys" or some such patronising rubbish. This one we are going to lose mate and it's up to them how much they wish to embarrass us and don't forget these bastards kicked us out of the Prem so I'm not expecting any favours.

It amazes me that so many want to watch a reserve team game. By the way Man U will want to win it just to frustrate Arsenal's bid for all four trophies so 60th minute subs might well include a name we've heard of like McBucket or Skritchel?

Likely to be propaganda shots to put the sh*tters up Man U to make them think we'll play our first team which we won't of course and yeah like they're really gonna' swallow it. None of the lads in the pics will figure, match training was going on somewhere else off-camera. See who's not in the pics to reveal tomorrow's starting line-up. Giggs will be on in his wheelchair so one of you blokes in the Kingsland needs to bring in a long stick to jam his wheels.

Of course, what will actually happen is all our league rivals will win and we'll be embarrassed beyond belief and Chamberlain will get injured and out for rest of season and Davies will be playing in goal....

The closer we get to this game the less excited I feel about it - am I the only one? It looks like the visitors will send down their reserves and if Adkins has any sense he'll do the same and abandon any further distraction from a competition we could never dream of winning anyway - so one's left to ponder what's the point of it? OK Man U Old Boys are not Dagenham & Redbridge or Accrington Effing Stanley but they might as well be for all the interest it's generating in this household. There should be a rule that nobody over the age of 50 be allowed to play in the FAC! Honestly guys, right now there's a 50/50 chance I'll not even bother to go up there on Saturday. Bring on Chesterfield!

Not a snowball's chance in Haddes! FFS we are 8 points behind and they've lost 3 all season. Just because Nicola has demanded we win this league it is not our Given right as some on here seem to think; right now we look at best, good enough only to scrape the play-offs. If Lallana is out for any length of time even that might prove beyond us.

More or less how I see it too, quite a few fans will want out as well. This season really is beginning to shape up like "make or break", If Adkins can't get us up it's quite possible that Cortese will up sticks as well, then he'd sell all his quality players to get the books looking really good for a sale.

Is this worth a thread? Doubtful.

Effing Echo doesn't help at all, banging on and on about Wenger's interest FFS whose side are they on?

At least he lost this one out of the building. I don't give a sh*t who manages this team of ours so long as he gets us out of this cesspit of a league, I mean S****horpe can win it and we can't????? What the Fudge is that all about? Here's a man with the best resources of any club ever in Division 3 and he can't even craft a win against a team more or less doomed to the 4th Division next year - I wonder how long he'll be smiling after Monday's meeting?

We really ARE a One Man Team despite all the hyperbole about strength in depth and transfer windows . This was abysmal. How on earth can we expect to get out of this league playing like this. Everyone knows now just to kick Lallana out of a game and we're stuffed. As for the false promises of exciting new players coming in... WTFAT? Funny what a solid 2 year contract does isn't it. When they were insecure and uncertain of their futures, Chaplow and Do Pardo really put in shifts and classy ones at that. Now they've got what they want they're back to their old ways of lazziness and ineptitude. Thanks guys for conning us!

On what possible basis can you say that? Frankly this view is prejudicial nonsense. Real talent can emerge from anywhere at any time. Kids don't blossom to order, they need a personal combination of good coaches, good surroundings, lots of attention and to feel loved. It is arguable that being with one of the BIG FOUR could be the worst place to find and develop high level talents. How come the BIG FOUR didn't find Shearer, Le Tosser, Bridge, Walcott or Bale if you think you are right?

Nice one old bean!

That would be true only if you think Adkins did not enjoy the full support of the Board. Clearly he enjoys unequivocal support so his word is the word of the Board. Paranoia is not a pretty site in the young!

Pacifistic twaddle lacking any sensitivity to the issues involved or the reaction of all connected to the club! If AOC is allowed to leave before the end of his contract it will be a disaster for the fans and a disaster for the club. It will signify beyong doubt to the manager, the players and the fans that we are still a selling club and ergo not interested in becoming anything other than a self-sufficient business where football is of secondary importance. If AOC leaves thee will be an immediate exodus, contracts or no contarcats and the first out wil be Nigel Adkins followed veru quickly By Adam Lallana and Morgan Schneiderlin and every other youngster who thinks this club has a real furure and their futures are best guarantedd by staying with this upwardly mobile unit called SFC. Knock out one brick from this still fragile structure and down will come the whole house of bricks make no mistake on that judgement. I may be only one fan but one of long-standing and sitting fan who has bought his ST year-upon-year come what may but if we even hint at being unambitious and a selling club again I will be off for good. Nicola Cortese will know this.

A very crappy analogy indeed. Nigel "Hug-a-star" Adkins is the one of two very sensible and sober reasons why the Oxy situation is so totally different, the other one being Nicola "My Way or No-Way" Cortese. Again, I'd advise all to disregard the Arsenal link cited by the Mail. If we can afford to run without a shirt sponsor for a whole season in League 1 ask yourself why we'd be remotely interested i discussing £5m for the "best young prospect in English football" £25m + may prove to be less resistible... but Gooners don't have that sort of money and sure as hell we are not here to subsidise those perennial poseurs. Mr Wenger may be a very nice man at times but he gets awfully angry and *****y sometimes whereas Adders seems venom-less.

There is no reason for him to leave or for us to believe he will leave; the rest is up to us, get promoted twice and why would he want to leave? After that we can do anything Spurs have been able to do and let's face it they only did it by taking our best player away from us, as mancini said today bale is 60% of Spurs! - Of course Bale, baled us out but it wasn't that long ago we beat Spurs 4-0 in the FA Cup and 1-0 in the PL all within a week.

Did anybody manage to book their tickets on-line? Effed if I can make it work despite being a ST and my seat is allegedly reserved for me. Can't get through on the effing blower either so looks like standing in the rain tomorrow morning at SMS. Time they sorted this kind of mess out.

This is not the time to get carried away and make extravagant claims for our team, we can do that after we win this league and the FA Cup in May

Oldham are a very good side and the best by miles to visit us this season as our hard won 2-1 victory attests. They have matched us all the way and in fact have a better record having lost only 5. They are my tip for the Title. I am not suggesting they are unstoppable but at home to a Saints side that doesn't travel all that well? I don't think they'll be troubled overmuch tonight and will win 2-0. I hope and pray to be wrong but can't see it frankly. Sorry lads but we are not yet unbeatable as we seemed to be at times late last year.

Let's hope if we get turned over by Man U that the defeat doesn't derail our bid to win this league. It's the worst draw we could have had at this stage of the season, a heavy defeat will do our morale no good at all as it will serve as a reality check for one or two of our budding young stars who may think secretly that they are already Premier League class... down to earth with a JOLT! is not what they or we need right now. This is what worries me most.