VectisSaint

Might swap Danny Fox for Jelle.

It shouldn't, but most of the male referees are shocking.

You ignored the fact that the U21s team do not get regularly thrashed in this competition, you are basing your nonsense views on one result (i.e. the latest game). We won't get drawn against Pompey, we are kept apart in group games, and given we don't qualify for knock-out we wouldn't get them in the knock out stages either. If we did its quite likely that we would bolster our team with more senior players as we are allowed to do. The league teams who play in this tournament also tend to play quite a lot of non-first choice players, rather than their full strength teams, at least in the group stages. A major point of renaming the u23s to the B Team is to enable more matches like this, i.e. against non-Academy opposition, to withdraw the team in future from the EFL Trophy would be totally against what Saints are trying to do.

What makes you think he will play. He has brought in to the squad as a replacement, think there is a good chance Southgate won't actually give him any match time, or maybe just a second half sub. I thought before his recall that his chance had already gone, just knowing the way Southgate works, once discarded that's it usually.

This is daft, we should be playing more games like this, against proper opposition instead of pampered academy kids. This is actually only the second time in 3 years we lost by more than 1 goal in this competition.

In normal circumstances it is not possible for two teams from the National Southern Division to be promoted, and as you suggested even the winners only go into a play-ff with the winners from the Northern Division, so even as Southern Champions promotion is not guaranteed. Even then the winners need to meet licencing criteria to be promoted. But note this is in normal circumstances. Assumes the season is not curtailed again of course, bear in mind both Saints and Ipswich were not automtically promoted to the Southern Division, they had to apply for dispensation and that was granted. There is still a lot of fluidity in the Womens game with teams folding and so on so there is always the possibility that more teams might be promoted than expected, but i guess this is less likely at the higher (tiers 1 & 2) levels.

Yes, I only caught his last 2 seasons, and to be honest he was over the hill by then. You have to be mid/late 60s to have been there, unless uou were really a little nipper

Fair comment, of course Painer should really be there, but I wouldn't swap Stevie Williams out, he could come instead of Keegan. Thing with Terry, although I saw him, he was very much in the twilight of his career. John Sydenham was probably as good, but again I really only caught the last couple of years. Williams and Ball were not the greatest individually but as a pairing I still believe they were as good as anyone (and I mean anyone). Would loved to have put Ossie in, but much as I admired his skills and what he did for us, he was really past his best when he joined and adapted his game accordingly. Not sure about Charlie, liked him but not sure I'd put him too near our best XI.

Peter Shilton Ivan Golac Gareth Bale Mark Wright Virgil van Dijk Steve Williams Alan Ball Matt Le Tissier Mick Channon Ron Davies Kevin Keegan

9-0 today against Keynsham. The gulf between the top 2 and the rest in this division is enormous.

Blackmore tweeted that he is on hols, back (commentating) after the International break

So it is, caught out by our crap OS not updating the league table. 🙄

Finished 1-1. First point of the season, still Stoke are one of the better teams in the division.

We will if Chelsea want him back. If we get relegated we probably won't sell him or be able to sell him.

Apparently confirmed as £50m and cannot be invoked until at least Summer 2023 (as I thought, these buyback clauses have a 2 year grace period. We also pay nothing until 2022. Seems like a very good deal (for us). Reported by InsideFutbol with credit to The Athletic.

Apparently Scottish manager says he has been back in training and expected to get game time before he reports for international duty. Not quite what Ralph reported before the Wolves match.

No, that there are still idiots who peddle this nonsense.

Of course it doesn't, but why name a player that clearly isn't fit (apparently) and then have to replace him with someone else? It is non-sensical (if he is not fit).

Great idea, hold Tella back and get relegated, financially that would have to be one of the stupidest ideas ever.

This is crazy, how do Scotland get to select a player who hasn't even been in training for weeks. Something isn't right here.

In what way? He was brought in to mentor young players, not to turn the B team into a title chasing team. Is there any evidence that the mentoring is not working? Maybe you were saying this in jest, but to blame Lancashire for the complete clusterfuck that is the B team at the moment seems a tad harsh.

Saints were 2-0 up away to Birmingham but pegged back to 2-2 while I have been writing this. Ballard and Watts with the goals for us. Note that Simeu is playing.

I'm not, why do you have to be so ignorant and rude, grumpy git.

Beaten 1-0 by Palace. Unbeaten start to the league season ended, Palace now top of the South Group, Saints 6th. The U18s aren't doing too bad to be fair. B Team is a shambles and we shouldn't let that shambles colour our view of the younger team.

Why don't you post u18 stuff on the u18s thread.