Bailey

Matty Phillips is still very much on our radar.

This thread highlights one of our major problems this season. We, the fans, don't know our best XI, and I don't think Nigel does either. 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, there's not been a great deal of consistency. Granted, injuries and the like have played their part, but in comparison to last season, it's anyone's guess as to what our best XI is currently.

Got a lot of time for our Nige - his positivity is infectious and I hope he remains at the helm for a long time to come. Lets get behind the lads on Sunday and see if we can spring a surprise or two. Come on Saints!

Fergie could be in charge of our squad and we wouldn't improve defensively. Get behind Adkins and give him our full support - he deserves it. I honestly believe that if we stick by him now, it'll pay dividends in the long run. This is the first time under his tenure that we've had a rough patch, it would be ridiculous to get rid.

Not a chance.

Shut up you *****!

Is this a joke? Can you honestly say you only hear boos from that footage? Wow. Unbelievable.

Good chance I'll have two spare tickets for this one. A couple of friends were attending but can't make it now due to work commitments. PM if interested. Face value.

THEVMAN, over to you . . .

Another question . . . Have they sorted out a way of monitoring how many 'points' we have accumulated? I can't see anywhere on my account that shows a running total. If they can't tell us, how the hell can we be certain that they know?

Go with Gazzaniga until he gives Adkins a reason to drop him. He's in the team on merit at the moment, and based on current form, he deserves his chance. Boruc and Davis should be left to fight it out and push Paulo for a starting role. Healthy competition = improved performances.

Likewise. Even after F5ing, they still don't always work. Bit of a weird one!

Anyone else having problems viewing them? Keep pausing intermittently and at times freezing completely.

I predict Davis will be named MOTM as we scrape a 1-0 victory against Villa.

Reasonable question to ask, and I'd be interested to hear people's responses. For me, I'd give it another five games. The Villa game is huge, but as Nigel rightly points out in his post-match interview, we should not build it up so much that we become edgy and nervous in our play. Similarly, us fans must do our utmost to create a fantastic atmosphere that the players will relish playing in. I don't think it's unrealistic to say that I'm hoping for six points from our next three games, which should give the players a renewed sense of belief and confidence. However, as us Saints fans should know, it's never that straightforward and I'm sure there will be plenty of twists and turns over the coming weeks! Keep the faith.

Outclassed by an Arsenal side in great form. Defence is a concern, although stats can be deceiving. Whilst it's disappointing to have conceded 15 goals in 4 games, people must remember we've played City, United and Arsenal. Played OK in spells second-half, Ramirez looks lively and Yoshida was decent enough all things considered. Massive game next week, win that and potentially we can go 14th. Arguably more pressure on that one than today, where nobody expected us to get anything. Buzz words of the week? Perspective and positivity. Not all doom and gloom, although I agree, we need to start picking up points now - and fast! Keep the faith.

With respect, did you honestly think we'd get anything from City, United and Arsenal when the fixtures were released? I know I didn't. These are very much 'bonus' games, and any points from them should be treated as such.

Apologies for posting a new thread about this, but wanted to raise a few points: Every team outside the top five would struggle to get more than 3 points from our first four fixtures. Similarly, every defence in the division would struggle to cope with the likes of Aguero, Tevez, Van Persie, Hernandez etc. Let's not get carried away and start being over-critical of the team. We're a young side, relatively inexperienced and the core group of our squad were plying their trade in League One a few seasons ago. Have some perspective. It's inevitable that we're going to make mistakes along the way, but you can bet that those players will learn from it and be better players in the long run. After these four games, if the squad can replicate the quality of performance we saw against City and United, as well as matching the levels of intensity on show, they'll find themselves beating the likes of Aston Villa and Fulham. That's no disrespect to those clubs either. Finally, people always talk about the 'Southampton Way'. Well to me, that means starting slow, everyone writing us off and then coming back to prove the doubters wrong! Ps. Lambert, Schneiderlin, Puncheon, Lallana and Ward-Prowse were sensational yesterday. Exciting times ahead!

Odds on Utd being awarded a dodgy penalty then?

Waiting is almost over . . .

Confirmed. Joined Forest on loan.

Here it comes! After 150 odd pages, Gaston Ramirez has officially signed for Southampton FC. Enjoy it ladies and gents. We've had our ups and downs over the last few years, but this signing shows that not only are we back in the Prem, but we're here to compete too. COYR! PS. We're not done yet, either!

I didn't say that . . .

Go and enjoy your evening, Norm. I predict that by the time you log on tonight, this saga will be over.

Lucky escape.