Guan 2.0

We could be without Morgan and Davis for Villa

:mcinnes:

If you want an official statement, you'd be better off asking en-mass on Twitter.

With all the talk of songs for Koeman and Morgan, it would fantastic to hear tributes to Markus Liebherr from a sell out crowd.

If Graziano manages to make it to the Burnley game without another yellow, could he serve out a tactical suspension during the League cup match?

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-stone-leaves-sad-saints-rock-bottom-1174902.html [h=1]Football: Stone leaves sad Saints rock bottom[/h] [h=3]Southampton 1 Le Tissier pen 89 Nottingham Forest 2 Darcheville 52, Stone 68 Attendance: 14,942[/h]THIS TIME there were only two goals conceded but it might so easily have been another five as a woeful Southampton slid to their third straight loss. With minimum close-season outlay, Forest have bedded down into a purposeful and intelligently functioning side, and here Steve Stone was back to the form which won him a place in the England team. On the rare occasions when the Saints got their act together in front of goal they found Dave Beasant, the goalkeeper they let go to Forest for nothing last season, in unbeatable mood. The locals offered him warm applause at the end; in truth there was little else for them to applaud, apart from Matthew Le Tissier's injury-time penalty, and the Saints were roundly booed off the park.

When I think back to the first game I ever attended (Nottingham forest at home, Le tiss scoring a late Penalty after Stone and Darchville (sp?) had put them ahead), The wooden structures of The Dell, the sloping end... It's very surreal to see our stadium, the quality of player throughout the side, the Image which we represent and the regard we are now held in. It's like a dream. Unlike K billy, I will predict another win (2-0). No doubt he will say that the last 3 games of dire predictions were tricking our luck, but I think he's just a pessimist.

Who was pressuring their keeper before Wanyama scored? Great to see.

Great draw, Hopefully we draw Chelsea after that (would rather take the chance of losing in a semi final than final). Everyone else I think are beatable on whatever occasion. Good to see a Saints side that actually takes their chances, and to any of the hapless stoke s*itmunchers reading right now, the reason people still associate your city and team with being cloggy, unattractive dross that no man should have to endure, is that y'know, It's true. I know smashing people in the face doesn't seem like a red card offence to you, because that's how you and your 'mates' celebrate outside of your bedsit on a friday night, while blaming every other race, region and gender for their view of your nasty little bolthole, but to most the human race, it's just tragic. Does anyone have a link to a replay of full match? Would love to watch again.

Love the Random pie-munching swearing from the Neanderthal Stoke fans during the commentary. And they had the nerve to criticise people for calling them dirty cloggers!

I think Wanyama, Long and Gardos are more of a physical match up, and on paper look like a perfect tactical switch for the away trip. If it works, we'll have two blueprints on how to beat them. 3-1 to us.

If he doesn't, the club has it under control. And unless dynamics shift drastically, Ings should no longer see Liverpool as beyond anything we can offer.

Bear, why don't you just join Lawrenson giving handies under the desk to savage while he snipes from the sidelines. It's clear you share their London-Centric 'Big club' Bias. All of your hypothetical 'issues' are addressed subliminally by Les Reed in the #wemarchon video, if you have the eyes to see. The 'Southampton way' has the following contingencies to counter your problems. A boat load of Scandi players, who sh*t ice for breakfast and make walls from it. This would contradict RK's comments about "Don't make ****" except... A fortnightly 'Sack up and ship out' policy, where an increasingly Psychopathic influx of recruits keep the new manager effect in place, and rule, albeit briefly, through sheer terror, on a fortnightly basis. All the new Scandi players, and the *New* Managers will wear Luchador masks, and their squad number will be determined by the number of umlauts in their name, so the opposition will have no advance warning of who they are or where they play. Honestly Bear, if you spent more money on half season tickets, and less on replacing a ****y mattress after each game, we might have been able to give Hans Hofstetter something more than a reconditioned spoon, and a munch on a Kit-Kat as a going away present.

There are many factors at play, and although I agree that potential injuries are a worry, it's the existing problems that need to be addressed. If J-rod comes back fit and firing, I think that we can solidify our top 4 place. If J-rod comes back a shadow of himself or suffers a relapse, and we sign Bony, I think we can solidify our top 4 place. If we sign Borini instead of Bony, I think we can cement a 6th-8th place finish. It will be interesting to see if one of JWP/Reed/Isgrove will make the step up. A real push from any of them could make a real difference to our overall strength. Or they could prove to be Kevin Gibbens/Steve Basham Flash-in-the-pans.

From the beeb... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/29366786 wanting the credit, while conveniently forgetting we were facing a full premier league side who spent heavily on recruits, while they faced a second-from-bottom Championship side with no money (and no manager), who were down to ten men for 84 minutes. It's noteworthy but nothing more, you cheeky Cherries! Good early form though. 10:28 What's going on with football on the south coast at the moment? Seven days after Southampton hammered Sunderland, Championship side Bournemouth repeated the feat with a demolition of managerless Birmingham by the same 8-0 scoreline. Cherries chairman Jeff Mostyn couldn't resist a tiny bit of one-upmanship,pointing out that his side's victory had come away from home. "It's incredible, and we had to go one better because we were away," Mostyn told BBC Radio Solent. "It's practically a life highlight. The boys have been playing with superb confidence and we've always said that someone is going to get a really good beating sooner rather than later. For Birmingham it was just unfortunate it happened to be them."

It's a shame Oscar Pistorius isn't available, this would have been perfect for him.

4-1, with a sublime performance from the mighty saints being punctuated by a bundled Peter Crouch goal, which replays will prove should never have been given. No doubt one of their 'Players' will be sent off for their enduring Pint 'n' Fight approach to the beautiful game, riling up the troglodyte thugs and mugs that laughably follow the shame of British football. Invariably our sell out crowd will be forced to witness their 11 talentless hoof merchants alternate between trying to throw our silky skilled team to the ground, and then subsequently throwing themselves to the ground to gain a illegal advantage. Expect promises of 'Revenge' to spew forth from the mouths of their misshapen and freakish 'fans' as they retreat back to their tumbledown hovels in what we unfortunately must recognise as a city, albeit one that is only first in sexism, racism, homophobia and parochial attitudes. The greatest shame is that the Britannia exists, as without a ground, no-one would ever have a reason to visit stoke. At least it keeps their women, and Mark Hughes (identical) out of the rest of UK for a quarter of the year.

MOTD had better not F8ck us over on the running order tonight. Have a nasty feeling they'll think the Palace game is more interesting... :hunt::hunt::hunt:

Only part that doesn't tally is the player 'background check'. Some of those targeted seemed more like Ramirez and Osvaldo, than Pelle and Tadic (attitude-wise).

"We don't make parties when we win, we don't make **** when we lose". The cleaners must be grateful.

Is Gardos fit to play?

points, well made, Agreed! Good points, well made.

http://www.squawka.com/news/clyne/171939

Pellè, Long and Tadic remind me of Lambert, Rodriguez and Lallana when they were still gelling .Thankfully, no-one has suggested Pellè is too slow, Long is never going to be good enough, and Tadic too lightweight. Long may it continue. Looking forward to the second half.