Ambsaint

I didn't watch the game but any team that starts with Smallbone and Aribo as cover for the back 5, let along a back 5 that includes 3 fullbacks and poor quality CBs, is losing. Smallbone looked off the pace last year, good distributer, good possession and occasional good shot but I watched players waltz past him every time with zero effort in every game I watched, he's just too slow and offers no defensive qualities at all. Aribo has a little more acceleration/physicality and is good on the ball but not really Prem level either and never, ever to be played to screen the back 4/5. Credit to Bournemouth, they've quietly put together a very decent team, especially up front, something we should have been doing or at least aiming for. Set up as we are, we are absolute shit. Set up properly, we might scrape a few points on the counter. I was hoping the additons of Downes/Fraser/THB and new DM would at least make us respectable but embrassed I ever thought so.

Agree - KWP the free signing of the century if we don't lose him, Ramsdale as the best signing we will ever make. Very, very pleased with free signing Fraser too.

Brilliant transfer window - (fuck me a decent keeper), Downes, (fuck me KWP not leaving), THB signed, Sugawara, a rated DM brought in (lets see but we've been crying out for it), Fernandes, Archer and BBD etc, plus some youth and experience I am also absolutely delighted Fraser is back. Gives us a chance, over to RM to sort his tactics out

Delighted - very underrated player, works very hard, team player. Clearly loves us, especially after giving him a chance to see Wembley in full Red and White bloom (see the recordings if you doubt this).

The 5-3-2 we played to win the playoffs worked fine and surpised West Brom and Leeds. Led to (nearly) no given away goals. Fair play to RM but he did not play this for the previous rest of the Champ season. Clearly it worked for those 3 games, to the point I was quite relaxed 5 mins from the end for the first time in my life. Prem, well to be fair he's trying it, but possession football to the extent he wants it is surely madness. 5-3-2 makes no sense for us, I'd much prefer 5-4-1 (if you are serious about getting a few defended points). Don't really care what we do at home, with the new DM addition I'd say a standard 4-2-3-1 and hope for the best - we really don't have a Prem team so need to defend every game for our lives and hope to nick points. Obviously the usual standard tactic is to counter, can work, but if we insist playing tip tap all day we'll lose the majority of games. Will Smallbone is possibly ok as a link in a midfield 4-5-1 but otherwise not at all, JS as a sub at best etc. We really can't afford to play passengers, this is the Prem league.

Superb support, superb result - thank you Saints. Been a short ride back, loved the Championship

Fantastic. We made West Brom look very limited throughout, they were clearly a threat from set pieces but we handled it. McCarthy was awesome I thought. Probably top Championship level was always him but I felt he was that extra barrier West Brom had to get past throughout the game and settled the defense. Massive credit to all the defense (Bednarek was absolutely fantastic tonight) - probably the easiest watch for a while. Midfield we won it - controlled throughout the game, kept pressure off the anyway excellent defense. Jack Stephens - our Captain. No misplaced passes and handy in that defense, especially on set pieces - credit where due. I can't quite work out if he was part of a back 3, 2 or a DM but for the first time it worked, he was very good on the ball and gives us some much needed height. Credit to the boss

Obviously awesome result, what we needed, and finally a clean sheet which is superb. Odd game after the efforts of Saturday, I think it's difficult to pick up too much from it as most of players will be a bit tired, which I thought showed given the possesion (high mental concentration) style. Was a few needless wayward passes and the passing at the back was at times terrifying me but actually mostly pretty good, especially from Baz and both CBs. Thought the back line was mostly excellent again tonight, both CBs especially. KWP was very good, Manning I thought was ok and I think he is improving. Clearly he and Sully needed to sort out closing down for crosses, no idea if that's tactics, but you can't allow a few seconds for a winger to decide on a cross. Front line looked unbalanced with AA on the right and didn't create much - Leeds our attack looked a lot more potent though, with the same players. Sulemana looked decent but we could so do with an equivalent threat on the other side. I thought the midfield looked excellent tonight, Downes was again all over it and Smallbone I thought had an excellent game (I wasn't that convinced with him but he looks like he's improving rapidly to me). Personally I had a question mark over Stu who got MoTM, I thought he was mostly poor/average, but he won us the game. Fraser/Aribo - not really sure on these two, maybe players to see out games but I don't think either brings a lot to the team at the moment. Aribo of the two is improving. Alcaraz I can't work out, played as maybe a false 9 tonight(?), with AA right seemed a bit weird - he doesn't really have the pace to play off the shoulder but some very good passes and works hard. Anyway, happy days

Defense looked great today to me, both CBs particularly, but I thought Manning had a very decent game. KWP was class apart, if you accept he is pushed forward. Wasn't keen on some of the midfield giveaways or again some of the pointless pressure from passing it about, but way better tactics than any other game this season. Smallbone I thought was decent, lacks physicality but he was ok and scored, right place and right time. Downes I think was vastly improved, and what I'd hoped, a cheap replacement for JWP - did the quiet stuff very well. Was a bit disappointed with Fraser, he works hard, tackled but expected a bit more attacking intent from him Che too, I'd hoped he stayed but not (cost wise) at the expense of Tella (to be fair I was looking forward to the front line of Sulemana/striker/Tella this year). Very very pleased to see Adam Armstrong scoring, in my brain one of AA or Che would pick it back up this year and it seems to be AA Loving the result, one game doesn't exonerate the manager but if he can learn (or been told) to play to win then we are only looking up.

Che - keep This is his level, ran about like a boss tonight, he can free contract all he likes next year.

As a 1st team player, like Walcott, absolutely no thanks. As a v cheap wage (highly unlikely), experienced head to help out with what is looking like a young team (ie 4-5th choice CB/defensive coach/mentor) then maybe

I just dared to watch that goal and sums up the squad this year - I won't see an easier goal all year, far too easily out of the corner 2 vs 1, then in to the box far too easily, utterly crap shot but still evades our defense and keeper. So depressing - I think finally I accept we are on the way down after a few years of basically pretty much hanging on. Will be ridiculous if we turn this around, but if we don't I do think there's a very good Championship squad in there that won't attract the Prem. It's pretty clear not strenghtening our Champ level strikers cost us, but I think it runs through the team, especially the spine. Arguably the defense was better, then we brought back Bednarek. Anyway, trying to stay positive, but we are 5 points adrift (GD) - could be a fun year next year if we do go to finally see some wins, and would be prize of the century if we stay.

Zero point selling JWP this year, we can't replace him and significantly add to the squad too for the (unlikely) touted £50m.

Klopp praising us basically says it all - we lost 4-0 but were apparently plucky and tried to press/attack to the end, unlike say Sheff United who very nearly pinched a point by defending. Ultimately it's a £1.2 billion team vs a what, £300 milion team with most of them on loan. I am delighted with where we are in the league, delighted we have picked up our heads and played great football lately. I also think we are lucky everyone else is so terrible, and I think Liverpool are too. I am praying next year the league is more competitive because this year is embarassing.

Yes foul by Traore, but terrible decision making by Mendy. Liverpool basically handed the title months ago when no 'top 6' got anywhere near them, reinforced tonight.

4-1-4-1. Slattery a try instead of JWP. Xmas buy lots.. ------------McCarthy----------- Cedric Danso Yoshida Bertrand ------------Romeu------------- Djenepo-- Hoj-- Slattery-- Boufal ------------Ings--------------

If we were losing every game it wouldn't be a surprise up until about now. Pardew finally now has a defense he wanted (ish), midfield sort of and a striker over 5' 9 (not knowing Rasiak was definitely off) at least. It's going the right way - I firmly believe it.

Each point we grab makes those near the bottom of the league look a bit more over their shoulders (and I reckon we will win soon) - great result I reckon, and I'm chuffed we stopped Charlton's run of wins, first club this season to match them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/8133381.stm Wotte has noticed defenders are missing - next up LB RB. *prays*

Time he was gone - not seen anything there for the wages. This myth that footballers can't possibly earn a living after football irritates me, it's called earning it.