kwsaint

Is it just me, or is the PA at SMS just far too loud? Although the sound quality is actually very good. Makes it really difficult to talk to the person next to you. Feels more like a night club than a stadium. Your thoughts.

I must be abnormal then. They only time I get my phone out during a game is to use the stopwatch when the fourth official puts the board up.

At the King Power the away fans are in the equivalent of the Kingsland/Chapel corner. The problem with the suggestion of having away supporters in the Kingsland/Northam corner is that it is right in front of the steps up to Northam Road. So impossible to segregate. Goodness knows how it would work if we ever played Pompey again. The police want to be able to seal off the away supporters (closing the North Car Park/Britannia Road) when the need arises. Sadly I think that we are stuck with having away supporters in half of the Northam. Not sure that it would be terribly easy to move them round slightly into blocks 1-3 of the Itchen.

Remember watching his debut for Saints against Millwall. Last game of the 2005/06 season. He played left back, and even at the age of 16 it was obvious that he was going to be really good. First game of the following season he stuck a free kick into the top corner against Derby. The odious Billy Davies obviously remembered and got his team to kick him off the park in the first leg of the play-offs. Then he went to Tottenham so we only got to watch him play for one season He seemed to have lost interest in club football in recent years, but still loved playing for Wales. Tremendous player at his peak.

We played Blackpool twice in the cup in the seventies. 4th round in 76, but also 3rd round in 74. Remember seeing Paul Bennett thump one in from well outside the box.

Realistically the result could also be predicted with an umpire’s signal:

Think that they should sack Jones ASAP - but they won't. Then get rid of whoever's stupid idea it was to bring him in.

Not holding my breath on getting a decent striker in during the January window. This should have been sorted in the summer when we would have been a more attractive option for an incoming player. We are now firmly rooted to the bottom of the table - can't imagine any striker worth having will come here. Last time we bought a striker in January it turned out to be Carrillo. That worked out well.

Back in the nineties we had players such as Jason Dodd, Franny Benali, Chris Marsden and MLT. Players who would roll up their sleeves and get stuck in (apart from MLT and he scored the goals). Not sure that we have the players now who would battle in the same way. Heads seem to go down really quickly. Really not hopeful that we will stay up. We also played at the Dell and a lot of teams didnt like playing there.

This forum is normally doom and gloom after a defeat. Not always justified. This time it is. We looked a Championship side in waiting. Confidence looks shot. I know that we need a striker, but we also need an old head to organise this lot. A Jimmy Case or Alan Ball.

Last night showed what he is capable of when he puts his mind to it. Trouble was he rarely got that motivated for Saints. He had the talent but I lost count of the number of times he tried to beat too many players when playing for Saints when a good pass was on. The goal against West Brom was the one occasion when it really came off. A case of what might have been but I am not sure if any of our managers over the past 10 years would have been able to get him playing to that level regularly

I was stood at the Archers End for Channon's goal of a thousand passes in 1982. Easily the best goal that I have ever seen live. We ended up losing 3-2, but it was a really good game. For a team goal, Connelly against Middlesbro in 2011 wasn't bad. Think that was 28 passes or so.

The real shame is that he wasnt put in place in the summer. Then if it didnt work out there would be time to change. Feels more of a gamble three months into the season. A bit like Lawrie's appointment back in the seventies. He had loads of potential but we ended up getting relegated first before it came good

SR dont come out of this at all well. My guess is that they have someone lined up after the world cup to replace Ralph, which puts him in a horrible position. He is a dead man walking. He has completely run out of ideas. Decent man, but should have been replaced in the summer.

I had two Leeds supporters sat behind me earlier in the season in the Chapel. They had no colours and did not give it large when Leeds scored. Not a problem. Away supporters intent on winding up the home supporters is the problem. I have sat in Fulham's 'neutral' session a couple of times watching Saints. You don't know whether the person you are sat next to is a fellow Saint a Fulham supporter or a genuine neutral. It actually makes it interesting.

It’s a shame they don’t put them on YouTube like Hampshire do with County Cricket. The commentary is welcome though.

Time for another poll?

He should have gone in the summer - given the new manager pre-season to work out what to do with all the new players. Hopefully the rumours about Monday are true/

I thought that they would wait until the world cup break, but it would be good to make the call now. RH is a dead man walking. He has kept us in the Premier League for four seasons but his time is surely up. Sooner we get a new manager in the better

Here’s a strategy: start Mo, first 30 seconds he two foot tackles Haaland from behind (Benaliesque). Him getting sent off doesn’t really make a different but hopefully it’ll throw Haaland off the game a bit.

When NA was sacked, Saints management had spent weeks lining up MP. Hopefully current management are doing something similar - quietly lining up Ralph's replacement so that they can get the new manager in immediately. My money is on that the switch will take place when the world cup break starts, so that the new manager has time to work with the squad without games.

The VAR technology is not the problem. It's the implementation and the way that it is used that is the big problem. Pierluigi Collina was in charge of the refs and the use of VAR during the last world cup was very good. Maybe get him in the sort out the muppets at the PL. He wouldn't stand for any nonsense. But the principle of getting a higher proportion of decisions right by using technology is right.

I notice that they’re both out of contract at the end of the season. It will definitely be a relief to release them (or even loan them out halfway through if possible)

Can recommend the spoons in Cambridge. It’s enormous.

Any idea what the rules on taking water bottles into the stadium will be tomorrow? Are they still going to insist on taking the lids away?