Kingsland Codger

The dismal season the Saints have so far suffered has caused me to lose a bit of interest. Yesterday afternoon saw Scotland play Italy in the Six Nations followed by Ireland v England. I settled down in front of the TV and saw a thoroughly entertaining game which the Scots won 31-19. The match in Dublin followed but a few minutes in, I remembered Saints were away at Ipswich. Hastily, I opened the SofaScore app and much to my amazement I saw Saints had just scored, were now ahead and were a couple of minutes into 8 minutes of stoppage time. Being a realist, I prepared myself for inevitable disappointment - after all, alongside “death” and “taxes”, Saints-conceding-a-last-minute-of-stoppage-time-goal-against-Ipswich is one of life’s fundamental guarantees. Imagine my bewilderment when I glanced at the final score and saw we had hung on and had all three points.

For those who want to buy a ticket ... I had difficulties accessing the correct page on the southamptonfc website and also with the ticketing app. Whichever link I clicked on a page appeared saying "Error page. Unfortunately, you are not authorised to browse this url". I was about to give up when the correct page suddenly appeared.

I agree - but then again, as a (not so) wise man once said “if it ain’t broke, consider breaking it”

Let me help you … the MEPs voted for UvdL. The same sort of way the leaders of our own political parties are chosen. How the President of the European Commission is elected.

I know he’s a loanee but should Maxwell Cornet be added to that sorry list?

I was unable to follow the match - could someone who was there tell me how the last 10 minutes or so went, please? Were we all hands to the pump, forcing City back and making them endure The Alamo as we have to when trying to close out a winning game? Did Ramsdale come up for a last minute corner? - Did we have any last minute corner? - Were we ever close to snatching a point at the death? … And if not, why not?

Pawel Gil - he was the referee for our home game against Inter Milan. True, he was neither anti-Saints nor anti-Inter but Gil’s decisions were so outrageously inconsistent it must have been a nightmare for both teams. Sometimes he awarded a free kick for the slightest of touches and then let a full-bloodied assault go unpunished. A short while later he would do the opposite - no pattern at all to his whistle-blowing.

What a wise substitution

When you put it like that it’s hard to say anything except … “you have a very fair point”

Back home after a highly enjoyable trip. Whilst the purist would (rightly) think this was a poor game with far too many mistakes, for sheer entertainment it was an absolute bargain. Great goals and a good opportunity to see some of our new additions and lesser-spotted squad members. There is little I can add to all the comments already posted but I shall tell you of a conversation I had with the hotel receptionist. It helps if you say his words with a Welsh accent. "I see you have booked in for just the one person. Is that correct?" "Oh yes" "Pity. Tell you what, I'll put you in a double in case you pull." "Thank you but that is unlikely at my age" "Well, you never know ... after all, this is Cardiff"

I shall certainly be sitting - although whether I can manage the climb up the stairs to the seat (Block 123 Row L Seat 135) is another matter.

It has been years since I went to an away match (Wembley trips notwithstanding). I have been umming-and-ahhing as to whether I should go to this match - like the nervous first-time bungee-jumper I was a bit reluctant to take the plunge (distance, match on TV ... Wales). Your message has given me the shove in the back I needed. Train ticket, match ticket and hotel all organised. Throat lozenges packed.

The events will certainly Test the security services

Duncan Ferguson?

Apart from him, the only one I could think of was Kenny Dalglish - but he was before the PL era

Henrik Larsson?

Those of us of a Certain Age may well have fond memories of 60s icon Francoise Hardy who has died aged 80. Tous les garçons et les filles de mon age

1) Gavin's goal at Preston. Given as an own goal but we know better. 2) Rothwell's screamer against Huddersfield (and KWP's reaction to it). Not just great shot but the timing of the goal so early in the second-half got us back in the game and put us on the front foot. 3) The arrival of the team bus at St Mary's ahead of the play-off semi-final

And remember to switch the phone on

So much good sense has already been written there is little I can add other than some observations of the day out. The climb up to Level 5 at Wembley was a Work Out I could have done without but if I felt my knees were in danger of seizing up then Armstrong's goal soon sorted that. I leapt from my seat like a gazelle (have you ever seen a gazelle leap from a seat at a sorts stadium) and any aches and pains were not even considered. At St Mary's my seat is in the Kingsland Stand and at 68 years old I am one of the younger fans in the block. Yesterday I was amongst some of the more youthful, vocal and boisterous of fans and I had a wonderful time - reminded me of my youth standing in the chocolate boxes at The Dell. One young lad was directly behind me and his enthusiasm for the Saints was only surpassed by his apparent lack of vocabulary. His lexicon seemed to be limited to about six words, with the letters 'f', 'c' and 'b' featuring prominently. Such passion!! Loved every minute of it and I would never be treated to such a display of raw hatred in the Kingsland. The journey back home via Waterloo was a bit tight but we managed to get the last ferry to Ryde. Physically I was exhausted but mentally I was buzzing far too much to sleep so I watched the highlights on tv and awoke this morning to find my self still sitting in my chair, an empty bottle of claret next to me and the tv still on. Perhaps the best way to finish one of life's more memorable days out. My only regret is not buying shares in 'The Extra Strong Throat Lozenge Company'. I suspect sales will be up strongly this morning.

There is a precedent. For those a bit too young to remember, in 1962 Peter Swan of Sheffield Wednesday was involved in a betting scandal and was banned for life in 1964. This was lifted in 1972. A couple of other players who were also involved received similar bans.

Fluttering through my letter-box has come an envelope with the tickets. Purchased on Monday at around 10.20am, arriving on the South Island at 14.00 Wednesday.

https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/southampton-vs-leeds?utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3374735_TIC - 23%2F24 Play-Off Final on sale criteria&utm_content=CTA Button - Ticket Info&dm_i=2HKL,20BYN,2DYRKZ,77CGU,1 in the section Seat Map … “following the advice from the EFL, the Club will be using an external 3rd party to dispatch our tickets. They have many years of experience in dispatching tickets for large venues such as Wembley Stadium in a short space of time, due to their staff resource.”

Logged in around 09.34 and told there was a 39 minute wait. In reality this was a but less - around 30 minutes. Clicked the ENTER button and sent to a page saying I was unauthorised to proceed. After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a few seconds) another page popped up and I could continue to purchase. Thereafter everything went smoothly but sometimes with a bit of a wait. Should others experience similar my message is ... don't worry, you'll get there eventually.

I need some help here, please. How can I buy tickets for myself and a couple of friends (all of us are season ticket holders) for the play-off final so that we can sit together? We used to go to away matches but that was years ago and looking at My Account on the SFC website there are no names on the Friends & Family page. Any help much appreciated.