Surrey Saint

6-0

Jason Puncheon ‏ @jasonpunch On another note I'm perfectly fine an not injured..we have one aim together as a unit the premier league

At last! We have the self indulgent luxury of four and a half days of doing nothing but worry endlessly about ourselves. Are we good enough? Will we bottle it at the last? Coventry will roll over won't they because they are already relegated and are clearly useless AND they have five or six injuries and a suspension to deal with. Oh no they won't! They'll suddenly transform themselves in to a slick devil-take-the-hindmost footballing machine as they have nothing to play for and will attack with abandon, exposing our frail and nervous players for the wusses they really are. But no, wait! If we play like we did against Pompey/Palace/Peterborough/Reading/Derby etc we will get shed loads of goals. Yes, but if we steam forward we'll be exposed at the back and Fonte/Fox will mess up and we'll go 1-0 with only added on time to get two goals for the win and WHU will likely be 3-0 up against a disinterested Hulll . . . I'm exhausted by the stress . . . and it's only a quarter past eight Tuesday morning.

Leicester are 10th at the moment, the best finish they could hope for would be 8th. Arguably they've got less to prove or to play for than Coventry who may well be up for doing a number on the Championship's 2nd best side to sign off from the C'ship on a (kind of), high. Leicester's players won't want to risk injury by giving it their all tomorrow night or in their final game. I'm sure they'll be professional and play to win but West Ham must be hungrier, more urgent and will in all probability be half a yard quicker to the second ball. I will be mightily surprised if they don't win. So what? We have a second team who ought to be able to beat Coventry (even on a bad day), let alone the team who've turned out for Saints in the last few weeks. I expect I'll feel a bit down tomorrow about 9.45 but that's because I will know then that I have to spend the best part of a week thinking about Saturday 12.30pm, when I shall be hundreds of miles away wiythout radio, tv or internet access. Whenever I get to hear the result I am confident it'll be a resounding Saints win (and I say this even as a supporter of several decades and many disappointments - even in the face of the evidence optimism runs deep).

I'm not sure I can take much more of this, the hope, the expectation the looking-on-the-bright-side of defeats. But at last we reach the final game and all we need do is win, - against a demoralised, relegated side. What could be simpler . . . . Unfortunately for me I'll be in Italy for an in-laws family gathering. Village in the north. No television, no radio. Have to rely on iPhone for updates - if there's an internet signal. Strangely have a feeling of relief along with regret I can't be at SMS. Possibly by the time I get to hear the outcome it will all be over - no minute by minute ups and downs, no heart in mouth moments, no looking at the progress of other games. I'll miss it.

Will be in Leicester Monday for a conference. Have arranged to take my Leicester Uni student daughter out for a meal in the pm. Can I persuade her she'd prefer to go to the King Power stadium and have a burger at half time instead?

So, the mighty COVENTRY bring their crack team of battle hardened, talented and confident players to face us next week. Will we QUAKE? Will we roll over and SURRENDER? Will we RESPECT their gifted and slick play making? Nah. We'll win, 3-0 probs. Believe. We are going up.

When do we start to get nervous about the Middlesbro' game?

Just got in from work. So, we're doing all right then. GD looking a bit more respectable too. Everything is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds. COYS

At work 6 - 8.30 pm, no radio, no internet. Drive home listening to Radio 5Live Extra (thank the Lord for in car DAB radios), switching now and again to Radio London to pick up the WHU score. Hoping Saints are 0-4 up* by half time so I won't cause a road rage/elation incident if/when Posh/Saints score 2nd half. *A man can dream.

Confused by some of the opinions on this thread. Do we want PL football at SMS or should we be tweeting the players to say forget it lads, consensus is we prefer 2nd tier football? And suggest they take it easy over the last 3 games of the season. FWIW I remember the late 60's in the old Division 1 and those later unbroken 27 years of top division football. It was great, both those rare occasions when we were doing well and the backs-against-the-wall relegation seasons. Bring it on again. It was often gripping stuff, beating ManU at the Dell on a number of occasions, 'thrashing' Liverpool 1-0 in the days of their 60's pomp. Who wouldn't want to again entertain the best of the PL at SMS?

We're doomed! Doomed I tell you! Doomed!

What a great season we are having, what great football our team have played. In all likelihood we'll go up automatically. What we can and must do is show our support and confidence in the team. Let's go for the glass half full option. The worst we can be after WH have played BHA is 3 points clear in 2nd with a superior goal difference. That's the only reality. We'll go to P'Boro Tuesday and they will be wary of our attack and respectful of our midfield. Our defence is not currently the best thing about our ganme but it's less porous than most in the division. If we win, great, if we draw or lose we'll still be ahead of WH even if they win their next game. No need for anyone to panic. COYS

Relax . . . we will win* . . . and breathe. *Why do I think this? And I do, genuinely. I've been following Saints since before anyone south of Liverpool had heard of the Beatles; you'd think I'd know better by now. And yet, I've had this unmoveable feeling all week that we will beat Reading tonight. Nothing good can come of this. Or, . . . . can it?

According to Matt Holland's post Easter blog we've got nothing to worry about. Quote, 'At the other end of the table, Southampton I feel wrapped up automatic promotion with four points from a possible six and once again they were heavily indebted to Rickie Lambert with both goals in Monday's win against Crystal Palace. Maybe the Saints rushed him back too quickly for the derby against Portsmouth and for me he looked a little off the pace on Saturday. It was a different story however at Palace and Nigel Adkins, his squad and the supporters can now start planning for next season in the Premier League.' Maths clearly not dear old Matt's best subject at school.

Tweet this am. Jacqui Oatley ‏ @JacquiOatley Had a very strange dream that Andy Townsend and @theMichaelOwen scored late goals for Southampton to secure promotion. #SaintsFC Can we get them on emergency loans?

Definitely sung; rather halfheartedly. People around me (Block V), didn't seem very interested. Surely time to retire it now Pompey are a footballing irrelevance to us.

Don't sit on the fence; say what you mean.

Am v. nervous about this one. I know it's not technically true but this is surely a 'must win' game. At least in terms of retaining/regaining team confidence and fans optimism that we WILL be promoted this year. Can't help feeling Palace are due a win after a run of poor form, but then so are we after some costly mistakes in two previous games. Will be calmer at 3pm. COYS

D'Accord the last sentence, both for the 'time served' (50 years man and boy myself), and the sentiment. It's what we get for insisting on supporting our local team, the one from the town we come from, rather than choosing to support a top four Prem side hundreds of miles away. The down side is the hope that THIS time things will turn out fine, that' we'll get the rub of the green, the much needed win, the result of some other club going our way. Too often it doesn't happen. It won't stop us turning out tomorrow or, even if we lose, on Friday with renewed hope. The upside is that occasionally, - Ted Bates' side in the mid sixties, Lawrie's '76 and '78 sides and Nige's last year, it happens, - we get the reward and elation of achieving. Life is always the sweeter then and it keeps us going until the next time. As regards tomorrow. I'm just glad we can get back on the pitch quickly to properly put the disappointment of yesterday's last few minutes behind us. It's a truism but should we win Pompey and the result will be a distant memory. COYS

These silly stories emerge from time to time and acquire a currency through repetition. Anyone remember the 'Chelsea Smilers' nonsense from about 15/16 years ago? Complete and utter tosh with no basis in fact, rather like the 'Project Scum Breaker' I suspect.

Phoned the ticket office 1.50pm - nothing available. Went online - tickets available. Phoned the tkt office before pressing 'Buy', ' No, you can try it but you won't get a ticket.' Pressed 'Buy' - got ticket. Tkt office person goes away, comes back, 'Yes, you will get the ticket. Apparently we have some more tkts but we're not advertising the fact.' ????

Money for nothing - Dire Straits

Aside from the great music the names he gave his band members were a delight also. Winged eel Fingerling and Rockette Morton cvome to mind.

60 - currently living near Guildford. First game March 1962 v Sc'nthorpe. We won 6-4. First hero the great John Sydenham. 1st away game v Spurs, can't recall the date.