shurlock

Our team that night: Southampton: Davis, Murty (Thomson, 76), Thomas, Lancashire, Harding, James, Wotton, Schneiderlin, Lallana, Lambert (Gobern, 85), Paterson (Rasiak, 66). Quite a different team (no big CBs, no Hammond, little or no pace) while the likes of Lambert (for whom Northampton was his debut) were finding their feet.

I agree and NC is far too diplomatic to get into details. Giving Pinnacle exclusivity was one thing, acting like a cavalier toss*r with ML/NC was another. One did not require the other.

Has been top-class so far. Interesting because in the past fans at other clubs have accused him of having attitudes problems.

What's the problem??? Good tie. We beat them comfortably at the start of the season with a sh*t team (the team that lost to Huddersfield and Swindon). If we could do that then, the 3rd round almost certainly beckons....

Bournemouth away. S**t all over those redknapp worshippers while ensuring they make f**k all money out of the game. We should even decline any offer to play the game at SMS.

Was a c**ts hair away from f**king up. forget the initial exclusivity, the haughty way he dealt with the ML/NC throughout -paraphrasing Cortese it was like "he didnt want them" was a joke. By contrast, ML/NC are model professionals and both knew a good deal for what it was and quickly smelt the Pinnacle bulls**t (no doubt before fry). They were confident and patient enough not to get flustered when others would have blinked and/or taken offense and walked away.

From where I was, i didn't hear the rest of the chant "the saviour marcus liebherr went to rome to see the pope" catching on. shame...

Just had a look at the lallana goal and when i first saw his turn i thought it was showboating and no more a simple two pass move, albeit sharply executed. But that turn was critical to the goal: had he gone immediately goal side, he would have showed too much of the ball and been pickpocketed.

Wet side

We looked totally different second half - thought that brizzle bossed the centre of midfield in the first half (admittedly without threatening), something which an extra man in the middle -Wotton etc- would have made difficult. I thought Hammond had one of his poorer games for us last night.

Football still happens to be the one public setting where thousands of virtual strangers come together. In this day and age, can't think of any setting comparable to that, so football makes perfect sense.

Read john keegan's first world war or if you can't read watch paths of glory or something and see if you have the brains to say something so ignorant and arrogant again.

Worth remembering McLaggon who is the same age as Antonio and if anything has higher level experience than Antonio is returning to fitness and will give us another option down the right.

FWIW, if they get someone in quickly, the FA cup tie will be their first game, not us.

Take them seriously - will be useful to see how far we've progressed since our last matches with them. Psychologically, what's the point of losing, especially to teams that are going to be there or there abouts at the end of the season compared to a win and the self-belief that we can turn anyone over? Its not as if we have a packed schedule - the friday and sunday fixtures help to this extent. Writing games off, resting players etc smacks of the meek, middling mindset that AP is trying to banish as a relic of the old era. Unless its a total trainwreck fixtures-wise, we should set up as strongly as possible for every game.

...that spare ticket has now been snapped up.

Gutted to be pulling out of this one - first away game missed in a number of seasons; but for the rest of you, happy days, I have a spare ticket. £20 to be picked up from my brother at the ground. First come, first served. PM me.

Absolutely. No doubt, the Charlton and Norwich games beforehnd will be a good test, especially the Charlton game as we'll be able to compare the progress we've made since the trip to the Valley (which has coincided with our run). But Elland Road and 20,000+ irrate yorkshiremen is especially tasty. I still remember our last visit to Elland Road (2006) where we walloped them 3-0. Easily one of the highlights of the season (in addition to the 1-0 at SMS which practically relegated them). For the satisfaction that those wins bring, wouldn't want them to be anything but Dirty Leeds

Not necessarily. As you well know;) we only took five points from our first seven games, and lost two of our first three. The improvement is not simply a matter of form- though we've won our last four and they've lost their last four. Rather it boils down to the fact that we have a completely different team from the start of the season and just as importantly that it has had an opportunity to gel together. In other words, this is more than a temporary blip, a run of confidence that surfaces over the cracks of our early performances and that can be exposed at any moment. While we're stuck with our poor start, it would be wrong to analyse our current prospects and the strength of the team in light of it.

Was growing up around Dean Court when they famously kicked off in Bournemouth (May 1990) - still remember them giving it to anyone and everyone, even young kids like me. Much less the violence, its the swagger, entitlement and utter lack of humour or generosity that qualifies them as ****s. Man U supporters have taken over the mantle in recent years - last year's FA cup fixture was a vivid reminder of that. How they laughed at being able to fill the ground with plastics.

Regards beating rovers, they've now lost five on the trot. Indeed, their last victory was against us - and that feels an eternity ago. Only Wycombe are experiencing worse form than them. If there was ever a time to play them, it is now. ...[insert usual disclaimers about form going out the window in cup games etc].

sealing the deal for an extension to Antonio's loan? you can only hope...

I agree one of Schneiderlin/Hammond -arguably Schneiderlin- dropped slightly deeper after Wotton went off (recall Hammond's position for our first goal) but don't think the jobs or positions of Lallana or Antonio changed all that much. AP was looking to turn the screws on a team that was happy to put bodies behind the ball not perfectly balance one formation for another. On another day, playing another striker like Connolly might require the widefielders to stay further back; but not on Saturday.

Nobody knocks the ball on - he should have been judged on- or off- side from the moment James hit it which is inconclusive from Saints player. If anything, he may been slightly more onside- he was moving forward and only marginally ahead of the last defender well after the ball had been crossed. But too hard to tell.

Shame ince was serving his touchline ban.