Super_Uwe

Great tip! Always pays to make use of local knowledge if you can. When I went to the World Cup in Germany in 2006, I flew out to Frankfurt Hahn from Stansted with Ryanair. The queues for the bus to Frankfurt were absolutely massive as that is where everyone wanted to going; the queue for the bus to Mainz however was virtually dead. Got that bus and a train to Frankfurt which was really easy and stress-free.

Yeah I saw that this morning as well. I noticed that Schneiderlin got a run-out in the Europa League, then didn't even make the bench for the Watford game. Not happening for him at all this season.

Yes he said that, but then followed it with "Not yet." Don't personally think what he said was in any way negative about what we are doing, in fact I think he is quite envious of how well we have progressed. And anyway, he is quite right - we finished 7th and 6th the past couple of years, but we need to continue this progress if we are going to be a proper top six club.

I haven't been to Saints' home games on a regular basis now for the past 10 years when I moved permanently away from the area. Since we have been back in the Prem, I've only seen one home game in the League Cup a few seasons ago. I don't have any burning desire to go any more, mainly because it will cost me the best part of £80-100 to get a matchday ticket for a PL game, travel, food etc, not to mention the time travelling. I see Plymouth play a few times a season, but to be fair that costs me £20 or so and I travel with my in-laws. Also, a significant chunk of games in League Two are at 3pm on a Saturday which is much better for me personally. Of course it's great that Saints are in the Europa League this season, but that comes at a huge cost in terms of the fixture schedule which fans just have to suck up and deal with. Maybe subconsciously as well, part of me can't be bothered to line the pockets of the club/players when there is so much money in football now? It's hard to say really. But I'll always follow Saints regardless of whether I actually go to the games or not.

I haven't seen it, only heard about it in the match report. I would like to think it is more down to the circumstances rather than there being any genuine rift, but who knows. But Austin has had a really quiet start to the season, my guess is that his eyes lit up at the chance to get our European campaign off to a good start and bag his first of the season. He is a striker who has scored loads of goals wherever he's played; for a variety of reasons that hasn't happened so far. Pens are a quick-fire way to sort that out for a striker!

I know exactly the point you mean about the facilities being abused at times, and I know the case highlighted in the BBC article above is one where the family does of course need special access due to their childrens' physical disabilities. However, a side note worth pointing out is that sometimes people who are autistic or have sensory processing issues, for example, would also benefit from use of these facilities, even though they may appear perfectly "normal on the outside". Football ground toilets in particular are fundamentally challenging for sufferers due to the noise, cramped conditions, lighting etc, and can quite easily trigger a meltdown (particularly in children). Generally though, I agree that you can probably tell who is taking the p***, but it isn't always as clear cut as some might think.

I can't honestly say that I feel we have done badly in this transfer window. All of the players who have left were expected to do so, and the club has backed the manager and ensured that we have brought in good quality replacements. Even with the manager himself, I can completely understand why we appointed him in the first place as his European experience will be really handy this year (hopefully). I think it is unfortunate that his interviews come across in such a bland way, otherwise I believe people would be cutting him a hell of a lot more slack right now (results aside even).

What is funny on this thread is the number of posters who think he is rubbish and not good enough to play for us:scared: I don't disagree that his stock has fallen somewhat in recent years, but if we were able to sign him on loan then it would be a real coup. To suggest otherwise is bonkers!

If he wants to kick-start his career, there is no better club in the Premier League than us to help him on his way. I would be utterly amazed if he signs on loan for us, but weirder things have happened.

Sad to see but I guess it could work out quite nicely for all parties if it happens. Can't believe it's the best part of 2 and half years ago that he got injured at City. When you look at it that way, you can well understand the need for him to be playing regular football.

I am still really confused about the situation with Fonte. I honestly have no idea if he's going to be with us beyond the end of the transfer window. One thing I can say - I have followed his Facebook page for a good year now, and his last couple of posts are rather odd compared to his usual Saints-related fare. Something just doesn't add up, but to be honest I have long given up trying to understand what is going to happen at our club.

OK just had a quick peek on his Twitter account, unless it's been hacked I think it's safe to say this story about him moving is complete rubbish!

I hope the rumours are just pure speculation, but to be perfectly honest I would not begrudge Jose one final big move. He's a top pro and proof of what you can achieve if you are prepared to work your socks off. I am thinking there may be some sort of surprise presentation before one of the friendlies. Not ITK information, just a hunch. I think that would be a nice move if the club did something to honour both Jose and Cedric (as it's not every day that two of our players win a major international trophy!).

I know these figures probably aren't completely reliable, but £30m for Andre Gray versus £17-£20m for Berahino? Makes Saido look quite the bargain!:scared:

Feel sorry for the bloke, basically he's being mullered for the fact that he is a "low profile" signing and hasn't cost us tens of millions of pounds. I'm not really sure what our board has to do to gain the trust of some fans, other than just spend obscene amounts of money. As far as I am concerned, all of the signings so far make perfect sense to me. Bienvenue M. Pied by the way!

I agree Fonte should be up there. He is an absolute diamond at our club; a top quality defender and a fantastic example to all of us that you can achieve big things if you are prepared to work hard and keep improving. I am not sure if I can say he's the "best" captain we've had in my 25 years of supporting Saints, but he's got to be right up there.

I think Puel is a very intriguing appointment. No doubt whatsoever that his credentials fit in with what we want to try and do as a club, and he sounds like he is going to embrace that. As long as we get a good balance between helping to develop the younger players and also continuing to invest wisely in other talent, then hopefully we will continue to progress. I have no reason to think the club is suddenly going to do a "Rupert Lowe circa 2008" and just lob in academy player after academy player into the first team...well I hope not anyway! As for Puel himself...when I was at college back in the early 00's, I took part in a French exchange in the south of France. My guest family lived quite near to Monaco, and when I left they bought me a home shirt as a present as they knew how much I loved to watch the Saints. Also managed to get some tickets to watch Monaco play a friendly against either Tunisia or Algeria (genuinely can't remember which team though!). And Monaco's manager that night? Claude Puel. Never would I have imagined he'd end up being Saints' boss 15 years later....

Thanks for your efforts Ron. We enjoyed your two years with us. Hope you enjoy counting the extra wad of notes in your back pocket.

I'm very intrigued by developments today. I still find it hard to believe that RK won't see out his final year with us as he has repeatedly said that he would. But nothing surprises me in football any more and it may well be that he is going to go.

Great picture! It is very impressive and something all Saints fans should be proud of.

I think Curtis Nelson of Plymouth Argyle could be a good shout as a reasonably low risk punt from the lower leagues. Still only 22 and has made nearly 250 first team appearances already for Argyle, and has also been the first team captain for a couple of years already. Potentially ticks a lot of the boxes (young, English, good leadership skills etc). Have seen him play quite a few times and have generally been impressed. I could see him improving a lot working with Fonte, Van Dijk etc.

I have got my ticket for Pompey's second leg against Argyle on Sunday. Wouldn't mind it going to pens and Argyle winning, then I can start singing the "special version" of Amarillo all by myself and see the look of bemusement at all the other fans around me:lol: Really looking forward to the Palace game. Actually a very exciting end to the season for a change. If we manage to get 5th that would be the icing on the cake!

I wonder if it's more of a personal issue for him settling in Southampton. We all expect foreign players to come and play in the Premier League and show their abilities right from day one. I have lived in France and Germany before, and it does take a while to get used to things, not least the local language and culture. The good thing about Saints is that there are so many different nationalities, but that doesn't change the fact he's still a young guy; maybe he just wasn't ready to move yet? He obviously has good pedigree (you don't get picked to be a full Spanish international by chance), but maybe a move will be best for all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35180064 Amazing the way the team has turned it around. If we can beat Palace that will be 39 points from our last 18 games! Fingers crossed we can secure a Europa League spot now. It would be absolutely brilliant if we could manage that.

Really looking forward to the City game, will be interesting to see what side they put out. I personally think it will be a high scoring draw; am going for 3-3.