CWD

As a 3rd choice keeper Gazza is fine. What he lacks at the moment - composure and authority - are things that come with experience. He isn't PL standard at the moment but I'd like to see a list of 3rd choice goalies who are. He'll improve but he needs a loan once Davis/Boruc are fit.

I didn't know John Virgo was on the Portsmouth board

I think spurs would be silly to get rid of AVB. Top young manager. Yes spurs have spent a lot of money but those players need time to gel. Also don't think Pochettino would go anyway. He has a good thing going on with us at the moment.

Still too early to judge. Injury and form of players in the 1st 11 have meant he hasn't had enough time yet.

We are at the moment. If Man Utd are in the title race then we are. I don't doubt we'll fall out of it at some point but at the moment we are firmly in it. If we were in 18th right now people would say we're relegation candidates so why can't it work the other way round!?

"you can't deny that after 11 games of the season, Southampton are firmly in the title race" This is a quote by me to a friend just now. It is completely true. Go forth and say it to all of your friends too - and your enemies. In fact, everyone you know, trust me - it feels good. (Disclaimer: I don't expect us to win the league but I am going to enjoy every moment we are up there while it lasts. Please don't berate me for being a 'deluded mong'. Thanks)

Working today but managed to listen to the first half on radio. Just beyond words how happy I am at the moment. I just love football so much and I love this club!

Haha thanks. I totally agree about the young players - I'm just not convinced they should be playing alongside our fringe senior players. Put Reed in next to Wanyama, Rowe next to Lallana etc. and we might just win the game AND get the lads some experience. And if players are tired then rest them - but don't weaken the team too considerably. All IMHO of course and I do understand your point.

Call me crazy but could we possibly win a trophy and still finish in the top 8? I didn't realise that if you win the League Cup you automatically finish 2 places lower than if you don't! I think people are exaggerating the strain this will put on the players. It's only one extra game ffs. Also didn't MP say that every week the lads play at least one full intensity, 90 min training match against each other? So surely they can manage a game on a Wednesday night instead - in fact you could argue it would be more beneficial to go up against real opposition.

In the NPC we regularly played the same team Tuesday Saturday... Why now we're in the PL with supposedly vastly improved fitness should we be resting players? Give some guys who deserve it a chance stake a claim - but there is no reason to put out a weak team. Davis Clyne Fonte Yoshida Fox Schneiderlin Cork JWP Davis Lallana Osvaldo

Fonte - Schneiderlin - Lallana - Lambert. All been here since league 1. Incredible.

Yep I agree, the records we kept breaking in the NPC changed every 5 minutes!

Do you take everything literally? Or just love trying to make other people look stupid? In response to your question yes I was, but I was also confident against West Ham and Sunderland. Not to mention Stoke, QPR and WBA last season.

-----------------Boruc------------- ------------------------------------ Clyne -- Lovren -- Fonte -- Shaw ------------------------------------ ---Wanyama ---- Schneiderlin--- ------------------------------------ Ward-Prowse---Davis----Lallana ------------------------------------ -------------Osvaldo-------------- Davis, Chambers, Hooiveld, Cork, Lambert, Ramirez, Rodriguez Can't help but think we'll draw this one. Just seems to happen whenever we're confident of a win!

I don't think you can accuse him of not working hard, he just works in a different way. Gaston is not a player who is going to chase down defenders constantly but that's because he isn't that sort of player. He works hard in terms of his endeavour to create and his ability to find space. Unfortunately these are qualities that aren't as appreciated in the English game, we tend to admire physically outstanding players rather than technical ones - hence the admiration of the likes of Chaplow and Hammond and more recently Morgan of course. Of course the best teams have a mix of both types of players and the truly best players have a mix of both styles to their game. Within MP's gameplan the likes of Schneiderlin and Davis are far more likely to stand out because they have that physical edge which allows them to play very aggressively. Gaston however builds his game around being technically and mentally superior to his opponents (reading the game better essentially) but we don't have enough of those players in our first XI, so there aren't many guys on Ramirez' wavelength. Mainly because they don't fit MP's style. Essentially I think Ramirez is a very talented player and he will almost certainly go on to great things, but if Cortese really believes that MP is the man to reach his ambitions then GR just won't fit into his style. You have to adjust for a player like him and carry him in the odd game (like we did with Guly in the NPC sometimes) but our style is so based around teamwork and physicality that I don't think he'll reach the heights he wants to with us.

This. He's not in the team to be creative. Against Palace he won everything, and is so important to us defensively. He's like a bigger more aggressive Makelele and only 21. Also would say the turn up in Lallana's form has something to do with VW being in the team. Has far less defensive work to do.

Draw Away Draw Draw Home Away My predictions for the PL games today

Actually thought he was slightly biased towards us

Wanyama was so good today. And what can you say about Lovren and Fonte? Classy partnership. Still not quite there going forward but not going to complain after 3 straight clean sheets at the other end!

Lovren and Fonte remind me so much of Killer and Claus. One outstanding CB whose very presence has raised the other ones game. They also seem to love playing together. Clyne MOTM for me, he was brilliant. I would have given it to Lovren but tbf Liverpool should have had a penalty when he lunged at Sturridge, and that could have induced a very different result. I thought we played very well but not getting to high as there is still work to be done offensively. Our attacking 4 showed promise but it isn't quite clicking yet. I can see it happening against Palace where I fancy us to win well. Quick mention to Steven Davis - when you are 1-0 up away from home, that was as close to a perfect substitute appearance as you can get. Had pace and power on the ball but also harried in defence. In fact MP's subs were all spot on today I thought - something I've criticised him for before. Osvaldo was unlucky not to score - that was some save from Mignolet.

Wanyama is very raw, because we spent so much money on him I kind of forget how inexperienced he is. I think Cork should be starting, he's just a more composed player. Let VW work his way back into the team like all other young players. He has so much potential though. Lallana is like a different player this season. Clyne excellent. Final ball is lame as usual.

I love being in the Prem. I love the increased media coverage and being able to talk about my club with other fans, and them having some knowledge of my team. I love being able to play the best teams every week. Hell I even love moaning about lawro's predictions every week because at least it shows we're being talked about! However I do think much of this appreciation is down to the fact that we spent so long in the lower leagues. When I started at Uni and my housemates were all sat watching United, I was tuning into solent to listen to saints v Yeovil. I saw Saints play at places like Gillingham and get beat by Rochdale. I saw the rise of Rickie Lambert from the start, not just tuning in for the credits like the rest of the world. In short I feel I've experienced real football, The heart and soul of the game, and I'd like to think that as a club we will always remember those wilderness year and maintain those values even if we do go on to better things.

Moot point in my opinion as I don't think we'd have attracted the players we have if he was still in charge. Agree with the general gist of the thread though. We're quite boring and frustrating to watch the majority of the time and only 4 goals in 9 or something is pretty poor. However, it would be like us to go and beat Liverpool next week, and tbf we did seem to create some more opportunities today.

Is he a skate though? I seem to remember he used to commentate on all our games last time in the Prem

For the younger chaps among us, what happened in 1973?