LuckyNumber7

I've always quite liked Jamie Redknapp but thought his comments the other day about VVD and Saints were really disrespectful to us and showed a real lack of understanding of the whole situation. Equally Chris Sutton spouted a load of similar nonsense, another moron who thinks he knows it all. I have actually warmed to Carragher, I think he has improved as a pundit and usually at least tries to be impartial, but he will naturally always have some bias. Gary Neville is by far the best out there though.

Some good news at last, welcome to Southampton Mario!

Can't believe after all he's done, he's actually trying to play the victim. What a despicable piece of work he is. £70M from anyone but the Scousers or he rots for 5 years, as far as I'm concerned.

Howe would be my first choice, if he would leave Bournemouth. Otherwise like the idea of Blanc, but he would probably want a bigger club than us. Would be happy with Jokanovic or Adkins returning. Not much else on that list to inspire, Les will need to be thinking outside the box.

Not keen on the home kit at all, but the away one is growing on me. Will stick with the Veho stripes from two years ago for next season as that's our best kit from recent seasons imo.

Don't like that at all, although still better than the all red Cortese gave us. Saints without stripes just doesn't look right. Probably fake anyway.

IMO it's very lazy to just look at the league position in isolation and say, oh we finished 8th, it was a good season. On its own yes that is fine, but you have to look at the bigger picture as well. Only two points ahead of 13th Closer points wise to the bottom three than the team immediately above us Less than a goal a game at home, and none in the last five If we were managerless now, would you look at Puel's record this season and think we should be appointing him? The most worrying thing is we have actually been getting worse rather than better, and when a team is struggling to score goals as badly as we have been there is only one direction you're headed. I genuinely believe if Puel is still in charge next season we will be in a relegation battle, as I don't see him changing his style. I'm quite amazed that we finished 8th but to a certain extent I think we were let off the hook as the rest of the league outside the top 7 was so poor. He seems a decent guy, and I am grateful for the cup final, but really aside from that it has been a pretty dismal season with very few highlights.

Cedric was waving goodbye on the lap of honour. Some idiots were booing CP as he was applauding the crowd, I want him gone but that was out of order imo. The fact that a team who only scored 17 goals at home all season has finished 8th just shows what a terrible league it's been this season. West Brom failed to win any of their last nine games and we only overtook them on goal difference It is just a relief this turgid season is now over and I'm actually for the first time looking forward to the summer break. I have renewed my ST but am really hoping we have a new manager when we come back in August.

You must have been watching completely different games to me this season, most games at SMS we have done anything but go for it, and that is my main gripe with Puel. He sets us up to not lose, rather than to try and win. I also think you're being harsh on WGS, we had far more exciting games under him than we've had under Puel, and he was working with much more limited players.

Enough is enough, I'm fed up with this tedious negative rubbish week in week out. 11 goals in our last 13 home games says it all, it is a real chore going to SMS atm. IMO we have good players but the manager is not using them properly. Gabbi worked his socks off tonight but gets no service as we are set up to try and keep a clean sheet rather than try and win the game, he was ridiculously isolated. Many times when Arsenal were in possession we had 11 men behind he ball. The whole place needs livening up as it feels like there's a real apathy setting in and it needs to start with a new manager who actually knows how to attack. Season can't end soon enough.

I didn't think we could get any more boring than the Hull game last week. Seems I was wrong.

Sorry but I have to disagree with this. I have had a ST ever since we moved to SMS and this season has been by far the worst for entertainment imo. Of course every season you have some dull games but this year I struggle to think of more than three home games I have really enjoyed, the whole mentality of the team under Puel is just so negative. It was notable on Saturday that near the end when Hull had a corner, JRod was looking towards the bench to see if CP wanted him to stay forward, but Puel waved him back to defend meaning we had no one in a forward position in the event of a counter attack. That to me just sums the guy up. I hate sacking managers and really wanted it to work with Puel so we had some stability, but I have to say reluctantly I am in the Puel Out camp. The thought of having to sit through another season of slow, backwards football is frightening. He seems like a decent bloke, and not a terrible manager, but he's just not right for us.

I hope Leeds or Huddersfield do it, but expect it will be Fulham as they are bang in form.

His first goal in 12 games today apparently. Hard to fully judge though as he's playing in a poor side.

I don't think people are getting at Puel just because we lost, clearly City are a class above in terms of ability and if on top of their game, which they were, would fully expect to beat us. There is no shame in losing to a better team. What really annoys me and I think others is the manager's approach to games. From the first minute it looked like our sole objective was to just try and keep the score down and we had already accepted our fate. That is both horrible to watch, and it's very unlikely to get you a result. We are so much better when we get at teams and try and unsettle them, but we just gave City far too much respect, as good as they were. This has been an all too familiar approach to games this season, especially at home. I can take losing if we give it a go but on Saturday we just meekly surrendered.

Totally agree, this is probably the most boring and negative Saints side I've seen in my 20+ years of being a fan, I'm fed up with him setting us up not to lose rather than to try and win. Almost every time we had a chance to hit them on the counter yesterday we just stopped, slowed things down and passed it backwards again. Story of most of the season and it's why only the bottom two have scored less goals at home than us. On the whole 9th in the league and a cup final, considering the number of games, constitutes a decent season, but I just can't abide by his style of play. Going to SMS has not been a joyless experience this season.

Same, I'm Kingsland North too and the atmosphere used to be really good but has been steadily declining over the last few years, very depressing. The main problems imo are a)our lack of songs now (desperately need some new ones) and b) the demographics have changed. A few years ago we were surrounded by lads all standing and making noise, now it's all older people, women and hipster studenty types who show absolutely no interest in creating any atmosphere. Half of them look bored stiff most of the time and you wonder why they bother going. Can't see things changing sadly.

And yet somehow we are favourites with the bookies. Completely agree, I thought he was playing well and unlucky to be taken off, whereas Long was awful after coming on and then couldn't hit a cow's backside in midweek. I can't see us having an abundance of chances here so we need to be more clinical, I would start with Jay.

James Ward-Prowse in the England squad?? April 1st is two weeks away yet!

Exactly what I was thinking, there was only a difficult situation if he created one. He was a great servant for us but his attitude and demeanour clearly changed after the summer. Best to remember him for the good times and move on, as we'll probably never know the full truth of what transpired.

Also it was great to see the Markus flag unfurled before the game too!

Didn't get back 'til late last night as the M25 and M3 were horrendous, not sure what that was all about. What a day though. Immensely proud of the whole team and club, they really gave it their all and 9 times out of 10 we'd have won that. At 2-0 I thought it was game over and was already resigned to defeat, but they showed incredible guts and determination to get back into it. After the equaliser I could only see one winner, really felt at that point it was written that we would go and win it. That's what makes the defeat even harder to swallow, it's the hope that kills you! Special mention for Redmond who I have been very critical of, he was brilliant yesterday and Utd couldn't handle him at times. Hope he starts putting in more performances like that. If anything I feel even more gutted with the cold hard reality hitting home this morning. Very unlucky Saints, hopefully not too long to wait for another final.

Yes same! Couldn't sleep, what a day this could be. Getting very nervous now!

Other than Mourinho who I've never liked, and their arrogant plastic fans who come from anywhere but Manchester I don't really hate them at all. All of the big clubs attract the glory hunting fans though so they are not unique. On the flip side, as mentioned their away support is the best in the country. I have far more dislike for Liverpool and Spurs and a few others.

I'm probably what would be classed as a happy clapper, I always try and see the positives rather than the negatives and I voted Puel in in both polls, but for me yesterday was the last straw. Yes he hasn't been dealt a great hand by Les regarding the CB situation, but that is in no way responsible for his constant baffling team selections and the ridiculously negative tactics and style of football. I lost count of the number of times we broke forward yesterday and the man in possession had absolutely no support either in front of him or anywhere near him. It's like we are set up to suck all the enthusiasm and excitement out of the game and just hope for a goal somehow, there genuinely seems to be no game plan other than to slow down the play at every opportunity. I have no problem with losing if we are at least giving it a go, but his refusal to play more than 3 attack minded players at any one time, even at home to lower half teams says it all about his mentality. As soon as we went behind yesterday I think very few people believed we had a chance of getting back in it. We have become absolutely hideous to watch and it's even making me consider whether I want to renew my ST, I am fed up with being bored to death every other week. The worrying thing is we seem to be getting worse as well. Being extremely dull and losing is the worst combination. Imo the cup final, whilst great, is massively papering over the cracks. He seems like a nice guy but this can't go on for much longer.