Chap in the Chapel

The £64 million (net) due in transfer fees is very concerning. More of our best and brightest on their way to pay for this, no doubt. Thanks Les; thanks Ross.

David McGoldrick was lazy, arrogant, and selfish. Take your pick from 90 per cent of the matches he played for us.

The launch of the Southampton Monopoly game was an appropriate metaphor for the club. You spend loads of money absolutely pointlessly, and all you end up with is the waterworks. The only player to emerge with real credit from today is Lemina, who showed energy and effort throughout. It’s quite clear that the goodwill for Hughes among the wider fanbase has now expired, regardless of whether it’s entirely his fault that we are in the situation that we are in. I’m ambivalent about Hughes, but I’m now absolutely certain that Ross Wilson (who is demonstrably incompetent) and Les Reed (who is at best stale, at worst asleep on the job) have to lose their jobs before we have even the slightest chance of improving. I don’t think Krueger is at fault - he doesn’t interfere with football matters, although perhaps he should. Wilson and Reed’s transfers and appointments have absolutely wrecked this team, and we don’t owe them a living. Our best hope for this season is that there are three teams worse than us. As we approach just the second anniversary of the mighty Inter Milan being beaten at St Mary’s, what a sad, infuriating state of affairs.

Back in August 2009, the signing of Rickie Lambert gave us threat and a focal point. It didn’t give us on-field leadership, though. That was Dean Hammond. We were always tougher to beat with him on the pitch, shouting and organising, regardless of the situation. We simply don’t have that sort of character at the moment. Bertrand is captain by default, really. The January transfer window needs to address this, as well as the obvious need for an upgrade on Shane Long.

Everton are owned by an Iranian billionaire throwing his money after a few home wins. Silva will fail to make the ‘next level’, just like virtually every other manager outside the existing big six. If you’re a betting person, put some cash on him taking Portugal to the quarter finals at Qatar 2022.

Ings isn’t ready for the step up. We’d be better spending some money on someone younger, faster, and less injury prone.

Lloyd Isgrove has still got more winners’ medals than Adam Lallana. I have absolutely no sympathy for English football’s most disgusting club. Well done Real Madrid.

What a shame that a man of such unimpeachable integrity was not given the chance to honour his contract!

What a five seasons he had with us. The variety of goals he got for us was incredible, and he created so many for other players. I can't wait to see the tribute video that the Saints media department is doubtless cooking up right now. Well played, Rickie.

Don't argue too much about a totally deserved win. There are so many positives to be drawn from today's win it's extraordinary. Our manager dared to change his personnel and get a win - exactly what he was hired for. Lemina set down a marker for his role, which was exemplary. We didn't concede - an improvement. Van Dijk came back - a positive. All good. Let's take in forward to tough opposition and see what happens.

Really, really worrying. This was the sort of defeat we had under Poortvliet - a physically weak and small team bullied by a much more streetwise outfit. Ten goals conceded in three games since VVD was injured shows clearly what the problem is. Saints not bringing in a centre-back this January looks at best an arrogant mistake, at worst downright negligent. Puel is obviously under pressure, and quite rightly. If he keeps us up this season (because that's what we're playing for now - the showpiece at Wembley is now a situation of hope rather than expectation) then okay - but I wouldn't be bothered if he wasn't our manager in 2017/18. The only positive today was Gabbiadini. He looks like he may be worth the money.

Lloyd Isgrove still has more winners' medals than Adam Lallana. Seriously, though, what a display. I didn't think we looked in trouble for any sustained period. Stephens, Bertrand, and particularly Yoshida all magnificent. Puel may well have regained all the goodwill he lost after the Hapoel result. Looking forwards, let's hope that VVD is back soon, and that we don't fall off a cliff in the league because no-one wants to get injured before Wembley.

Really good second half. Fantastic to see Rodriguez back in the goals but I thought Bertrand was superb at both ends.

The Chapel Ultras draw the ball into the net with their sheer passion!

This is sad news. I earn a living in publishing and about ten years ago I worked on his authorised biography 'Careless Hands: The Forgotten Truth of Gary Sprake'. It's a formidable defence of his reputation against accusations of his being error-prone. The author asserts that he was actually a superb goalkeeper, but was unfortunate enough to make mistakes when playing in a few televised matches at a time when hardly any football was broadcast. This has led to the incorrect impression that he was habitually letting his team down. Across a 500+ game career he was no more or no less error-prone than any other goalkeeper. It's an interesting book, and he turned up at our offices when the book came out to sign a few. He was a pleasant, friendly guy, and he deserves a lot of posthumous respect.

Superb, from back to front. I thought Tadic was MOTM, but VVD, Austin, and Davis ran him close. A shame it wasn't 6-0. Always good to beat a disgusting club like West Ham, with their entitled fans.

Yes - probably the only occasion I've seen where the referee was booed off by both sets of fans!

Take a look at the money Villa spent across several seasons after Lerner took over. 'Statement' signings aplenty. Given Everton's willingness to advertise their spending plans they are apparently planning the same thing. Martin O'Neill was a solid manager for Villa too, and yet he couldn't deliver for Lerner, and nor could his many successors. A huge wedge of cash going on transfers immediately may not help Everton crack their glass ceiling - maybe a more sustainable approach like, say, the one employed at Southampton FC, is more effective in the longer term.

A chap called Randy Lerner thought he could succeed in English football using the method that Everton are apparently about to pursue. I wonder what happened to him?

As regulation a win as you could wish to see. Fonte was MOTM for me - Newcastle got no change out of him for the entire game. Pelle had one of his good days. He's a funny player, really - he blows either very hot or very cold, and it depends how you are as a fan as to how tolerant you are of that. It's the same with Tadic, I think. Perhaps it's the same with every attack-minded player at clubs like Southampton. You have your patience with these players, or you don't. I'm quite patient with Pelle and Tadic and I've seen enough of both to recognise that we should enjoy the moments when one of them is on form, and exalt when they're both linking up, as the latter situation means that we're scoring with an insouciant ease. We got halfway today against an admittedly poor side. That's just the way it is in the Premier League. Unless you're incredibly gifted you can't assume you're going to score in any game, regardless of how gifted you are. With five games to go it is obvious that Virgil Van Dyke is player of the season, and that we are still in with a chance of the top four if we can beat Everton and Manchester City. The rest of the games are reasonably easy to call, but the six-point swing from these two games will decide our final position. Let's roll the dice and see what happens next week on a ground where we've traditionally been unlucky.

Fully agree with this. Derby were a disgusting team at that point, absolutely reflecting their manager. Davies's arrogance in believing that he could then get Derby through a Premier League season by doing nothing but trying to kick the opposition to pieces meant that they had their backsides handed to them every single week in 2008/9. I think he was sacked after about 20 games when they only had about seven points! His paranoid antics while managing Nottingham Forest were good for a laugh too.

Virgil, clearly. Honourable mentions for Bertrand, Fonte, and Long.

Dean Richards, obviously. Should have won an England cap.

Loved that. What a time that was to be a Southampton fan. There weren't many lucky wins in Nigel Adkins' time as manager - especially during that 23-game (I think) home winning run. We were absolutely destroying teams then. Adkins himself has an admirable sense of long- and short-term perspective that makes him incredibly likable, and he deserves to do well. A really decent man who deserves to do well.

I think that revokes the Von Boogmeister Treaty (1873 amendment) so to avoid us getting bogged down we'd best go for Canning Town.