Chap in the Chapel

Weasel? How very dare you. My blood data shows that I am a clean Mornington Crescent player! After Blackfriars it must be West Harrow.

We're trying to have a civil, sensible game of Mornington Crescent here. Stop trying to troll it! Anyway - Goldhawk Road.

The system that worked when you have £25 million being handed to you simply for being in a particular league, yes. As soon as that money disappeared, Lowe hadn't got the system in place to get us back up. I don't carry prejudice - I'm all about logic. I know this is a hypothetical scenario, but in fact all of his behaviours and results point to a slow, managed decline without the Premier League money. There's every reason to believe that he would have followed a 'budget for relegation' approach in the Championship, the same one that eventually failed us in 2004/05. The playing budget would have got smaller and smaller as the income dwindled (parachute payments lasted only two years then) making it more difficult to attract decent managers and players. You point to Watford, Blackpool and Burnley as clubs that made it up, but none of these clubs were carrying the debt from a new stadium. We had to pay that money back and Lowe would (rightly) have made sure we did. I don't think you're on stable ground with your managerial appointments argument. His hit rate included Gray, Wigley, Sturrock and Poortvliet as well! Even when he returned to the club with Wilde he didn't go looking for even modest investors - he was prepared to throw a gang of unproven teenagers and a wide-eyed rabbit in a tracksuit into one of the toughest leagues in Europe. This points clearly to him being willing to risk decline rather than think of a method outside his own. i don't dispute that we would have been financially stable. But it would have been at the expense of the team and at the expense of hope of improvement. When the money ran out he didn't have any strategy other than protection of the bottom line - I think that the majority of fans were fed up with this approach (as it had demonstrably led to a decline) and wanted a reason to feel optimism. Still, I'm grateful for Schneiderlin - probably the only gamble he ever took. Perhaps he should have rolled the dice a bit more?

Redknapp spent £2.5 million on three permanent transfers (although two didn't last beyond the summer) and two loans in the January transfer window. Not exactly megabucks even with wages factored in, and even Lowe recognised that we had to buy to have any hope of staying up! That money would have been available to any manager. There's no disputing Redknapp's subsequent failures, though, and nobody would even try. There's also no disputing that Lowe would have tried to balance the books - that's what he did. The point is that his methods of doing this offered no hope. Any decent player developed by the club would have been sold at the first opportunity (viz. Walcott) and the money would not have gone back into the team in any meaningful way (viz. Bridge). He had a wage structure in place that meant we developed a bloated squad of mediocre players - ask yourself whether you'd rather have six average players on £3,000 per week or two match winners on £9,000 per week. We didn't sign many of the latter who were proven under Lowe. No disputing that Wilde rolled the dice and lost. Better penalties at Pride Park and it could have been different, but overall the fact that we finished six places higher and 17 points better off in his partial season at the helm suggests that we made a better fist at getting promoted in 06/07 than 05/06. Lowe in charge would have meant another season finishing 12th. After all, that's what the evidence points to.

The real damage to the club was done by getting relegated in 2004/5 and then not going straight back up again. That's why fans turned on Lowe - he offered no hope. If he'd stayed then we would have had a period of managed decline, sinking slowly down the Championship and then ultimately out of it, and then sinking slowly down League 1, and ultimately out of it. He simply would not have deviated from his system. Wilde took a gamble and lost - really, the resulting financial strife of 2007-2009 hastened the descent down the Football League that would probably have happened under Lowe. We've been fortunate ever since.

Overall it's been a very good season. Until January 31st we were genuine contenders for the Champions League, but we ran out of steam, especially away from home, as teams found us out. We didn't have the options going forward to change things when we came up against sides that sat back against us, and that is obviously something that must be addressed this summer. Another player in the mould of Mane, a fit Rodriguez, and someone offering a threat from the attacking midfield positions (the fact that Wanyama, Schneiderlin, and Bertrand each scored more this season than Steven Davis and Ward-Prowse is indicative of an obvious problem) would be valuable additions. A few fans have criticised Koeman for not changing things more during matches, but what options did he have, really? If we're serious about progressing further then he must not have this excuse next season. On the plus side, we've been defensively excellent, thanks to a largely consistent set of selections, but if we cannot sign Toby and Morgan does leave then the money must go on some seriously good replacements. Our defence has covered up for the fact that one-third of our league goals this season have come in three thumping home wins. In spite of this, I still think that we can improve our league position again next season, as we are not far behind either Liverpool or Tottenham and, as the latter have shown this season, the Europa League (should we qualify) need not be a hindrance if you have the squad and use it. Season ticket renewed - bring on 8 August!

The most consistent players have been Fonte and Wanyama. Clyne was excellent too but has dropped off recently, whereas Fonte and Wanyama have been good throughout the season. Several other players (Pelle, Tadic, Mane) have had excellent patches but have been poor just as often, and Alderweireld would have a strong claim had he not missed nearly half our matches through injury. Overall I'll say Fonte.

A shame to see him go. Jack Cork is a good, honest professional who had very few poor games for us and eventually found himself crowded out on merit. He's leaving us for the best of reasons as well - he's a player who just wants to play regularly. Nothing wrong with that at all. Good luck, Jack, in every game you play against teams other than Southampton.

Three away wins in a week. Third place in the league. What a time to be a Southampton fan.

Disjointed in attack and we didn't create enough to win the game. Long worked hard and Morgan moved the ball nicely, though, and a defeat would have been harsh, bearing in mind how bad Villa were going forward. A pub-football goal conceded is annoying and I'm a little concerned at Forster's decision-making when coming off his line, but it was a nice goal to give us a point. Probably a fair result, if I'm honest.

My first post on this thread is a birth-year one. Thanks for some genuinely funny and insightful moments. I've said for years that the best analysis of Pompey's situation has been found here, rather than the local and national media, and I hope that doesn't change.

Get yourself to your nearest RYA-recognised training centre. You can find it by going to http://www.rya.org.uk and looking at the 'Where's my Nearest? section. You'll be able to get involved in whatever type of boating you want that way. There are courses that you can do as well.

Going to the O2 on 18 July with the wife. Have been a fan for years and can't wait!

Newcastle. Didn't win the game, but we got a deserved draw. St James's Park had great facilities and it's a city of football people, ideal for a getaway.

Excellent game from both teams. Everton came to play and were one of the tactically sharper teams to visit St Mary's, using one of our own tactics (the cross-field switch ball having drawn the opposition in) quite well to gain space out wide. The problem for them was that they obligingly scored twice for us, and delivered into the box abysmally both from both open play and dead ball. What a difference a year makes for Lukaku. This time last year he absolutely murdered us while playing for West Brom; today he cut a frustrated figure, lacking support and service. That was due in the main to the fact that we defended superbly, a solid show from the back four (especially from my man of the match Nathaniel Clyne) augmented by the twin shields of Cork and Wanyama. Victor was back to his best, and it was noticeable that he kept Barkley at bay in the first half. Every time Barkley got the ball Wanyama was on him, allowing him to go left and right but never forwards. I thought we'd be tough to score against, but we did get some fortune today, possibly some owing to us after the undeserved defeat against Cardiff. These things even themselves out over the course of a season. With eighth place now virtually certain, we can reflect on a year of real progress. I wonder where we'll be in April 2015?

Well done Adam and Luke. Lallana's form has been so good in recent weeks that I'd now say he's our player of the season, rather than Dejan Lovren.

Does this result mean that Pochettino does care after all, and that the players are still motivated despite having nothing to play for? Sarcasm shields down... Great result and Rodriguez again shows his value to us away from home. Hopefully the injuries aren't serious. We had to take a few bookings today to tough this one out, the win proof that we can compete against physical teams. The top six would be well within reach if we'd done the same against Sunderland, West Ham and Stoke! It still is, mathematically speaking... Last day against Manchester United could be interesting.

Lovren a clear winner for me. Top scorer Rodriguez in second, Lallana third, but these latter two positions could change.

Disappointing result and we were clearly not at our best. Aside from Hooiveld (Fonte's shin being rested, presumably) and Guly, though, the team selection was okay, I thought. There weren't many people moaning when Kelvin played in cup games that we won, and I'm not sure that Boruc would have saved the goal. We had 8 or 9 out of 11 who are perfectly decent choices otherwise. Player fatigue after a game in midweek was a factor, especially if you consider Sunderland had theirs called off and then picked a totally fresh team. We don't know who was and wasn't judged ready for 90 minutes by Pochettino, who knows the players a lot better than we do. Lallana looked exhausted and Rickie was off his game. Shaw was our best player. Most of all, it shows that we need to strengthen the squad, so that we are able to pick stronger sides in the cup. Concentrate on the league it is, then.

Lovren didn't go to hospital. This could be good news, http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/10947444.Lovren_and_Ramirez_taken_to_hospital/?ref=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Fair result. Can see why Pochettino tried Osvaldo and Lambert with Lallana on the bench. We'd have to clear long and two big men holding the ball up with Davis, Cork and Ward-Prowse doing the running would compensate for losing Lallana's creativity. Didn't work though, and Osvaldo was rightly sacrificed at half-time. A classic breakaway goal got us the point in a much better second half. Newcastle well organised but we deserved a draw. This is a tough run that is testing us, but we had an answer today.

A high-energy performance brought us a fully deserved point. Perhaps our squad isn't so thin after all. Several players had excellent games, with Chambers for me just pipping Lovren, Cork and Davis for Man of the Match. Unremarked upon so far (I think) has been Pochettino's clever tactical adjustment to our formation, pulling Ward-Prowse a bit deeper and playing a 4-3-2-1 for most of the game to negate City's attacking threat. This was key and enabled us to control most of the game and restrict City to fewer chances than I thought they'd create. Full credit to Osvaldo for his goal too - a wonderful strike of his own making. A £15 million deal should buy a lot of player, and we saw some more of that ability today. I hope two in two is just the start of a lengthy scoring run for him, and this is the start of another unbeaten run for the team.

One sentence is "banging on"? Your post is looking for things I've not said. Looking at the past is essential for moving forward as experience informs prediction and analysis. My original post mentioned Wycombe as it just provides a little bit of context to remind those whose heads are seriously down because we came up short against one of Europe's strongest teams that we're still not too bad ourselves at the moment.

lordswoodsaints: "This thread is exactly why I would end my support for the club if it was run by the fans or if a fan was ever elected to the board, 99.9% of them are ****ing numpties and I include myself in that." How true. Yours sincerely, The 0.1 per cent.

Four years ago today we were talking about a 1-0 home win over Wycombe in League 1. Today we've far from disgraced ourselves at the home of a recent Champions League winner, managed by a guy who has never lost a home league game with them. To anyone who is seriously upset about a 3-1 defeat away to Chelsea: have a good think and a strong word with yourself. This result confirms what any rational Saints fan could have told you after the Hull game - we're decent, and at times very decent, but we're not top four material. I'm quite happy with my pre-season prediction that at best we'll finish eighth.