Tony F

Not sure how most of those shown above count as nicknames when they're actually basic abbreviations - in most cases one word from a two-word full club name. Wolves, Saints, Foxes really are nicknames although clearly Wolves includes 5 of the first 6 letters of the team name so maybe its an abbreviation as well.

Apparently it will be used for the opening/closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics (Milan + Cortina) 2026 before it can be demolished. But considering the speed that Italians achieve things, this should be no problem (I am watching intently to see if they'll be ready to hoist the Ryder Cup 2022 near Rome hoho)

You should stay on this forum longer and cure yourself of such rabid clear thinking and responsible attitudes. You're a disgrace. What is this place coming to......? BUCOO OUT... and take Tim with you...!

"Its the hope that kills you".......

Yes we need closure on this. He's no longer in our plans. We really must move him on...… and top of the Championship would seem the right level for him to maybe rebuild his confidence.

So, Hesketh scored the third goal (that got them into the qtr-final) and the goal that put them through to the semi? Impressive.....

I thought it was just Sammy saint with a bow and camp gestures. Pretty poor effort and to achieve what?????

It's probably not as simple as that. We would have had some negatives and positives but the net effect was 4 negative

Yes it seems Burnley's first and second choice keepers are both injured. The third choice was in goal for most of the Aberdeen match last night. FF get your gloves packed; Lancashire is calling

Stress, disappointment and occasional dispair are my dominant supporter memories of last season. Entertainment would be hugely welcome, especially if supported by hope and happiness to expel the experience of last season!

Let's not forget, we spent the majority of last season in despair as to how our manager could extract such average performance from a squad with a fairly credible level of depth and quality. If (and let's be clear the jury is still out) Mark Hughes can extract the level of performance that we expect, on a consistent basis, this season, then there's all likelihood we will be up around Burnley position this year. After all, Burnley got there because their manager got the best from the squad. And that's all Mark Hughes needs to do. Don't forget who was the architect of last sessions mess ... and that he's history.

If Hughes is going to play 3 CBs per match (and it seems to be the "trendy formation" currently). then having 5 of the necessary quality is a minimum.....

So none of those really inconvenient evening matches this season then And our 3pm kick offs will have to move to 1230 when the evenings draw in..... Look on the bright side (oops)!

Added a few comments to the above... The interesting question (for me) is which players in yesterdays match-day squad will vacate (either voluntarily or involuntarily) their spots before August, to allow new players to be injected, who will provide the step-up difference from last season?

Have to point out that if "Dependable Yoshi" had been on the pitch at the end of the Everton game we would have had 11 players, not 10, and would (surely) not have been so much on the back foot and more able to withstand the pressure. His sending off was entirely avoidable in my view

I think one particular quote on that Foxes forum is quite telling.... "To me, the sum of our parts is less than the individual parts." I might suggest that both Puel and Pellegrino have shown us exactly this facet of Southampton FC, from midway through last season and pretty much all of this, so far.

A heartwarming story - good ol' "Dad and sons day out" stuff. I bet you had an epic day out...... until you came home and started reading this drivel!

No-one seems to have mentioned... "allowing the Van Dijk saga to have an adverse effect on the club" ... which I think we all agree may well have been a main reason our team hasn't gelled or lived up to expectations.......

If that's the same guy I know, he used to drive down for a midweek match, then drive back even if we had a home game on the weekend: Reason...... he had to feed the cat!!!

As notes below the picture: "this series was made in 1987 and this recording is a repeat from 1989" I think we all agree that standards of acceptability have changed in the last 30 years.

Another milestone passed unrecognised on this forum.... Post 22 on page 2222. Retrospective congratulations :-)

Pretty impressive - but is this really a Saints Stat....... or an Austin Stat?

Looking at the slo-mo replays at the time I really struggled to see how it could have been accidental. I shared your "no pro would intentionally injure another pro" view up until I saw that challenge. Despite his head pointing the other way at the "crunch moment" I am convinced he knew exactly what he was doing; away from a football pitch, it could have been cited as ABH.

I think your 6 point match-by-match deficit should be 7?? Was 5, then plus 2??

Out-of-town grounds seem to be great on paper but never work out that way. Look at Brighton's, supposedly "ideal location at the junction of A23 and A27". It is a frickin nightmare getting to and from the place. Huge park and ride schemes, all over subscribed - massive bun-fight for busses after the match. No siree. To be able to walk from the city centre, or across the Itchen from the east as well as from places like Ocean Village make St Mary's a really good location. No ground is 100% without spectator inconvenience (from access/egress perspective) but ours comes about as close as any.....