Who, out of the palace side would you have in your starting 11 for Saints? Sakho? Zaha obviously Benteke? Cabaye?
The irony being that, despite constantly wrestling with defenders, Shearer almost never did go down - not if there was a chance of him getting a shot on target, anyway. It was usually the defenders who went down when he shoved them off.
Only if we have someone lined up. I wish MP2 all the luck in the world....not because I admire him....but because it means Saints do well..
It's cold, it's raining, it's January, I've got a cold. Saints have been dreary all season. Do I bestir myself, & start heading down to Waterloo, or do I stay in bed all day?
P.s. Collecting kits for Africa tonight. So all those of you who received a new kit for Xmas can pass on your old kit and have a warm glow for doing good.
I'm not going tonight and although the above are factors, they are not the main reason. Working till 4pm (usual for me 8-4), but have a last minute thing to do that will mean me finishing at 6pm...if all goes well. However, if it were April/May, 20 degrees I may think different Going to stay in not so sunny Bournemouth tonight and watch on NBC sports via the daughter's subscription... #fairweatherfan Edit: May I add that we haven't lost any game this season that I have not gone to at SMS...
If my cold turns into flu after tonight, I'm blaming MoPo. And Nathan Redmond, even if he doesn't play. And Les Reed, of course. Eric Black's off the hook for this one.
Yes most ex players are apologists for present players, but they constantly contradict themselves by changing their opinion from “he was entitled to go to ground” etc to “he went down too easily” depending on the teams/players involved, with a definite leaning towards the big teams/most vocal manager, for an easy life. What really annoys me is the way shoulder to shoulder contact is now deemed to be a foul. Has this now been outlawed, or is this just another drop in the refereeing standards that allows players to get away with diving at the first contact?
A Saints player can do a double back flip if touched by an opponents hair to gain us a penalty.....I will worry about morality when we are safe.
Tongue in cheek as that may be, I find that kind of personal abuse demeaning, and pretty pointless to be honest. People often made fun of the way he speaks, but he stood up to that unfair scrutiny really well. Let's be honest the England job is a very difficult one. He is a humble, modest man who has a wealth of experience, and shouldn't be reduced to caricatured, tabloid abuse labels like that.
I know it sounds so serious and dramatic, but I do think this is our biggest PL match since the final day relegation match vs Man Utd in 2005. Yes, we have absolutely had bigger non-PL matches since then, but I can't recall a bigger PL match than today. I huge part of me is so hyped for this. But I just can't get mega-hyped, if you like, despite the magnitude of the game, because in the back of my mind I'm certain that MP will again make changes - and I'll be reading Davis and Redmond on the teamsheet.
I agree that this a massive game for us - 3 points is a must. We cannot in any circumstances see a point as a positive result in our position. We haven't been used to this position in the table for a number of years now and we simply need wins. Pellegrino must go if he doesn't get the win, and then we need to invest. I'm content with Davis in the starting XI, just as long as it is in front of the holding midfield players.
It is massive. The reason that's it got bigger than the other big ones, is because this is the match that will probably tell us if its true. That we raise our game against the big ones, then do nothing against the others. If that happens tonight, then without a change of management which seemingly isn't coming, we are going down to the championship at sleep walkers pace. This is just my opinion, but even with an extra days rest than them, I am filled with dread. Please Saints, wake up tonight and give us the win that ends this dreadful run.
A sense of proportion is called for here; if we lose, it doesn't mean we're going down. If we win, it doesn't mean we're out of trouble. It just might determine the manager's future, but this one game won't determine the club's. Expect hysteria from the fans if we don't win, however.