Match Day Thread Brighton v Saints Sunday 21st May 2pm

We're no longer Premier League, but we're not yet Championship. It's like being dumped by a girlfriend and kicked out of her flat, forced to sleep on a mate's sofa, because you've got nowhere else. And then you have to go back to her flat a week later to collect your things. And you're hoping that when you see her, it's all just been a big misunderstanding, you're gonna get back together. But, she's not even there. She just left the door unlocked for you. So you take extra long getting your things, loitering in the hope that she will come back, and that when she sees you, it will make her reassess, give you another chance. And you won't make the same mistakes again. You'll change. You'll do whatever she wants. So you loiter... An hour passes... Hour and a half. You've got everything you came for. What are you doing? Wake up. You take one last look at the photo of her and you laughing together, still up on the wall. You fight back the tears, but reality sets in. It's over. F*ck off back down to the Championship, and sort yourself out, mate. It'll be alright in time. It's for the best.

 

It’s like Mills and Boon…just without all the sex

 

I dunno, I think you're well ****ed.

 

Sadly not for years

 

I contemplated for a long time with the like for that comment for some reason.

 

I remember the days when Fran was above that sort of badinage, how times change

 

I think Brighton will be genuinely annoyed that our fate has been sealed already. How often does it happen where a relegated team, with all the pressure lifted off them, goes and wins the next game? I would not be surprised if we won this.

 

I would, we are ****e.

 

Doesn't sound like you've got over it CGT.

 

Or the happy ending

 

No longer a PL princess, now a Championship chav

 

I see what you did there…

 

Sunday 21st May 2023. Brighton

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Southampton. KO = 14-00 (2pm)

Referee: Paul Tierney.
Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Neil Davies.
Fourth official: John Busby.
VAR: Simon Hooper.
Assistant VAR: Adrian Holmes.

 

Pretty sure people were saying we were going to win against Fulham and Bournemouth “even though it ultimately won’t matter”

We won’t get another point this season

 

Probably not but funny things can happen when all the pressure is lifted off a team.

 

This presupposes that the team were aware of any pressure. They played like a mid table team off to the beach early…

 

I would hope that we will only play players that will be here next season, including some hungry youngsters.

 

We are down, Let's play a system the players who did so well in the academy played and let's start a couple.

Bazunu;
Bree, Bednarek, Lyanco, KWP;
Lavia, JWP;
Stuey, Doyle;
Adams/Mara, Ballard.

 

My theory: Selles has fallen in love with the club, so he is desperate not to be enticed away before leading Saints to a triumphant return in 2023/24, storming the Championship with a records points tally, and a record goal difference. In order to do this, he needs to exhibit signs of not knowing what he is doing, for the remainder of this season, so no other club makes him an offer that he can't refuse. The one fly in the ointment is that Saints might actually notice that Selles is not all that good. Still, he's lasted this long, so maybe he's got incriminating photos of the Saints board...

 

As I said the other day: anyone who we're confident of being part of the team next season should be sent on holiday. Let them miss these entirely pointless final two matches. Not as a reward (obviously), but as a break - this is one of the latest PL finishes ever.

Of our 23 opponents next season, 17 of them went on holiday last week. Two more of them finish their season in the next 30 hours. None of those 19 sides are carrying the mental and emotional baggage of relegation (and an all round diabolical season). Why disadvantage ourselves by limiting our off season by two weeks?