Match Day Thread Saturday 22nd February 2025, St Mary's Stadium, Southampton v Brighton, 3pm

OK, so I have come out of Match thread retirement. My last match thread was nearly 5 years ago for that fateful Friday evening Match in October 2019. So here goes, nothing to lose, a 0-8 will be an improvement.

We ask what the Dickens has happened to our club, so I have gone back in time to ask the great literatury character about some of his works and here is what he said.

Great Expectations- A story about the aspirations of every Southampton supporter at the start of each season.

Hard times, -A Tale about what every Southampton supporter goes through from August to May.

Our Mutual Friend - A very short novel about a Welsh God loving dickhead who by all accounts was too good to manage Southampton

Russell Martin Chuzzlewit -about a young possession based scallywag who was too stubborn to change his ways

The Old Curiosity Shop - The place where the Southampton recruitment team would go to buy players

Bleak House - The stately home of the mighty Saints gentlemen football team, a place for gathering and sharing sorrowful tales on a weekend afternoon.

A Tale of Two Cities - Back to the game Southampton and Brighton, two cities with contrasting fortunes. Brighton backed by good manager's in recent times with good business in the transfer market. Southampton- what could have been.

Martin Oliver Twist - about a football referee that is thankfully no where near this game. Please sir, can I have some more VAR. NO, Fnck off.

A Christmas Carol- Time for the ghost of Christmas future to learn mistakes from the ghosts of Christmas past and present.


So, that is Charles Dickens take on things. Born on 7 February 1812 in some dump called Portsmouth . Thankfully when he was 4 years old his parents relocated to Kent. Iam sure that at one of his former homes in Rochester there is a plaque that reads 'Up the fncking Saints..'- His best piece of work

 

Libby- over to you

 

**** VAR

 

Saturday 22nd February 2025. St Mary's Stadium. Southampton.
Southampton v Brighton 3 o'clock k.o.

Referee:- Darren Bond. (We have been expecting him)
Assistant Referee's:- Marc Perry: Natalie Aspinall.
Fourth Official:- Sam Barrott.
VAR:- Darren England.
VAR Assistant:- Scott Ledger.

 

Looking like this will be out first league game this season that's not officially sold out.

I say officially as there's been quite a few empty seats recently with loads on exchange too.

 

Well done and welcome back to te revolving door of match thread compilers don't linger to avoid getting slammed on yer arse and propelled street wards at high velocity.

 

The only positive is its a 3pm Saturday kick off. I'm not really sure why that's a positive though.

 

Couple of pre match beers, the game, then back to the pub, home for some of Mrs Jab's finest with no need to stay awake for the last game on MOTD.

 

It means a quiet stress free Sunday?

 

Hopefully I can be home by 5 for the boxing.

 

We played really well at the Amex. One of our best performances of the season imo

Does that mean anything? Nope

 

Only in the second half. Could easily have been four down at HT.

Brighton seem to struggle against the **** sides quite a lot this season though.

 

Well, there are none more ****, so fingers crossed.

 

Brightons form is so erratic and as others have said, they regularly seem to struggle to turn it on against **** teams. They could easily hammer us still if they are on it though, so I find this one hard to predict. Probably just go with our favourite score line, 1-3.

 

Ooh yeah much more exciting. Does the undercard start at 5? I think Zhang/Kabayel is first up, not one to miss.

 

Yeah 5 I think. Though I believe Buatsi Smith is the first fight?

Loads of great fights on the card though which are hard to call.

 

It's funny cause my friend always talks about how good we look in the second half of games and it is rough to have to say every week "it's because the game is over and the other team is backing off", he always confuses it for fight when in reality we are so **** that the game is usually won by half time. Luckily Brighton is a rare exception to the rule.

 

Very little hope killing anyone here

 

Do you mean "Very little hope of hope killing anyone here" Given the general air of despondence and resignation that pervades the thread I agree with both but still predict 3-1 to us knowing that sooner or more likely much later it will happen.

 

I can see a very competitive 3-2 to us.

On fouls committed in the first 15 mins.