Match Day Thread Saints vs Middlesbrough, Sat 27th Sept, 1500

Option 2 has been activated, as the Saints come off the back of a plucky defeat against premium opposition, to falsely give fans a sense of optimism for the rest of the season, only to fall into despair as we get pumped by the Boro.

Main questions for this game are -

• why the hell would we bring back Stephens and THB
• Baz or Mac
• Scienza or Fraser/Robinson
• 3/5 or 4
• Adarma or Fellows
• Archer or Stewart

The ref is called something or other Hallam and will be rubbish.

Key to the whole game though is....what song or poem will LTL come up with for this game, and will it be powerful enough to inspire the team to victory. So, here goes.

Fellows by Coldplay
(Martin (no, not that one)/Buckland/Berryman/Champion (who is a Saints fan)

Look at Pahars
Look how he scores for you
The way that Ings did too
Just kick the ball Fellows.

I saw Shane Long
And even he scored too
After a chance or two
So kick the ball Fellows.

So when I saw Downs turn
A touch like Dan Burn
Just give the ball to Fellows.

Kenwyne, oh yeah Kenwyne Jones,
Your goals were beautiful.
You're just like Graeme Le Saux,
Oh yes Graeme Le Saux.

He pinged a cross
He pinged a cross for you
Oh what a thing to do
It was pure Fellows.

He hugged the line,
He hugged the line for you
Oh what a thing to do
Classic Fellows.

Kenwyne, oh yeah Kenwyne Jones
Your goals were something beautiful.
And you know, you could soar into the sky.
For you I'd kiss Barry Fry.

 

Well, that's the UK's Eurovision entry sorted for 2026

 

McCarthy
Jelert Edwards Stephens Wood Manning
Charles Downes
Armstrong Archer Scienza

Is what I would go with, to be honest, assuming Jander is injured. Very little between the keepers.

 

Same team for me, except Stewart up top.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't be opposed to that, either.

 

Baz instead of McCarthy and maybe Quarshie instead of Edwards as I thought he was excellent last night but agree with most of that.

 

Maybe Quarshie instead of Stephens. Wash the taste of last season away as much as possible.

 

Being realistic though, Still isn't dropping Stephens. I agree though.

 

Hopefully can take at least some confidence from last nights performance into the game. No chance we can play like that against any Championship team because they won’t play like Liverpool do. I’d imagine every team in the league would be ok at least with a point at St Mary’s so we won’t be able to press anything like the way we could last night.

Boro have started well and feels like a big game already if we want to be in and around the top 2. I think we’ll draw

 

Saturday 27th September 2025
Southampton FC v MIDDLESBROUGH. Football League Championship
Referee: Farai Hallam,
Assistant Referee: Andrew Fox,
Assistant Referee: Bhupinder Singh Gill,
Fourth Official: Craig Hicks,

 

We will win, lose or draw this one

 

Same ref who did Watford away

I thought he actually had a pretty good game and was the best one we've had this season (not that anyone's really given him a run for his money)

 

Engineering works if going to the game by rail. Please give yourself enough time and check your journey times.

 

I reckon we will go back to 4 at the back. Not sure that is what I would do though!

Baz

Jelert
Stephens
Wood
Manning

Charles
Downes

Amstrong
Azaz
Scienza

Archer

 

I think this is pretty much exactly what I'd go for, except perhaps I'd keep Fellows in and leave Scienza on the bench as an impact player for now. I think we need to get Fellows and his full back and Azaz to gel in order to move things forward in the next few games

I also expect he'll continue with the 4-2-3-1 because if you play the 3-4-3 then he's giving up on his desired system too early and playing a formation without room for the No. 10 that you've just had the club commit £15m on. There's na argument for playing through the pain barrier and just having to build familiarity now

 

I'd done this as part of my match day thread, before @Le Tissier's Laces stole my thunder , so posting anyway!

My
Ideal
Defensive
Department
Leaves
Excrement
Stephens &
Bellis Harwood
Out.
Ronnie,
Oversized Joshua,
Under 21 ex England International, Woods
Go and be
Heroes

 

Agree. The evidence was there for all to see last night.

 

Boat show as well so traffic will be horrendous.

 

We need to start winning league games or its another season down the pan. I feel we will win this but won't be straight forward weirdly

 

Well Win or Draw.

Defeat is NOT an option .

My younger sister is going to be there for this one . Last time she and my Nephew were at SMS was spurs last year . Up to that point she had never seen Saints lose . I tried to lighten her mood when they popped in on their way back home to Exeter ,
Saying to her that at least she saw a lot of goals , is not something I will be repeating EVER .

So for my sake please don’t let saints lose .