Article: Saints V Arsenal match thread | Southampton FC, Football

Lots of heavyish showers around match time - highly likely it will rain between 1930 and 2100.

 

Martin Fisher, in our match report on BBC, fancies us to win the FA Cup.

"I also fancy them strongly to go all the way in the FA Cup".

 

First start for Gallagher tonight...

 

Lambert still injured then I presume?

 

I was at the Dell for Shearers home league start, can Big Sam get a hattrick as well and it was aginst Arsenal

 

When you say these things can you provide a source otherwise it's just guesswork as far as I'm concerned.

 

I think our chances of getting anything out of the game tonight depend on Yoshida turning up.
At times last season he was solid, but was prime to errors now and again. Lets hope he does! 1-1 for me, lambert with the goal

 

Hamstring test

 

"Go all the way" implies the final, not necessarily winning it. Nice thought though.

 

Anyone hesr Wengers little quip anout Saints academy being really good for arsenal over the last ten years? Well at least he acknowledged it! That said if Gallagher does score a hat trick I would expect an 8 figure sum on KL's desk in he morning.

 

£20 million plus Giroud.

 

Well, we need something to go in the bin.

 

Did I also hear him say that Atkinson was replaced by Poch?

 

Heavy showers forecast during the game, however that won't stop them watering the pitch before the start of each half I expect.

 

Sounded like that to me .

 

No, he isn't. I interpret "best" as top 10... or at least top 25, and Lallana is not really close to that level, IMO.

But he's still a fine player. I think sometimes we all get our guards up too much. I get bashed for being a Lallana-hater, but I like him quite a bit.

Sometimes it comes down to a difference in phrasing-- "Lallana isn't great" gets read as Lallana stinks and "Lallana is better than most midifielders in the Premier League" gets read as Lallana is World Class. But both are equally accurate descriptions, it's just the way you read it.

 

Technically, he is one of the best in Europe. Playing well in the premier league must put him easily in the top 1% of all footballers in Europe.

Gallagher seems to be starting tonight. Big night for him, and normally you'd wonder about the pressure of the occasion against a team like Arsenal, but considering the patchy form of Lambert and Osvaldo, he doesn't exactly have to have the game of his life to make sure they're not missed.

 

I don't know if I could think of 25 better attacking midfielders in Europe than Lallana based on this season. If he's not close to 25, whereabouts is he?

 

Gallagher starts...

 

If only ward prowse were starting