v 
won last time out v 
, didn’t thanks to Mike Dean, no JW-P, going to lose rested after the international break are going to get revenge for last season’s results v , going to win to win…0 voters
Narrow defeat, shortly followed by a “mutually agreed” termination of Ralph’s contract. Howe to be installed within a fortnight.
I really don’t get this Howe is the second coming thing.
Neither do I, but he’s turned down other jobs in the meantime. That, combined with it being so widely reported gives it a ring of plausibility in my eyes. I reckon there’s some sort of informal agreement, I wouldn’t be broken hearted, tbh could do a lot worse.
He is a massive self-promoter IMO.
When in talks with Ballmouth about a new contract once, at a time we were without a manager, he went out of his way in a TV interview (the interviewer did not raise it) to say how he had not heard from SFC and was not interested at all. He was not remotely in the running then.
Referee: David Coote.
Assistants: Dan Cook, Nick Hopton.
Fourth official: John Brooks.
VAR: Lee Mason.
Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes.
I guess with Mason being the VAR he’ll be able to keep up with the match…
The Howe thing is a bit odd. I’m a big fan of Ralph but even I am getting a bit tired of the inconsistency, bizarre team selections (the untouchable Redmond) and infrequency of league wins.
Will we go for another selection based upon those who were around during the international break? Or actually play some blokes deemed good enough for international football? Albeit for countries like Scotland, Norway and Albania.
Kind of feels like we’ve been circling the outskirts of the drain for a while now so these next 5 or so games will definitely be crucial to our season and determining Ralph’s future.
Leeds had our number last season so I’m not overly hopeful for this one.
No mention of Klich who needed his ankle strapped up v Albania
I doubt it.
When you say “wideley reported”. Do you mean some spurious blog, set up by a wannabee journo, sat in his bedroom tossing one off whilst making unsubstantiated claims that can’t be proven or disproved?
I suppose it could be a circle jerk of Chinese whispers. Who can tell, eh? Perhaps we’ll get Pep when he moves on. 
I agree with you - this is exactly how I feel about the situation. I am now at the point where I reluctantly have interest in Saints results, but when seeing the team sheets, I am loathe to follow the matches very closely.
I may be old fashioned, but my memories of football from the mid sixties on is teams that are roughly the same from week to week; the emphasis here is on “team” - 11 players made up from different combinations every week, with very few players getting anything like a good run in a “team”, and so many good players playing out of position are recipes for disaster.
Cant imagine Ron Davies playing left back, or Mick Channon only getting on the pitch for 3 minutes every other week. Cant imagine players actually putting up with it.
The worst thing in we have some really good players but a bewildering team selection and substitution process - and belief in players who don’t cut the mustard.
I’m getting to the stage of wishing we were at the level of being good enough to be the runners up in getting out of League One…
All is well with the world.
Lawro’s Prediction.
Southampton were doing pretty well against Chelsea until James Ward-Prowse was sent off.
What frustrated me most about that decision is that VAR instructed the referee to go and watch it again, and he was shown replays in slow motion, which is just ridiculous. How can you judge how dangerous a tackle is if you don’t see it in real time? Slow any challenge down and it looks awful.
The end result was another defeat for Saints, who are still without a win after seven games.
I don’t fancy their chances much here, either, especially if Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips is back from the calf injury that ruled him out of England duty.
Lawro’s prediction: 0-2
Tom’s prediction: Marcelo Bielsa is just a wizard and Dan James has just gone to Leeds, and I felt sorry for him at United. I am going to go with two goals for him. 0-2
We couldn’t even win this to be brutally honest
Anyone meeting up tomorrow? My schedule is unsure, but might be able to make a pre KO gathering hopefully
I will not be attending as I am once again locked up in a foreign hotel. 
As is right and proper 
I’ll be up for a beer or two beforehand
Stable? 12.30ish?