Taking Liberties with Matchday Threads

Southampton Football Club
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Seriously you lot?

I know the Sun is out and you are having your entire summer in one weekend, but FFS, our MOST important football match since forever is less than 36 hours away and none of you have come up with a witty Matchday Thread and Title?

So much for you lot being superfans.

So apparently this is a game we must win. Except unless you understand basic mathematics where it is a game we must at least draw.

The Must Win crew are arguing that we have not beaten a Top 6 side since CB Fry last played for us, whereas Citeh have already had their end of season party and will be in the beach by next Sunday.

No, I don’t believe that either.

We must win, some of you lot are going. I can’t even have my mobile device with me because I’m supposed to be on a stage handing out IT Industry Awards. The System Integrator of the Year Award goes to? “Get the Fuck In you BEAUTY”… so no I’m in a Tux and not going to have a clue what is going on.

Swansea are not good. Our Defence loses it’s most reliable (not saying much) player Maya. Romeu avoids a ban as Yellow Cards are reset.

So I guess

Macca

Bediswreck Stepawayfromtheplayer Hoofedt

Cedric RowZ FFS

Tadic Romeu Lemina Redmond

Chazza

That should be enough to do the job. Lemons ahead of PEH as while I love PEH’s effort Lemons plays a bit more on the front foot. I just hope to fark that Saturday’s 2nd half Redmond turns up not the MoPe crock of shit

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Must win. 6 pointer. Blah blah.

Never before on the hallowed turf has so much been owed by so few to so many …

COYR

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Good lad, @dubai_phil . Top cliched summary, @saint-cd . It is a shame you are not a barely articulate ex-footballer. The Beeb would have probably bunged 10K your way for that, 15K if you’d worked in “jumpers for goalposts” :lou_sunglasses:

Given the magnitude of the upcoming fixture, I thought I would do a small preview. I’ve never been to Swansea, so it’s very much written from a perspective of complete ignorance.

Swansea is a city in South Wales. Wales has a league of its own. I’d say “God knows why Swansea don’t play in that” but it’d sound shit, because everyone knows why Swansea and Cardiff play in the English leagues. The Welsh leagues are shit. Some of the lower league sides field sheep as their main strikers. The sheep are amongst the highest scorers in those leagues. Any Welsh ;player of note ends up playing the majority of his domestic career away from home.

My first experience of Swansea was the kids TV show “Why Don’t You?”. Broadcasted in a time when all the newscasts were delivered in Received Plum-pronounciation, I found the show mostly shit, but the cacophony of regional accents fascinating. They would let one town do a show for a week or so. The Welsh kids had some of the best accents.

The Swansea accent deserves its own paragraph. It’s the Welshest sounding Welsh accent there is, but very few people in South Wales speak anything other than English. Touch of overcompensation there from the locals?

My main experience with Swansea is my friend Richard. A fucking foul mouthed extrovert sporting a perma-tan and a subdued mullet, I first met him in 2003 when we were both working in Liverpool. We used to take smoke breaks together. Richard let it be known that he was a Liverpool fan from the offs.

“What about Swansea, then?”, I asked.

“They’re fucking shit”, she said. I took him at his word. Richard is not quite Swansea. He’s Port Talbot, a bit Eastleigh, if you will. It seemed plausible.

One League Cup win later, and Richard is bouncing all over Facebook as if he’d supported the Swans all his life, and making ridiculous claims about it being perfectly okay to support two teams, even if they were competing in the same league.

I’d like to hold Richard to his opening statement on Swansea tomorrow night. I want them to be fucking shit.

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Great contribution @pap

I nearly went to Swansea about 6 years ago.

Unfortunately the local office of the people I was going to see booked me in to a Travelodge in Newport where their factory was based.

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My excitement/nervous ratio is tilting more towards excited given the fact we have remembered where the goal is and how to stick the ball in it. 1-0 to Saints, Redmond to score in the 1st minute, followed by 97 more nerve shredding minutes.

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My Welsh goes as far as “What’s occurring?”

Unfortunately we all know what’s occurring, it’s a HUGE football match that we have to win.

Hope you liked my in-depth preview.

I’ve just had my stars read (thanks for the advice DubPhil) and there 'tis wrtten in large bold letters…

Swansea 1 - 2 Our brave boys.

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That’s the real difference under Hughes. Unlike either of his predecessors, he seems to have an innate understanding of two facts that seemed to elude Pellegrino and Puel.

  1. The team with more goals when the game ends wins the game.
  2. In order to be the team with more goals, you have to score goals.

“It’s a very simple game”
Nigel Adkins

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I’d be worried about starting Austin, if you want him to be fit for the City game. No way he’s good for 3 games in a week.

Also, isn’t it possible to lose against Swansea, but still end up 16th?

My money will be on us 0-3 winners, Bertrand first goal*, as i have been very impressed with the application under Hughes and can see us putting on a commanding performance. We will then beat City to end the season in 15th.

*I will put money on this, i am that stupid :lou_facepalm_2:

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Anybody going to Swansea

Pub to drink in is the Farmers Arms.

Even got some Welshmen in it that have been abroad.

0-2 Saints

one in each half.

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We do not need a team talk tomorrow.

Just give all the players a print out of Alec’s Story from the Global Saintsfc Facebook Page

(Also available on OUR FB page https://www.facebook.com/Dubai-Saints )

Global Saintsfc is feeling impressed.

28 mins ¡

***LONG POST WARNING***

We got in touch with a young American Saints fan, Alec Weise, after his first ever Southampton game to find out more about the day and how he came to support Southampton. The reply we received from Alec (below) is simply brilliant :raised_hands:

If you’re a long suffering overseas Saints fan you’ll love this :slight_smile: Alec was only in S’ton for 48 hours but has said the memories from his trip will last a lifetime :airplane:

Enjoy:

:innocent: I started supporting Southampton 8 years ago (2009-2010 season). I have always been one to root for the underdog and a lot of that has to do with where I am from, Milwaukee, WI. Our sports teams don’t have the money to spend like teams from New York, Chicago, or LA so we are often not very good. Every once and awhile we will get a special player or two and have a serious shot at titles but it isn’t common.

:tv: Anyway, growing up I never followed soccer because it just wasn’t popular amongst Americans. I played FIFA for the first time and instantly fell in love with the game. Then I started watching games on TV as I now knew the players and then I realized how amazing a sport it is. All I needed was a team to root for each week. I went down to League One, because I have always rooted for the small teams, and did some research on each club.

:tophat: I got about halfway through when I found Southampton. I watched a video of Le Tiss and was just amazed by how good he was and at that moment I had my team. Each year since then my fandom has grown, especially since we have made the Premier League because it finally gave me a chance to watch the matches. If we were to go down this year it wouldn’t matter one bit to me as I will forever by a die-hard Saints fan and no one can change my mind.

:airplane: I decided to go to the Bournemouth match because of our relegation threat. I am studying in England in the fall for school so I will catch numerous matches next year, but I wanted to make sure I saw my team play in the Prem while still possible.

:ok_hand: The trip itself was better than anything I could’ve ever imagined. Going in I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations and that I would leave less of a supporter than I came to England as. However, I left two times the supporter I was before, which is pretty incredible considering I haven’t missed a match live on TV or radio in nearly 4 years.

:moneybag: The first thing I noticed the day before the match was how nice the city itself was. The city center was beautiful and I was blown away by West Quay. I made the walk to St. Mary’s to go to the team store and I was in absolute shock when I saw it. Having seen it so many times in pictures and on TV I couldn’t believe I was actually there. I proceeded to buy way too much Southampton apparel (kits were 70% off so I got 6…oops) and spent the rest of my day walking around the city.

:beer: On match day, I went to The Standing Order a few hours before kick-off where I met some amazing people. I casually went up to a table of Southampton supporters to ask them questions about the match day experience. They were AMAZING and helped me out a lot and asked me a lot of questions about my hometown and why I became a Southampton supporter.

:bus: After an hour or so sitting at their table one of the gentlemen I was with (@Madmarky01 on twitter, follow him!) and I left for the stadium around two hours before kick-off. He showed me around and told me where the buses came in and where the players would sign after the game. He also introduced me to another die-hard Southampton supporter who would help me out a ton after the game.

:sob: When I walked into the stadium and saw the pitch for the first time I cried… I’ll admit it. It was so surreal to actually be there. I walked around the inside for a little just making small chat with everyone that was there. The whole club and its supporters having an amazing family feeling about it, which is something that made me fall even more in love with the club. What was even more amazing was people were coming up to me and saying that they saw I was in town for the match on twitter and they were all so excited I was there and wished me a good time.

:soccer: When the teams came out to warm-up and came out of the tunnel right before kick-off I was still in awe of everything, but about 5 minutes into the match the nerves kicked in and all that mattered were the 3 points. Something I will never forget was singing “Oh when the Saints” for the first time. I am literally getting chills right now just thinking about it. Having the whole crowd sing in unison isn’t something I get back here at home.

:grimacing: The match itself was amazing. At the time I wish it was a 4-0 easy win for my nerves but looking back I’m glad it was a nail-biting win. The intensity and pressure made my experience that much more amazing. I’ll never forget Redmond playing through Lemina who then slid the ball over to Tadic who slotted past Begovic. The pure jubilation from my first live goal was something I can still feel when I watch replays.

:pencil2: Afterwards I went and met up with the lady who I was introduced to before the match (Claire Cradock for those of you who know her…Amazing lady) and she brought me to where all of the players sign. I got my kit signed by almost the whole squad AND Sam McQueen took off his warm-up top, signed it, and gave it to me.

:us: What amazed me most was how kind all of the players were. They all were amazed that I flew out for literally two days just to come watch the match and they even called me the good luck charm, which may be true considering it was our first home win in the league since November! Outside of McQueen I want to give special shout-outs to Oriol, Charlie, Prowsey, Bertrand, and Jack Stephens who were all great. All of the players were nice, but these are the ones that really stuck out in my mind.

:innocent: Overall I had the best day of my life, and I wouldn’t say it was close. Between meeting all of the amazing fans, the win, and getting to meet most of the players it was more than I could have ever imagined. Now I can’t wait to get back next fall and make even more memories. Most importantly, LETS GO GET 3 POINTS AT SWANSEA ON TUESDAY!!! Up the Saints!

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All I believe and hope and pray for is that in the last ten minutes, we DON’T sit on our six yard line when defending ANY type of lead. FFS, push up to at least the penalty spot, or lo and behold, the edge of the box.

This is what has caused us the majority of proplems lateley IMHO as we seemed to have erraticated the previous problem of knowing where our goals are located.

Lucky me gets a 3:30am wake up call for this one and guess what, I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Probably be wired awake from 7pm tonight!

No prediction from me considering what I predicted last game (which came true, just to the wrong team!), so yeah, COYS!!

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Now you’re gonna have to go through hell, worse than any nightmare you ever dreamed. But in the end, I know you’ll be the one standing.

You know what you gotta do.

Do it.

Do it.

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Another Team Talk drops in Sparky’s lap.

Tuesday night’s relegation battle between Swansea and Southampton in South Wales has become mired in controversy and intrigue after the visitors had their hotel reservation near the Liberty Stadium cancelled at the last minute.

Mark Hughes and his Southampton players believe they may be victims of dirty tricks after they were suddenly told on Sunday that the 40 rooms they had booked at the Swansea Marriott were no longer available.

This means the Saints had to stay at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel near Cardiff on Monday night — at least an hour’s rush-hour drive away from the stadium.

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Carvalhal and Hughes call for cool heads in relegation play-off furnace

The showdown for Premier League survival between Southampton and Swansea could be won in the mind

![Mark Hughes.](upload://qai0XvQYCxWuX3UnYLWWeklEOJF.jpeg) Mark Hughes says ‘you have got to deal with the pressure – you have got to think clearly’ in such an important match. Photograph: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images

Carlos Carvalhal stressed the need for emotional control from Swansea and Mark Hughes was preaching a similar message when he talked about calmness being the key for Southampton, although playing the game and not the occasion promises to be easier said than done at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night in what is essentially a relegation play-off.

Level on points with only two matches remaining, Swansea and Southampton meet in a survival showdown that promises to make for captivating viewing for the neutral as both clubs chase the victory that would put them within touching distance of safety. It will be a match riddled with tension and, according to both managers, played in the mind as much as with the ball.

“You have got to deal with pressure,” Hughes said. “You have got to think clearly. Obviously, when things are flying around, you have to try to do the right things and you have to take your chances when you create them.”

Southampton, by virtue of their superior goal difference, have their noses in front and also have some momentum after taking four points from their past two games to overhaul Swansea, even if they departed Goodison Park feeling bitterly disappointed after conceding an equaliser against Everton in the sixth minute of added time.

“We just mustn’t allow ourselves to be deflated by what’s ahead of us and what’s just occurred,” Hughes said. “We played well. We are not down, in terms of confidence and in terms of how we are playing. We were damaged because we got so close to getting a significant result and a significant victory, which clearly would have helped our situation. But it is still very much in our hands. We will get this out of our system and go again.”

Swansea have picked up three points from their past seven games, sucking them back into the bottom three in the final week of the season. The victories have dried up, and so have those colourful Carvalhal metaphors, amid a frustrating run during which Swansea have scored only twice and, in the eyes of the fans who chanted “attack, attack, attack” during the second half at Bournemouth on Saturday, played far too many matches with the handbrake on.

Carvalhal bristles at any criticism of his tactical approach or Swansea’s form, insisting nothing has changed other than more difficult fixtures since that terrific run of results that followed his appointment at the end of December.

The former Sheffield Wednesday manager also continues to come across as overly relaxed and confident, so much so that he was asked after the defeat at Bournemouth whether he needs to find a way to get his own positive demeanour and messages across to his squad. “I believe in myself and I believe in my players,” he said.

“My target is to try to get them to believe in themselves and believe in their colleagues. These are the things that we must do. I would be talking in a completely different way if, for example, we had to win [against Southampton] and had to wait for two or three results. This is something really bad. When it is in your hands to do it, let’s do it. And I believe we can do it.”

With Swansea’s final game of the season at home against relegated Stoke, a draw against Southampton would not be disastrous. A defeat, however, would leave Swansea hanging on to their Premier League status and pinning their hopes on beating Stoke and Huddersfield losing their final two matches, against Chelsea away on Wednesday and Arsenal at home on the final day, in order to pip David Wagner’s side on goal difference.

Southampton host Manchester City in their last game, which makes, on the face of it, the Swansea match all the more important. “Everybody is writing off the Man City game in terms of what we can take out of that. We are not and we won’t allow that,” Hughes said. “We will try our utmost to get something out of that game as well. But clearly when you are in this situation you want to be able to damage the teams around you, and Swansea are very much the team we have to damage.”

The motivation for Swansea will be exactly the same on an evening when Carvalhal’s players must feed off the energy of the home supporters while retaining their composure and concentration. “We must have emotional control and we must act and do the proper things. Not to make mistakes. This is the way,” Carvalhal said. “It is not a time [for me] to scream. It is a time to be focused.”

Southampton will have to make at least one, and possibly two, changes given Maya Yoshida is suspended after being sent off at Everton and Mario Lemina was withdrawn with a hamstring injury in that 1-1 draw. The main decision for Carvalhal revolves around whether to persevere with five at the back or set up more offensively and take the view that fortune favours the brave.

Either way, there is no escaping that it is approaching do-or-die time for both clubs.

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:lou_sunglasses:

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Among the last 30 clubs to be relegated from the Premier League in the past 10 years, only nine have returned from the Championship at the first attempt while not one have returned at the second attempt.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5701123/Swansea-vs-Southampton-120m-face-no-one-dares-lose.html#ixzz5Et4BzIDv
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Pure class

:joy::joy::joy::joy:

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Today is going to be a long day - I am already feeling nervous.

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There are NO nerves.

There is only Calm Determination.