Southampton Pre Match Thread

[Tilley]

Yea true, and I think I am right in saying you have never won at st. mary's. Which hopefully is a good sign! But I will be very annoyed if it is another draw.

Yeah we NEVER win against Southampton

[Saint G]

Yeah we NEVER win against Southampton

Well, you got lucky last season and before that it was september 2000

Maybe we will do the treble over you this season!

[maddog]

This is a must win game! Which i can't see us winning.

Shockingly we have lost 2-0 in our previous 3 games at Southampton including the cup this season.

We lost at home in the cup to them a few seasons ago, they seem to be a bogie team for us.

But three 2-0 defeats there in a row has to change, i rekon we could possibly win this one 2-0.

TBH if we do lose this game, i think we are going down.

Preston, Covscum, Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd all won today, the West Brom game is so tough on Saturday too.

Southampton just 1 place above us and the only team down there apart from Preston to have played the same amount of games as us.

Never has there been more of a must win game than this one.

Ill say it again, this is a MUST WIN GAME!

Although id probably take a draw , so it's certainly a must not lose game. We can't get them let ahead of us.

[reynard]

Having played well today we are due the usual crap performance next time out so although it is a game we have to win I think it will be 1-0 to saints. Certainly think it will be 0 to us any way.

[Wycombe Fox]

Isle of Wight Radio said this morning that Southampton haven't won for 10 matches - oh sh*t!

Never seen us play well at St Marys, haven't even seen a City goal there (apart form the disallowed one in the Cup).

Oh well, still looking forward to it.

4-0 Saints

[Trav Le Bleu]

We won at Cardiff and my middle son, a Southampton fan, reckons his team are in freefall and have never been more vulnerable. It won't be easy but I'm not feeling in any way defeatist.

Isle of Wight Radio said this morning that Southampton haven't won for 10 matches - oh sh*t!

Never seen us play well at St Marys, haven't even seen a City goal there (apart form the disallowed one in the Cup).

Oh well, still looking forward to it.

4-0 Saints

All true - which means we should win - 'cept of course this is City we're talking about

However, I remain positive, despite our poor record at St Mary's

[Leicester Lass]

Isle of Wight Radio said this morning that Southampton haven't won for 10 matches - oh sh*t!

Never seen us play well at St Marys, haven't even seen a City goal there (apart form the disallowed one in the Cup).

Oh well, still looking forward to it.

4-0 Saints

Add to that their home midweek record this season:

5 games

1 goal scored

3 draws

2 defeats.

Definite loss

[Tilley]

Add to that their home midweek record this season:

5 games

1 goal scored

3 draws

2 defeats.

Definite loss

Ha. I really want to go to this one but gotta twist my mates arm between now & Tuesday. I Think it will be a boring nil nil draw!

[davieG]

Ha. I really want to go to this one but gotta twist my mates arm between now & Tuesday. I Think it will be a boring nil nil draw!

Well I hope you've got a better argument than that to persuade him

[Tilley]

Well I hope you've got a better argument than that to persuade him

Ha. I've told him it will be a brilliant afternoon/night out to a stadium we've both never been to before. We can say we were part of the travelling 300 or so. ETC

But..........

HE'S UNDER THE THUMB

[Jack]

Ha. I've told him it will be a brilliant afternoon/night out to a stadium we've both never been to before. We can say we were part of the travelling 300 or so. ETC

But..........

HE'S UNDER THE THUMB

You've got no hope then Mate

[Durnerz]

We will win, I believe!!

If we do win you will all look stupid and I will be able to do my 'I told you so' dance a la Dr Cox from Scrubs

[Daggers]

Southampton football stars Bradley Wright-Phillips and Nathan Dyer in barmaid bag theft scandal

Mega-rich footballers laughed and joked as they joined in the looting of handbags belonging to £5.50-an-hour barmaids who had spent the night serving them cocktails.

These sickening images show how £8,000-a-week Bradley Wright-Phillips finds it funny watching his £5,000-a-week Southampton team mate Nathan Dyer and three pals go through the girls' bags.

Our exclusive, shocking footage reveals how the gang rummaged through belongings at the Bar Bluu nightclub in Portsmouth where the "Saints" stars had been given VIP treatment all evening.

Cctv images clearly show them rifling through handbags, coats and purses before exiting through a private back door after enjoying a free night watching R&B superstar Kano.

Their haul included three mobile phones, £145 in cash from three different handbags, student cards and even cigarettes.

It takes a barmaid at the club a week-and-a-half to earn that £145, but that's what Wright-Phillips - son of ex-England star Ian Wright - earns in just 27 MINUTES.

The shameful incident has been reported to Hampshire Police.

Yesterday barmaid Emma Parker, 18, whose phone was stolen, said: "It's pathetic. I work for just over the minimum wage but they earn thousands a week.

Barmaids Emma and Noo

Barmaids Emma and Noo

"I can't believe they would have the cheek to steal from someone like me. They are arrogant beyond belief to do this. They have obviously done it for kicks because they don't need the money. They have acted in a really callous way.

"They are treated like heroes but this shows they are actually scumbags."

Fellow barmaid and law student Noo Kristin, 18, had £60 stolen from her bag. The other contents were thrown on the floor.

Noo said: "It's totally sickening that they would steal from me. For someone who earns 80 times what I earn to be involved in stealing from me is just horrible."

Wright-Phillips, 22, and Dyer, 20, went to see Kano perform at the seafront club with a gang of pals.

The group were given the full VIP treatment during their night out on February 27. They were shown into a roped-off section where they were plied with champagne and cocktails.

And when they were ready to leave at around 3am, they were allowed to use the back entrance to avoid the crowds. This took them past the unlocked staff room.

What they didn't realise was that their every move was being captured on two CCTV cameras.

The pictures show a blow-by-blow account of the shameful scenes unfolding. At 3.03:16 on Thursday February 28 Kano is seen walking down a private corridor with his entourage as he leaves the club.

The footballers and friends follow, but one of the gang, in a white jumper, sees the open door of the staff room. He beckons his mates to follow him. Seconds later Dyer goes into the room. One man still outside holds the door at 3:03:46 to the club to stop anyone coming through.

Two men are seen sniggering outside the room while Dyer heads straight to a table and starts rummaging through a bag. One of the gang keeps watch by the door.

Cctv footage from a second camera in the corridor shows that at 3.05:02 an accomplice put his arm across the corridor to block a barmaid from going to the staff room and he chats to her so the gang can avoid being caught.

A man in a white T-shirt is seen digging around in a black handbag while another shows off a mobile phone to his pals.

Dyer then thrusts his hand into a handbag while nonchalantly resting his other arm on his friend.

Wright-Phillips pokes his head round the door before disappearing outside but at 3.05:19 he is clearly seen back in the room grinning broadly as he watches his friends rooting through clothes and bags.

Wright-Phillips and Dyer laugh and sneer as their friends pocket mobile phones and trample the girls' coats on the floor. Wright Phillips is not seen with his hand in a bag. Nearly three minutes pass before the group finally leave at 3.06:57.

Barmaid Noo added: "I wish I hadn't seen the CCTV footage because when I did, I felt physically sick. You can see them trampling on my coat and chucking my things around."

Two days after the theft, a jiffy bag was delivered to the nightclub with Emma's mobile phone inside. There was no Sim card or memory card - just a simple post-it note which read, "Emma's phone. Sorry".

Emma said: "It just makes matters worse. They must have known the Nokia handset belonged to someone called Emma because there's a welcome message when you turn it on that says, 'Emma's phone'. All the numbers have been lost and the photos are gone."

Bar Bluu general manager Chris Sheridan said: "When you see the players and their mates on these images, they look like a plague of locusts swarming all over the girls' things. It is utterly disgusting.

"The first I heard of the theft was at 4am. As I went through the CCTV footage the next day, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Two of these people are professional football players who earn a lot of money. It's shocking behaviour and even though they had been drinking a bit, they still knew what they were doing. My staff are sickened that people had been through their belongings, and when the involvement of footballers was discovered their pain was amplified."

"Having your mobile phone stolen is distressing - people start worrying when they can't get in touch with you."

Mr Sheridan said he phoned Southampton Football Club when he recognised Wright-Phillips and Dyer on the CCTV tape. He was finally put through to Caaren Loten, head of media at the club. He said that the next day Chief Executive Lee Hoos called him.

He added: "The Chief Executive appeared keen to make sure that some form of apology and compensation would be forthcoming from the players seen to be involved. But following my conversation with him I heard nothing.

"On the Friday (nine days ago) I had a call from two representatives of Wright-Phillips who each voiced their surprise and appeared to want to make some offer of recompense but I've heard nothing since. Despite ample opportunity, it is shocking that none of those involved or associated have made clear or decisive efforts to rectify this situation so on March 5 we reported this to the police."

Southampton Football Club yesterday refused to comment on the incident, despite several calls from the Sunday Mirror. The club rejected an offer to view our CCTV footage.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police said: "We are currently investigating allegations of theft at Bar Bluu. No arrests have been made and this incident is still under investigation."

Promising winger Dyer is currently out of the team due to ongoing rehabilitation for an ankle injury. Wright-Phillips is a star striker for Saints, and one of their most high-profile players. He started yesterday's championship game at Blackpool on the bench.

The images will shock soccer legend, England and Arsenal star Ian Wright.

Stuart Peters, an agent acting for Bradley Wright-Phillips, told the Sunday Mirror last night: "We're very relaxed about this.

"I have seen the footage and it's quite clear that Bradley Wright-Phillips was not involved.

"He hasn't taken a single thing."

Do you know the other men in the pictures? Call us free on 0800 289441 or email [email protected]

LINK

[Basingstoke Fox]

What is actually the point in doing that is that the only way they can get enjoyment?

[lcfc_jme]

A drab, cold, boring 2-0 defeat beckons. And I'm considering going. What the fuck is wrong with me??

[Daggers]

A drab, cold, boring 2-0 defeat beckons. And I'm considering going. What the fuck is wrong with me??

The internal turmoil that has gripped the club recently will be compounded by the "thievery" reported in today's Tabs. I'm figuring it as a match that is there for us to take. Which we won't...

[coale39]

Cant see us winning. Were so s**t in front of goal its behind embarrassing. The miss from etuhu made me laugh.

[Jack]

Our finishing was beyond pathetic yesterday and if it's anything like that against Southampton then we have no hope of winning.

[davieG]

Surely by the law of averages one of our mishit, misdirected, under-hit, over-hit, deflected shots will find it's way into the back of the net?

Oh shit it will but it will probably be ours

[coale39]

Surely by the law of averages one of our mishit, misdirected, under-hit, over-hit, deflected shots will find it's way into the back of the net?

Oh shit it will but it will probably be ours

Yeah they get so frustrated they decide its easier to put it past Hendo.

[Narborough Bod]

Surely by the law of averages one of our mishit, misdirected, under-hit, over-hit, deflected shots will find it's way into the back of the net?

Oh shit it will but it will probably be ours

Already happened.

Monday night, Palace, Big Barry's shin...

So the law of averages has fcuked us too now.

[davieG]

Already happened.

Monday night, Palace, Big Barry's shin...

So the law of averages has fcuked us too now.

~Yes but that was 8 games ago surely we're due another!

[Narborough Bod]

~Yes but that was 8 games ago surely we're due another!

I'll agree to that, a bit of optimism and all that...

[Joe.]

Another big game here.

And I never, ever fancy our chances against Southampton, they always seem a decent side to me. Not quite sure how they're so far down the table to be honest.

I predict a defeat

[Wycombe Fox]

Just great!! I probably live closer to St Marys than any other City fan going tomorrow night and the ferries aren't running because of the weather and it's predicted to get worse down here over the next couple of days.

I'm marooned on an island - please could someone parachute some food lager in?