After the bitter disappointment in the manner in which we exited the FA Cup, the club and its supporters have to put it behind them and concentrate on finishing as high as we can in the Premier League.

There is no doubt that Saturday left a bitter taste in the mouth, it was always going to happen though, Mauricio Pochettino had set himself up for a fall earlier in the week when he commented on how he did not want to qualify for the Europa League, given that winning the FA Cup would mean we had achieved just that, it left the manager wide open for criticism in the game at Sunderland and his team selection and substitution at the end raised further questions about his motivation on Saturday.

Strangely though, although we can concentrate on the league, what are we playing for in it? rise one more place and there is a good chance that we could qualify for the Europa League through that route.

But all we can do now is try and put the events of the weekend behind us, there is no doubt that for many their opinion of Mauricio Pochettino has dropped slightly, you only have to read message boards across the internet or social media to surmise that, perhaps there has been something lost in translation in the managers comments, that hasn't been helped by the fact that his assistant has been doing most of the interviews both before and after the game, rightly or wrongly it conveys a message that the manager isn't bothered with the FA Cup.

Whatever people's feelings though we all have to move on, the managerial duo of Pochettino & Perez misread the feelings of the fans and they have to work to get those fans who are upset back on side, we as supporters need to do our bit as well, we need to unite behind the team and Mauricio Pochettino and make sure that we take steps forward again, at the moment it seems like the season is finished and that it is a little hollow, but we have to keep plugging away and see where it goes.

If man City win the Capital One Cup then sixth place would get us in the Europa League, if Man City, Everton or Arsenal win the Fa Cup then seventh place would get us a Europa League spot and in the unlikely event that UEFA uphold their own rules about financial governance next season then even eightfth might get us into Europe.

At the moment all of those scenarios are outside bets, but we need to have a target to focus on, sixth would be tough but achievable, likewise seventh, but we need to carry on and make sure this season doesnt fizzle out after so much promise

Photo: Action Images

slynch added 10:32 - Feb 17 I think fans have got to get used to seeing quite a few academy players in the team for the rest of the season.
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halftimeorange added 12:31 - Feb 17 Despite the apparent lack of ambition from the management team on Saturday neither Pochettino or Perez was on the pitch. The first half display was decidedly indifferent, almost as if some of the players (Wanyama, in particular) were playing not to win and some (Lambert) looked dead on their feet. Our system of playing possibly suits lighter bodies and fatigue is setting in. It will become apparent in our next fixture if that is the case or if the instructions were not to try too hard.

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saintstuinoz added 12:35 - Feb 17 Wouldn't the FA Cup final need to be between City/Arsenal/Everton in order for a place to go to the league? If it was City/Sunderland for example, and City win, wouldn't Sunderland get the European place, or have they stopped that now?
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schatfield added 16:32 - Feb 17 i thought the same as saintstunioz, for the league cup as city are no doubt champo league bound, wont sunderland get the europa spot? and similar with fa cup rather than going to the league - thought it only went to the league if both finalists in the cup were both in champions league..
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thegeneral added 17:28 - Feb 17 If Pochettino wants the club to advance up the premier league table and push for a champions league spot, europa league qualification is pretty much unavoidable. Chelsea, Man city, Arsenal, Liverpool and don't count out Man U are going to be extraordinarily difficult to shift and can only be done with quality and depth throughout the whole squad not just a good first 11. The europa league as it is is badly formatted, but will give our youngsters vital experience (improving their England chances), tempt big named players to look our way and force the club to build a stronger deeper squad which is good preparation for the champions league should we get there. I really do think players morale took a battering on Saturday and as already pointed out in comments on here, our more talented players could be wondering about the clubs ambition. We have no chance of a champions league spot, out the league and FA cups, nothing except prize money to play for in the league and providing an opponent for the premierships superclubs, who i suspect Luke Shaw may well become quite admiring of now. Finally just what is Pochettino playing for? League cup - clearly not, FA Cup - nope, Europa - hates it, that only leaves the champions league and i would say thats just a little bit arrogant at this moment in time.

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SanMarco added 18:51 - Feb 17 Yes the FA Cup final would have to between two 'big' teams or the lesser one would qualify even if they lost. The League cup runner up does not get the European place. It is a good point, and surely obvious to MoPo, that our only goal for the rest of the season is to move UP the league and therefore possibly qualify for the dreadful Eurjoka Cup. Were MoPo's comments in any way related to Laudrup's sacking? After all he won a cup last season and look what happened to him...

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davepid added 21:12 - Feb 17 Reasons to be cheerful.things we didn't have at the beginning of the season. Things to cheer us up post Sunderland. Q 1. The southampton way 2. General admiration from the TV pundits and 1/2 managers that we are an attractive footballing team, hard to beat - but not that hard during me the winter months. 3. Fans being able to chant- we play our football on the ground. 4. 3 goals in 15 mins against Fulham and nearly as quick against Hull. 5. Victory at Anfield. 6. A great third round cup tie against Burnley. 7. There internationals 8. The emergence of Adam as a real class English act. 9. Shaw and Chambers breaking through 10. everyone casting envious glances at our Academy.

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ExiledSupporter added 09:26 - Feb 18 I've always been a bit sceptical about the real substance of "the Southampton way", does it now also include throwing in the towel while pretending otherwise and disappointing thousands of loyal fans and caring not one iota for those who spent their hard earned cash travelling the length of the country. Perhaps someone would care to define the so called Southampton Way so that I can get a better grasp of its real meaning, at the moment the definition seems to include things we like and to ignore things we don't. Does it include the way that we treated Adkins (especially after he left)?

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BlackRod added 18:15 - Feb 18 Remember that we play Man U in the last game of the season. If it's between us and them to get the last Europa cup place we may get a chance to look at more of our Under 18 quad.
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cheltenhamsaint added 21:15 - Feb 18 I heard on the radio tonight that Manchester City were playing Macclesfield 15 years ago this week in the third tier of English football and for the first time in the knockout stages of the CL. I think, and hope, this is the journey we are on. But we have to be patience with the progress (though from regular regulation fodder to top half is a massive step in a short time). Add to that that the 5 year plan for the "Southampton Way" was to be promoted to the EPL in 2014 (this May) the club is 2 years ahead of plan. On the back on that are players that are on contracts who were signed to get us out of the Championship. that they have done so 2 years early. We should show our thanks and treat them with respect, as Mr Pochettiono has by continuing to treat them as part of the squad, for the remaining duration of their employment of our club. We are unlikely to compete financially with the "big boys" just yet , so as an owner as a small business, I always think that you have to think differently to get an edge. If that happens to be a mix of academy players and shrewd purchases (Lovren), which the top clubs are not doing, I think there is a competitive advantage to pursue this strategy, Not instant success I grant you but look at the clubs that have tried to compete financially (Leeds springs to mind) Davepid - I enjoyed reading your post. Very positive about what we have achieved this season and I think we should all be very proud of our team (and the management that facilitated it) Hoping for a win on Saturday, as always

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aceofthebase added 07:03 - Feb 19 and still the manager insults the supporters by not communicating in English. Man up POX.
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