Fabrice29

I'll be surprised if United are actually interest in Fonte. If they wanted him they'd have signed him in the summer. There's no real reason to wait until January or next summer as signing him next year on a 3 year contract just doesn't make a whole load of sense. He's not Ibrahimovic who will make the money back instantly with shirt sales. I think the link is convenient for United whilst they try and sign someone else. It's convenient for Fonte as he's not being offered an extended contract which I imagine he wants and the agent (an agent closely linked to United btw) because his player is in the news and might force either us or another club to offer get him money. The pay rise probably didn't profit the agent massively but a new contract with either us or someone else does. He wont be interested in Everton as it's a step down and he wants the European football at least (hence he's ****ed off not playing) but a nice link to United might interest bigger clubs through association. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up at Benfica to replace the Swedish guy going to united, as everyone (and most importantly the agent) wins all round there. I just dont see the United interest being legit, it's a convenient link but if they wanted him it's not a hard deal to do, a double figure bid would do it easy enough and there's no logic to waiting until January or next summer to do it.

It's not a case of people not rating Fonte ffs. He's 33? There comes a time when the club has to make a difficult decision and tell him he isn't going to get his contract extended. That time has probably right come. It doesn't mean we as fans dont rate him and the evidence is there that the club still rate him because in his own words he's been offered a pay rise. Just not a contract extension. He's probably quite fairly sounding out interest from other clubs so he can extend his stay in the Premier League for longer. If he doesn't leave in January or the latest this summer then he doesn't leave at all I imagine and as we aren't extending his contract then his top level career is over when the contract runs out. Leave now and he gets an extra year or two. If we can get decent money for him and a replacement then lovely, it suits everyone for him to go sooner rather than later. If not, then we still have a top CB for the rest of the season and one who despite the speculation isn't letting him affect his performances. It's not the massive story everyone thinks it is, I doubt either party have been brilliant in the situation but that's life. I would like to point out that this speculation is all for pro Fonte. Almost as if it's ran by the agent who either wants a move (so links him to United, who's manager is with the same agent so probably wont come out and dismiss it) or wants Saints to buckle under the pressure and extend his contract. It's interesting that all this speculation is the same as in the summer but the only bid that apparently came was from Everton. I wonder if the same will happen in January, that United will get used whilst not really wanting him, to try and drum up interest from elsewhere or as I say, make us give in.

Eddie Howe "Southampton were better than us. We struggled physically more than anything" ...Almost as if rotation isn't an awful idea you melts.

Not many of those teams have played the amount of games we have though either. Get over it, back the team. The team picked is capable of winning, if it doesn't, it wont be because they aren't good enough...(It'll probably be because we've not taken our chances tbf). JWP over Reed and Tadic over Redmond are the only two I'd change. We know the club doesn't think Fonte can play 3 games in 7 days and at 33 i don't think that's a ridiculous thought to have. Davis has not exactly been great all season has he? Hardly a must starter, and without Romeu then Reed is the natural step in. The game will be much more open than the last two as Bournemouth wont sit behind the ball all game so I can see the logic to use Redmond over Tadic.

If we/he had a decent striker we'd be raving about him. We'd be in complete control of games and winning 2-0 every week and everyone would be happy. Once he has a capable striker at his disposal then I think we can start to judge him, if it's still blunt then fine but I dont imagine it will be.

If we're taking anyone from WBA it should be Rondon. Haller is a real possibility. I think Jay Rodriguez's goal before the end of the window stalled us on that deal in the summer and I'd be surprised if we didn't go for him again. We have to be wary about what's available in January though. Being out of Europe doesn't help with the quality of striker we'll be after as anyone capable of playing at that level will be reluctant to sign for a team that they don't know if they're in it or not. So Haller would be a little more of a gamble but one we could probably pull off at a decent price in January and not get absouletly robbed for an already proven striker.

The people booing Redmond and mocking/sarcastically cheering Forster when he kicks the ball can **** off. Seriously disgraceful and if either wanted to leave at the first sniff of interest in them in the future, I'd be fully expecting and even encouraging them to do so. Absolutely ****ing mental.

Only thing to blame for us being out of Europe is a lack of a clinical edge. Anything else anyone is moaning about is utter ********. Also that lack of clinical edge could not be forseen so I'm only blaming the actual application of that, and a lot of that goes to Long and Rodriguez. Both of whom have had more than enough chances this season to look like being able to put the ball in the net and neither have stepped up. The board were right to not bring in another striker in the summer IMO as Long had begun to prove himself last year and Rodriguez was right to be given a chance. Austin has stepped up but Long and Rodriguez haven't. VVD has missed some sitters in the competition as well by the way which any one of would have put us through in hindsight but these two especially have been poor. Neither can have any complaints if replaced in January. Puel, tactics, desire, Redmond, or whatever anyone else moans about can not be held responsible for the simple fact that a little more of a cutting edge and we'd be through. We've not been outclassed by anyone, we've not been out played by anyone, we've not been tactically outdone in any game, we've simply lacked a cutting edge and it's cost us. The decision making from young players like Redmond can be blamed but he's going to be frustrating, he's 21 ffs. Experienced players like Long and Rodriguez need to step up when given a chance, and they can moan about not being given enough football but that's football nowadays and someone like Austin has dealt with it and delivered when given a chance. These two haven't. That's where my frustration lies, we were so close, basically a goal away and it's not like we haven't had the chances to score that goal, we've not taken them. That's where we'll learn and next time we get in this competition we'll be stronger for it. We need to be more clinical and it really needs to be addressed in January.

Because it gives you an incredibly bad reputation if after signing for an increased wage that you then start demanding out. He clearly came back after the summer looking for a move, probably got told United would have him at the end of the transfer window and kept quiet until then. In the meantime we do our usual thing of setting a deadline for players leaving and that came and went. We probably offered him the improved wage at some point so we could announce our super captain who has just won the European Championship has committed to us and got the improved deal he deserved. He turned that down and soon realised that either United weren't coming in for him as quickly as we wanted or that we weren't going to buckle and sell him and leave ourselves short. Eventually he realises this and does his post on instagram so his reputation is still intact. We're in the same situation now, United need a defender, he fancies it as does his agent but knows signing for an improved wage with us gives him an awful reputation if he still tries to force a move, we don't want to give a defender who is already signed up until he's 35 an extension and United want him on the cheap/or someone else. It's a stand off and him and his agent have the most to lose so fuel stuff to the press to try and make something happen whilst trying to keep his reputation intact. We sit around knowing he either goes on our terms and we get someone to replace him now or wait until the summer (and he stays and has to play well), and United do whatever they want to do, but I imagine paying a big fee for a 33 year old defender and sticking him on a 3 year contract is probably not that appealing so they will either get someone else (younger) or wait until we buckle at the end of the window and get him cheaply so they can put him on a good wage for 3 years.

Fitzhugh must be fuming.

Swear you've been banging on about not winning stuff lately. Anyway, let's not try and spew any game, let's try and win. What are you expecting? How do you suggest we save our powder for next Thursday? Send 11 out to stand around and not run about? We'll put out a different side, just like we always do in this competition, and they'll give it their best shot. Who knows what will happen but to suggest that we don't try and win is laughable. Genuinely baffling chat when anyone suggests that. Pretty sure the team will be McCarthy Martina/Stephens Yoshida Fonte McQueen Davis, Reed, Clasie Long, Rodriguez, Boufal Assuming Boufal and Davis are OK of course.

Leicester are struggling in the league and Spurs have been knocked out of the Champions league. City and Arsenal have plenty more experience than us, Leicester or Spurs in this format. I'm sure you know the difference really and are just being a bit thick for the purposes of being annoyed. Your last two comments go to prove that, and no I wont explain why, you'll just have to go on in you're life being rather thick and not being unable to understand things.

Do they? Are Leicester managing? Spurs do make quite a lot of changes and I would rather cheekily suggest that a couple of their "injuries" have been strategically timed or prolonged in one or two instances. Oh and some players have different recovery times and abilities. That's the body for you.

He's pants and you can see it quite clearly in warm ups.

Just seemed to try and make it sound like us wanting more than a year long plan was a bad thing.

£4 isn't it now? Still well worth it obviously. Is it definitely on Sportsmania today?

That's nice that is what you'd rather do. Unfortunately for you it isn't your decision. Also they wont be a Chinese group of unknowns. It'll be people who you seem to like choose. They've not let us down yet and I have full faith in them to get this right to as when the times comes. It's like Puel, just because we don't know him doesn't mean he's ****.

Academy manager in charge Thursday. Still loving the Lambert suggestion. Struggling to get in our team when he left 2 years ago, hardly got into the Liverpool or West Brom team since. Now at Cardiff but yeah perfect for Inter Milan on Thursday

Lambert ffs

You realise we have injuries right? The whole point of a club of our stature is we give youngsters a chance when the opportunity rises. Would love to know who you would go and sign who'd happily sit around all season not on the bench if everyone was fit. Also from the man who would literally be jizzing himself silly if it were Gallagher on the bench, that's quite a post.

Alfie Jones will play central midfield.

It's been far from a farce tbf and at no point have the club encouraged anyone to bend the rules.

The side picked for Thursdays game was good enough to win it. That's all you can ask for from a manager. Up to the players to go win it, they didn't. The only missed opportunity is from the players who didn't step up when given a chance against as you say, a side they should have.

If the Europa game was a must win game then fine but it wasn't, we got a point, we'll smash them at home and we've rested some players. By the way the only player that would make a difference was Austin and he's ****ed after 45 minutes let alone 2 games in a week with some travelling. Calm down and let the manager and sport scientists who are paid big money and have much more fitness information available to them than you and your thoughts make the decisions.

I'd be more worried about VVD and Fonte being at each others throats throughout most games.