Fitzhugh Fella

Four of those loans (ABK, Smallbone, Taylor and Bree) are in the last year of their contracts which in effect means they are permanent transfers.

That is a bit of a worry

Confirmed

You never know you might get your wish 😉

I must admit the gallows humour on here is helping me navigate this most stressful and underwhelming (so far) of windows!

Trouble is by that time there's nothing that can be done in the market. Last year we were relegated before the clocks went back.

Really? You were talking a lot of sense until this bit. Stoke deserved the 3 points. They moved the ball forward so much quicker and effectively than us. We were pedestrian, ineffective and full of basic mistakes.

Wow that was a massive wake up call for me. I watched a lot of Stoke last season and they were dire but they deserved the 3 points today and I could n't have picked a worse first game to take my grandson. We were inept in every department starting with the manager who unbelievably started with AA up front by himself. I was happy when Still was appointed, a breath of fresh air and just what we needed, I thought but his downbeat press conferences and his persistence with Arma playing through the middle is a concern. The two new signings (yes I know its early days) haven't exactly hit the ground running. Edwards (QPR's player of the season) has already been dropped and Shea Charles (Sheff Weds Player of the season) has been average at best. In fact everywhere I looked today I saw ineptness - even Fernandes tried to be too clever and left us exposed. There will be players arriving this week but I am not sure I have much faith that they will improve us. If I was a Coventry or Boro player right now I would take a lot of persuading to come to St Mary's.

I'll call it when I've seen him play a dozen times. My point is just because Fabrizio never tweeted about this move beforehand is a bit of an absurd reason to get over enthusiastic. He looks a solid enough signing and as others have pointed out we need a reliable wing back and Sugawara has not been a success. Plus the Brentford fans seem to appreciate him which is positive news. But the cynic in me wonders why Wolfsburg declined to take up their option so I'll curb my enthusiasm for now. I've seen too many Jelle van Dammes in my lifetime to get too carried away.

I am a bit bemused why fans are being enthusiastic about this signing based solely on the fact it came out of nowhere? I'd like to know why Brentford are prepared to let him go and I'd like to know if there was a fee involved and then I'd like to see him play before I call this a "very good signing"..........to quote Forrester.

It does?

This aged well

I think it about time fans stopped fixating on Jack Stephens 3 year extension FFS. Yes a bit OTT but I couldn't care less. He has been a good servant so WTF.We have a lot bigger things to worry about. I also laugh at the desire to get back to the corrupt PL which is geared to the wealthy and the elite. There is no point to promotion any more because, unless we get taken over by a bent billionaire, we can't compete, so would more than likely come straight back down and then go through the same crap. We are deluding ourselves or to put it more honestly football is taking the piss out of genuine fans,

Good work but one small omission (literally) - Juan Larios who has gone on loan to the Spanish Second Division, although I doubt there was a fee involved.

Yep this is going to be there or there abouts I reckon

Good Morning - I hate to rain on your parade but I don't think the information you have been given is correct. Southampton have done everything possible (and more) to hang on to Dibling but he has declined to sign a new contract and so the club have no choice but to sell before he runs it down. I believe his parents are separated and not really singing off the same hymn sheet which means his agent is calling the shots and encouraging him to move. I was given this info about 4 months ago from a impeccable source. Things might have changed but the contract remains unsigned so I don't think so. Personally I like him and would like to keep him because there is a unique talent just waiting to burst out with the right manager but hands are tied unfortunately.

Dragan is at loggerheads with the Serbian government - in fact he doesn't go back to his native country for fear of of what might happen to him. I believe he lives in Slovenia.

Ralph's biggest weakness (some might say strength) was his man management. Not many players liked him.

I was annoyed as anyone at the circumstances of his departure to Liverpool and it's irksome the likes of Blackmore paint him out to be some sort of Mesiah without referring to his crassness at the time; but if he really is a good coach and we benefit from his presence at SMS then the past is best stashed away for the greater good.

My bad - my brain is a bit scrambled at present.

Can't believe no one has mentioned the first on loan player to score a goal for Saints. It was in '82-83 if that helps narrow it down and it came in a very emotionally charged game against Notts County no less.

Thought he spoke very well during the interview. I disagree with his views on Martin who I thought was something of a fraud but other than that I still have every confidence Dragan is a good owner and will strive to put us on an upward trajectory once again.

Scott Hiley at my daughter's wedding. Really nice bloke. I once stood next to Peter Noone (aka Herman Hermit) at a Saints v Man United clash at The Dell in the 70s. I was vice captain of the Fitzhugh Darts team circa 1975/6 and in the team we had Peter Osgood, Jim Steele and Gerry O'Brien. Had a lot of fun going to all the back street Southampton pubs with them.

Because they didn't have the disaster of the relegation season we have had

You won't. Everyone knows we have to "regroup or reset". Some of us appreaciate that's not going to happen overnight. Tbh - I have learned one lesson from this season's shambles and that is there's no point going up to the PL until you are really ready. We certainly weren't a year ago and got found out from Day 1. Next time we need to do it with a much clearer vision, a settled Board who carry the support of the fanbase and back room staff who know their onions. Right now none of those criteria are in place - hence my attempts to add a bit of common sense to the debate.