Fitzhugh Fella

I am not saying they should be given game time - yes you are probably right they are not good enough, but that does not excuse RK's treatment of them by ignoring them etc etc at Staplewood. They should be given encouragement to improve so at the very least they could be sold to lower-league teams for decent fees. Koeman has turned his back on them by all accounts and that does no one any good.

I can accept that the current crop of u21s may not be good enough whether that includes Gallagher, McQueen whoever but reports that Koeman basically gives no encouragement to them, does not let them train with the first teamers and is not prepared to give them any game time in the Prem or the Cups is a real worry. Koeman is an intelligent man so his approach to the clubs academy players is bizarre- these guys need encouragement not the cold shoulder no matter how low the manager may think of them. Perhaps unhappiness and discord at Staplewood is one reason we seem to have gone into free fall recently?

This post has this afternoon on the match thread from a new poster gives me great concern I disagree with your conclusion. I have been at most U21 games this season including the away games v Chelsea, Man City and Spurs. Yes last weeks game was a poor performance but in those other three the U21s were very good. Won 3-1 at Stamford bridge with sharp excellent goals from McQueen and Heskey. Won 2-0 v Spurs with goals from Targett and Sims out-battling a team that included Townsend (one trick pony). And deserved more from the 3-1 defeat at Man City. The first team have poor performances yet Koeman refuses to allow many U21s to even train with the first team to get serious experience or get them playing for a few minutes off the bench in cup games and it is a fact Koeman does not even talk to them never mind try and encourage them. He is aloof and arrogant. How are they supposed to develop? Koeman does not develop players his training methods are not a patch on Pochettino nor keep the players as fit as he did. Pochetino thought players like McQueen had potential and gave him his debut. He played reasonably in Feb 2014 not looking out of place. So somehow he's now not good enough. That's because the U21s are stagnating under Koemans reign. They will be going out on loan to get experience cos there is none available at their home club where many of them have spent 12 years. It's rubbish and Koeman bears some responsibility.

Koeman has qualities and up to now I have been hoping he would sign an extension but his attitude of arrogance or ambivalence towards the U21s is unacceptable. If Allsorts is giving us factual info, and I believe he is, then imo Koeman should be replaced sooner rather than later.

I can vouch that Allsorts is reporting back very accurately

Yes I was forgetting Ward-Prowse has a habit knocking in free-kicks to salvage games Wade? I am not slagging JWP, just trying to get my head around Koeman's use of substitutes which starting from Midgetland away has been quite bizarre

Surely when you are 2-1 down and chasing the game you brink on an attacker (Seagar) not a defensive midfielder who is clueless in front of goal?

Never a good idea to believe your own PR

Am still trying to work out the sense of bringing on Ward-Prowse at 2-1 down and leave Seager on the bench.

Do you ever have a view on the football or are you just on this forum to pass judgement on those that post? Why not get off the fence a bit and be brave to post a view rather than knock those that do?

Been thinking about Koeman's comments and they are harsh alright and a bit uncharacteristic which suggests to me they are not specifically aimed at the fans and the U21 players. I think he is sending a message to Reed and Co and telling them that perhaps they are now guilty of over relying on the Academy and it is not forever going to be a bottomless pit. I watched a lot of U21 games in the last year and the U18s in the FA Youth Cup and some of the organisation from the touchline looked a bit substandard. Koeman is not a mug, he knows his comments will cause a stir and I am thinking that's why he made them.

I came home with a black eye after that match - my wife now my ex-wife was not amused. A contretemps in the bench seats with a plastic Arsenal fan from Bournemouth

Hmmm hardly motiventional of Koeman! Maybe he needs to take a look at some of the coaching because last year the likes of Hesketh and Gape were considered by him to be good enough.

Accepting my perceived bias I am intrigued why on the strength of a disappointing spell at MK Dons which was on account of various reasons Sam has been written off? Less than 10 months ago he hit one of the best goals ever seen at SMS and in a final too, but that seems to count for nothing.

I have this horrible reoccurring nightmare that I am in a WW1 trench with Dusan Tadic on one side and CB Fry (the keyboard warrior not the Corinthian) on the other. The whistle is blowing and it is time to go over the top. I look left, I look right but both my colleagues have nailed their feet to the trench floor. I go into no mans land alone but the bullet that cuts me down hits me not in the chest but in the back. But then I awake, it was all a dream and i turn to my computer to log into the Saints forum to see what's happening in the real world.

Gotcha .....I knew you would bite sooner or later, if you were a fish instead of a weasel you would have been battered a long time ago!

You think fans "hoping" he is not the answer is sensible?

You hope not? What a strange thing to say, don't you want to see our young players stepping up or are you writing him off because he didn't set the world alight at MK Dons? If I was a young pro at St Marys and I read comments like yours it would not exactly fill me with confidence.

"Tadic a physical guy?" - Oh really?

Why Urgh? I'd be happy never to see him in a red and white shirt again regardless of how well he played v Arsenal when he knew he was in a shop window.

I couldn't care less about this fixture - we are not going to win the Cup (sorry I've had too many false dawns) and we need to keep our energy for two vital EPL games next week. And as half our players can't get through 90 minutes why waste vital energy.

There is an article in the DT today saying that the meeting was rescheduled 10 mins earlier and there were problems in the hotel that led to a confusion as to the meeting's venue. It seems Mane has been excused

There's been a lot of good posting on this thread, a lot of joined up thinking and not too much man marking for a change. Have found it quite carthagic and proves that in times of stress as a Saints fan this forum does actually help put things in perspective.

If I had one moan about Koeman it would be over his reluctance to give the youngsters a go. Watching Spurs v Everton yesterday at the end with the game delicately poised and both sides pushing for the winner our ex-manager threw on a kid with no experience. Rash? Brave? I don't know but Martin Tyler thought it worthy of praise and at least all the Spurs U21 squad know under MP they will get their chances.

I think Caulker is not as bad as everyone is making out to be honest, he seems to be be everyone's fall guy when plenty of others have been well below par this season