Miltonaggro

It was always going to be the case that this Olympic appearance would determine Butland's value at this moment in time. On his showing, lots of potential, but nothing like the finished article, and worth £3-4 million tops from our transfer budget, and for those reasons I'm out. Time to get in an old sweat with Prem experience as cover for KD and mentoring for Gazza...

With Puncheon, the suit is so he is ready for an interview at one hour's notice...

I don't think we are likely to sign any 'been there, done that, old head' type players any time soon. I always thought of Bellamy as a spiky character, but he has got this young Olympic team together and his workrate for a 33 year old is superb...

The two players that have made an impression on me in the matches so far are Butland, who does look the real deal, and Bellamy who seems to be all over the park making a young side tick. Makes you wonder the effect a old wise head would have on the current Saints side, and what price Butland will finally go for...

To be fair I've always liked David Dickinson, though if he really cared he would organise a special Redknapp and Storrie celebrity cash in the attic...

If last season's momentum is worth anything, it's going to be in those first few games (I'm clutching too!). If we could get in a rock of a centre back and a real live wire forward / winger it will make things interesting...

On balance it might work out better to play the top sides at the start of the season than at the end. I think that we will see at least three, four, or even five new players before the close of window, including a keeper and an experienced centre half. In terms of trepidation, it feels just like the start of last season to me...

Agree with all of this. When he first signed after the crap we'd had to endure it was great to see a committed and able 'footballer' in the side. Good luck to him...

True, and within a few short seasons they will be playing each other in the league...

Mark Wright, cultured, composed with a bit of steel. The centre half that Alan Hansen could have been (if he was as good)...

Noddy club, Noddy fans, potential to become the MK Dons of the south...

Some of the 'thick round the middle' established sides could be in for a shock. The signings so far are very encouraging and if we add additional quality with the likes of Buttner or Lens there will be real strength in depth and the chance to mix it up. The way Saints are evolving is actually a new model, and not just PR. With this new model in a new league (for most of the side) who knows how well we will do - perhaps we will emulate Norwich and establish or do an Ipswich in their brilliant debut season in the Prem. Whatever happens I am really looking forward to it, and I genuinely feel that there is the potential to kick some fat overpaid complacent arses, starting with Allardyce and the pictures editor at the Express...

This player looks like the dogs...

Remember what happened to Jason Bourne...

He looks like a tethered lurcher, with the RSPCA called by a concerned neighbour to have him humanely destroyed...

If nothing else he has got the trains running on time...

People are quick to forget that Cloughie was the big spender of that era, devastating football in 1979 when he signed Francis for £1m and paying £1.25m a year later for Wallace. All that with little old Nottingham Forest...

Even that's optimistic, it will be like the killing fields next month...

Mark my words (and I have been saying it for some time) Nigel Adkins will be remembered as the Birkenhead Brian Clough...

Ditto, ditto, and thrice ditto...

Clotterill sacked today too - the leprosy is contagious. Wonder how long it will take for Gollum to walk?...

I wonder if Dineage can put together a montage of Pompey's finest on Meridian with 'who's gonna drive you home' as the backing track. It would be very moving...

I hope that they get the food court in Westquay sorted before he looks around. Could be the deal breaker...

That would seem to be the course of things now. In one respect it might be a shame if we miss out on decent players, but so much is rotten in this area of football that it's heartening to see the club taking a stand. It will all come out in the wash...

Offer them £600K and they would bite our hands off...