woodsaint1

Losing to Shrewsbury will do alot more damage to our confidence than losing to Arsenal. Also wouldnt jump to say that Arsenal are rejuvenated - they've beaten poor Newcastle x2, West Brom and Brighton sides, and an out of form Chelsea team in recent weeks. Also drew with Palace at home. We can definitely beat them even with our injuries

Will be a kick in the teeth if he refuses to extend, particularly after the big risk we took on him given his injury record. Sadly it wont be surprising given the lack of loyalty in today's game. No doubt it'll be sold on here as being the club's fault - lack of ambition, didnt give him enough money etc. The player holds all the cards unfortunately

We beat Liverpool the other week with the same squad, you must have missed that

Here we go again fs. Been solid since hes come in, gets turned by a good player for a goal and hes not PL quality anymore. Have a day off would ya

There also looked to be an offside on Albrighton after the Diallo foul and before the goal. Albrighton was walking back, stopped thinking he was off and then played on

I saw Mane dive. Very delayed reaction to a slight touch from KWP, when he knew the ball was going out of play, which constitutes a dive. Not the first time hes done it either. Do agree that a red for Thiago would have been harsh

All being well we will finally get to see Salisu. Think JWP and KWP deserve a rest. Forster Valery Salisu Stephens Bertrand Armstrong Diallo Smallbone Tella N'Lundulu Adams (if fit)

Superb result. Diallo, KWP and Stephens immense but everyone had a great game (although Forster was largely untroubled). Stephens proving the doubters wrong again. Hes not our best CB option, but he is a PL quality CB without doubt

Destroyed is a bit much, but Matt Crocker is his interview did mention that the academy had moved away from the previous model and was now in the process of being fixed. So not far wrong in their assessment

Obafemi would be very surprising, particularly given the links that hes going out on loan. N'Lundulu and Long both ahead of him

Yep, a Tadic like no10 for me. Somebody who can find great positions between the lines, on the half turn and feed the rest of our front line. Tadic would have been well suited with the movement of the likes of Ings, Adams, Armstrong and Walcott

Think thats Craig Fleming https://www.southamptonfc.com/first-team/craig-fleming

Is it still going to be Under Armour? Honestly not bothered by the kits as I dont buy them anymore (although this seasons are a decent effort). Do buy some of the training gear and UAs attempts in recent years have been atrocious

Not sure where we go next with Djenepo. Has been given ample starting opportunities for us, but his form has tailed off badly since the early promise he showed last season. Also gives away stupid fouls and picks up lots of needless bookings for a winger and will be heading for a suspension soon. Clearly hes best as an 'impact' sub, but even in that role hes had little impact for us. Yes hes only 22 and still developing, but patience isnt guaranteed at PL level.

Joint 5th for now....

Another clean sheet for Jack Stephens. Thought he wasnt PL standard

Would agree, but he also has a tendency to rush in or leave a leg out and picks up silly bookings (and has been sent off)

A loan to teams with worse defences will do wonders for his confidence. Hes had nearly 100 PL games, he doesnt need a loan to another PL club. We need him here

For being nowhere near PL standard, Stephens has nearly 100 PL appearances at the age of 26. Yes hes not our best CB, but he has plenty of experience and at times has been a mainstay in our defence. In fact, he was excellent for us during parts of last season. Romeu returning to his best form helps provide Jack with that protection also. 10 months ago Stephens was getting praised on here and Vestergaard was worse than Hoedt. Vestergaard has improved significantly, but Stephens is still a good option for us

Well that was meh. Inches off stealing a 1-0 win. I know Ralph doesnt make subs for the sake of it, but says alot about his trust in his bench when he waits until the 90th minute to do them

We have been desperate so far. Fulham equally as bad. Really need to waken up and theres not many options on the bench

Unlikely we'll see many incomings this January window - other than a possible loan or if an great opportunity arises. It looks like full back cover (versatile for both sides) remains a priority, hence the previous links to Williams and Maehle. Be happy if the only business we did was addressing this. Outgoings-wise, it would be good to get Valery, Obafemi and Vokins out on loan. Give us an opportunity to get them some game time and assess whether they have a future here. Obafemi the most likely to be subject to any permanent offers and up to Ralph whether we take that up (given rumoured issues). Wouldnt be against him leaving permanently. Has demonstrated he can get goals in the PL but has slipped to 5th maybe 6th choice striker (behind Ings, Adams, Walcott, N'Lundulu and Long).

Stephens did very well for us at points last season. Seems to be a misconception that the 9-0 was his last real start for us. Remember very well his performance away to Leicester (mocking Vardys celebration too) where he was a rock for us. Said it before, I dont think hes a starter for us, but certainly can do a great job when called upon (could be the case this weekend). However, what would be the point in signing Salisu then? Hes had the extra opportunity to get up to fitness/speed with Ralphs system. He comes with a good reputation and its not as if hes being thrown into the deep end (not a must win game, no fans etc). If Vestergaard is definitely out then I would like to see Salisu

Entirely my thoughts too.

Not convinced. If we really had a strong interest in him for an extended period, we would have made a move for him much sooner (particularly given the low price tag). KWP is doing a great job anyways