Forester

I mentioned on the thread a day or two ago that a loan deal with an option to buy is a good compromise between doing nothing at one end of the spectrum and panic buying the wrong player now when the right one may be available in the summer. It sounds like we may hedging our bets and that is a smart move I think. Leave Sam up at Blackburn to complete his development playing week in week out and get him back in the summer as an additional option but not the man man

I agree re the focal point. I thought Austin looked poor outside of the box when we first signed him, but then I thought his hold up play was improving during the autumn before he got injured. Lambert and Pelle gave us a great outlet ball when we were under pressure, and also provided a plan B when at home and finding it difficult to play through the lines (think games against Sunderland, West Brom and Watford)

Moving away from the petty squabbles, and seeking to get back to a debate, as I have referenced on a few threads I am as desperate as everyone else to see a striker, who is a proper target man, signed to help Puel. I do though have a concern that the market is limited at this time of year and there must be a risk that we get someone who "is available" rather than the right signing in the summer. A difficult balancing act, if the club really feel relegation is a threat then you prioritise now. However if that is not the case I would rather wait to the summer and sign the best player available. I can imagine the uproar on here if we don't sign a striker this month but ultimately we should judge the club at the end of August I think. Perhaps a compromise is a loan deal with an option to buy in the summer....

This, hits the nail on the head. The match stats again show we were the better team, but only once (Bournemouth away) have we scored more than one goal in any Premier League match since we last played Burnley in mid-October. We are missing 30 PL goals from Pelle and Mane, and probably another 15 from Austin. I don't know any Saints fan who didn't say this back in the summer, it's not Puel's fault. I also think Forster would have been dropped had McCarthy been fit.

I think it's great to see the so called big clubs being rebranded selling clubs! It will make a more even Premier League....bring it on!

It will slow down as we have fewer competitions. See echo article today showing we will never had played more games in our Premier League era than this season. Great to see younger players given the opportunity at Ipswich, still in the competition, first choice players rested and then fresh to beat Liverpool. I am loving the fact that we are still in three competitions, and hooe rotation continues until February

Poor soul must be struggling. After all, an enjoyable win with great set up from the coach. What does he do now? Malfunction....

I know. I think some of the more unhinged posters are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following an enjoyable win last night. They can't cope, and there are some notable AWOL posters that usually dominate on here during this last 24 hours. Bliss! So I would see this "let's go find a coach to sack" thread in that light

Well done Claud Puel, two clean sheets against the team that everyone is raving about. We were superbly set up tonight, ten players behind the ball condensing any space for Liverpool to exploit and we looked a real threat on the counter attack. We got the ball forward quickly, and pressed their defence into errors. Well done too for Puel resting our first choice midfield and strikers on Saturday at Norwich, we looked fresh and his decision was vindicated

Another week, and yet more negativity. There should be three categories of Saints "fans" these days. Observers (those who never go and endlessly comment on here during games, seemingly hating every minute of it), customers (who suggest that if they aren't getting value for money they will withdraw their custom) and supporters. They actually support the club, and its employees, when it's hard as well as when it's easy

In your effort to blame Puel for everything you seem to be criticising the decision to recall the previously suspended Virgil and the previous ill Bertrand. Do you think you may be losing a bit of balance in all of this?

I am a big fan, and you are right he chalked up an assist and went close with a free kick but generally seemed low on energy/confidence. I reckon Boufal's big impact has put his nose out of joint. Hope he gets through it, quality player

Well said. Let them go and follow one of the "big clubs" and be in the majority that reach for the pistol and whisky when they dare to lose one game. Have a peek at some of their forums, it's unreal. They would be so well suited and amongst friends

On train home having enjoyed a good day out with my nine year old. Disappointed to throw it away at the end, but most of the loyal fans who went gave th players a decent reception at the end. They will be there week in, week out unlike some of the negative cyber warriors on here. Nice touch from Maya who ran all the way back to high five Lewis who w feeling awful after his mistake. I for one expected us to give younger players a chance today ahead of Wednesday, great to see Stephens do well out of position again and a decent assist. I thought JWP, PEH and Betrand were our best players. Lond an Tadic (other than cross for Virgil) very poor. Having looked at Stoke, Bournemouth and WBA results it isn't exactly a disaster

Spot on

There must be some very embarrassed critics of Puel and Reed out there right now. Two key revelations in this interview, one has been picked up in this thread but the other hasn't. Firstly, as has been highlighted, it's nonsense to say he wasn't offered an extra year. So all of this "show some loyalty to Jose" rubbish has been just that. Secondly, and crucially, Reed makes it clear that this all happened IN THE SUMMER. It isn't some reaction to the season so far under Puel, Black or anyone else. I stand by my comment in the "if what I heard today" thread elsewhere....people should consider what motives may have led to the dressing room WBA match bust up being dropped out..... Jose has been great for us, but as a captain it's clear he isn't showing leadership and so reluctantly we should sell him at the highest price.

I don't doubt for one minute that the rumour passed on has been done in good faith. What I would do though is exercise caution as to how much of a big deal this really is. Training ground and dressing room bust ups are par for the course in professional football, indeed some managers actively encourage them. If everyone felt fine after back to back defeats it would be shocking. Having been up to Everton I didn't see a team lacking fight or commitment, and we matched them for 70 mins and could have been ahead without better finishing. That was not a throw the towel in performance. What is concerning is that there is clearly someone or some people keen to drip feed this type of message outside of the club. That can often be for very different motives, won't cast aspersions but we can guess what they may be....

I am deeply confused. I have read many anti-Puel posts by you including when we were eighth in the league recently. But this seems compelling evidence that we were in fact performing to expectations. Which of these two versions do you favour?

Well said meatball, you make perfect sense to me

Having done ten hour round trip to Everton am as frustrated by inability to score as anyone else, but I don't blame Puel for us entering the season one striker short on best case scenario, and arguably two strikers short. We haven't replaced 30 goals a season from Pelle and Mane, we don't have a target man who can hold the ball up and provide a different approach (A la Lambert and Pelle) and it's unrealistic to expect us to be scoring many more goals than we are. Our leading scorer is out until April and it's clear we need to invest. Also worth noting that Pied and Boufal are his only signings, one lasted five mins and the other looks a class acquisition. Don't think this is a popular view to hold, but I don't want us to become another knee jerk club

We are eight, in semi final of league cup having knocked out Arsenal in quarter final, and could be seventh at halfway stage. And have played six more games than most, and even more than some. To even think about Puel being sacked is embarrasing

You must stop this relentless flow of logic and common sense. It's too much for some on here!

If you have a read of some of the comments in the first few minutes, and again when Reed was taken off for Davis, it is truly embarrassing. We are 7th in the Premier League with two home games to go before the halfway mark and in the semi final of the League Cup. To be as negative as some on here are can only mean that they are closet Pompey fans, or really have lost all sense of proportion. We were playing League on football losing to Rochdale not long ago.

These stats all reinforce the point that Puel is doing a good job, getting performances and creating chances but is working without the requisite goods upfront. He needs help in January and did so even before Austin's injury.

Having got back at 130am I am glad I didn't look at the knee jerk cyber warrior comments immediately after the game. Very frustrating not to take all three points, and I felt we started really well until the red card which changed the dynamic of the game completely. Stoke no longer looked to push on, which previously was leaving us space to use. We should be good enough to still win, but it just exposed what we know which is we lack a cutting edge which needs fixing in January. However bigger picture is 9th in Premier League, semi-final to look forward to and three of the next four games are all against teams who I think we have a chance of finishing above in May so important to win as many, and lose as few, as possible of those matches. Final word on four clean sheets in five Premier League games, which is not just down to a great defence (with changed personnel) but also a manifestation of the possession football that some on here hate. We really are one good strike away from being a top six team in my opinion