Mowgli

Didn't I read somewhere that Cedric was one of the best performers in the whole of the Premier League this year? Mane and Cedric both made the 11.

I thought they would at least debate the penalty. The commentator suggested it was for the tackle whilst those around me at the ground all thought it was hand ball. Not sure he really made contact with the player and the hand to ball was as much a ball to hand. Given that, and that it was not a goalscoring opportunity, really not sure why he was booked.

Haha. Think that one might come back and bit yer (I'm sure you'll not mind that though.....).

Ill take that bet! A good player who never let us down but obviously not a first choice and he wanted first team football in preference to a new contract. For that I respect him. It seems Saints players who leave are either vile defectors or are elevated to a God like status. Not much in between!

Caulker is definitely 4th behind Yosh. I think you may be being a bit hard on Gardos as he has never really had a run of games. Looked a little off the pace in the early games I saw him play but to be fair he was new to Premier League.

Once you've read all the comments here, go back and look for the Morgan Schneiderlin thread from 5 years ago. Uncannily similar!

Lord duck hunter would do well to read your post again. A very balanced and rational analysis of why a talented footballer does not fit in to our style of play. So much more informative than the emotional rants displayed elsewhere.

Haha my thoughts exactly. But that was his best free kick to date and with less than a minute on the clock it fired everyone up for a good game. He made the first goal through sheer hard work and revelled in the deeper role. For that reason he ended up my MOTM. That said, didn't everyone in a saints shirt have a really good game today?

What.... Like Sturridge... De Gae.....

Think you might be bring a bit sensitive to a tongue in cheek bit of humour

I thought most saints fans wanted Toby and Schneiderlin well. Not Spurs obviously. It was the manner in which Lallana and Lovren departed which, in my view, justified the vitriol. Once Cedric is settled I don't think we will miss Clyne and Romeu - though not as good as Morgan - is probably a good substitute. It's a sign of how far we have come that Morgan is the first ever player we have struggled to upgrade. So that just leaves the centre back position to be sorted and we can look forward to another great season.

Thought Mayuka had left.....?

Yes. That was the first I noticed him.

Just watched the last 20 minutes of the first half and did not know he was playing!

He may but Januzaj has stated repeatedly that he's not interested in coming here so will be difficult to do the interview where he claims 'as soon as southampton showed an interest....' The last thing we want is a player signing who really wants robe elsewhere.

Well it might be worth waiting just a few more games before drawing any conclusions on quality. Toby left a hole for sure but with a choice between Cedric and Martina at right back I dont think we will miss Clyne. I was very impressed with Romeu on Saturday and with Clasie in the wings I am optimistic that we can perform at the same level as last season. Another centre back will help with that confidence of course. Playing two games each week with the squad we have should not really be a problem for professional footballers. It's not like they are sitting around doing nothing with one game per week - they still have to train hard.

The logic in that argument suggests we should voluntarily drop back down to league 1 so we can find it easier to win games. The whole point in trying to finish high in the Premier League is to qualify for Europe.

I think he has to go with the strongest line up to encourage understanding which was lacking against Everton. So I'd go with the 11 that finished the game (other than maybe swapping martina for Cedric with a plan to ensure Reed and Long get playing time at some point. Maybe bring Caulker on later too.

I think Morgan will get a really good reception when he comes back here next month.

Fortunately, none of them work for SFC

Nice kit. Not the sort of thing you would want to buy but looks nice and fresh. I can see why armchair fans would not see it at its best on dodgy Internet streams.

Do you mean the level that he has been playing at regularly for the past two seasons?

Or no.

I think probably one centre back would suffice with Stephens, McCarthy and Turnbull starting to feature in and around the first team. I suspect a late signing from Celtic but we'll see. Sad news for Florin and it sounds a nasty injury. Let's hope he makes a full and speedy recovery. Best of luck mate....