Bailey

Fitness doubts remain over Lambert, Osvaldo and potentially Lallana after his knock this evening - though the latter seems to have escaped unharmed. Rumours that Shaw is carrying an injury too, though we'll find out more in the coming days. Maybe this 'international' malarky isn't so good after all...

With the OP in mind, is this the best Saints side EVER?

Always liked him on the basis that he comes across as a normal, decent bloke. Even more respect for him following his post-match comments.

Ahhhh! That's better. Back to the old Saints Web. Forgot what it was like on here after a defeat!

Granted, but if Fonte or Lovren were to sustain an injury, we'd be in trouble! It's all about improving our strength in depth, though we don't tend to buy 'squad players' these days.

Difficult game in difficult circumstances. Happy with a point in the end, though we probably edged it overall. That said, Stoke would have felt hard done by if they came out of that with nothing. Given the conditions, it's a decent point. Three points against Hull next week now please!

Any decent streams doing the rounds for today...?

Poch says Osvaldo and S.Davis could return, but Guly is likely to miss out with a knee injury.

Would assume it's just an email marketing company that the club are using when sending out thousands of campaigns - common practice really.

Agreed, though Ramirez tries to 'make things happen' as it were, so is much more likely to concede possession than someone of Davis' ilk. On a side note, never thought I'd see the day where we have a player worth upwards of £12m unable to get into our squad!

Hence Steven Davis' role in the side at present - not the best ability, and I say that with no disrespect, but my word he puts a shift in & can understand why Pochettino would like him. In our current system, I'd rather have Davis in the no.10 role than Ramirez, and that tells you everything you need to know about Gaston's shortcomings. No-one is doubting his ability, but his work rate leaves a lot to be desired.

Agree we looked better yesterday when Rickie went off, but that's not a criticism of Lambert, rather an admission that the two can't work together at present. Still very much a work in progress, but would have had the same effect if Osvaldo came off instead of Lambert.

Not criticising Pochettino as such, but some of his team selections & substitutions in our first three games have surprised me a little - Clyne on the bench when seemingly fit & consistently taking off Lallana just two examples. Well aware that Clyne had a stop-start pre-season which was interrupted by injury, so tomorrow's starting XI may give a good indication as to which of these decisions have been forced... Interested to see how we line up - for me, I'd go with: ------------------ Boruc ------------------- Clyne ------ Fonte ------ Lovren ------ Shaw --------- Wanyama -- Schneiderlin ------- Rodriguez ------ Osvaldo -------- Lallana ----------------- Lambert ---------------- Subs: K.Davis, Chambers, Yoshida, Cork, Ward-Prowse, Ramirez, Lee

Intrigued to see people putting Osvaldo wide left/right - he's a central striker so will either play up top or behind Lambert. Here's my XI for Saturday, for what little it's worth... ------------------- Boruc ------------------ Clyne ----- Fonte ----- Lovren ----- Shaw ---------- Wanyama - Schneiderlin --------- Lallana --------- Osvaldo --------- Rodriguez ----------------- Lambert ----------------- Subs: K.Davis, Chambers, Yoshida, Cork, Ward-Prowse, Ramirez, Mayuka

With the additions of Dejan Lovren & now Victor Wanyama, I'm interested to see what people think our best XI is at present. Hypothetically, if we were playing West Brom tomorrow, what XI would you choose? For me, I like the looks of this: Subs: K. Davis, Yoshida, Cork, S. Davis, Ward-Prowse, Puncheon, Mayuka. That bench highlights how we're lacking strength in depth in certain positions, particularly upfront, though with two or three further additions I think we'll be in very good shape ahead of the new season. Thoughts?

In that respect, it's Chaplow out and Wanyama in! As much as I love Chappers, that's not a bad upgrade in anyone's book!

Slightly off topic, but I was thinking about this today. From the likes of Paul Wotton to Victor Wanyama in just a few years - an amazing turnaround and something that no-one could have predicted. Fantastic achievement with exciting times ahead!

True, but I'm sure Martinez would loathe to lose both, and unless either of these deals are close to completion, I'd be surprised if Everton were in a position to make a firm offer any time soon.

Perhaps MP is using Wanyama interest as a smokescreen to secure our top midfield target? It is the silly season after all! Who knows - I'm going to bed!

Could be genuine interest from Everton, in which case they'll need to stump up quite a bit of cash to get Kone, Alcaraz & Wanyama. As Nixon says, they'll probably have to sell if they want all three. Could also be a move from Wanyama's side to force Saints and any other potential suitors into making a decision and to get the deal done. Whatever the case, I'm sure this one will rumble on for a little while longer yet.

http://www.givemesport.com/357637-why-luke-shaw-is-right-to-stay-at-southampton?tg=/

What I like to call the Robinho effect. People couldn't believe it when he joined City, but it only takes one or two to join before other big-name players sit up and take notice when an offer is made. I accept that we may have to potentially pay a little over the odds initially as Cortese looks to lift the profile of the club, but that's to be expected in my opinion. Signing someone of Damiao's calibre would be a huge statement of intent. Exciting times!

Anyone else noticed the blurred out liver bird on the collar? Photoshop job, f'sure. That's not our kit guys - stand down.

One of, if not the worst signing in the club's history. Only Ali Dia comes close - but at least there was a novelty element to that deal. How Forecast has forged a career out of being a third-choice 'keeper, I'll never know.

But that's the point - they don't want to leave! Under the current regime, there is a real belief & desire to succeed. Any young player learning their trade & experiencing first-team football would want to be a part of that. IMO, if 16-year-old Bale was at Saints now, he wouldn't want to leave due to the clubs ambition - and we're in no need to sell either.