WATERSIDEIFASAINT

I agree we need to buy now. We cant wait until the end of the month.Brighton had 11 players missing but their bench still looked a lot stronger than ours. We need 2 strikers, a winger and another cb as a bare minmium from this months transfer activity.You could also make an argument for a back up goalie and a box to box midfielder but I doubt we will address these 2 positions this window. If we dont spend reasonably big from the position we are in then I will also have doubts about how much backing we have got. I reckon still reasonable as we wouldn't have signed all our top players on long contracts but not as much as a lot of us possibly hoped!? We shall wait and see but we definately need a new striker by sat week

Why does NA keep saying we need to be in the top 10 come January so we can push on from there if we weren't planning to strengthen the team ? Why would we do better with the same bunch of players? I think we will be a lot higher than 10th hopefully still in the top 2 but I read into these comments that NA will be seriously backed in Jan if the right players are available at the right place.I would not be surprised to see us spend £6-7 million on 3 quality players to help us seriously push on. What we won't do is spend £6 million on one player imo

Very very poor result. Anyone else think we will buy 2 strikers in Jan because I have a sneaky feeling we will look for a pacy forward and a back up for Rickie.Maynard and Lukas would be ideal.I also think we need another cb and a pacy winger like Adomah. These poor results and form make it far more likely that we will seriously strengthen our squad in January with Oxo's money as we won't want to blow our excellent chance of going up this season. We are definately struggling with a number of injuries and other players struggling for form and fitness.

I also hope we have a contingency plan as its seems strange to let Gorkss get away with no back up elsewhere.If we don't sign a quality cb and striker then I will question our ambition this season particularly as we have £15 million plus potentially in our transfer kitty.Can't understand why we would pay £1.8 million for Fox and not be willing to pay £2 million or £2.5 million for a decent cb.(maybe we will!?) Next 7 days will be fascinating but will point to what we are aiming for this season imo.Consolidation and we don't need new additions,top 6 and we need new cb and striker,top 2 add new winger to replace Puncheon/oxo and new right back

We have been pretty unactive on the transfer front in the last 2 transfer windows with only Guly,Chaplow and Forte brought in permanently and a couple of loan signings.But we have kept Lallana and Lambert signing new contracts and we held onto Oxo in january.It will be interesting to see whether Morgan and Fonte sign new contracts to extend their stay as Morgan must be in his last year now. So its difficult to comment at this stage if we're being ambitious or not.If we don't manage to add a couple of quality players by the end of August then I will question the ambition and finances available but then again if we needed money for signings we would cash in on Oxo. Jack Cork will be an interesting case for me.Surely we can show him the vision for our club over the next 10 years of his career and be a better bet than Burnley or Blackpool and even Forest with the supposed resources and plan behind us.If we can't sell the club to him or similar type players then we will struggle with our longer term aims imo.Yes he has had a good time at Burnley and Howe will be saying they are an ambitious club blah blah blah but surely with £14k gates Cork can see through this bulls**t and know Burnley at best will be a yoyo team with the prem.

My main worry is that we are possibly aiming at unrealistic signings like Maynard who says he will only move to the premiership.We may then look back and kick ourselves that the best realistic alternatives like CMS have all been snapped up and we then have to panic buy at the end of August when we realise our current squad is not quite as good as some posters on here think. If we are aiming at mid table mediocrity will that satisfy Lallana,Oxo,Morgan and Fonte who all want to play in the premiership?Our current team is not top 10 imo with all the other major clubs either having or about to seriously strengthen Hope we are speaking to other central midfielders whilst we wait for Cork to make up his mind!! Would hate to miss out on a player like Guthrie whilst we wait and yet again miss out on all the next best signings to our rivals whilst we cling to the hope our no 1 target will join us.

Originally Posted by dune 'It's interesting in that Cortese *talks* about where he wants us to be, but seemingly doesn't want to spend the required wonga'. The test comes this summer imo.Can NC & NA attract the right quality to take this club forward.If they don't spend some money I will certainly question where we are heading with how many good sides there are in the ccc. At the moment this team and squad is mid table at best with all the other major clubs strengthening.I hope we will not be resting on our laurels unless I can see us panick buying when things aren't going to plan at the end of August or January. We need 3/4 quality signings to turn us into at least a top 10 side that could possibly make the play offs.For the current season this would equate to a good season imo. Do people really think this current team with no additions will finish above Leeds , Leicester , Burnley , Ipswich , Reading , Notts Forest , Cardiff , Middlesbrough, West Ham and Birmingham.You could also add Hull , Blackpool and Derby to that list. It is an exceptionally tough league next season which makes it more important to strengthen more than maybe what was 1st planned as you have to react to what your main competitors are upto to keep pace.Teams like Ipswich,Leicester and Derby are all busy strengthening.There are at least 12 sides that will be chasing promotion next season believing that they have got a realistic chance.I don't know what is in NC's and NA'S plans but they did say they wanted us to be competitive challenging at the top end of the division. For this to happen money will have to be spent

Billy sharpe-Doncaster

IMO we will need 5/6 quality additions if we want to be challenging right at the top of the league. I was just looking at the current odds for next season and once we add in the 2 other relegated sides from the premiership plus Reading/Swansea the ccc looks very competitive next season although its difficult to judge until all the new squads are assembled West Ham,Leicester,Notts Forest,Cardiff,Middlesborough,Ipswich,Burnley,leeds are all fancied at least or more than us at present.Then add in the other 3 teams and we will probably be about 8/9 favourites at best Teams like Bristol City and Hull also fancy their chances.A lot of sides seem to have reasonable budgets to spend and are going for it next season so its going to be a highly competitive league and imo will be one of the most difficult seasons ever to get out of the ccc depending on who is relegated tomorrow. I still think we will do well next season but 3/4 quality additions that walk straight in the 1st team are needed to really challenge.

Dale Jennings from Tranmere who is highly rated Neil Danns hasn't signed a new contract at Palace yet .Is he good enough for our ambitions. Jack Cork would be a decent signing aswell

So why does everyone think we will lose at Orient and Brighton while Huddersfield will win at Brighton and Peterborough at Orient !? Huddersfield have also got MK Dons away aswell as Peterborough at home.Tranmere away is no giveme either. I reckon both side will lose at least 2 games each with their run ins and probably draw another game I'd be very surprised if 83 points is not enough.

I really can't understand why we wouldn't want to bring in a loan and pay 6 weeks salary to get us promoted. To me its NA & NC either being far too cocky or delusional.What if Lallana and Oxo don't play for 3/4 weeks?By then the automatics opportunity may have gone Surely you would gamble on paying someone decents salary for 6 weeks knowing if it didn't pay off that Oxo would be off in the summer plus a few others which would more than recoup any money spent over the next 6 weeks Why are we gambling with promotion as our back options are not good enough imo? Has the money and backing run out? For me that can be the only logical explanation for not bringing in a decent loan at this stage as we are dangerously short of quality cover in midfield.

if there is any doubt on them(lallana & oxo) being out for a few games hope NC gets his cheque book out tomorrow and secures a decent loan signing or 2.It is too dangerous not to get reinforcements at this stage as our squad is starting to look threadbare and it could cost us promotion.Surely we can afford someone's wages for 6 weeks to help ensure promotion !!!? Thought Bialowski was out for ages? and he was on the bench tonight.Good news as didn't want the chance of having to rely on Forecast

loan window doesn't close until Thursday March 24th so we have another week yet

Hope its Michael Brown from the skates

Just been looking at our results and except for Carlisle away if we score we don't lose.In 8 out of 9 defeats this season we didn't score.So if we can score early on tuesday night I will feel a lot more confident.3 points is an absolute must and hope a couple of our rivals slip up as most of them have tricky fixtures.That will keep the pressure on Bournemouth for next saturday

Great result at Colchester today but still think we need to bring in a loan striker as Connelly never seems to be fit and Guly is injured and has lost some of his form recently since getting his contract.Can we get hold of a good enough loan to give us a boost and some options up front?Think this could be crucial to us getting automatic promotion. If Morgan is ruled out for the season we could do with another central midfielder aswell as we have failed to score in too many games this season and need some creativity from midfield

How about Michael Brown from down the road that they can't afford to play.A horrible,nasty in your face type of player who is just the player we need in those away games imo.Would be excellent at this level and is a leader on the pitch.I'd even forgive him for his Pompey links if he helped us to that automatic promotion spot.

totally totally pathetic.Our worst result of the season. If we lose on Saturday the automatics have gone imo which is an absolute disgrace for this expensive assembled bunch of premadonas!!! Very very angry with Saints at present as there performances on the whole are unacceptable in the last 7/8 games.I hope NA reads how angry the majority of fans are and makes sure of a major reaction from the players on saturday.If they don't respond get in loans.At this stage I don't care if a couple of the underperformers get the hump if loan players come in and replace them.The only thing that matters now is getting out of this shi**y league

Our recent form and performances against very average div 1 sides has not been good enough.The games I mean are Notts County,Tranmere,Exeter,Carlisle and Hartlepool.We have struggled to perform in all of these matches and my worry is that our team really should be looking a lot better than these teams and we haven't against any of these teams of which none have got serious promotion ambitions. NA and the team need a serious rocket up their backsides before they blow an automatic promotion spot.6 points against Swindon and Walsall who are both in the bottom 4 is now essential if we have any serious ambitions of a top two finish.

would be nice for a couple of slip ups tonight as 5 of the teams around us are playing and all of them have got winable games.Bournemouth have got some tricky games coming after this one so a slip up tonight will hopefully lead to a run of dropping points for them.They have got Huddersfield(h),Sheff Wed(h),Dag & Redbridge(a),Oldham(h) and Exeter(a) before they play us next month so tonights game at Bristol Rovers is their easiest game imo. We could do with a favour from Hartlepool and Yeovil tonight particularly Hartlepool as I doubt Bristol Rovers will do us one but you never know as these bottom clubs can be dangerous on a wet horrible night so lets hope so!! Charlton are a big danger at the moment so we could do with them slipping up though if our team start playing to their potential like they were in early january again then we shouldn't have to worry about anyone other than Brighton

IMO it is a perfect time to play Rochdale as they will be confident and actually try and play football against us which will work in our favour.Rochdale are not that great a side no disrespect and we really should be winning this game.Their good run has to end sometime.I remember everyone harping on about Oldham and the fact they had only lost 1 game at home before we hammered them.With our very poor performance yesterday will work in our favour and I think we will beat Rochdale comfortably. I think Rochdale would be far more dangerous if they were on a bad run and desperately needed to win this game.Does anyone on here honestly think Rochdale will make the play offs? Extremely unlikely as their bubble will burst and why not by us? So we should certainly respect them but with the squad we have got we certainly should not fear them

We'll see how Bournemouth do in their next 4 home games:- Huddersfield,Sheff Wed,Oldham and us.Still think the wheels will come off their promotion wagon due to their small squad.They could easily have a bad run not winning in 5/6 games where you would think that unlikely for us Charlton and Huddersfield who I still think are our 2 main rivals for 2nd spot unless Bournemouth prove us all wrong!?

I think we will win at least 5 of those games out of 7 and anything less with that run of fixtures will be very poor.We should win all 3 of our home matches and if we can't win 2 from Walsall,Hartlepool and Rochdale away we won't be taking an automatic place.Colchester will be difficult but is winable. I actually fancy our chances in games 8 and 9 Bournemouth away and Sheff Wed at home.I just think we have the hoodoo over Bournemouth and their bubble will have burst by then

Will be extremely disappointed if we don't land any of our targets.This could be the difference between automatics and play offs although we still have got the loan window if necessary. Yes we did very well yesterday but it is our bench that worries me.Where is Connelly for a start?Is he injured again or does NA not rate him anymore? Either way he needs replacing fast and I would not like to rely on N'Guessan or Doble in this position in such a crucial run in for this club. Gobern is not ready so we really need a back up midfielder now we have released Wotton(didn't thgink he could still do a job either) If Puncheon is going we need another winger.Yes we have brought in N'Guessan but we need to be able to rest Chamberlain occasionally and we don't know how long Lallana is out for.Hopefully imminentely back but we don't know. We are taking a massive gamble with promotion imo if we do not add to this squad.NA AND NC talked about pushing on in January if we were in touch and about players coming in.Are we struggling to sell our vision to the type of recruits we want or is every team quoting us stupid money for players? IMO surely we take the gamble with the position we are in as we know Chamberlain,Lallana,Fonte and Spiderman etc will all leave in the summer for a lot of money if we don't get promotion so we can afford to spend a bit of money now for the final push.We have also just earned an extra £500000+ from the Man United game Lets hope for someone like CMS signing tomorrow