CamberwellSaint

thanks Art. Much appreciated.

I think that's an important point to avoid wrist-slitting: Compared with the squad that has played all the pre-season games, with a bit of luck and a bit of judgement on Koeman's part, we also have Rodriguez (proven top flight striker) and Schneiderlin (proven top flight and international midfielder) to return, and compared with last season, a brilliant player like Ramirez who might just need better man-management than he was getting. There have been mutterings of a Pochettino's-favourites-clique last season, which might explain some of the toy-throwing from Morgan and Lovren and might augur well for the team with a more open approach from Koeman.

Are we going to get alot of these threads where the procedure is: 1. Pick quotes wildly out of context 2. Add scaremongering, attention seeking title 3. Ask non-sequitur rhetorical question 4. Enjoy ensuing pointless catfight?

Arf! That practically makes you an SFC board member with an Access All Areas pass.

The Mail is a vile newspaper, that loves nothing more than this kind of sneering off-the-shelf 2nd hand blab. Ignore!

Wanyama definitely with us throughout January as Kenya out of the ACON. This leaves us still with a very strong central and defensive midfield; we ought to see ourselves being linked with wide players.

Oh. I forgot. I'm an eternal optimist, so, bearing in mind the curious Zen confidence that RoKo exudes, and the unaccountable calm in the squad (that's left), I'm going to say: 8th. More on the basis that nobody else has got that much better, and we are better then we think.

Not until then? What about all the lunatic predictions and wildly speculative nonsense that people could be held to if they vote now? hashtag: giveemenoughrope

Really helpful advice all. Cheers. Hopefully the Mods don't get Roger Rulebook on it (though I can see why they would).

Waste of time thinking about him. Mods: Time to lock this thread? It's depressing seeing it on the list. If someone wants to start a "can't resist going on and on about an ex player who's demonstrated himself to be an right ****" thread, they can.

Nice point. As the now tedious Alan Hansen says: defenders hate pace.

It certainly might be more of a factor than people here think, given Cortese's vicious level of ambition and control-freakery.

Great stuff, well written. Nice work!

I think the major loss with Boruc would be his seniority and character in the dressing room. As others have noted, his distribution puts us under too much pressure too needlessly, and is it me or is he quite obviously overweight?

Really nice post, there's no substitute for some been-there-and-seen-it reportage. Cheers!

I don't think that "pre-season results mean nothing" if you lose most of them. Bournemouth and Brighton may not be Champions League material but they aren't mugs, and we beat them 4-1 on aggregate, with a team that's supposed to have been gutted and filled with not-ready-yet kids and unproven new signings. The Leverkusen game's a big step up, mind.

You've actually seen him play? You'd best get off this thread sharpish; you're not wanted here mate.

He's played in the Champions League, for a team where Ashley Cole was on the bench last season, and Mourinho thinks he's too good to sell. What kind of "standard" were you expecting at Saints?? (who finished 8th and were considered to have played a blinder in the process). The level of Championship Manager fantasising and kneejerk slagging on this thread is beyond belief.

Same here. Very funny in a sly kinda way. (Greenridge's original post)

This. If you're new to this thread, read Steve Grant's reply and you won't have wasted too much time.

It's like a cross between 'Cuckoos Nest', 'The Likely Lads' and 'The Crucible' in here. Bad for your health, that's for sure.

The article is pretty much spot on, and the only counter for a club like us is managerial stability, and loyalty to the manager leading to players staying out of that loyalty, and the perception that they're playing for someone who supports them.

You're right insofar as matchday punters aren't a major part of the Prem's "income stream". But you might want to re-think that "hordes of Asians" comment. Particularly as "hordes of Europeans" make up the bulk of Sky's subscription income, and you don't want to look like you just walked out of a 1973 Enoch Powell fan club meeting, do you?

Let's not. The team need the fans right behind it even more than normal with a rapidly changing line up. Grumbling about off field stuff isn't gong to give the new recruits any confidence at home.

As people have said, this is pure Mourinho wind-up. You have to give the guy some credit: he's brilliant at manipulating the media into pressurising (or appearing to pressurise) his opponents, getting the critics to take their eyes off his team's vile brand of football, and appearing to oppose the influence of money in the modern game (while spending Russian Gazprom millions). He's an utter tool, but he's good at what he does.