SaintRobbie

Koemans staying next year. But after that will depend on Boardroom ambition. Our business model is to sell the best and replace with generally well-scouted gambles, which has undeniably resulted in a gradual reduction in our placing despite having a superb managerial team. Time will tell but no manager with ambition will stay within that model. So if in the summer the best leave again (which I suspect will happen), the inevitable will happen yet again. Koemans therefore off end of next season -Saints finishing around 10th next year would be my current prediction. Can't see things changing without an injection of capital aka Leicester. That would require the club to be sold. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We are in a relegation battle. No brainier. We are appallingly run. No ambition in our Boardroom who have turned us in to a selling club. Players expect to leave when they peak and we are seeing that play out now. 'Operate within our means' philosophy is flawed if we wish to stay in the Premier League. Only way forward is going to be a new wealthier owner and new talent to run the club. Koemans will go at the end of their contract if not. I don't think we will reinforce this winter and sadly can see no chance of anything other than further asset stripping in the summer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We are not a well run club. Sorry, but the last few weeks are all down to lack of squad depth, an inability to hold on to players (because we have to operate within our means) and we sell. We sell our players. We are not ambitious. We got lucky as RK arrived. There is more chance we will sell our best players in January than buy quality players ourselves. Our owner needs to sell up. Only way forward to support and keep Koeman is to find a wealthy owner like Leicester have. We are about to enter a relegation battle. Simply no depth, no ambition, no new youth of note to bail us out, no money from our owners and Boardroom. Eddy Howe after defeating Man U just said he's strengthening his squad in Jan. We aren't saying that. Bubbles bursting?

Last line is absolutely right. Agree with everything here, but concur on that the most.

Totally agree - no one who can strike a ball from range less Van Djik and he's a CB!

Can't argue with any of that. My concerns: no squad depth as a result of summer sales. Not replaced quality with quality and not able to 'March on'. Boardroom failure. Wanyama looks like he wants out and has been mediocre for a while. Agents fault. Made Romeo look good, and he's not as strong as Wanyama - if he's the replacement when Vic goes in January (?) then we are in trouble - he did well yesterday I grant you, but is not consistently high quality. JWP simply not good enough in my opinion - squad player at best. Mané is our only high quality player - and so we will sell him and fail to replace him on current trends. But he is better as a Kevin Phillips type striker and running at defences not on the wing where he's wasted. Koeman has brought in all his good quality targets - Tadic, Pelle, Clasie. Who else can he attract? Can he in January? We are where we deserve to be - table doesn't lie from this part of the season. I see potential for a relegation fight - I don't think we will go down but we can certainly enter the mix by late January. So? I think we need x2 - 3 quality players in January to reinforce us up front and at right back (Yoshida not PL quality in that position). We need a defensive midfielder of Schneiderlan quality. And a midfield goalscorer (JWP isn't that player). Will the Boardroom reinforce??? No chance in my opinion. We might be witnessing the start of the slide and end of Koemans reign. Gutted if so. But our Boardroom have failed to invest and support RK. Not enough quality in depth - not replaced Clyne, Schneiderlan, Aldervereld, not able to March on. We are weaker than this time last year.

Vic's off in my opinion. Koeman not looking himself and seems frustrated. Mane unsettled too. No time to replace. And I do not yet believe we have replaced Morgan, Toby (van Dijk ?) and Clyne. Targett has cost us 5 points this season so far and we need a decent cover man. Fonte is also not quite himself and Forsters replacement is not good enough. That's the negatives. Positives.... we have held on to Vic before. Van Dijk may be coming. Mane not yet gone. Still hope. Overall? I think we have one week for the Boardroom to start to spend and signal intent. We have banked 10s of millions. We have not invested enough. Those we have bought appear weaker than those sold. I think we have failed this window. Failed to build. I think that's down to the Boardroom and I sense Koemans frustration. We got lucky last summer. We are being too tight to be lucky this season. I think Les Reed has under performed. I think our Boardroom policy is failing Koeman. Oh no I wet the bed!

Time to buy him has come. Up the offer and get him in quick.

Good result. I thought we played ok. BUT we clearly need to invest in a high quality CB and probably another midfielder. Defence looked shaky. Time to buy Djik and buy him fast. We have loads of money, time to invest it Boardroom.

All good honourable stuff. Can't fault him in anything he says except that Prem Clubs that manipulate the media to get their man do exactly that - they get their man. Great to be nice.... nicer to be great? My biggest issue with our Boardroom is that they have still failed to spend what they have to bolster our team. I know we will get another central defender, but I am unimpressed with all our summer signings less Clasie, and even then I do not think he's as good as Morgan. Frankly I am in the same mindset as last season at this stage, we're weakened. But this year though I know that Koeman can keep us in a mid table slot rather than wondering about relegation. I do not sense us kicking on a level this season at the moment. I think Les' statement stinks of we are keeping the cash (again) and not investing it all (again). Why were not snapping up Austin and releasing Mayuka I don't know.

I think thats a fair assessment. Even then I'd rather see us experiment and lose in pre-season than go all out for wins. I can't fault the coaching staff thus far.

Yep - mid table max. Unless we start buying quality soon. But it's still early. I hope we start to make some significant signings soon.

Those who go on about bed wetting all the time. Is this a personal issue from childhood?

Shame no one else is allowed an opinion - same old Wes - no one else's thoughts matter.

Good point - I'd forgotten about Shaw!

Worrying now. Last summer we only lost one primary defender. This summer we are about to lose 2 and our principle defensive midfielder. BOTH TO RIVALS. That said- Toby's not gone yet! I hope we have a plan. Shame we haven't yet reached the boardroom mentality of buying who we want first then selling on. But we shall see what happens. At the moment it's feeling like last summer again. One bad news story after another. Still, keep the faith. After getting lucky last summer I am prepared to give Ralf and Les the benefit of the doubt. After all you create your own luck... Let's see what we can bring in. COYRs! (at least we have a real kit this season!)

I'm starting to get concerned now. Toby and Clyne leaving with our strongest defensive midfielder out too. Half our defence has gone. Hard to see how we can replace them. Really hard. I wish we hadnt sold to Liverpool too. Still, let's see what we do to rebuild this time. Part of me thinks we got lucky last summer. I hope we can achieve the same again this summer.

Looks good, but I'd have preferred yellow not slime green. Love having the sash back.... I wonder what the chance is of having a European shirt with a sash, in red and white? I'd buy it.

We are staying up.

Ox assist.....!!! Almost got it right. SAINTS IN EUROPE - Clyne stays.

Can we have a European shirt again? Please...

Bloody marvellous... And it's all Southampton.....

WE ARE IN EUROPE!!!!!!!!!! We are Southampton (thanks Arsenal)

Lol.... we are going to Europe (with Nathaniel Clyne) We deserve it. We beat Arsenal we thrashed Villa!

He wants to come hoooooooommmmeeeee! Theo! Theo! Theo! Saints are going to Europe .... I knew Theo would get us there years ago! (Not quite how I expected him to!) 2nd half Oxlade-Chamberlain to score. Guaranteed!