Born In The 80s

I'd rather sell him to an Italian or Spanish team for 10 million, than sell him to Liverpool for 80 million. The money isn't important to me; it's the principle.

Out of interest, how did you count up?

He's been a fantastic servant and 100% a saints legend. Having met him several times, I can say on each occasion he has been down-to-earth and a thoroughly decent bloke. Don't believe what you read in the press (goes without saying really) or the PR ****e the club spouts. This wasn't the move he wanted but West Ham isn't a bad option; most of his missus's family are season ticket holders at West Ham and he gets a longish contract on great money. This move reminds me of the Lallana one. Club tried to make him out to be the bad guy. Adam spat the dummy (as did Fonte) but most fans have only heard the clubs side of the story.

I reckon you do. This Hull side aren't scoring - they are ****ing woeful.

I'm never confident about a Saints clean sheet. But it's impossible not to be vs this Hull attack. What a terrible side. They'll finish bottom by some distance.

Seen loads of managers that I like come and go; Koeman certainly won't be the last! No hard feelings from me. Common isn't an elite manager by any stretch. He's a solid manager but absolutely nothing that we can't find elsewhere. Everton have paid us (laughably) handsomely for a guy that was gunna be leaving in the next 12 months. In a strange way, I think this could prove to be good for us as now we can attract a really good (perhaps better?) replacement as our stock is as high as it has ever been. For Koeman it's an interesting move. He was clearly backed into a corner by saints here. "Sign a contract or walk" was probably the nature of the conversation. Tough city to live in though. I'd say he will get a shock when he swaps his penthouse Ocean Village flat for Liverpool's equivalent. Oh and he better get his Hillsborough routine in check. His attendance will be required at the memorial service which appears to occur every other month in the city.

Completely correct. Prices will continue to rise until people refuse to pay. Those people that blame the owners for uping the prices when there are huge waiting lists for tickets are hilarious. Businessmen run football. Not fans. Been that way since Sky got involved. Get over it.

Please whinging about prices (hours after coughing up 40, 50, 60, 70 whatever quid to go to a game) make me laugh. Football is a business. It's supply and demand. The only way prices will go down is if people vote with their feet and refuse to pay. The Liverpool fans that paid 77 quid and then walked out early not only ****ed their own team but also massively short changed themselves - bizarre protest.

I'm assuming Bompey is Bournemouth? Am I missing something, but why? Genuinely never heard the term used once before...

I cringe when I hear that Wanyama chant at games. He's consistently put in terrible shifts and has received arguably more support than any other player. Trouble is, I can't see anyone paying more than 5-6 million now. Take the loss and move on. We are better team when he is out of the side in my opinion.

I'm paying 40-odd quid tomorrow. I am not ashamed to admit I am turning up fully EXPECTING to be entertained. I used to be someone who went home/away every week and used to sing supportively throughout every game since 1990. However, that was when I could afford football. Since we have been back in the prem the sad reality is i have just been priced out. For that reason, I only go to a handful of games a year and I have become much more cynical/harsh on players performance. If it's ****, I will boo. Frankly, I don't give a **** if that makes me a **** fan or not with the amount of cash I am spending.

How much will be get for him? I reckon 34 million and I reckon it'll happen in the summer.

How much are we going to get for this guy? There has been a clear drop off in performances since last season. Still a handy player, but can't see us getting more than the 12 million we paid for him. Especially as he is in the last year of his contract next year. Central midfield is a position of need next summer methinks.

The Morgan thing does make me laugh. When he left he was treated like a king and wished well by everyone. However, just 12 months ago, he behaved in a virtually identical way to Lallana. Massively spat the dummy and started crying on twitter because we said he wasn't allowed to go. The club allowed one move, but blocked the other. Both players behaved in the same way, yet one is adored and one is hated. Doesn't add up...

I am amazed that anyone can justify spending £50 on any league game in the middle of October. It just seems totally ****ing barmy to me.

Spitting the dummy just when the club/fans needed him the most (with our only European spot on a decade hanging by a thread). The guy is a total tosser and I hope we don't see his fat ass on the pitch in a saints shirt again. People comparing it to the Morgan situation are totally incorrect. Morgan got on with it and played brilliantly - Wanyama effectively went on strike. I hope he rots in the ressies until the end of his contract.

I know absolutely nothing, but this one just sounds like a goer for some reason. Fonte has a new agent and by all accounts thinks Fonte can be doing better financially. We are a club who want players under 30. Not too many of them last very long beyond that point. I thought Rickie Lambert would be here till he retired, but we gladly sold him without even putting up a fight. We would be making a profit on a player who, the chances are, is going to regress over the next 2 years. If I was in charge I would tell any club that wanted him to stick it. But then again, I'm a fan. We are a selling club that is now, above all else, run as a business.

This is an interesting post and ties in with something that I heard. I think Rick is a legend. What he did for us was absolutely amazing and I'll always love the guy for it. But someone (who was in the first team squad at the time) did tell me and few of my mates in a bar - fairly boozed up in Spain - that he and the other players couldn't for the life of them work out why Lambert was loved so much by our fans and Lallana was almost completely hated after their departure. Reading between the lines, both wanted out and behaved in the same (spitting dummy) way. But because the club were so desperate to keep lallana they dragged their heels a lot more making the whole thing seem a lot messier. Not sure Rickie was the patron saint a lot of fans like to think...

The way tickets are allocated with always **** someone off. From what I've seen, there's no completely fair method. I had a season ticket from 92 all the way through to the year Adkins got us promoted. After that season, I simply couldn't justify the cost of a season ticket. It's absolutely extortionate and is rarely value for money. I said enough is enough a few years back - it's just too expensive. Not because I couldn't afford it, but because I think these guys in charge of football are taking the ****. What are people's cut off points? Seems to me some will pay absolutely whatever it takes... SO those of you that are whinging about Season Ticket holders getting shat on - I cannot believe you're not used to it by now! It's only going to get worse lads...

Thanks for the replies The9. Very helpful. I will keep an eye on the draw and the games next week. There are some absolutely corking ties out there. I missed out on Bucharest away a few years ago so i'm not going to take any chances this time round. Think me and few mates are going to go in pretty big for a dirty weekend on the continent before flying off to Vegas a week later. Shaping up to be a solid couple of weeks.

Gunna book the Thursday and Friday off of both weeks. 29th July and 5th August weeks. That right?

I'm going to book the days off work tomorrow. I am pretty keen to go to the away leg wherever it is as I can't make the next round if we get there (holidaying in Vegas). Thoughts on me being able to secure a ticket on my season ticket? Didn't do any aways last year unfortunately and a few of the boys reckon I haven't got much of a chance of getting a ticket. Might I miss out or are they talking drunken balls? I'll probably travel anyway depending on where it is...

Bit like when we threw in a young, untried LB (Luke Shaw) into a back four that was shipping goals left, right and centre? What we are doing right now is completely destroying Pelle's confidence every game he plays. He needs to be taken out the firing line and in my opinion, Long isn't a lone striker and neither is Mane.

Time to have a look at this kid. We are currently in the situation where our only striker option has suffered a horrendous case of the yips at the worst possible time. Not slamming Pelle. He was good before Christmas. But he hasn't shown anything in the last month that suggests he is going to turn around his current dire form. He is also like a statue up there. Very little movement. Ryan Seager is a young guy who could come into the side with a point to prove and also with a good goalscoring record behind him for the U21. Of course he's raw but I think it's certainly worth throwing him in for a few games to see how he goes. At worst he'd offer us a willing runner up there (something Pelle isn't offering currently). The way things are going, it's hard to see where the next goal is coming from. If we are being totally honest, we are more than likely heading for 7th place - which all things considered would still be a fantastic season. We've not got much to lose now, so what harm throwing Seager in for a handful of games to see if he can offer something different.

The hate for Lallana is sad. I can understand it (in a way) but the guy was a MAJOR part in dragging us from League 1 into the Premier league top 8. I have always liked him and Lambert. Both club legends. Lallana still holds saints very much in his heart (as much as that annoys some of you lot). He watched our 1-0 win at United with his mates in the same boozer that my brother and his missus were watching the game in. They all cheered our goal.