Super_Uwe

Build the team around Dusan Le Tadicier.

It's a difficult one, but if he's not 100% pulling in the right direction then it is probably best if we get shot of him. I get the impression he is merely fulfilling his contract - nothing more, nothing less. It is literally a matter of time before he leaves.

Remember the old man used to take me to the newsagent on a Saturday night as a kid and pick one up along with a few penny chews! Used to love studying the tables as a kid, was always great to see us move a few more lines above the relegation zone compared to the previous week's paper after a win

Great result, just what we needed and plenty of goals to boot. Full credit to the management and players for finally delivering, it has been a long time coming. Really chuffed for Austin, I posted last week that we need him and Gabbiadini on form to get us moving in the right direction. Regardless of the marking it's great to see him score those type of goals.

It was great watching the little snippet of analysis on MOTD2 last night. Austin has the awareness and movement in the box that other players simply don't have. He just knows what to do. There genuinely aren't many players in the Premier League who can do what he does. What I love about him is that he had a few chances in the first half, but it didn't dent his confidence in any way. He just wants to score goals, simple as that. Also, his interview cracked me up! You can tell he thinks any manager is a complete tool for not picking him, and he's about as subtle as a sledgehammer in making that point

I can feel a little sympathy for him. He was signed by van Gaal at United, who was hardly the most popular manager at Old Trafford, especially in his final season. Then he wasn't Mourihno's cup of tea either and so chose to link up with Koeman at Everton to get some first team football. None of those moves have worked out for him to be fair.

Yeah, but my point is he didn't really get a chance with us in the Prem. I'm not saying we didn't do well to get Pochettino, but we didn't give him the boot solely because of results. In fact at the time we were doing much better that we had at the start of that season - only 2 losses in the 12 games before we sacked him I believe.

I honestly think Adkins could come back and do a decent job for us. It is a different scenario to the one he had before, but the one thing he will get instantly is the respect of the fans. I said a few weeks back that he never properly got his chance in the Premier League - I think he would love to come back and finish the job that he did here. I also personally think he would get the best out of Gabbiadini and Austin who I believe are key in getting our season firing again.

You never know. He'll be 37 the time the next World Cup comes around, Aaron Hughes is still chugging along and getting in the squad at 38. His best days will certainly be behind him but I can still see him doing a job, seems just the sort of player who you could chuck on for 20-30 mins to steady things if that's what was needed.

Very unlikely but who knows? He's still the manager who has led us to the highest position I've known since I saw my first Saints game in 1992, it's certainly been a lot worse over the past decade! Probably more chance of Adkins coming back to be fair. I wonder how things would have panned out if he'd been backed by Cortese that first year back in the Prem. OK, we weren't doing great that year, but we were on the up when he got the boot. He never truly got the chance to prove himself as a Premier League manager for Saints, which I find a bit of a shame seeing as we've had quite a turnover of managers since.

I would have him back at Saints, assuming his injury is not causing that much of a problem for him. He is still a young player and really needs game time if he's going to fulfil his potential. I can't see it happening as I'm not sure he left on the very best of terms, but you never know. When he got injured there was a nice Twitter exchange between Saints and Shaw, so maybe it's not that bad. There aren't many better clubs in the Premier League who can help nurture talent and give players the chance. As for his experiences the past three years, I'd like to think it will have made him stronger.

Ordinarily I would say this is a crazy thread, but the fact is we've been struggling for goals for a long time. It's not necessarily the fact we're playing particularly badly, just that we struggle to convert our chances. There is a fine line between success and failure. If we keep on struggling to score goals then confidence will take a hit and if the pressure increases due to poor results, we could well be in trouble this season. I'm hopeful we won't be as I don't think we are anywhere near as bad as the 04/05 team was.

I agree he got us playing in a way that made the most of what we had, definitely hard working. Can't agree with you that it was dull though. Beattie was on fire for the most part, Pahars (when fit!) had some great games, Niemi regularly made incredible saves, Killer Svensson established himself as a dominant centre back, Bridge and Marsden had a terrific partnership down the left...there was a lot of good stuff going on back then to be fair. Not always perfect by any means but it could have been a lot worse!

Well, if we're feeling generous then I guess we should be pleased a) he picked Gabbiadini yesterday, and b) Gabbiadini took the penalty instead of Tadic. Hopefully both MP's decisions?

WGS' spell at Saints was (and still is) probably my favourite period of supporting Saints for 25 years. Until that point in the early 00s, I had only ever known a team that struggled for the most part (save the odd mid-table finish in the late 90s!). He was a big part in transforming our fortunes, albeit only for a few years before it all gradually went t*ts up:scared: Sad to see him get so much stick over the Scotland job, but I suppose that is life as a manager in 2017.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/24/they-think-its-all-over-ex-footballers-life-after-final-whistle-premier-league

I agree with your comment about focusing on Austin and Gabbiadini, they are the two players who we know will score goals if they are given the chance. That's what we need right now, more than anything else. Once we get our mojo back in front of goal I think/hope(!) everything else will start falling into place.

Worrying result, I'm not sure we've had two consecutive home performances like that for quite a while now? Certainly not happened often in the post-administration era, if at all. Not sure we're quite at 04/05 season levels yet, but it is beginning to have that sort of feel to it already. Hopefully though we can turn the corner and the goals will begin to flow. Ironically that year we also won our second league game 3-2 v Blackburn - took the lead, cocked it up and won the game with a last min penalty...sound familiar?

Tadic has everything in his locker, bar consistency (and a good penalty!). If we're honest, that's why he plays for us and not a top European club. That said, he is one of my favourite players in the current squad.

I don't buy this idea that he'll be having a massive sulk. Yes, he may well have the hump for a few days/weeks if he has to stay, but he'll get over it! What is the alternative? Acting like a complete tool and ruining his career? At the moment he needs to get himself fit and back in the team. It hasn't gone unnoticed that the club has given new deals to Yoshida and Stephens this summer; can't help but feel that a small part of the club's thinking there at least is to give VVD the message that he won't be walking back in without any challenge.

I think VVD will stay. Krueger's media piece a couple of weeks ago was too outright for the club to let him go now. But stranger things have happened... A January or summer 2018 move is a different thing altogether, but I think he will end up having to swallow his pride and "do a Schneiderlin". Then everyone can walk away happy.

I'm surprised and not surprised in equal measure he hasn't got a club yet, no doubt about his talent but the last few years must have been tough for him to take. Plymouth were supposedly interested in signing him, but I'm struggling to believe they would be able to offer decent enough wages to persuade him to join. He'll always be a Saints legend though. If he does end up retiring then I wish him all the best.

I'm really not sure about Gardos. My personal view in the (very few!) games I've seen him play is that he really seems to lack general mobility. But I have no idea if that's his style or down to his injuries. I remember Michael Svensson used to be an absolute beast at corners, he would leap miles above everyone to try and attack the ball. But when he eventually came back from his serious knee injury, I can remember him going up for corners and never attacking them like he used to. Can only imagine he was in a lot of discomfort even though it was incredible that he even made it back.

I do wonder whether this whole saga will be dragged out until deadline day? I still think it's more likely than not we will sell van Dijk for a huge fee than keep him a la Schneiderlin. If I am honest, I'm looking forward to Yoshida and Stephens being our first choice pairing. Both players are continuing to improve and they appear to be committed to the cause which actually would be quite nice for our club for a change... It seems a lifetime ago when Stephens broke into a desperate Argyle team at the age of 16, he was a quality prospect back then. He's had to bide his time, but if he establishes himself as a regular this season I firmly believe we'll be glad the opportunity came his way.

Why not go all out and have Chris Perry and Chris Lucketti at the same time?