Lallana's Left Peg

Not seen much of the U18's this season, it is effectively a new team full of first year scholars (lots of 16 year olds) so be interesting to see how they go against a Liverpool team that should contain the likes of Harry Wilson (15 year old who made debut for Wales recently) and Jerome Sinclair (who has made his senior Liverpool debut).

I know nothing about accounts and finances, so this may be an incredibly stupid question but...are there any financial benefits (tax breaks and so on) when you as a business have a loan and debt to pay? In that the financial benefits it brings offset the interest paid on the loan? Or would there literally be no benefit to taking out a loan other than the short-term cash flow benefit?

They were very good, very quick and fit but I enjoyed the challenge and we had some half decent moments in the game ourselves.

It was done between JWP and Calum Chambers. One volleys the ball to the other who uses their first touch to both kill the ball a bit and pop it up to volley to the other and so on.

Nowhere decent around the ground, and none officially like away supporters either. Honestly it is much better in the City centre, and then catching a cab down.

Great interview, surprised he was allowed to be so open about the tactics. They seem very complex as well!

Whilst I don't disagree with you, the single biggest thing that attracts new fans is success and a good team on the pitch. Saints appear to be going at it that way.

Awful idea. Sounds like the sort of rubbish a club does when they can't even fill their stadium to 33% capacity. A bit like Middlesbrough.

The guy asking the questions annoyed me. Asked about five different questions in the same breath and then tried to answer them for the panel as well. Then when a panellist was warmed up sufficiently to given some real insight he'd do in another direction. For example, when Cortese said Saints could never bridge the commercial revenue gap with a team like Man Utd but had to be smarter and better in other ways, and generate ideas to do so, he could have been asked what and how - but the guy just ignored it and asked an entirely different question. I like the idea of the event but it could be so much better.

"Temporary 5 year use" Hmm, interesting.

An extra 108 car parking spaces means the club should be able to roughly cover the cost of the training ground about 4 days after it has finished and is being used...

It appears to me that the club are taking the approach of trying to protect revenue rather than ensuring they have a full stadium. There are probably business practices where this is justified but the football club exists for the supporters so it doesn't sit too well when they are priced out of going to a game. I can't see it changing, the club had a chance to pack out the stadium for the Bristol City game but chose expensive pricing and look what happened.

We have lots to be excited about but I don't feel Top 4 is anywhere near attainable over the course of a 9 month season.

We talked about this a lot the first few weeks of the season. On one hand we have a player with a massive physical presence, tackles well, is very mobile, strong, has great positional sense, and allows others in the team to go forward. On the other hand he has no touch and every pass is an adventure.

Where do we see his long-term future at Saints? I think he is a very solid player but fear his versatility may hinder him a little moving forward. He was a central-midfielder in the Youth teams and his passing was his man quality - getting the ball forward to the attack minded players. Then under Adkins he would often play as one of the deeper two in the 4-2-3-1, or occasionally play as one of the middle three in the 4-3-3 - but either way, he was a central midfielder. Under Pochettino we've seen him play further forward far more frequently. I must say I am not entirely convinced by him here. He is a steady player but not someone I personally feel thinks like an attacking player, but he does have some good qualities in terms of his awareness and ball retention. He has very little goal threat and doesn't really take players on. We've seen him support the striker in cameos and also play on the right. The problem is that I don't see him getting a look-in within the middle of the park with Schneiderlin and Wanyama both young, and Cork their back-up. So when push comes to shove, where do we see Ward-Prowse establishing himself in the team? Is there more to come from him or is the sort of player we see now the sort of player he will end up being in 5 years time?

I imagine the last thing he wants is pity but I feel a bit sorry for him at times. Everything the modern game needs at the top level from a full-back he struggles with, yet you can't blame him for that - he does his best. No matter what happens when he leaves I'll remember him most fondly from our Championship promotion season, especially for the last few months when he had to be patched up between games because of his groins.

Will be interesting to see who gets the nod at left-back. Fox is able but Dyer is exactly the sort of player he struggles against. Alternatively if Clyne shifts to the left that makes no left-footed players in the team who will start on the left and will massively impact the way we play.

Pochettino has confirmed that Luke Shaw has been ill this week and they will see how he is tomorrow before deciding whether or not he plays against Swansea.

Matt Targett is injured. It's Jason McCarthy you can see in that picture.

My early conclusions: 1. We are far more pragmatic in our football 2. We have lots of more tactical flexibility both in shape and type of football played 3. We are more fluid without the ball, but less fluid with it 4. We attack with numbers but do not risk losing the ball so we can be attacked - this can sometimes dilute how aesthetically pleasing we are to watch 5. We appear to be using players for very specific roles and their talent level as a footballer matters far less than their ability to do certain things in the 'system' Overall we are less pleasing on the eye but we still have licence to entertain - it is just that it is circumstantial and not a default tactic. I'm far happier seeing us 6th in the table with tactical versatility than perhaps being 14th and a 'nice' side to watch.

£500k seems low to me - have we somehow got away with paying Adkins less than he was legally entitled to?

I did not see the game so I can't really comment much but I will say this: When we went 2-0 up I never had any doubt we'd win, simply because I now believe the Manager and the players have the experience and nous to close games out and if necessary turn them into turgid affairs. There is an element of maturity to us now in that respect.

I am going to guess: Davis Chambers Yoshida Hooiveld Targett Davis Cork JWP Ramirez Isgrove Guly

Do you want some highlights? Of course you do: http://www.thisisanfield.com/2013/09/video-highlights-liverpools-1-0-defeat-southampton/

I'm too lazy to write my thoughts tonight, but bloomin' heck - how hot was it in the away end? I was sweating buckets