Lallana's Left Peg

It's been a slow two weeks with no Saints game, so ahead of the Newcastle game is there any chance we could arrive to a general agreement on which player has been our most important signing of the past 3.5 years? For the record, contract renewals also count, so Adam Lallana can also be nominated for example. Hard one to do as we've made a lot of successful signings, but for me it has to be a player who made a significant contribution in all three divisions, so it is between Fonte, Schneiderlin, Lallana, and Lambert, with the latter pipping it for me.

He is a brilliant reader of the game and a very fierce competitor. Prone to the occasional lapses in concentration but I think that is something that he will eliminate from his game rather than being just who he is as a player. Competes well in the air and is quick enough (though not massively quick). Would like to see him emerge as more of a leader but he is young and time is on his side. At £2m he has been great and adapted very quickly.

A nice gesture from him but might mean more if he wasn't monumentally ****, a walking yellow card, and a headless chicken.

That is a big turnover, far from ideal in my mind and I would think we'd only see that sort of overhaul if we either got relegated or Pochettino convinces the powers that be that many aren't up to the job and it doesn't see that way at the moment. If you look at the age of our squad we're set in many positions. I can see squad positions going to Academy players and a few signings in key areas - would not make sense at all to rip it up and start again. Took us far too long to get going this season and I don't think a season of struggle next would be desired if we stay up this season. If Pochettino can maintain this sort of performance until the end of the season I wouldn't expect (or want) the club to be too busy or desperate in the summer.

Based on the behaviour of all parties over the past month or so, at the moment I think that PKF believe the PST do not have enough money to satisfy all creditors (or at least the major ones including Chanrai), and as a consequence are keeping the club alive long enough pre-takeover to receive the Parachute Payments so they can distribute the money as they want and then when there isn't as much money in the bank as the PST need / assumed in the the onus will then be placed on them as the interested party to take over to meet the short-fall or the club goes to liquidation. Going to be very ugly when the finger pointing starts and PKF potentially turn the 'Trust or Bust' mantra on the fans and say they need to stump up more cash or the club disappears. Then we'll see a real test of how much the club means to them. If they can't raise more cash through the fans then this also opens it up to the takeover being even more led by property developers and the fans not really having much say in the club at all - again, be interesting to see how fans attitudes shift if this were to happen.

Football fans generally hate the word 'project' as it takes the emotion out of the plan. As supporters we're all heavily emotionally involved so the thought of someone involved in our club to not be the same doesn't sit well, but in reality unless the ownership, staff, and players are supporters I wouldn't expect them to be as emotionally involved on anything beyond a professional level with respect to how they do their job. For me the original 5 year plan was quite clear - I've always considered it to be: 1. Back in the Premier League 2. For the Academy to provide as many players for the first team as the transfer market 3. For the club to be able to sustain itself Since the death of Markus Liebherr and subsequent progression in the past 3 years I think the goals have changed a little. For one I think the Liebherr estate aren't too bothered about the club but will respect the wishes of Markus and will support it to any original agreement - but that is not to say that if an opportunity arose to sell they wouldn't take it (no inside news to base that on, just a hunch). Cortese is the interesting piece in all this. I suspect he is far more ambitious than when he arrived in 2009. He has publicly acknowledged that he has been taken aback a bit by how emotional football fans are in this country and whilst I still think he treats the club as a business / company in how he runs it and makes decisions, I think he wants to take the club further than previously stated and we saw signs of it from the Sky Sports News interview. Talk of the Top 6, keeping important players at the club, and establishing the Southampton brand (whatever that may be). I don't think it is realistically attainable in the near future - I would hope he knows that, but I never thought he'd be here beyond the 5 years so it will be interesting to see what the club does in the summer if we stay up with respect to our level of activity in the transfer market and player departures. I think he has caught the bug in some respects and wants to see his vision delivered over and beyond initial targets. Whether he does that through financial support from the owners or with the clubs own finances will be the main thing for me.

Benteke could progress into a really powerful footballer but I doubt you'll ever seen one who looks as confused as he does on the football pitch. Sometimes it looks like he is trying to remember what his name is.

As I understand it is not that the PST won't pay the football creditors what they are owed it just appears that the rival bid stated they will pay them sooner and as a result the PFA would want that rival bid to be fairly considered. Whether the rival bid have the means to or genuinely will we'll never know, as the FL have dismissed their bid out of hand. From the sounds of it the characters involved in the rival bid do seem like chancers but on the face of it they have more money than the Trust (whether they turns out to be true or not may well be another matter). To be honest I do not blame the PST for wanting to pay the football creditors after other debts - if they still pay them within the 4 years they are legally obliged to (at least, that is what I read) then nothing is wrong here. However for me the PFA are obviously worried about their capability to do so and therefore as a major creditor they have the ability to block the takeover until they are satisfied. As for the football creditors rule itself, it is absolute nonsense and it needs to go. But that shouldn't be the story here - it should be that the PST bid is based on paying the PFA later than either the PFA want or were originally told and as a result the PFA aren't happy - I suspect because they doubt the ability of the club to pay them in a few years as opposed today. It publicly questions the PST bid and that is not a good look for them. As for why the PST may have decided this is open to debate, but I again think they've had to significantly rejig their bid throughout and I dare say their original model has warped significantly enough away from what they wanted to now contradict many of the values they set out to achieve i.e. loans now in the bid etc. It won't be a clean start for the club, it will just be a new start with debt taken on at the club by fans on behalf of the club rather than businessmen on behalf of the club. With so much doubt surrounding the PST bid it doesn't bode too well for them. They have put up a brave face throughout all this and the message has always been consistent but it has never really inspired confidence as the takeover plan and financials have never really been fully disclosed. For now they are stating it doesn't make sense to show their hand while a rival lurks in the background but if they win their court case then it will be interesting to see if there is full disclosure of everything prior to the takeover going through so fans can make a more informed decision about jumping on board. The PST are adamant that fan ownership will be 51%, but unless that TRULY empowers the fans to have the majority vote it won't mean much - especially if there are agreements in the takeover signed sealed and delivered to promise certain things to the property developers who form part of the bid. I'd be pretty ****ed if I invested as a fan in a takeover and was assured of majority ownership yet I discovered that issues which mattered to me (such as the influence of the property developers) are already decided as a part of the bid and actually there is nothing I can do about it. I'd basically be duped...

Maybe we don't play with them because we don't have a good one? We made approaches for the likes of Phillips and Lens in the summer so it is clear the club felt the need for one and I do see a role for one in Pochettino's system - he certainly used a lot of width at Espanyol. Wingers may not be players for all occasions these days but I am certain there will be times in a season when we will be in need for one - either for the impact he can make with the ball or the impact he will make with his presence on the pitch in terms of the space he can make for other players. I don't think it is a desperate need but it is a clear hole in our squad when you look at our overall capability.

I think he'll want more pace in the final third and maybe someone who will dribble past people. Quite clear that players are encouraged to express themselves a bit more in the final third and a little unpredictability won't go a miss. But a good unpredictability, not a Papa Waigo type of unpredictability. Other than that I don't think he will highlight any massive holes, I think he trusts his system to get a lot out of the players and their response so far has been great.

If we stay up I expect all those out of contract to leave with the exception of Puncheon and maybe Boruc and those currently on loan to move on. Rest of squad will stay unless we get replacements or they want to leave. We're already set for starters in most positions so I wouldn't expect massive changes and I suspect many squad roles may be fulfilled by youngsters as the process of promotion from the youth teams starts in ernest. I wouldn't rule out a couple of big signings up front and on the wing (be it an attacking midfielder or proper winger). And it will be interesting to see what we do with the goalkeeping situation this summer as right now the best solution appears to be to retain Boruc for another year but I am not sure the club thinks that way. Ultimately the existing squad is bloated but that was bound to happen with the fast progression the club has made. I would expect a lot of movement to occur but little of it to really impact our best 18 as we consider it right now.

Based on reading about him since his move here it appears his emphasis on youth at Espanyol was out of necessity rather than choice. That said it was widely acknowledged that he effectively tore up the existing system there and imposed his own set-up. I haven't read anything about the youth team playing the same way as the senior team, but one thing he insisted on was players competing in teams at least a year older than their age group. This was done to accelerate their learning and get them ready for senior football as soon as possible. Again, not sure if this is just what he prefers or if it was again done out of necessity but to be fair to Saints we already do that. There are 16 year olds around the u18's and 17 year olds around the u21's. There isn't anything too revolutionary about that approach either - it is fairly standard in this country and if you have the ability they push you up the groups very quickly. I doubt he will have much influence on the Academy - bear in mind in terms of an org chart he will only have his first team coaching staff reporting to him so he cannot really influence what is happening in that part of the club although inevitably there will be some refinements made throughout the Academy as how we play in the first team continues to be established. What he was forced to do at Espanyol does give him great experience at blooding youngsters in the first team though, and it is quite clear that Cortese will push for the vision of half the first team being made up of Academy products so on the face of it it looks like the pathway is maintained which is important. As for players playing out of perceived position, I think again it is something we've often done at the Academy anyway. Was at some Youth Team games last season and saw Shaw play right midfield, Chambers right wing, Sinclair up front etc. Likewise I've seen Chambers play centre-half - I believe he is a right-back tonight. Stephens played right-back, centre-half, and is now getting some time in the centre of the park. I just think it is standard practice in terms of football development these days.

According to The Sun, Stephen Corns has resigned from his position with Saints a few weeks after they also reported he was suspended. The suspension story: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4777226/Dan-Kings-Sport-Uncovered-Dont-pin-your-hopes-Pompey.html The resigning story: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/article4788336.ece

You are probably right, but Reading looked dead and buried and picked up 10pts from 5 games so its not impossible to go on an unexpected run. And of the teams on 29 or 30pts, they aren't in the best of form, so it wouldn't surprise me to see one of them dragged right into it.

Looks like anyone in the bottom half is going to get involved in a relegation fight. If you are within 6pts of relegation I think you are very involved. A few teams may pull away in March but I was convinced it was 3 from 5 (Us, Villa, Wigan, Reading, and QPR) at the start of January and now I think several more teams are involved (Norwich, Fulham, Sunderland, West Ham). I can guarantee all their fans are looking over their shoulders and at their fixtures.

Game 4 update. Principles still very much the same as we expected, but I saw a more intelligent approach to the pressing. Players seemed to want to press all the time but only if they could do it as a group and with success - saw lots of players looking over their shoulder before they went after the ball which suggested to me they are being asked to apply some decision making before they go after the ball. Almost as though pressing is great but not if they are just going to pass it around you. Love the way Puncheon nipped the ball off Barry for our first goal - you could clearly see Puncheon go the moment he saw another player go to pressure Barry. Barry never got his head up and Puncheon was there on the blind side before Barry could even control the ball properly. Also very impressed by his 'don't give a sh*t what team we've got out we'll play the same way' approach - would have been easy to perhaps want to offer Fox and Hooiveld more protection on their side of the defence but none was really offered which shows a great faith in his system and the fact it worked so well also suggests that as long as players do their job the team will be successful. New players seemed to come on relating to energy levels rather than any change in shape or role for the players. No Ramirez but both Puncheon and Clyne were very good so early signs are that there may not be any losers in the new system thus far - but still very early days. Seems promising though.

I was worried about our pressing game vs. Man Utd but the damage was done in a 30min period when we sat back against them. If we can get our mentality right and be the aggressive team in this game I think we can have a morale maintaining performance regardless of the result. I've been to two of the last three games and it has been a pleasure to see us play in terms of our effort and aggression. I can easily excuses moments of lacking quality when we show this level of performance. I hope we carry forward our application to this game and give the champions a proper test. Then, as has been said before, we kick off a sequence of three more far more important games but lets not write this game off yet. I want another performance.

I would be surprised if we voted against it. I'd have thought the rules would seem to favour the direction we'd like to head as a club. I would have thought Saints would be in favour of wages coming down in the league considering the following: - we don't like paying agents fees (and this helps with that) - I think our wage bill is reasonable for the league (Ramirez aside) - less incentive for our players to leave elsewhere - especially promising youngsters - opportunity for more investment in other areas of the club

The width under Pochettino seems absolutely perfect to me. The inside forwards move into the middle of the pitch to press the ball which distorts it a bit, but when we have the ball plenty of width is offered. The issue is we just need to get better with the ball when we win it high up the pitch and can break.

It could well be. Don't know what is stopping Le Tissier just dishing all the dirt now, he can't keep on leaving clues.

The Benali thing is what irks me in all this. Benali is the one suing the club yet he is remaining quiet and getting on with it. I know Matt Le Tiss is sticking up for his friend but would he be so vocal if the Benali stuff wasn't going on? I don't blame Cortese at all for doing this.

At this rate they'll end up starting life in League 2 with a 10pt penalty. Not sure if this impacts the business plan or financial projections as I've yet to come across any Trust Member who is familiar enough with it to give an answer to question about the finances, which says it all.

There has been very little change in their responsibilities - the team as a whole has shifted a further 15-20 yards up the pitch so the work they do is just done in a different area of the park. One consequence of this (and their very competent ability at winning the ball back) is that their cuteness in the final third must improve. Both are lacking outside the safe pass and given they will be winning the ball back in far more dangerous areas under Pochettino I would like to see them make better decisions in the final third. I don't want them to force anything but we cannot afford to win the ball back and slow the passage of play down and give the opponents a chance to regroup - we lose the momentum and point of the tactic and high pressing then. That isn't a scathing criticism at all, but it is something for them to develop. I am very pleased with their partnership and I also like Davis in front of them as the second line of pressing as I do rate his ability with the ball in the final third - it is a bit more probing.

I do understand why FCUM was formed - having been to Old Trafford a week ago it is quite clear a vast majority of their home crowd are completely desensitised to the process of going to football and enjoying it. Couple that with extortionate prices and you can see why people turned away. However FCUM have found themselves in scenarios where they've often contradicted their own reasons for forming the club - opting to change a kick off for TV (FA Cup vs. Rochdale) is one example, and their ongoing stadium locations issues are another. I live in Manchester and when you speak to people who support the club they seem sincere enough but have a word with supporters of clubs in the same division as them and they absolutely loathe them. FCUM had a few seasons where they just purchased the best players from the league they were in because of the size of the support and revenue they had. Unfortunately football has changed these days and there is no escaping it. If you want to operate at any half decent level then money rules so you just have to deal with that and get on with it. There are still some things that remain the same and it is up to the supporters to keep it that way but the game is commercial and that is the end of it. There was no good reason why the Man Ud fans fed up with their club couldn't go and support another team - to form another team in some sort of self-righteous act seemed a little egotistical to me when there were far more other clubs who needed their support. As for me, I support Saints no matter what, I could never envisage a scenario where I would turn my back on them and if we disappeared I'd just become a fan of the sport and not a team.

Very early days but two games in you can see the predicted system very much being impressed on the team. The pressing is very good, as a consequence we're attacking a lot. The one and two touch passing seen more in the middle third than final third so room for improvement there, and the massive bonus for me is we've not really been caught out too much with the high line yet. In contrast to Adkins reign, early winners of the new system are Davis and Jay-Rod, whilst those who are struggling a bit are Clyne, Ramirez, and Puncheon. But far too soon to draw definitive conclusions.