HarvSFC

Based on his time here and against our other right-backs of the Premier League era, I'd rate him fourth: KWP - Clyne - Livramento - Cedric - Chambers - Martina - Pied And there were occasions during Cedric's time here under Koeman when he was benched for Martina. Overall, he did a solid, yet unspectacular job here and Saturday showed that he certainly isn't good enough for Arsenal, as he can't hit a cross for love nor money. Then there were the back post incidents here due to his height... So, he had faults both going forward and defensively during his Southampton career. It was a case of he's doing a job, but we could certainly do better.

Why's it not being played after the season? There isn't a summer tournament that it could clash with, as with the Euros last year.

I might be making this up, but weren't reports at the time of the new McCarthy deal suggesting that they had been offered deals on "second choice terms", hence why Forster turned down the offer. There's no doubting that Forster's the better of the two now, and I was a long-term McCarthy supporter, as he was doing the simple things right, while for a very long period Forster simply wasn't. I remember when simple catches from him were being sarcastically cheered in the stadium and any shot from range and on target seemingly went in. However, he now seems to be the player we originally signed, before the injury and before the new contract. But, that in itself then brings a new element of risk with any new contract. For many years now, we've been hoping for a team to sign Forster, but that simply hasn't happened, as no other club could afford to take him on/match what we were paying. That left us with a large outlay of our wage budget going on a player that wasn't in the matchday squad for a large percentage of their contract and a major player within the "unsellables". So, yes, Forster was incredible today and for years I've been saying we need a goalkeeper who we can come away from a match saying "fucking hell, how did we win that?" and Forster was that goalkeeper today. However, next week he could drop a clanger, as he did against Leeds two weeks ago. That's Forster now and in order to progress with the goalkeeper position we need someone more consistent and again given his history, there's no telling that if we did offer him a new contract with a promise of him being our number one, that his form doesn't fall off a cliff again, hamstringing us in the market again. It's too risky for a club with our budget. A good servant for the club, eight years, but at 34 now, I think his best option would be to take up the Scott Carson/Lee Grant/Andy Lonergan role at a big club as their homegrown quota, or I could see a return to Newcastle as their number two, where he will be paid a lot more handsomely than he would be as our number two here.

Super Fraser Forster. Won us the points today with his heroics. Great reaction from last week, we actually fought for it today. Cedric really does have the second best agent in football behind Choupo-Moting. Poor scouting brought him to us, how he then played for Inter and ended up at Arsenal, lord only knows.

Perhaps confirms Salisu will be off in the summer? He’s been bad, Bednarek’s been bad, either could have been dropped, so interesting that he’s gone with Salisu. Hopefully Valery and Lyanco have good games, certainly could do against Nketiah.

Dyche was the original sackee by the Pozzos at Watford, replaced by Zola. As the old saying goes, you're never more than six feet away from a former Watford manager and they did reappoint Sanchez Flores, so they could do it again, I suppose.

Dyche was their survival card. That's them gone ffs, they had one job.

Yep, although still raw definitely one for the future. Think he will need a season of bedding in up here, rather than being an instant star. Reminds me of Jay Rodriguez when he first joined. At the moment Stuart Armstrong and Broja are our only ball carriers and there's no guarantee that Broja will be here next season, he probably isn't going to be. Johnson provides that and incredible pace, which again I feel we've been lacking since Mane. Would certainly fill a few gaps in our team. Now, we just need Forest to stay down, poach their attacker... and their manager?

I feel Davis isn't as appreciated, as he had a questionable start to his Saints career, then was part of the worst Saints team of recent history, possibly ever, then was part of a Saints team that dominated for three seasons, so he wasn't as busy, then he wasn't good enough for the Premier League, although he did save a Van Persie penalty. And of course now it looks from the outside that he's in a position that he isn't wholly qualified for. However, for one of those seasons here, he won our player of the year and then for three consecutive seasons after that, he was named the goalkeeper of the division, despite us not winning the league in any of them. He of course stayed with us when it looked nailed on that he was going to West Ham. Very hard to find a good goalkeeper at League One level if he did need replacing and he was a key member of the team that won consecutive promotions. Bialkowski, who has built a solid if unspectacular career in the Championship showed in the Blackpool fiasco what may have happened had Davis spent a prolonged period of time out of the team and of course, we all remember his possessed performance at Leeds that season which won us a vital three points. Of course, he isn't in the conversation alongside Niemi, Boruc, Forster or even McCarthy. But, he was a top player for what we needed at that time.

How it started:

Savic vs Grealish in the tunnel tonight. He needs to pick his battles better.

And even then, Toney has been beefed up by 5 penalties. 7 goals without penalties, same return as Che Adams after bagging 31 in the Championship last season. The same will happen to Mitrovic again next season, also.

When Livramento first joined he showed he is an exceptional talent. However, he is still just 19 and it’s hard for many to be consistent at Premier League level, let alone a teenager in their first season. He’s been off the boil for a few months now, since Villa kicked him to bits in the home match and it’s now poor management to keep playing him each week, rather than taking him out of the deep end. The club will answer back at fans via Twitter when the decision makers get one thing right that was initially ridiculed by fans, such as the West Ham starting lineup, which now looks more costly in the long-term, but that also means nothing when they’re not taking Salisu off long throws, continuing with the high defensive line and not playing KWP in his strongest position/his natural side, as we’re seeing the same result every week now.

Another similarity is that Colwill's from Southampton too.

He should be on the to let go list alongside Walcott, Djenepo and Redmond this summer, unless he's still unsellable. Same contract situation as Redmond and he isn't as good as Redmond. If you could personify average, it would be Elyounoussi and one we could definitely improve on with a bit of a budget.

Today was inexcusable. No excuse for professional footballers “going on the beach” for months before the season’s over just because they can’t get relegated. Shit mentality and feels like we need a squad reset like Palace had last summer. It’s all getting a bit stale again. We’re used to losing, but it’s these losses where the team put in 0 effort and the opposition just run through us unchallenged that shouldn’t be accepted by anybody at the club, yet they seemingly are as they happen every season. I don’t get how a professional sportsman can accept taking in £50k+ a week to treat a match as though it’s a training session and I guess I never will, while the club charge £399 for season tickets and there’s no point in turning up for the last handful of home matches. I can’t wait for the five sub rule with Chelsea bringing on Pulisic, James and Ziyech today, while we used Valery, Diallo and Smallbone.

Wolves at odds of 3.40 to beat Newcastle tonight. Have I missed something?

Interesting. I know him and Ashley Cole reportedly left a match separately, not on the team bus. Cole’s appointment felt like a real “job for the boys” appointment. No doubting he was a world class player, but he wasn’t the most professional, nor does he seem the most intelligent/a good communicator when he does his punditry. Duncan Ferguson is essentially their Kelvin Davis in the coaching staff, but they’re too scared to get rid of Ferguson.

A strong case for him being England's best player last summer and has certainly never put a foot wrong for country. However, like Maguire and Shaw, for whatever reason his club career hasn't been as successful with a relegation already on his record and going by the Everton forum, he's certainly not a fan favourite with many calling for Begovic to start ahead of him. If it was based purely on club career, we wouldn't bat an eyelid at him. Then you factor in that Everton paid £30m for him, as already mentioned and he's probably already on more wages than our highest earner, he's not going to take a wage drop to come here, it doesn't look as appealing a deal, as he could also bring his Everton form here, rather than his England form. I can't see him going to Newcastle, whether it's all pantomime, but he's given it back to their fans following his time at Sunderland.

It's a bit dodgy when Dean's from that area.

With the knowledge that the Pinnacle group/Michael Fialka managed to convince him to join their cause, he doesn't seem the most reliable source of information.

I recall Ben Foster saying this on one of his podcasts: "One thing I will say is, if you can get on top of Everton early doors, the Everton fans are horrible to Everton players. They get right on top of them. For sure they get into the players' heads. All we said before the game is, 'right lads, we need to start fast and get on top of them'. "We won the game 5-2 and we make a point of saying it, the Everton fans are horrible. If it looks like we're overrunning them, they get on the Everton players like crazy." So, Goodison Park won't be too much of a factor if they do unfortunately stay up. Opposition players know how to play there. We don't, but, yeah...

Unfortunately, Rickie Lambert's the same on Instagram. It's the old thing of footballers being genius' on the pitch, but for a lot of them it's all they know and for a lot of their lives they have been idolised and held in high regard, so come out with these outlandish opinions, believing they're oracles.

Not sure if my memory deceives, but Schneiderlin’s one of the first I think of when a Saints best 11 is said. I thought he was a star, and was going on to be world class when he made the move, that didn’t work out for him. He has the League 1 to the Europa League journey to add a bit of sentiment too, so surprised a few have left him out for Wanyama, who couldn’t pass over 2 yards, let alone the crossfields Schneiderlin was known for.

Boruc KWP - Alderweireld - Van Dijk - Bertrand Schneiderlin - Wanyama Mane - Tadic - Lallana Ings, although my heart says Lambert Manager: Koeman Worst: Gunn Danso - Caulker - Hoedt - Fox Clasie - Lemina Boufal - Ramirez - Mayuka Carillo Manager: Pellegrino Picked players who actually played, to avoid Hassen, Taider, Forren and some of the average youth like Jankewitz, who did play and cost us, but not enough to leave a lasting impression. Probably harsh on Boufal, Ramirez and Lemina who showed glimpses, but also had awful, nothing games. Fox got us up, but was out of his depth in the Premier League and we were fortunate Shaw developed as and when he did. Goalkeeper was a toss up between Gunn, Gazzaniga and Davis, but the 9-0 sways it.