Minty

Now we have the appropriate kit, perhaps something like this would be in order again: [video=youtube_share;esFAGx7RDL4]http://youtu.be/esFAGx7RDL4

Good shout that. Would make a pretty good kit line-up.

Like that one a lot. Steve Grant - see if you can get hold of it for WorldNET... ;-)

Oh so would I, and that's a separate discussion... ideally we'll get more people in soon. I just feel that young players can progress quite a bit in a short space of time, or even come from nowhere and whilst I'd agree with SS that on last seasons evidence, Gallagher was not quite ready, he might surprise us this pre-season.

Last season was a long time ago - other young players have progressed massively in previous close seasons whilst others have come from nowhere to feature in the first team squad. I suggest we reserve judgement for after a few pre-season games.

This is a hell of a find... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=259833714224466

Sparv just moved to FC Midtjylland Danny Senda retired last year, now coaching at Brentford.

And yet you decide to post it? Weird remit. I actually like to see where our ex-Academy players get to, and see if any of them work hard enough to make a decent living. If A Scots Prem side are interested in him, he can't be doing too badly.

I had the Samsung S3 Mini and also found it getting too slow once I had added a few apps and music to it... biggest problem is that Samsung do not allow you to install apps to an SD card, so the more apps you install the less memory for running things. I've just bought (outright) the Nexus 5. It's excellent, and I'm led to believe the other LG handsets are better (but obviously more expensive). Cost was a key factor for me, so paying £289 for a brand new and relatively powerful phone was perfect for me. If you want something better and are happy to pay for it, go for it, but it all depends what you're going to use it for... fill any phone with enough crap and it will slow down eventually.

Indeed, comparing player with player achieves little other than justifiying certain points of view. What matters is how the team overall performs. We are clearly not going to be as cohesive a team at the start of this season as we were at the end of last season, but who's to say what will develop in time?

If we can retain much of our possession play from last season, including some of the well worked goals through the middle, but also add the ability to go wide and cross for some good headers, then I think we can actually improve our end product. Lallana was fantastic for us, make no mistake, but our play was very central and we were often frustrated by a resolute rearguard action. Full backs provided some width but there still weren't that many crosses, and when there were, quality was not consistently high. By varying our play a bit more, and sometimes being a bit more direct (in terms of getting it wide, beating a man and crossing, not 'long ball) we can put more pressure on opposition at times when possession alone is not looking penetrative. As a result, I think Tadic and Pelle under Koeman, could be better for the overall team progression than Lallana and Lambert under Pochettino would continue to be. This is pure speculation, I was very happy with our play under MoPo, but the lack of variation could be frustrating at times. Clearly this will take time to develop, but I can see how we might become more effective in front of goal if we get these guys in.

It's obvious what he means, don't be little scamp now Benjamin. (P.S. Coming to Preston?)

Fair enough - sorry, no news!

Not looking good so far this evening, 49/4 off the first 9 overs vs Surrey. Do well to get anything from this game after that start.

Devoid of tolerance too it seems. No one actually knows the fees yet, and it could be that Bournemouth's share is separate. We don't know yet. But don't let that stop you dishing out yet more abuse to people.

I'll agree with most of that S-Clarke - I think we could and should've competed better in cups last year. No one would say we should've won it, but we could've given ourselves a fighting chance. Personally it doesn't bother me as much as you or others, but I do agree we could've done better.

Yeah, fair comment. I'm not being blase personally, but I do agree that some probably expect Targett to step up without any difficulty, and it would be pretty exceptional for yet another player to come through the way Shaw, or even Chambers have. You never know though!

I actually think it's better that players leave sooner than later, to prevent them influencing or disrupting the dressing room any more than necessary once pre-season starts. I agree that it is also ideal to get new players in as soon as possible, but these are two separate things, and I would be amazed if we're not already working on bringing players in, it's just that we don't know about it yet. I don't think it will be that hard to convince many players to join us - if a player is ambitious, they'll know that they have an opportunity to come in a fill the hole left by Shaw or Lallana and cement their place in a decent side. Not to mention playing for Koeman, which I think will be a draw. You can spin these things either way, I'll always have a positive spin, others won't. Proof of the pudding, etc...

No. The two are linked but not intrinsically. For starters, for the Academy to influence the first team in that way, a good crop all have to come through within relatively short timescale. Secondly, the first team has to be in contention for silverware in the first place, before those players start to come through. In League 1, if we produced amazing players, they weren't going to stay with us very long (and Oxo didn't) because they would naturally move up the leagues. We're now *closer* to being able to win something with our good Academy products, but obviously the manager situation has contrubuted to some leaving now. I see it as a gradual thing and perhaps in 3 to 5 years time, if we're established in the top 10 of the PL then they can contribute to us winning something. But an Academy on it's own does not lead to silverware, there is luck and timing and other things to consider, not least individual players destiny.

Well as someone else said somewhere else, what we're expecting is Southampton FC. What we'll get is Southampton FC. We should all be big enough, fat enough and ugly enough to know by know that players can come and go and there are no guarantees about who will be at our club. It's part of football. We don't have to like it, but only the most naive buy a ST thinking that nothing will change.

Yes, that I'll agree with, it's almost like they've been auditioning for the permanent role. (See FF, criticism where I think it's due)

Congratulations, that would be the other flash-up-on-the-screen-in-a-QI-style answer I was expecting.

Fair comment, I can see that probably would limit the backlash, although that still strikes me as treating the symptoms and not the cause somewhat.

Each to their own Dunc. You have your ways, I have mine. I'm not trying to force anything onto anyone, just saying how I see things, and why I do so. Not quite sure what the 'future never never' land is, and not sure why you need to put it to me that way. I just prefer to reflect on a longer period of time and from further away... i.e. looking back at a transfer window a month or two after it closes. You purport to respect that, but the underlying tone indicates that you can't or won't. You think you're being 'patronised' whilst I just think he's calling it as it is. Who is right? Neither of us, it's just our interpretation, which is shaped by our outlook and personality. I've already commented on the financial thing, you should know full well that I am the last person to laud the money in football. I hate it. But I can see that the club have decisions to make and sometimes they make a decision because they think it's in the clubs best interests. I respect that. I don't always agree, but I run two businesses, and sometimes have to make decisions I don't like either. Bottom line is that nowadays there is always going to be a difference between what fans want/expect of a club/player, and what will actually happen. It's inescapable. The money in football has ensured that. I hate it, but don't shoot the messenger.