Hodgey

Good to look at the positives - I do believe we have a great manager, good youth coming through and money in the bank. However the below facts make me think this could be one of our worst transfer windows: 1) The players we have sold & j-rods injury (I've halved his stats) mean we have lost 33 prem goals (60pc of all our goals) and 21 prem assists. You are asking an awful lot of new players to fill that void. 2) At least half the team will be different - let's assume they are all new signings, who have not only never played in the prem before but are playing with a completely new team, tactics and manager. The other half need to get used to the new players, new tactics and new manager in 2 weeks (I'm assuming here that we will have new players and not start the team we did v Bmouth) 3) it is incredibly unlikely that the players we bring in will be currently better than those sold. If they were then you have to assume that the scouting system for the top 6 is a disaster. Our hope has to be that we can find players we can improve to be at the level of those departed. I expect an incredibly tough first ten games with us likely to be bottom 3. On the positive side unlike 2 yrs ago we do have some players with pl experience and a stronger squad. RK needs to do an Atkins with rapid improvement of an inexperienced PL squad and we'll need to be patient as this will not happen overnight and we will start the season considerably weaker than we ended the last, but I hope we have a decent second half to the season for a comfortable mid-table finish.

In the short term it is certainly a bad thing, in the longer term it is probably a bad thing. We will have lost our 5 best players and we will not be able to replace them with similar ability (as if they do have that ability they will be off to a bigger club), also they are going to need to bed in / adjust top new league etc etc. It could be OK for the longer term but it requires a lot of things going our way. Let's assume we buy in 6 players and complement that with youth players - firstly there will almost certainly be a couple of duds in those signings, no club ever always buys well. Secondly we are relying on players such as JWP, Target, Reed, Stephens, McQueen etc to make huge progress when it is much more likely they will not make it statistically speaking. That said financially we will be better off having paid off debts etc and can get closer to FFP. Personally I think after this we would have done remarkably well if we finish in the 10-15 bracket next year and stay out of relegation problems, and the target after then needs to be to move up a couple of places each year until you hit c 7th - when we begin this circle again, or hope some football rules change to favour us. What would be nice whatever happens is if we actually try and win one of the cups - as that is certainly achievable and something which would actually pay back supporters their faith. Call me old fashioned but I prefer the idea of sport being about winning things.

I've never understood why so many of our fans have not seen how important he is. Basically since our arrival in the prem he's been accused of being passed it, no pace, can't score from open play etc etc. For me aside from Lallana he remains our best player. It's not just the goals, he is absolutely integral to out tactics in assists link ups holding the ball etc. if he wanted to go to his boyhood club - he deserves it and us setting an undervalued fee as a reward makes sense. If however we think this is good business, well losing your top goal maker and second top scorer, an England international who has scored 28 prem goals in the last 2 seasons for 4m simply isn't, he's got at least 2 more seasons in him at his current level. I'll state this - we will not find a fwd for next season with as much influence no matter what we bid. Good luck SRL - one of the best players I have seen at saints (and I'm 39 !).

It's a good statement. They were getting annihilated in the pr war, and with no doubt decent advice from a comms firm they have responded - in my opinion too late, hopefully they are learning - but I think they are a very naive board when it come to how high profile this industry is. I still don't get our set up, and I'm still not sure others do - floods of brilliant people writing in to Les Reed - I don't think so somehow. Bottom line it has had the effect it needs - placating fans and hopefully cooling down the media (metro the other day had us at 14s as best get for relegation). Bigger question - the players - do they trust thus board - I think we are about to find out.......

Thanks MLG - interesting article. So that would almost certainly be an area to concentrate on in the interview ! (if true). Surely our board would would be able to quiz that out of him - I have full confidence in Hans, Gaz, Kat, Les and Ralph. And even if half of that is true I'd still take that over Chris Hougton - they murdered us at St Marys last year (our flukiest win of the season)

I'd go for Laudrup. Ticks most boxes that we need. High profile, success (9th place at Swansea with much less money and won a cup), decent transfer market (particularly strikers - Bony, Michu), similar style of play, played for Real, Juve, Barca so young players will look up to that, picked up and ran with a young British team (Dyer, Williams, Britton, Taylor etc), immediately available.

I think it is the most effective way we can possibly play. Firstly keeping possession obviously means that the opposition aren't attacking, taking huge pressure off the defence and allowing control of the pace of the game (I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that we don't actually conceed many chances). It's that second point that is key, I don't actually think that we look to win with attacking possession football with probing through balls etc (frankly you need world class players to do that nowadays as tactically in the Prem defences are tight), our philosophy seems to be as soon as the opposition get it, try and win the ball high up the pitch when defensively they are out of position - it's that which leads to most of our chances/pressure. Doing that for 90 minutes without long periods of slowing the game down with possession play will lead to high fatigue.

Based on our current squad replacements 1) Lallana 2) Lambert 3) Boric 4) Schneiderlin 5) J Rod 6) Louvren Whilst the rest are all good players, they also have decent replacements, but whenever any of those 6 are out we seem to struggle (and if more than one of them are out we really struggle)

Big test this - I think we may sneak a draw, my worry is that Lovren will not be match fit and facing two speedsters in Sturridge and Suarez is not an ideal comeback, he'd be better off facing a bruser. Boruc, Clyne, Lovren, Fonte, Shaw, Cork, Spiderman, Davis, Lallana, Rodrigues and Lambert for me. Ramirez has looked good recently but this is a game it is more important we do not fall behind in - win the battle first half first then bring him on. Can't agree with starting Gallagher - we need to stick with Lambert until the season ends (Gallagher great for last 30 mins to build experience) - he will come good just have faith. It is frightening that we are pinning our hopes on an 18yr old with pretty much zero professional football experience - suggesting he is already good enough to face one of the best teams in the world is wide of the mark (I know he played against Arsenal, but we happened to catch them on an off day, Liverpool will be firing on Saturday and their back line may have been criticised but they are very experienced). Guess it shows how disasterous our £20m splurge on poor/mad centre forwards has been.

A little harsh - he definitely faded but layed one off to J rod he should have buried and sprung the offside trap to create another decent chance for j rod. Should have worked the keeper with his angled chance but also hut a sweet fc from long range. For all those fawning at Osvaldo to replace him, it really isn't as simple as that. Lambert won a lot of ball in the first half v brown or Oshea which osvaldo doesn't do, this is a huge part of how we play our possession football. If we had a similar striker I'd agree as Lambert is definitely not in form and arguably should be rested. But IMO osvaldo playing instead would make us even weaker.

I'm genuinely shocked by this thread. So Osvaldo has one half decent game and scores a worldy. And now it is Lambert out. Astonishing. I' ve yet to see anything other than a player playing purely for himself. Seems that recent history here is nothing compared to a big signing. Sad.

Listening to McMenemy on Talksport, who had just said how he set up the academies in Gateshead, Bristol and Soton way back when so this has been going on some time. Maybe big Mac also deserves credit ? (certainly more than Lowe)

He was simply immense today. Both him and Spiderman kept most Arsenal players quiet. I've been critical in the past but he had it all today - even him much maligned passing was pretty much spot on. Was like watching yaya toure on form.

He was awful today. Tried to cheat for a penalty, was *****ing every time he didn't get a pass, was mostly static, constantly fouled the arsenal players, ballsed up a couple of simple passes, and couldn't hold the ball up, just wants to get the ball facing goal and try and run and shoot even if there are better options. Not writing him off yet, but if it is a choice upfront between him and Lambert there is no choice, I'm not even sure he could play up top by himself. I hope I'm wrong but looking at his body language I can see him being a negative influence on the team. Roma sure are not missing him !

I worry about Wanyama at home against mid/lower teams, too slow and can't pass, it really affects us putting consistent pressure on a team. This has been a long run of failure to beat average teams at home. Pointing at better results year on year is only applicable if we are confident of beating Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City at home, Plus a point v Arsenal. On the plus side Lovren looks excellent - concerned about total lack of width, we rarely get to the byline (when we do we look dangerous). Must be hugely frustrating for Lambert and Osvaldo with nothing to attack.

He shouldn't have been on the bench today, and he certainly shouldn't have come on sooner than Punch - he's only in the team due to his price tag. Until the manager can find a place for him in the team which doesn't make us an instantly worse team we shouldn't be gambling with him until the season is over. There have been far far too many times now where he has either come on or gone off and we have looked like a much better team for it to be coincidence. I'm not suggesting he isn't a talented player as he has his moments, maybe he just won't be one here and we need to cut our loses. Veron was a class player but looked like a fish out of water at Man Utd. I don't want to see him for the rest of the season, barring injuries (and by that I mean after - J Rod, Punch, Lallana, Davis and Do Prado) - hopefully after then and with a pre-season and MP in for a while he can start to show something.

The problem with Fox is that if mentally he could cope with the Premiership he may be an adequate back up. As a footballer he'll never be first team material as his passing isn't good enough and he lacks pace which is a key attribute for a Premiership full back, but he has the ability to be a back up (Man Utd away case in point). That said mentally he panics and makes dreadful decisions that cost goals, remember against Man City away when he headed the ball back in play under no pressure, rather than play safe - same today and there are numerous other examples. I can't see that changing and I can't be the only one who fears the worst every time he comes on, I wonder if the players do too. Hoover suddenly looked all at sea as soon as Fox came on. I'd rather move Clyne over there every time and play Richardson/Cork rb, or even give Target some time. Chances are he'll make mistakes, but as Fox will as well you may as well play someone who may learn from them.

I wonder how much this has to do with Ramires. After Cortese's glee at snapping up a bright young thing for considerable expense and the lack of performances since - I have a feeling he doesn't like being made to look like he made a poor purchase and wants someone to make him perform(who better than a Spanish speaking south American). and you can probably throw the same argument at Mayuka. If these were both Cortese's signings so far it has hardly made him look like an astute businessman - could Adkins be the fall guy ?

Lots of points I agree with here from both sides. The one point I don't is this playing with other quality players argument. He made his name for clubs I would argue are no better than us from a quality football pov so that doesn't wash with me. Clearly we were hoping he would be at least as influential for us as he was them, and for whatever reason he hasn't. He reminds me of Svensson when he first arrived, quality touch but gives it away as much as he can play decent passes.

Lazlo78 - lots of fair points, but Guly should not have let Ward bully him like he did. He may not have clean won the ball but he sure as hell could have got in the way and prevented the goal, by being so half arsed he also gave Davis no chance. Chance to redeem himself after an absolutely dreadful performance too. He'll get another chance at Palace on boxing day, so I'm not going to get on his back unless he shows the same lack of effort and bottle then. Also having seen the last 3 away days, I cannot believe anyone still believes we don't need another decent forward and right winger - If we spend £8m on those two positions we go up (and collect £100m) if not it's going to be a huge struggle. Chance to see how much Cortsese wants it - we may never get another chance like it.

Mackie is on the comeback trail for QPR - proven in this division and will get more games for us than QPR until January so they could ease him back in through us.....at worse he'll get 20-30 minutes at the end of each game to replace Connolly and would be straight in if anyone got injured.

Interesting look to our midfield next season - Lallana, Schneiderlin, Cork. Am I wrong in thinking that all 3 played together the year we went down so should already have some kind of experience on how each other play....

How about to the tune of Islands In A Stream Morgan Schneiderlin, he can pass the ball He can defend deep, if required at all He can win the ball, he is 6 foot tall But he relies on Dean Hammond - ah-ha Cos they compliment each other - ah-ha I'll get my cloak

I left early this morning so no idea if they have arrived or not. I called the TO today and had a most grumpy woman explaining to me how they had to deliver MKDons tickets first - I know what she was trying to say but the way she tried to explain it made it sound like the lunatics had taken over the asylum. To stop impatient people like me phoning up and wasting their time, why not put up a notice on the official site that tickets for P*mpey booked on Thursday may not arrive til Tuesday. Isn't that the point of a website ? to communicate to fans ?

Strangely there seems to be a consensus amongst fans who went and for me they have it spot on. James was poor (aside from previous comments he also played a particularly sloppy sideways pass which set Leeds off on a clear breakaway chance) , as was Waigo and Leeds dominated in midfield whilst we kept giving it away. They also did their homework and knew our right side was week hence why Papa played most of the game as a right back. Unfortunately for us that just happens to be where Snodgrass plays Their back 4 was excellent Connolly, Lambert and Papa were all in the defenders pockets with Lallana limited to only a couple of runs. Surprised nobody else pointed out that Harding was heavily at fault for their goal (he was other than that excellent). The defense was out of position after some last gasp tackles on the Leeds striker and Harding failed to make touch with an unpressured clearance - giving it straight to their full back who promptly gave it to Snodgrass who had plenty of space due to our defense still recovering. We need to sort out our right side (wing and full back), get another ball playing midfielder, pacy covering centre half and striker if we want to be assured a play off place. Quality moment for me was 5 mins before kick off in the gents with a saints fan loudly announcing to everyone that he needed a 'pony' and negotiating his way to the front such was his need. It was also absolutely freezing