DuncanRG

Stay and do better.

Foreign players are really quite good though, aren't they? There are a lot more of them to choose from and they've been the 'hits' at the heart of English teams for coming on two decades.

What are they making up? I'm sure their scouts are watching McCarthy, same as they watch everyone. It's not much of a story but that doesn't mean it's made up. The problem is fans interpreting these things as predictions.

Were they expecting him to wear a sandwich board with his name on it?

Tough on Bertrand but I can see Southgate's thinking.

Yep, agreed. To be fair it doesn't say that City and Barcelona are still interested, only that they have been.

Why is everyone taking this seriously? It's a non-story (every club watches every player all the time) and Liverpool have no need whatsoever for someone like McCarthy. They'll buy an elite keeper and have Karius in reserve. It's likely been dropped to strengthen his hand in contract talks.

Koeman's won trophies. McClaren did well to win the Dutch league.

Duckhunter's point is that Stones is a lot more experienced. It's a daft comparison though. Stephens doesn't have to be as good as Stones to be good for us.

That was a good interview and I agree with his assessment in most areas. The most alarming admission was that they didn't feel the threat of relegation until "deep into January", and his comparison between Pellegrino and Poch/Koeman was a bit disingenuous. Jury's still out on Hoedt I think. He's given me heart attacks too many times this season but if the team is more confident next year then I can see him improving.

Why is everyone selling entire teams' worth? Jesus.

Anyone who was at St Mary's today saw why he should and will stay. The team, fans and manager are pulling happily in the same direction for the first time in ages and we have the chance to build on that with a full preseason. Tadic said after the game that all the players want him to stay, even said that he "needs" to stay and that it would help keep players here. Why would you want to hit their morale again when we've managed to finish the season on a high? If we were managerless and needed to appoint someone I don't think Hughes would be my first choice, but we've already caught the ball and need to run with it rather than lobbing it in the air again.

He managed perfectly competently (if not thrillingly) at an equal level in La Liga. He's nice and honourable because he's nice and honourable.

Gabbiadini's going, folks. Get it out of your system now

It would be quite impressive if Liverpool and Arsenal weren't watching McCarthy, given he's in the same league as them.

He was bad, but he wasn't to blame for everything.

I fancy Stoke to make a game of it now the pressure's off. They've often taken the lead and crumbled under pressure this season but won't have the same nerves on Sunday. And they're facing the worst attack in the league.

Woe betide the defender with bad stats against that Swansea team! Stephens and Hoedt both have plenty of talent. Like the rest of the team, they'll improve with confidence, though their aerial ability is a worry.

Absolute madness to give him a five-year contract though.

All fair enough. It was pointed out when he signed that he doesn't usually hit the ground running in new jobs but does well in time. Yep, fair enough. We'll never know if Hughes was the best choice but he did the job.

I wasn't one of said wailers, but there's no shame in not knowing who's out there in the world. I wouldn't expect most fans to know who we should sign, as manager or players. That's what the scouts and data bods are for.

He's done well and won over the fans, which is really important when you look at the relationship with the last two. Happy for him to stay and think he should, with that in mind, but I'm not fawning over him yet.

That's the way to hold onto Bertrand!

Might be the cheeriest drubbing ever. Glad they've got the goals record already, though I'm sure they'll still want to get as many as possible.

That's pushing it a bit, but he might work his way in over the next year or two if he keeps it up. His command of the box is gonna be huge as we rebuild a confident defence. Leadership starts from the very back.