ratio_decidendi

Typical. Might as well post the obligatory England goal.

David Nugent? While living in Leicester and seeing a few games, it seemed like the fans adored him. He also bagged 20 goals last season. Is there any reason in particular why he would be on his way out?

Bayern is a fantastic example of what I was trying to get at, so thank you. And I would absolutely love to see something like Feyenoord's kit - extremely snappy indeed.

If Southampton aren't shifting enough shirts then I haven't heard about it. Got any information or proof that can help us out? Edit: Spelling.

I completely agree with you in the sense that wearing all red (a la Cardiff last season) is poor brand engineering, and I'm glad that Saints aren't doing that at all (I wouldn't advocate it one bit). Past that, however I'm not sure you've grasped my point. Variations upon a red and white theme enable the shirt designers to develop lots of differing styles that are more likely to entice the average supporter to buy a new kit which is drastically different to the previous year's. Striped shirts simply don't allow that degree of creativity, and therefore are unable to generate as much profit. So, an intermittently released sash kit is a good idea, but one that's released time after time is not. In my opinion, what Southampton are doing at the moment is reaching the perfect compromise between creativity and brand stagnation. Catering to the fans' nostalgia over stripes will probably happen at some point in the future, but don't expect it to happen every season. Also, do not expect any discussion and change on the kits to improve results on the pitch (unless we were to change to blue, but that's another debate entirely).

That's fair enough. The Dutch league is dominated by three main clubs, so winning the league there isn't like winning the PL.

I think Steve Bruce did really well in getting Hull to the FA Cup Final, but out of interest, why do you prefer him to Koeman? Not a big fan?

Although I have an affection for the striped kits, I find it unlikely that we'll have it again next year. Southampton need to build a commercially successful Premier League brand, and unfortunately stripes are already 'taken' by Sunderland and Stoke. On top of that, there's not much room for experimentation with stripes - a fan is less likely to buy the new kit if it's identical to the preceding season's. Altogether then, I expect the club to continue with it's funky variations upon a red and white theme. The (dreadful) Hummel kit Badger posted above is far more likely to be used than anything with stripes. It's a shame, but if it's better for the club to avoid stripes then so be it.

I think you might be working with an older defamation law. Have a look at the Defamation Act 2013: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/26/contents/enacted You'll find in s.1(1) that "A statement is not defamatory unless its publication has caused or is likely to cause serious harm to the reputation of the claimant." You'll also find in the subsequent subsection that yes, a for-profit body can sue for defamation, but only if they can prove that the defamatory statements caused serious financial harm. It's a slight change, but a good one as it makes it pretty difficult for companies to sue. There's not a chance that this or any other article by the Mail (as far as I can tell) is defamatory. EDIT: Just highlighted the introduction of the serious harm tests which weren't evident in previous defamation laws.

Yes, and I very much doubt that the publication of a few articles in the Daily Mail would constitute as "serious financial harm" (as described in the Defamation Act 2013). To be honest, the implementation of this new test was designed to limit the amount of defamation claims from for-profit companies. And even if it did cause serious financial harm, the Mail would just be able to point out that they have published no falsehoods in order to dispel Southampton's claim. Any opinion surrounding those facts could probably be deemed as fair comment. It's an unfortunate situation to be in as a for-profit company, but then wouldn't it be worse if you were a consumer who could easily have their finances decimated under large quantities of crushing litigation?

I suppose it depends on how much he enjoys getting around 25 starts per season. But he's been there for four seasons - surely he would understand that it might be best to look elsewhere for first team football (if the manager's attitude remains the same)?

None of the Mail's stories are defamatory. Are they likely to cause Southampton serious financial loss? No. And even if they could, the facts would be true or fair comment.

Promising stuff but, out of interest, why the cynicism over Alex Crook's comments on Southampton? Everyone here seems to treat him with suspicion?

Right. A very mature looking 23... would still take him though.

Isn't that post going to ex-Lazio boss Vladimir Petkovic?

David Moyes to Scotland...? Oh wait, no, you're right. Anyway, fantastic post Guan.

Absolutely agree with you about Sigurdsson, and Moses looks like he could be an interesting asset. I didn't realise that he's still only 23! Are Chelsea really not that keen on him?

"Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

Sure, but why would I have any reason to doubt what he's saying? I'm not going to waste my time double-guessing what Jose Fonte might really mean.

Very fair comments from Jose Fonte - a far cry from what Adam Blackmore was suggesting...

Okay. I thought you were merely pointing out that this speculation existed. I didn't know you were expressing your own opinion.

Money might play a part, as might the fact that he had only a handful of appearances last season. He has effectively been quoted as saying he might consider offers from other clubs. EDIT: My bad, I thought you said Neil Taylor. No, I very much doubt Ben Davies would leave Swansea at this point in time.

I've never heard that speculation and am definitely surprised it exists. Do people really assume that clubs negotiate or are in contact with each other to the extent that they conspire in this way?

Let's just hope it isn't this...