eddie

I don't understand. Seems his stats show he's much better at defense than everyone is claiming. Perhaps they give a wrong picture though. Interesting nonethelsss

Sorry, also worth noting they've had tallest team for last few games of PL. Maybe balls into the box not going to be as effective. So there's added impetus to play the ball on the ground a little more

Hm. Not too convinced by this. Juanmi for Davis? Think Davis gets involved all across the pitch and definitely enjoys passing the ball around which is what we need, yes he's 'experienced' PL player which is what you need for pulis type games, but I'd like to see Juanmi get a game in that position in front of Vic/Romeu. Their defense is fairly shaky at the moment. starting Back 5 missing 3 players from this time last year, incl. foster. I'd wager that with Mane and Juanmi starting, maybe JRod coming on for whole second half, we'll be creative/unpredictable enough to get a goal or two.

just discovered this forum signature when reading the celtic forums words....cannot explain....

you forgot martina

Witsel isn't an attacking midfielder, he's much more defensive (though good on the ball and does push up often). There is no way in this universe he's going to go on loan to southampton though. Would make nay sense when some 'big' clubs are rumoured to want to buy him, and he'd walk into the first team of arsenal, liverpool and spurs right now. Maybe even city also, if Toure/Fernandinho/Fernando lose form like they did last season at times. The only marginal way he would go, is if zenit needed to clear out more foreign players to fulfil putins bizzare quota. If they really needed to get rid of him, they might consider selling/loaning out of desperation. But bottom line is, he's probably their best player so not v likely

Yes I do agree, and I would definitely have encouraged going all out to get a goal. Maybe he was just sitting back letting them tire a bit. I really don;t know. I'm not arsed about defending koeman to the hilt, I think he's an excellent coach and who knows why we set out like we did. What I would say is the formation was less of a deal than the selection. I think Martina instead of Cedric, JWP instead of Juanmi and Davis instead of Tadic were baffling choices. With those changes, a 523 might have been quite good If Cedric and targett played as far up the pitch as they did at watford, that's quite attacking actually

Easy to say in hindsight. I was also completely miffed by the selection but in actual fact we kept a clean sheet with 5-2-3. His plan was probably have as strong a defence as possible, knowing that hoofballs would only stand a very slim chance of leading to a goal. Then halftime/60 mins into the game, bring on tadic, juanmi, long (which they did) and change to an attacking formation. I think that's quite a good gameplan, actually. Besides, Midtjylland are a team that basically anywhere within our half pose a threat from the throw ins with that freakish LB who can throw it about 50 yards. So stick on 3 CBs for some height, Martina instead of Cedric for some more presence in the box, that's probably why. You can talk all day long about 'setting up as a negative team' but Nonsense. Defending isn't automatically pessimistic and going all out isn't necessarily 'optimistic', as has become the rhetoric of football fans and pundits. I think Rodriguez didn't stick to the plan, he fannied around in the corner, passed it direct to whatshisname who scored. Had he just got it away and played it safe, which was clearly the gameplan, we could well be in a different situation. I know what would have happened if we'd played 4 2 3 1 or something like, and lost. We'd have asked why we set up like that when with key defensive players missing, we made it hard for ourselves and basically meant we had to score 2 goals because we were bound to concede.

who knows? I think they've made some good signings (toby....and Son I've always thought was very good, shouldn't take him long to adapt though we'll see....trippier also good but we'll see how he survives) but to be honest I wonder how much of them getting signings is down to levy's magic rather than mitchell being able to spot them. I think spotting the talent is the easy bit, actually. Spotting the talent and knowing what would fit in your squad. But actually getting deals done and working his magic with players/agents......that's why mourinho is such a genius coach. He's not just tactically good, he seems like the kind of bloke that after spending a few hours with him he just convinces you that his way of thinking is the best.

..? I definitely wouldn't pick cork, boruc and puncheon over wanyama, forster and mane nowadays. Nor yoshida. You're just using this hypothetical situation to slate the board/whoever responsible and point out how bad we are. I highly doubt that in February you would have made that same post. Probably not even in July this year. It's only because everyones disappointed at the forgettable performances against Everton and 2 legs at Mitjylland that there's this kind of post. We played well against Newcastle and got a great result against a very fresh and revitalised side, away. Watford we went back to basics. Other than that, we'll get one or at a push two more signings, have the int'l break and pull our socks up. Don't need all this living in the past and posting about players that we could have kept. We didn't, it isn't all about the money and some of them just wanted to leave. Get over it, that's football for a top 1/2 PL club who don't have that many local lads in the team. People are bound to move on.

Agree to some extent, especially about JWP. The trouble with Davis is he can play an utter blinder some days and (e.g. newcastle) be our standout player ! He's very inconsistent, which to be fair to him all our players have been.

sorry to drag through the mud again if posted already, not going to mention the hoof again, but what I don't get is our line about using pelle's 'height'. Using his height means letting him get on the end of crosses as well as punting it long into the box. I can't remember seeing a single cross last night that wasn't martina halting the ball near the corner flag and then flicking it with no power into the box. Where were the whipped in crosses?

this is unbearable. like watching an elephant being slowly killed by a pack of hyenas

I don't understand why so many people are posting about how we've not got enough attacking minded CMs and we need one more, and that what we've got is inadequete. Guan already confirmed we've made an offer for such a player (..."like steven davis but with more physical presence"....) to take him on loan for the season, but it was rejected. We're hoping to either get him, or someone like him. still hopeful we'll see a curveball unexpected signing before the end of the window.

probably unlikely to get through character profiling....

rooney isn't so geriatric. More just son of utd fan

anyone pick up on the fact their dad named his kids rodney and wesley, as if they are about 60? Apparently not considered geriatric names in netherlands.... obviously I'm putting the standard 'apologies if anyone has that name' clause

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/alternative-premier-league-table-southampton-6316349? 63% of players over the last three seasons have been interesting

Realised there wasn't one other than the original 'he's signed' thread. Thoughts on him? Two games in, I just watched highlights from Mitjilland game, also watched the full watford game on TV, thought he looked very good. Plus points: - He does break up play a lot, which is often underestimated. Especially watford, I noticed that even if he didn't manage to control the ball cleanly and pass to a saints player, he still broke up their original plan / original pass. - gets stuck into a tackle and isn't afraid to put in a two footed challenge - he covered in watford game for targett in left corner quite a bit, I noticed. Random point, but at least I like how he is getting involved across the width of the pitch. I believe he played to the right of wanyama in that game also, which makes it all the more interesting he ran out to the left to help out - in Mitjlland game, took a couple of long shots. obviously highlights may be bias, but from what I saw they weren't half bad chances either. Both on target or very close, lots of power. Nice to have an option in midfield for pelle/someone else to chest back to, or at least someone on edge of box, who isn't afraid to have a go I feel he's hungry to play, young and can improve a lot. Only two games, granted, which is the same amount of games we've been slating other players. But, promising nonetheless. What do you guys think? Did anyone remember seeing him at chelsea?

No I suppose I mean with the window about to close, I'd cash in on him, because we don't have that long to get a good sum for him. But I think the chance of selling and wrapping up a new cm by end of next week is slim, so I'd keep him. Agree though, I watched iilaramendi quite a bit in 13/14 season and he was excellent everytime I saw him.

if he wasn't entering his penultimate year, sure totally agree. If we get a good sum for him this summer and manage to get someone in next week, I wouldn't mind seeing someone similar come in (not that it's very saints esq). I don't think its likely, but it's not impossible that saints have already had conversations with clubs for similar players to him so that in the event an offer to good to refuse comes in, we aren't left high and dry.

as always, we'll drool over possible line ups, but IIlaramendi, Romeu and Clasie midfield would be legendary

Come on now. It's Stekkers with Tekkers. You're welcome

The Gully stuff reminds me of an article I read about Gilbert the Gull: http://babb.telegraph.co.uk/2014/10/torquay-mascot-gilbert-the-gull-challenges-fans-to-fight-after-swearing-at-them/ The Babb writers said Hilarious.

I've seen quite a lot of that agent , mendes, through various interviews/player talk over the years. slimy fella. doesn't surprise me that he's stirring things up since being the agent for fonte, exactly what I'd expect him to do and to be fair, he's damn good at it! not sure how to categorise this rumour. It's ridiculously out of the blue, and can't really be compared to any other transfer over the last 2 years. They aren't a bigger club, and it's not like he'll get more gametime (a la Cork > Swansea). So all the comparisons to 'it happened with lallana' are a bit pointless. It's the kind of transfer that's so left field though, it almost must have come from some ITK. At the end of the day though, fonte does seem genuinely happy to be at saints. He is really well respected and liked, and he was one of the two players along with Kelvin who were specifically informed about last summer and the fact that we had a plan in place, and not to worry. They took both aside to calm any fears about their transfer goings-on. So they clearly see him as a key part of the club, someone who has influence.