jarhead5

Center Back. Holding Mid. Striker.

We need Toby. Yes we have Yoshida and Gardos (both capable of short term 1st team), but both 26 and not really the "next wave" of starting CBs at SMS. Stephens Turnbull and McCarthy are the youth movement. They will be loaned out, unless we can't get someone else into the team. Toby should be the #1 priority right now. If he leaves, we will have a leaky defense next year (also missing Forster for a large amount of time).

It's reported that Clyne demanded the transfer. Isn't that good news? Now we don't owe Clyne anything on the back end, correct?

Our RB cover was Toby/Yoshida. They played more RB than McCarthy, but yes McCarthy was our next up on the senior team. No problems, as of now, covering RB! Clyne here or not, we are set. On to GK and CB replacements.....

I could be wrong, but Stephens played in the midfield (at Swindon Town) as well as CB.

I don't see what the fuss is about......Austin would be a huge help. We will have several attacking options that have slightly different styles. Pelle- tall, strong, good in the air Austin- tall(ish), descent speed, able to link up Long- fast, relentless Mane- very fast, descent handling the ball, good shooter Mayuka- fast......haven't seen much of him. JRod- tall(ish), good speed, links up very well Tadic- very good with the ball, good speed, good shooter Elia- good speed, finds space.........lets face it, we will keep him because he will be cheap JWP- links up well........technical.........good free kicks (he will grow as a player, but his lack of speed and grit hurts him currently) Davis- streaky.....might need a new home. He is starting to fit in to the holding mid better then attacking Gaston- streaky, over paid, lazy. For the right price, he could still fit into the rotation. Hesketh- feisty, links up well, still too young McQueen- versatile (being used inside and wide), probably needs more looks Isgrove- good speed......haven't seen enough of him to give a good report Gallagher- needs a spell in the championship Seager- finds space, good shooter, needs for 1st team looks (but we have a log jam up top). Dujricic- I don't we buy him for 7m(?). Good dribbler, finds space Osvaldo-.........talented, but not at being a good citizen (not gone yet) We need: 1)Keeper 2)Center Back (If Toby goes) 3) DMid (If Morgan goes) 4) Right Back (If Clyne goes) 5) Striker (To help rotate with Pelle) But I'm not the guy who signs players. Side note, I met Terry Moore this week. He was coaching a camp here in Mississippi (US). I thought it was cool to see a Southampton coach in my part of the world.

If everyone is happy with recouping a mere quarter of his price, we can get that in January. We limped into the end of the season. Clearly, we need depth. Undoubtedly, Gaston's wages are too high....... Maybe Koeman will feel that Hesketh will be ready and can do Gaston's job in the squad.

The only reason I put 3 defenders on the bench is because RK has proven that he likes to have a ton of defenders on the bench. tsiw, I agree. Load up and try to score as much as possible. We can't fall any further than the place the we currently reside.

This line up could be a crap shoot. Defend and counter or play straight up? ----------------Davis Clyne----Toby------Fonte----Ryan ----------------Vic --------JWP---------Davis Long-------------------------Mane ---------------Pelle Gazza, Yoshida, Gardos, Targett, Morgan, Reed, JRod

There is still something to play for, so I'm not suggesting we should pack it up for the season..........Pelle needs a break, because he never gets one. I believe everyone knows what to expect from him. Giving an unproven player a shot is needed. Is Gallagher or Seager ready for a bigger role? Djuricic and Elia have the most to prove as they are likely on their way out of the team. Does Gardos get a chance to prove himself? He is the same age as Yoshida, so youth isn't his free pass. JWP needs to be featured. Most on here thinks he isn't worth the hype (I think he is a god player who needs to pushed into a more prominent role). If we have the world fooled about our (supposed) young star, showcase him and sell him for a crazy amount of money.

Do we get Gazz again? Will Koeman try Cropper? Elia gets another start? Hopefully, we get a new look.... -------------Davis ------Toby--Fonte--Yoshida Clyne--------Vic---------Bertrand -------------JWP Djuricic---Gallagher----Mane Cropper, Gardos, Targett, Reed, Davis, Long, Seager From this formation, Toby can move to holding mid if needed (and without subbing). Pelle needs a break from standing still and pointing. Djuricic needs 90 minutes. One last try....before wasting good money on him. Gallagher will add a spark. It might be wise to get Seager in for the last 30 minutes. I'm hoping JWP has a great game and spreads the balls around......maybe even score himself. If we get a loss.......We may see a lot of "swan songs" against City (Gazz, Gardos, Clyne, Morgan, Elia, Djuricic, Toby).

Only one midfielder on the bench?

Unavailable this weekend: Forster, Schneiderlin, JWP, Rodriguez, Tadic, Mayuka, Mane? (left the last game with an injury) -------------K. Davis------------- Clyne---Fonte----Yoshida---Bertrand -----Wanyama---Alderweireld------- S. Davis----Djuricic---------Elia ---------------Pelle-------------- Bench: Gazzaniga, Gardos, Targett, Reed, Hesketh, Seager, Long Others available: Cropper, McCarthy, Gape, Rowe, McQueen, Sinclair, Gallagher Considering RK's choices, I understand using Toby in the Midfield. Given the choice, would you start Long or Yoshida? Start Yoshida and you have Long to come off the bench. Start Long and chances are very high that only youth will come off the bench. If Mane is available, start Toby at CB. S. Davis at holding Mid. Depth is concerning, especially considering we need points.

If Koeman is unsure about our loan ins, he should take this opportunity to play them at 90+ minutes. Clearly, Leicester is in such good form that we have lost already. -----------Davis Clyne-Fonte-Toby-Bertrand ---------Vic--Davis Djurcic---Tadic---Elia -----------Mane Gazz, Gardos, Yoshida, Reed, Hesketh, Long, Pelle Defend and hope to counter with all the speed that the front 4 can muster.

Bara's own false 9 --------------Davis Clyne---Fonte----Yoshida----Ryan ---------------Toby ---------JWP---------Morgan ---------------Tadic ---------Pelle---------Mane Just an option.

HAHA. I'm certainly not Glasgow. Also, my computer spell checks my words the American way. So, I won't be typing all English like.

No worries guys. I'm just glad to have a place to talk Southampton Football. Not a lot of PL fans in my area.

Pelle isn't being used properly. He is a big, strong, aerial striker. He is best when he is fed the ball: in the air or through passes. If he has the ball more than a second or two, he isn't utilized properly. It's up to the team around him to be creative and cross/play the ball into him. One on one (in the air) he should win. Look at his 8 goals. Is the team currently playing him the balls that he scored with early in the season? He deserves blame, but he is a limited player. If we need creativity from that position, we should shop around for it. JRod will be that change of pace, but we may not see it this year. Long hasn't proven to be the change of pace we hoped for... Koeman has brought in a lot of pacey players to compliment Pelle, but it has failed to produce. Mane, Mayuka, Elia, Durcic. Tadic, Davis, JWP help with creativity, but fail to provide assists. The team and Koeman's system hasn't "gelled" yet. We see flashes of it, but not consistence. I hope we can keep the majority of the team for next season. Saints will be a force to reckon with in Koeman's second season!

Yes. Jarhead (in my case) is US Marine. I have followed the Saints for a few years. I've slowly become a fan and watch most of the matches (all from NBC/streaming). I hope to visit St Mary's in the future.

Hello all, I'm new to the board. I'm a Yank so go easy on me. First touches were poor in the last match. Pelle and Long turned it over the most. 3-4-3 may be the way to go against Hull. ------------------Davis ---------Toby---Fonte----Yoshida Clyne---Wanyama--Schneiderlin---Bertrain --------Mane----Pelle-----Tadic Gazz, Gardos, Targett, Reed, JWP, Long, Davis (if health) or Elia Pelle needs to be played a ball in the air or to his feet for a quick shot. We are asking too much from him currently. He is slow and doesn't offer good passes. Allow him to use his height and strength and he will start scoring. Tadic and Mane should try to be more creative.