eelpie

I'm quite worried about player sales and purchases during the summer. We'll learn soon how much influence Mark Hughes has negotiated with the Board when comings and goings are announced. I'm hoping that Reed will, at least in the next few months, be sympathetic to Hughes's requirements, and will not sell our better players against his advise for quick bucks. But we certainly do need to clear out the dross and lazier performers. Time for a new five year plan?

It would be really interesting if Les Reed could bring himself to a supporters meeting to explain his views to us.

Great News. Mark Hughes has been appointed, on a 3 year contract, so let the team rebuilding begin. My starter: Xherdan Shaqiri could leave Stoke City in a cut-price £12m deal. Reports from Switzerland claim the little playmaker has a release clause in his contract set at the fee Stoke paid for him. HCDAJFU.

Agree. Mark Hughes has earned this opportunity. Onward and upward. 9th or 10th place, positive, enjoyable football and finishing above Bournemouth and Brighton will do me fine for Mark's first full year. I'd also like Saints to thrash Liverhampton. Now let's cull the deadwood signings of recent years and rebuild.

Of course there's a need to get Hughes's contract sorted as swiftly as possible. The better footballers are likely to be bought and sold by the clubs that act swiftly.

I sincerely hope you are correct. But according to the transfermarkt website his current contract is only 'expected' to continue until 30th June 2018. Whatever, his agents will no doubt be negotiating his longer term contract now, but in my experience no contract is firm until actually signed. So let's hope that Mark's long term status can be sorted quickly so that he can begin signing and releasing players earlier rather than later.

What exactly is Mark Hughes's status at this time?

Good luck to the youngster. I hope he proves Saints and some on this forum wrong and develops into a class forward. One thing slightly bothers me. Should Saints be in a hurry to decide who stays and goes before appointing the manager for the coming season? Why the hurry for the one, yet dawdle with the decision on whether to appoint Mark Hughes or another person as manager? Shouldn't the appointed manager be the person to have a say? And who is making the decisions to release certain players? If it's Les Read I'm worried.

I certainly believe that Les has made a series of poor decisions that, but for Mark Hughes would have been catastrophic. Employing Mark was a better decision by Read. But I caution against a witch hunt calling for Read to be sacked. Remember the hedgefund that nearly took SFC over when Lowe resigned, and remember Coventry! Let's see a better alternative to Les Read available before we hound him out just as we the fanbase hounded out Puel. Fans do not always have the answer.

Boufal was disciplined for refusing to warm up during a match. So he should never play for Saints again. Stoke players were renowned for their poor discipline. Mark Hughes must not allow similar to happen here, should he be given the post of Saints manager for next season (which I hope happens).

This

I can only commend you for one thing. You are not ageist.

Both their stats on the OS were good against Swansea. Check them out

Stoke are well capable of conceding five goals. ManCity will be fielding some hungry young players. They will not be a team feeling end-of-season exhaustion. The second half will be nail biting whichever way one looks at possibilities.

Agree. Saint Sparkie! a Saint through and through! So Les, do the right thing - for the first time in two years. We're not quite safe yet. We must maintain a ten points goal difference. Stoke could yet be generous to Swansea, and ManCity want to achieve 100 points. But with the team's increasing confidence under Mark Hughes we could surprise City. What a way to end the season that would be.

It's such a long time since I've seen our backs tackle, but isn't that part of the job description?

And some are on expensive longterm contracts with no relegation clause (it has been said on here). So we may be stuck with them in League 1. If true, it's Les wot dun us.

The little clubs are evened out sure enough.

Yes, last year's Wembley moments will never be forgotten by all Saints fans. We were so close. But what went wrong almost immediately after that? We've had a dire twelve months. So let Sunday be the beginning of a new Southampton, whether we go down or not. We've nothing to lose now. Come on you reds!

But doesn't Reed write the contracts?

They've surely ruined their footballing careers. Who would want to buy now? We are stuck with them and their inflated wages. Welcome to the wonderful five star Staplewood, retirement home for ex-footballers.

My non-scientific analysis, in order of complicity, I blame Lies Read Ralph K's lunches My Way and players' beards.

Shows how in-denial our management have become. They really do think we are still a top ten club that everyone will pay a fortune to see.

It's Les wot done us. But he and his mates are still least worse than a hedge fund management of SFC.

Of course and rightly said. But the negative, complacent, unambitious garbage that SFS has served up over the last two years is not the way forward. Our Academy, or whatever replaces it, has to be the inspiration for our future as it was ten years ago. This may mean it will take a few yeas, but it's the only way. And I truly hope our kids become part of it.