Nordic Saint

It's fascinating to see the club's transfer history laid out here. In each season, you can ask yoorself, did we strengthen or weaken the squad? Of course, how you interpret it is highly subjective but I'd say that in the last 2 with the sale of Mane, Pelle, Wanyama, Juanmi, Fonte, Rodriguez and van Djk and the purchase of Gabbiadini, Boufal, Hojbjrg, Redmond, Bednarek, Lemina and Hoedt it's weaker.

Kat has done most of that already so they haven't been left with much to strip. Gao probably had to persuade Kat to delay the planned sale of van Dijk until after the takeover before he'd agree to pay the 210 million into her bank account. Who is our head salesman Les left with now who he might find a wealthy Premier League customer for? Bertrand and Cedric. I suppose they must still also hope they can turn a profit on one or two of the players they invested in over the last 2 years but most have failed to sparkle in the St Mary's showroom and have attracted little interest so they'll have to be kept here or be sold at a loss.

Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell: "It was an incredible atmosphere." It's not often visiting managers say that about St Mary's. Stern John's winning goal and the final minutes of the 3-2 win v Sheffield United in May 2008 has to be up there. When Gabbiadini scored his second goal at Wembley and the minutes just after that reminded me of it.

When Ralph's comments about how van Dijk had affected the team negatively got lots of media coverage, as they were intended to, Robbie Savage was asked on Talksport what effect a high profile player wanting to leave had on the rest of the team and he instantly replied, absolutely none. We got the same red herring when Fonte was sold. The team is a lot worse without van Dijk and Fonte than it was when they were here, even if they were plannning to leave, although in Fonte's case, I don't think he was. Like nearly all of the managers, staff and players who've left, he just fell out with Les Reed.

About the only thing worse for the image of Saints fans than a boycott is a partial boycott. It just makes it look like we are a poorly supported team with fairweather fans who don't deserve a top flight team. The only people it would have any effect on are Pompey fans, who would love it. A protest inside a packed stadium, with plenty of banners and chants would be far more effective. Witty banners will get far more media coverage than empty seats. I remember being impressed by how Newcastle fans got rid of Pardew in that way, with some really passion and venom. Protests yes; boycotts no.

Chris Marsden was a terrific player. He reminded me of Brian O'Neill. Neither of them played for England but they were Saints stalwarts and they really made our team tick. Steven Davis, much maligned on here, has similar qualities, but, at 33, he is coming towards the end of his career now. I've always liked those 'salt of the earth' players. Of course, you also need the classy ones, like Channon, Le Tissier and Mane. Our current squad seems to lack both. We've got a lot of uninspiring, fair to middling players but no Marsdens, O'Neills or Cases and certainly no Le Tissiers, Channons or Manes. With all the money that was available, we should have a much better squad than the anaemic one we've been left with now. Most posters on here could have bought and sold more wisely than our club has in the last 2 years.

He fits our usual profile: an attacking player who doesn't score many goals. Kieran Dowell would be better.

I've often wondered why we wait until the end of transfer windows to bring in players, some of whom are injured or unfit. It must either be some financial consideration or simply lack of planning because it makes little sense in terms of the football team. Pre-season training and matches in the summer window are missed by the new players and, worse still, in the January window several important matches are missed by them. If Liverpool hadn't got van Dijk in when the window opened, they might well be out of the FA Cup now.

I think even you must realize that his recommendation would be to replace the people who are making the consecutive bad decisions: Reed and Krueger.

That is the line being spouted by the the Reedite cultists nowadays. They seem to be trying very hard to convince themselves that only people who worship the board of directors and owners and hate the players and fans are 'true Saints fans'.

With your adulation for Les, Ralph and Kat and your hatred of Saints fans, you really appear to have been brainwashed and it's turned you into a very bitter person.

Yes, because I don't see the point in sacking Pellegrino, the same as I didn't see any advantage in sacking Puel, when Les Reed is going to be appointing and controlling the next manager as well, who would, therefore, probably not be any improvement on the current one. A quick succession of managers, who are much of a muchness, will just cost the club more money in compensation and when we are relegated make us look even more foolish. I note that Pellegrino has said he has to 'fight for his ideas'. The poor bloke is probably suffering from even more interference from Reed in team affairs than Puel did, so it is perhaps unfair to judge him when Reed is dictating what he can and can't do. It is very difficult to fight against someone who has just appointed you and who has the power to sack you and even Koeman finally gave up that fight. Pellegrino also has the weakest squad of any Saints manager since we returned to the top flight, now weak in defence as well as attack. At least Puel had Fonte and van Dijk for some of the time he was here, while Koeman also had Wanyama, Mane and Pelle. After Reed has gone will be the only time it will make any real sense to appoint a new manager. As I've said many times before, I'd like to see us go all out to get our 'black box' Paul Mitchell back to replace Reed as I believe Mitchell will, once again, find us outstanding managers and players, the same as he did before. In the meantime, I wish Pellegrino all the best in his fight to keep us up and really hope he can succeed against all odds. Sacking Reed will address the root cause of our problems; sacking Pellegrino won't.

I don't think we'd have lost to Palace if van Dijk had played. Our central defence looked a shambles without him. If that's the point that costs us our Premier League place, selling him so early will prove very costly indeed. On a positive note, having the fourth round FA Cup draw to look forward to is a pleasant surprise.

This could be our best signing: http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/11/manchester-united-consider-move-for-talent-spotter-paul-mitchell-who-masterminded-dele-alli-transfer-6631502/

I don't think Kat has covered a loss. She charged the club interest and got better interest rates on her loans to the club than she'd have got from a bank. Any outstanding loan had to be repaid to her in full, with interest, before she pocketed the 210 million from Gao so she has made a cool quarter of a billion pounds out of the club. Of course, we'll always be grateful to her father for his initial 12 million purchase of the club but Kat is not her father and she has probably made more money out of this football club than any other owner in the history of football.

Another year, the poor decisions from the top continue and the decline accelerates. I'm surprised that anyone is surprised and even more surprised that anyone still thinks that Reed will spend the money wisely on good replacement managers and players.

As well as the van Dijk fee and the fees for anyone else sold this month, the club also gets the 200 million PL prize/TV money, which combined must give it more cash than nearly any other club in the league, and they already paid back the loan to Kat plus interest before the takeover was completed. I understand that wages and running costs will take a sizeable chunk, the same as they do at any other club, but relative to those others we should have more cash to spare, especially as a few of them like Spurs are currently pouring a fortune into new stadium development or are planning to.

I think the poor reruitment is more the responsibility of Old Les and Ross Wilson.

I feel a bit sorry for Ralph and have some respect for him. He is the one who comes out and takes the flak when things go wrong while Old Les emerges to grab any limelight, photo ops and video interviews he can get when things go right but goes into hiding when anything goes wrong.

The same way that he decided to get rid of Lambert and Fonte because they were too old for him he has to retire because he is too old for us. Let's look to the future. Paul Mitchell in !

More like Mane, Wanyama, Alderweireld, Trippier and Dele Alli. In the 2 years Mitchell has been there Spurstow squad has got much stronger while ours has got much weaker. We were linked with van Dijk before Mitchell left after falling out with Les the same as everyone else does.

The concern now is the time Old Les and Wilson are still here to fritter any any of the van Dijk fee which is reinvested in the team on mediocre players. We really need Mitchell back.

Well Les Reed signed the players and the managers so perhaps they reflect his character.

That should read 'Koeman' of course. We also need to get rid of Ross Wilson.

Just go now and take Black and Watson with you.Then we can get Mitchell and possibly Korean as well to come back.