qwertyell

He's broken. The player he was and built his reputation as played on the shoulder of the last defender and ran in behind. Now his pace has gone, we're committing £20m on a player having to reinvent himself as a striker who comes deep to the ball, in spite of him having no track record of success whatsoever playing that way. Five goals from open play this season - the same as Shane Long FFS - is not an encouraging start: Jay Rodriguez managed that in his last season with us before we got rid of him because he, too, was a different animal after injury. If we were spending £20m on today's Long or Rodriguez, everyone would think we were mental. And yet here we are. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Jesus - if we're playing five at the back and a couple of holding midfielders at home to the second worst team in Premier League history in a match of no consequence, we really are in trouble. Gunn; Valery, Bednarek, Yoshida, Bertrand; Hojbjerg, Lemina, Ward-Prowse; Redmond, Sims; One of our phalanx of incredible strikers. Give a bench look in to Ramsey, Vokins, Johnson, Slattery and O'Connor. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Not going to happen, obviously, but I'd be more than happy if we had a mass clear out in the summer - we've got so many horribly mediocre players and those past their prime and in terminal decline it's beyond parody. From today's line up, it'd be no loss at all if Forster, Stephens, Armstrong, Elyounoussi, Ings and Long weren't Saints players next season. Throw in Austin, Hoedt, Cedric, Carrillo, Clasie, Boufal and probably call time on Academy graduates who just aren't quite good enough: McQueen, Reed, Hesketh, Gallagher, Targett, Jones. Push the reset button and start again. The Les Reed era is over and the sooner we can rid ourselves of all of his accumulated crap, the sooner we can move forward. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

WTF kind of goalkeeping was that? Thought about diving, thought about sticking out a leg, eventually just did f-all. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

That was pretty abject. All the fringe players suggesting that they're not even good enough for that status - Forster has at least made a couple of fairly routine stops. We're badly losing the midfield battle - not surprisingly, as we're carrying two players out there. Elyounoussi has touched (and lost) the ball about five times; Armstrong is just a horrible footballer, a midfielder who can't pass, tackle or control the ball. The tactical plan of playing a high defensive line with two centre backs who are slower than coastal erosion and a goalkeeper who has abandonment issues with his goal line is, let's say, a bit of a gamble... Danny Ings has lost his pace. Liverpool fans told us that when we signed him, but we still committed to a physical wreck whose best days are gone anyway. What a mess. Valery is having a stinker. Not sure he (or Bednarek) is suited to a back four - his limitations are too exposed. Still, we're going to storm the top ten next season with just a couple of tweaks of the squad. Apparently. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Seems pointless playing Forster - we have an excellent young, developing keeper, and the best thing for his development is to keep playing games. He'll learn more on the pitch than on the training ground with Dave Watson hitting drop kicks straight at him. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

No-one's going to sign Hudson-Odoi this summer - he's got nine months of rehab ahead of him after rupturing his Achilles. And at the end of next season, assuming Chelsea can't persuade him to sign a new contract, foreign clubs will be able to pick him up for free. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I, for one, am looking forward to our "rumoured" interest in Bayern Munich's first choice centre back, £60m+ rated Niklas Sule, pay off. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Leipzig have just qualified for the Champions' League again. Seems pretty unlikely that their best players will swap that for scrapping around in the lower reaches of the Premier League. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Alfie Jones who can't even make the bench when we've only got two fit senior centre backs? I think it's pretty clear the manager doesn't even rate him as a viable option over Kayne Ramsey - an 18 year old right back played out of position! From what I've seen of Jones in u23s football, he's painfully slow and has no obvious stand out attributes that suggest he could play at a high level. I'd be amazed if he was still at the club next season. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Always quite liked Huddersfield's Billings when I've seen him. Not sure he's much better than the midfielders we've already got, though. Sessegnon is the only Fulham player that would suit us, and he's both out of our price range and been massively underwhelming this season. Doesn't look skillful enough to be a winger at this level, and too poor defensively to be a left back. Cardiff haven't got anyone worth a damn - and still beat us twice! I'd be more interested in raiding a few teams that miss out on the play offs from the championship. Grealish, at Villa, won't be in our price range, but their other quality midfielder McGinn might be. Jack Clarke at Leeds is a prospect. I know he's only on loan at Derby, but I think Tomori is someone we could potentially pick up - Chelsea will never play him, and we're crying out for a mobile centre back. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Thank you, Fulham! Well, we got it done - somehow - with two games to spare. All credit to Hasenhuttl for keeping that rabble up. We'll be in the exact same trouble next season unless major changes are made - a few "tweaks" aren't going to solve our deficiencies. Personally, I'd get shot of all our centre backs - not a PL player between them. Obviously that's not going to happen. A holding midfielder with more mobility than an asthmatic slug with a limp is also an essential change. Is there any way to get out of the Ings deal? Can we Escape to Victory him, like they did with the keeper so Rocky could take over in nets; return him to Liverpool because he's broken. Good game from Redmond in front of the England manager. If he's looking for a lad who cuts inside and blazes the ball 30 yards high and wide every time, he's a shoo in. Come on, Newcastle - keep Brighton down there. They're appalling to watch: the league won't miss them. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

1-2 h/t. Getting utterly overrun in the middle of the park again. Two centre backs who can't run, "protected" by Romeu, who can't run, is almost a training exercise for Bournemouth against those blow up statues. I've yet to see any evidence that Bednarek can play in a back four. And people think he's one of our plusses of the season! Pairing him with Stephens was a pretty optimistic selection to say the least. Hope we kept the receipt for Danny Ings. I think Shane Long now as many goals from open play this season as that declining £20m waste of ink. Not sure how we can get back into this. Once Bournemouth realised all they had to do was attack and we'd immediately soil the bed, we were done for - panic set in, heads went, gesticulations intensified. It's going to come down to Huddersfield at home on the final weekend, isn't it? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

That was absolutely ridiculous. Bednarek caught 20 yards in front of his CB partner and running through treacle. Wow - Long misses two sitters in two seconds. Wheels coming off... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

City's run in is definitely harder than Liverpool's. Burnley are classic spoilers; Leicester are a talented team (with a manager who'll be desperate to do Liverpool a favour); Brighton will play a narrow 11-0-0 and never leave their penalty area. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

How? It was a powerful shot from six yards which then deflected up off Yoshida's knee (I think). The reaction time from the deflection must've been about 0.1 second. The keeper was well positioned to make the save until the nick off the defender took the ball above his head. He had no chance of adjusting in time. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Ward-Prowse at RWB again and two right backs on the bench. Absolutely bizarre. Hope Ralph has a cunning plan up his sleeve, because that XI looks suspiciously like one picked by a manager who watched the Newcastle debacle and learned not a single thing. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

We've only mustered 36 points in consecutive seasons - there's no "suddenly" about it. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Not on board with this blatant scapegoating of Stephens. He wasn't particularly good yesterday (in an overall poor team performance), but was far from the calamitous liability some are trying to make him out to be. For the three goals we conceded, Yoshida, Bertrand and Bednarek were entirely culpable. That's three games in a row Bednarek has cost us a goal in the air (beaten twice, by Keita and Boly, and yesterday's weak clearance back into the danger area). Perhaps he's "League One standard" too? Stephens' time is probably done here, but he's a long way short of the worst player to wear the shirt in the last few mediocre years - and has contributed some crucial goals and the odd decent defensive showing in his time. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

One of those situations where you get penalised for honesty. Morrison was fouling him, but the referee wouldn't have given it if Salah hadn't thrown himself down. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Disasterclass in defending. They've looked like scoring with every attack - and not by good play, just hopeful punts forward. Watford will have fun in midweek. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Yoshida's our best defender - and he's rubbish. Needs a total overhaul back there in the summer. So many self-inflicted wounds. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Once again set up suicidally for our own corner - only Prowse, who can't run, back. Insane. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Personally, I'd have preferred Cardiff to have lost as it would've been lights out for them and we could've just enjoyed the run in. Them keeping things alive makes things a bit more interesting - but I always thought we'd need one more win to be sure. Bournemouth and Huddersfield at home look ripe for the picking. Brighton are going full fathom Swansea. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Years. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk