qwertyell

Said no-one ever before appointing Mark Hughes. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Did I imagine it, or was there a story going around that, during the most crucial January transfer window (which was a disaster) since the club returned to the top flight, Les decided instead to take time off to go on a self-promotional speaking tour? Frankly, anyone remotely connected to January's inept dealings, where we managed to weaken the side, backed a lame duck manager, and spaffed £20m on someone who couldn't make the subs bench, should be out on their ear. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Ahmed Hegazi has a £2.5m release clause after WBA's relegation. 27, 6' 4", an absolute thug. No idea if he's much cop as a defender per se, but he'd fit the bill as an aerially strong CB on the cheap. DAJFU? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Maddison, Jack Grealish, Nick Powell. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

IIRC "club mouthpiece" Wilson was telling us in January that we were after a striker, winger and centre back to boost our relegation fight. The reality of what we ended up with - a sack of guts not good enough for the subs bench - was very different. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Probably gutting for Bertrand, but he's only got himself to blame. LB has been there for the taking for the last year, but he's been half-assing it most weeks for us - and I guess sealed his fate with his injury time brain fade that cost us the win at Everton, with Southgate watching from the stands. Thought Alex McCarthy might get a form-based wildcard as third choice keeper, but sadly not. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Point being in relation to the OP about Hughes seemingly being nailed on for the job. He's not the Messiah - he took over when we were 17th and that's where we've finished. He's done the bare minimum to be considered for the job full time, but is that how low our bar is set now? Is he the outstanding candidate in all of footballdom? I hope the club have been weighing up more than one option over these past few months. We've been "making do" and muddling through with barely adequate replacements for far superior players for two years now - do we want that policy seeping into the management and coaching set-up too? Good luck to him if he gets the gig, but I can't help feeling it would be a strong commitment to mediocrity for club that claims to be ambitious and progressive. Although I'm sure once Les has briefed his favourite media mouthpieces, the spin will be about how it's all part of a wider plan to achieve excellence through British beef and poodle perms or something. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Professional job in the end. Well played. Ridiculous how many late goals we concede. Lack of fitness, focus, brains? Lots of changes needed on and off the field if we don't want to repeat this season's near-disaster. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

He's won two games. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Slow, plodding full backs went out of style with Danny Fox. Seems a nice kid, Targett. But he's not going to make the grade at the top level (assuming that's still where we reside/aspire to reside). Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Everyone loses the Leicester dressing room - even winning the league isn't good enough for that bunch of tossers. I suspect they've got far deeper problems than the manager. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Stoke did that. Worked out well... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

The only team to score seven in a game this season are playing a side managed by the man who "organised" the chaotic opposition that day. Meanwhile, the only team to have conceded seven in a game this season are lining up against a Swansea side needing a big win... It might seem unlikely that we could go down from this position, but I'm not breathing easy yet. The somewhat gloaty, "job done" attitude coming out of the club feels premature. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Started very nervously, but definitely did well as the game wore on. I still think he could do Romeu's role and that's a better position for him, but he's a decent footballer all in all. (He's got to stop getting preoccupied with playing the man and letting the ball bounce when it's there to be headed clear, though.) Great interview with him and Adam Blackmore post match - didn't shy away from the team's individual and collective shortcomings over the course of the season. Certainly seemed to care about the club. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I don't think Cedric or Bertrand will be here next season, so we'll be rebuilding our squad once again from a weak position. On top of the areas that need addressing, we'll first have to replace two of our starters. 2 X RB (Pied is also leaving) 1 X LB 1 X CB (at least) who can handle a bit more physicality than Jordan bloody Ayew 1 X wide attacker (at least) 1 X striker (at least) And probably a midfielder of some sort as Romeu has been shocking, Lemina injury prone, Davis on his last legs. That's a lot of upheaval required - and no way in the world should Les Reed and Ross Wilson be around to make those crucial decisions. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Pack it in, lads. It's done. Swansea are up for this. We're not. They'll score first and comfortably defend their lead. Another "must win" non-performance. Captain Bertrand has been in hiding since kick off. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Because he's totally unsuited to central midfield in grown up football. He can't tackle or run and is physically lightweight. On the occasions he's turned out for Saints in the middle of the park, the game has bypassed him entirely at both ends of the pitch. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Cedric had treatment after the board went up. It was always going to be longer than the alloted four minutes after that. What is truly inexplicable is Bertrand's complete lack of professionalism. Absolutely killed us - gave the ball to Everton in a crossing position and took himself out of the play in the process. Garbage. Good luck with the future, sitting in the stands for a "big" club. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I think Pellegrino or Puel would've been slaughtered for setting up with a back five, three holding midfielders and slowly passing the ball sideways and backwards with zero attacking intent, but hey. Everton are awful. The kind of awful that ends with them scrambling the only goal of the game from a set piece while Allardyce cups his ear to the crowd and declares they're lucky to have him. Let's go for it. We can win if we're brave. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Must be about the slowest XI in our history. Maybe sub in Ward-Prowse for Cedric and that'd do it. Frankly, I think we're a worse team overall when Austin starts - a pub-fit tap in merchant is not what's required when it's all hands to the pump, IMHO. If we can't create a tap in for him, he won't contribute a single positive thing to our play. I guess fast counter attacks are off the table - looks like the only way we're scoring is through quick, incisive passing and movement. Or set pieces. Yeah... we're not scoring, are we? Come on, lads, make this post look silly. Or sillier. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

That was excruciating - one of least enjoyable Saints win I've ever seen. Hanging on for dear life for 30 minutes at home to Bournemouth, for goodness sake. It shows what we've become. But it's a win. I vaguely remember those from the olden days. It's hard to imagine we can take any confidence from the performance, though. Tadic, Lemina and McCarthy came up big for us today. Credit where it's due. We're still alive. One more win might even be enough - Huddersfield aren't getting any more points. We march on? Limp on? Shuffle slightly forward? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Five at the back and we still can't cope with the crossed ball. I don't see the point in sacrificing an extra attacking body so that we can have more crap defenders on the park. We're not keeping goals out regardless. Our only slim hope is going for it. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I think that was me. Wish I'd been wrong. On the flip side, Taarabt had one storming season for QPR in the championship, so maybe Boufal's about to find his level... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

In his defence - and this is pure speculation - he wasn't fit enough to make the travelling squad on Thursday, with back and hamstring problems, so it's hard to believe he was anything like fully fit three days later. That may or may not explain why he barely broke into a sprint during the first half. He might have been moving as fast as he physically could. However, I thought he was much improved in the second half, in terms of application and work rate, even if the quality - like the rest of the side - was sadly lacking. I don't think he's mentally up to the pressure we're under, though. His early season swagger has been replaced by a nervy skittishness as the magnitude of our decline set in. He's not alone in that that regard, either. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Reminder: Hoedt was signed for his aerial ability. Absolute joke of a defender. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk