SKD

Definitely need an opener and still think we are a bowler short (not sure you can rely on Fidel for the whole season).

:lol: someone forgot to change accounts before talking to themselves.

If true, that makes our decision to not buy a CB / replace VvD in January look even worse than first feared.

I'd go for: McCarthy Cedric Yoshida Hodet Bertrand Lemina PEH Redmond Boufal Tadic (or a combination of these 3.. all can play across the line) Carrillo Tough on JWP who has been brilliant past few weeks, but Burnley aren't in great form, have a few injuries and this is a game in which if we set out to win the match (play positively, take the game to them), we should win. Yoshida over Stephens as he has shown time and time again he is poor in the air and sh!te at marking. Yoshida not much better, but is better than Stephens. However, I think he'll go: McCarthy Cedric Stephens Hodet Bertrand Lemina Romeu JWP PEH or Davis Tadic Carrillo 1-1

Redmond could do with a coach like Pep or Poch... one that just knows how to get the best out of players and has a very good track record of improving them. There is a good player in there somewhere, he needs to find it though. I think he would defiantly benefit from an attack minded coach who gives players freedom to express themselves... Same can be applied to Boufal.

This is the bit I disagree with. NA was the right man at the right time. He is a great bloke, and oversaw some of the best times I've had as a saints fan. I'll be forever grateful for that. He reminds me a little of Eddie Howe, all be it probably not as good. I was just pointing out, especially to those who wanted him back, that he is a pretty average manager and one that certainly shouldn't be getting a job at a PL club. I recall at the time of him being with us some even saying that he should be the next England manager Hopefully he goes on to find another club that suits him (probably a smaller one) and has a successful career down in L1/Championship.

Austin is still, by a long way, our best CF. From the very little we've seen of him, Guido looks like a poor mans version of Austin, but one that is less injury prone and therefore probably more reliable. That being said, in Austin's absence he is exactly what we need. I don't think, as of yet, there is anything to suggest that he is worth anything near £20m, but that's the price you pay when you sell a £75m asset before the window has even opened. Personally, after it was clear we couldn't get Giroud, I would have loved Batshuayi (if realistic or not, I don't know).

Clearly there is no evidence of this. The club is a PR machine and would never let something like that out in the press. But trust me / Eric, it’s true. People can say we should have sold the olayers / trouble makers, but it is very very difficult to replace a large % of the dressing room. Personal opinion, had we sold fonte in the summer I don’t think it would have been as bad as it got...

TBF he’s only won 4 games (out of 13 - 30%) since taking over.

Why, because I can see it how it is? He done a good job with us. He was lucky given the tools he had though. Since then, he’s been shocking.

Not judging him on this game. Hull, having been in the PL last year, should put up more of a fight than they have tonight. Their form under Adkins has been generally poor as well.

Not beloved at all. Do I think he would have kept us up? Yes, 100%. BFS has been there and done it, year after year. Which was my point back in November time - looking like I was right... Adkins, other than with us (when we had an incredible squad and still didn’t win either league) has pretty much been ****e everywhere he’s been. I said he’d be poor at Hull and be gone within a maximum of 18 months - looking like I was right....

Hull look absolutely shocking, 4-0 down to Chelsea at half time.... some seriously wanted Adkins to return proven to be an awful manager.

Poch - the only manager to get anything from JayRod says it all. He made Jay look world class. Like him or not - much like Pep, he has the ability to get the very best out of players. Players love him (he generally is a top bloke as well btw) and that reflects in their performance. If poch has stayed with us, we’d have pretty much kept our squad together and IMO would be where spurs are now.

1. Appointing Ralph and Reed (R&R) as Chair and Vice-Chair - Ralph doesn't have a clue and Reed's ego is too big. We didn't adequately replace NC. 2. Appointing Puel - Believe me or not (also cup final or not) he left a very poor atmosphere in the dressing room - He simply had to go (you can't replace pretty much the whole dressing room). I honestly believe the hangover has carried on into this season. 3. Not getting rid of Pellegrino about 4 months ago, then not backing him in January. 4. Our transfer strategy as a whole. All comes back to point number 1... I think people are actually starting to realise this now.

The way I see it: Out of the next 6 PL fixtures (Burnley away, Stoke home, Newcastle away, Swansea away, West Ham away) we need to win at least 4 of them to stand any chance (I think 4/5 wins would probably see us safe). We've only won 5 games all season, so we essentially need to double our win tally in the next run of fixtures - unlikely (unless something changes). After that, I'd say we would need to pick up a minimum of 4 points from Leicester (a bit hit or miss - Puel coudl potentially send us down), Bompey (seems to always end in a draw - again could send us down), and Everton (once again hit or miss). I think we have left ourselves too much to do, but we do have some favorable fixtures and there are some very very poor teams around us right now. Conclusion: If MP stays we will drop (if we stay up, it will be by the very skin of our teeth and as a result of others being poor). Change manager (now...) I think we have a decent chance of staying up.

It's just complete and utter madness, even if he keeps us up (which lets be honest even a half decent manager would with this squad) I have no confidence that we will improve next year. This whole situation (along with a **** poor January window, for the second year running) demonstrates why Les & Ralph are not fit to run a football club.

Bilic is a very good manager..... He just got a bit stale at West Ham. Also, WHU are an absolute shambles at board level. Probably worse than us. Their recent transfer windows have been awful. I think he'd be a pretty decent fit here if i'm honest - He'll play Les' loved 4231 and I think he has the potential to get the best out of Boufal (think Payet...). My only concern, which will be the same for any manager is our lack of pace. I think he enjoys to play on the counter (think Koeman..), and I'm not convinced we have the players to do that. The football would certainly be more enjoyable though.

This raises a very good point - If the board are really behind him, they should have brought someone in (with PL experience and generally tactically sound or perhaps an old manager or someone from lower league i.e Appleton at Leicester) to replace black. The club went with Kelv, honestly a mind baffling decision that, someone like Chris Powell would have been perfect (the players may have liked him, but it's pretty well known that black is a terrible coach... Somehow we've even managed to replace him with worse). We currently have a coaching staff with little to no experience of coaching on the English game.

I have no doubt in my mind that you fall into the category of ‘soccer AM banta’.

Oops 2-1. Other than the first 15 mins Tottenham have been outstanding.

So you don’t think that day trippers, the Chinese, IPads and increasing Corporate environment haven’t destroyed the home atmosphere in pretty much every established PL club? Soccer AM and absolute pony ‘terrace banta’ has a big part to play as well.

Can you honestly say that you think the club give 2 ****s (other than financially) about your support? I'd say that our struggles in the championship (before ML era) we're 100 times worse than what we are going through now. I along with a number of others I know stuck by us (in terms of financially committing to a ST) but have since (since returning to the PL, losing all our players / managers, seeing all the tourist that have ruined the game and atmosphere, regularly unable to attend Sunday games, generally seen a lack of ambition from our board) have finally jacked it in. I'm certainly not ashamed of not forking out c.£700 (+ travel for away games, beer etc..) a year to sit for 2 hours of something I just no longer enjoy.

I found myself in a similar boat this summer. I loved the European games last year, but when I found myself sat at SMS, hanging out my arse, watching us play Middlesbrough on a Sunday afternoon I knew it was time to knock it on the head. I've done a couple of away games this year and I've even found myself going up to the London games on the **** and avoiding the game completely. And if i'm honest, I do not miss it one bit. As a fan I absolutely hate the PL and everything it brings, but I know it is vital for the club to stay there.

We managed it with Poch I'd hope that any new manager would back his ability to get us out of this situation