Ex Lion Tamer

Sky Sports just said that we've enquired about Shane Long

We got an excellent year out of Lovren and made a profit. Seems worth it to me, regardless of how it ended

My guess is that he was told he could leave, got excited about moving, and then the club went back on its word due to fan pressure

We never ever finish our business before the start of the season so I don't know why people always themselves up for disappointment. Everyone is playing brinkmanship to get the best price/deal

Would be surprised if arsenal signed a midfielder who can't really pass, but who know

It's not like it matters if we've given up on the player

Sky executives don't have a vendetta against us specifically but they're looking to portray the story in the most sensationalist way. In this case they've clearly misrepresented the situation because it suits them to do so

To be fair, he struggled because he needed a rest and we had no backup

The board get hammered if their targets aren't ambitious enough, but also get hammered if they struggle to tie down the sought after players. How long did the transfers of ramirez and osvaldo take? And the time we put into those left the squad short elsewhere

They begged him to stay but he was asking for unrealistic levels of money and/or control

I thought things were going well under Strachan. Then things changed and it all went down the pan. Just the way of Saints

To the tune of Agadoo Aga-du-du-san Leaves his marker, scores a goal Etc Needs some work

Or we want others to think our interest has cooled in order to reduce their asking price

I reckon a better manager than Hughton could turn him into a different player

He did say they would have liked to be able to say more but that they couldn't while negotiations were ongoing. I think there's a fair argument that to admit that they had received approaches would have weakened their negotiating position

If I was Morgan I'd want to leave, only natural to want a new experience after 6 years at the club

It may simply be that they've been assigned to cover Saints as part of their ' patch '

Clearly leaked in order to try to change the narrative around the club. Let's hope they can deliver on their 'hopes'

Every club has a price. Cortese took us from league 1, I'm sure he wouldn't baulk at a relegation fight in the Premier league

I'm inclined to believe Steve Grant's suggestion that Cortese wanted to sack Poch in December but was talked out of it by the players. Yes we had success during his tenure but I think he was a loose cannon who would have made a major slip up at some stage. There are plenty of other good chief execs out there who I'd go to first

That would be a great way to weaken our hand in transfer negotiations

I'm sure he'd enjoy the challenge of building the club up again. And maybe this is the only way Kat can get her money while selling the club at a price he can afford

Almost as if he knew this thread was going to be created...

Basically, at this stage we have only sold players to champions league clubs plus man Utd. Hard to stand in players' way when those clubs come knocking. If Morgan goes to spurs that will be a kick in the teeth, but he's given us several seasons and may be set on having a change of scene. Can't blame the guy if he wants to live in London over Southampton. None of which helps us of course, but we are in a difficult situation. Basically the players have clocked that (understandably) we're not going to invest to get into the Champions league, so having finished 8th last season, they're looking for a new challenge (and more money into the bargain)