Dusic

Was on the final shortlist last time and continues to do very well at Verl so imagine Tobi Strobl would be next in line if we do make a change.

He had no control over where the rebound was going and could easily have stopped the cross if he marshalled the defence more confidently.

For balance, the Hamburg #1 has played over 150 games for them and has seemingly been very good this season so not easy to remove him as a loan player. The other option was seemingly Patterson who has also not been deemed good enough by a top flight team - you won't find many starting keepers being loaned out in a Jan window. Lack of minutes is the concern rather than not becoming no1 at Hamburg - lets see what he has to offer before making sweeping judgements.

P5 W4 D1 L0 GF13 GA5 At home its largely been very good under Eckert so far playing with 3CBs - we have scored 3 in four of the five games - so not sure your point really holds up!

Yeah will be interesting to see what happens with our existing GKs, not least because Bazunu has 18mths left on his deal but replacing him at this stage surely puts a fork in him at Saints. I would imagine best for everyone if he moves on loan to keep playing and perhaps we could get a small fee for him in the summer? Assuming Baz does go then we need Long anyway to do what he was signed for and be a training aid so imagine he stays in that role as Norwich won't want him back either and he surely knew his role here when he signed. On Peretz, in this position was always going to be a loan and that pretty much dictates that it will be someone who isn't playing regularly. I've never seen him but he did well at a young age for a big club in Israel and enough for Bayern to sign him so obviously has something about him. Our team know the German market best so would have to think they have heard good things and feel he can come in and make an impact immediately.

I don't think we used any so could get two. Was seemingly part of the plan to avoid reliance on them for key players - good idea and now can use them for more specific short term again.

Most of our other signings of decent cost (Azaz, Jander, Scienza, Fellows) have been at worst decent (Azaz) or at best outstanding (Scienza). No club gets all of them right and considering Downs supposedly has multiple Bundesliga clubs interested then he obviously has something - he has just never really got going at Saints.

Yeah certainly seems keen on the 3CBs, but IMO it wasnt really a factor today and actually helped us completely dominate the ball. Far bigger issue was that when we regularly worked the ball wide to the space we had no targets to hit in the box - more personnel than tactical

Will comfortably get top 6 IMO. Why is relying on your attacking talent having moments of brilliance a bad thing?! Its the whole point of having them. Besides, a lot of our goals under Eckert have been good team player rather than some kind of unsustainable worldy.

I waant bothered about keeping the 3 CBs because initially it helped us get total control as their only tactic was the physicality of Wright and then Simms and we dealt with that very well. They did absolutely nothing 2nf half which isn't always the case for teams down to 10. Then later on the set plays were one of our main threats and those guys most likely to score. Not convinced what we needed in latter stages was Fraser, Aribo or Robinson. We had enough of the ball but lacked a presence to cross to which they knew so were happy to defend narrow and leave the space out wide. Don't see that as some kind of big tactical error really.

Far too soon for that concern IMO. He said himself he couldn't really get a good loan move in the summer. If he suddenly becomes a key player then we will have a good chance to extend it again but he isn't getting games ahead of Downes, Charles, Jander or Romeu this season in my opinion so would benefit far more from a January loan (assuming we have players fit by end of Jan) as he still hasnt played much senior football at all.

Why? Its suits both parties perfectly seeing as he is unlikely to play a huge amount this season but gets a bit more security. A loan to L1 in Jan would be great for him, as long as he plays regularly.

Probably time for SR to get Rasmus more involved at Valenciennes after seeing how well Goztepe have done under his leadership.

He has probably struggled in the football goldfish bowl that is Newcastle. They bleed black and white up there and it can be suffocating if you aren't used to such a football mad city. Remember talking to @maggo who said some players would drive an hour outside the city on a day off just to breathe in less pressurised air. Ramsdale wouldn't be the first who just couldn't cope with the intensity of it, he may just suit a city that is less passionate about their club.

Amass' uncertain future - https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cx2dpmggl61o Would be all over this.

I think there is probably an element with some that they were adamant that we needed this mysterious, hewhocannotbenamed experienced Championship manager which is just cliched bollocks and now they will pick holes in anything to show that they were a teeny, tiny bit right. #gamemanagement #wankerson

Starting GK and impact sub #10 option for me. If Jelert is seen as being made of glass then might as well return and replace him which would also free up Fellows to play as one of the #10s as needed.

Not good (M.Svensson) or bad (A. Jakobsson) but just most bang average? I will go for Mikael Nilsson. As the name suggests just a nothing player, despite 60+ Sweden caps.

Yes, he talks through it here: Very clear that he is intelligent, has received opportunities on merit and is well connected in football circles, particularly in Germany. Understandably becoming more confident in front of the camera too. His english is excellent - mentioned spending a year in the US.

Seen on Twitter there is a plan to sing "Super Philly Parsons" in the first minute tomorrow to celebrate his role in the Level1 development. Perhaps they heard the same?

https://hayters.com/chelsea-monitoring-young-southampton-defender/ Was one of the recent scholars and been at Saints since U7. Youth recruitment is has been made crazy by brexit so virtually impossible to get top scholars to sign pro deals now. Best options for Saints are late developers or big team cast offs like Sesay.

He might but personally yet to see anything to really judge him yet which is peobably quite telling for a player who has been at Saints for a year. I get that Manning isn't interested at stopping crosses but his on the ball play has benefitted us far more this season than his off the ball work has hindered us. Clear first choice at LWB for me. (Would be after Amass on loan in Jan and moving Welington on myself).

You are just another one of those pesky results based thinkers. Just like presumably Sport Republic who at the same time are being rewarded for their own stupidity having appointed a manager who has won 5 from 6. Desperate times, would have an extra two points with <insert generic experienced manager who must not be named>

A word for Arma. Has really struggled twice at PL level with Saints and after being loaned out in Jan could easily have just binned off his time here but instead has improved and is a massively key player and person in our team. Fair play to him, attitude seems spot on and at this level he is a really effective player. Probably knows if we go up he will be jettisoned but you wouldn't know it from how he plays. Was always mental to hear suggestions we should sell or most likely loan him to a Championship rival this season - at least those clowns don't run the club!

In what way is it rewarding stupidity to have taken time to assess how someone does in a role you might give them, and then when they have clearly shown they are highly capable, giving them that role? Rather than rewarding stupidity its actually rewarding recruiting strong people into the club in the first place and then rewarding not making a knee jerk decision, either to give him the role without seeing how he handled it or to just get in <insert generic manager who has been in the championship lots of times before> because thats what some fans thought they should do.