Chez

I know its just words, and if someone makes a massive offer, we'd have to listen/consider it, but that's the first time I have heard us use the phrase `will not listen to offers' (assuming they came out of oru moths - which is doubtful), which interprets as 'don't call us unless you are willing to spend mega money'. Which is all we can ask for as fans.

Absolutely. Nightmare defending them on here, as an error is only a game away. Conversely, its folly attacking a striker on here, as they are only a game away from scoring...hopefully.

The more I see the likes of Pickford, Schmeichel, Lloris, Pope and others make regular howlers, let in near post goals etc, the more I agree with this. Top fight keepers these days (as has always been the case) make big mistakes and the countless repeats, numerous angles and an overly harsh audience means they are perhaps over-criticised. Actually, we only overly criticise our own keepers, because we don't give a fuck if Lloris palms one straight to a striker - especially if its our striker - do we?

I defend McCarthy on here, not because I rate him, but because some posters do exactly that, blame him for goals that weren't his fault and overlook the amazing saves he makes. I think people take a line on a player and then actually look for sticks to beat them with to back up their opinion. I know I am guilty of that. I try to judge each game and player performance in isolation, but if you have said a player is shit you tend to view what they do in a different way than if you have said they are good. Forster has made some great stops in recent weeks, but McCarthy made some world class saves of his own earlier in the season, but he gets very little credit for them because he also made some complete fuck ups. I have always suggested that both should be replaced this summer, but given our financial situation, and the management rating our keepers more than fans do, that was never going to the case. There was no desire to leave themselves without a previously tested Prem keeper.

With the stick McCathy gets, it's almost as though posters on here didn't see Ian Andrews play for us.

I used the phrase `fallen out of favour' to try to accommodate views from across the spectrum. I clearly didn't take into account just how much you don't rate him DT. 😉

I'm no doctor, despite instantly diagnosing ACL on the match day forum (it's a gift I have for stating the obvious) so can't help you, but he didn't play a single game in January. He played for 7 minutes, 1 minute, 73 minutes and 0 minutes in the four games prior to Brighton.

Yep. And does playing at Leicester really show him in a different light? No for me. If he went to a CL side and did the business in CL games/and games against the other big sides n the Prem that would certainly help give him the profile needed to secure a starting spot for England

Salisu and Romeu's form has dropped off. JWP has been as consistent as ever and caught the eye recently, but KWP has been outstanding all season and gets my vote. Have we had many defenders winning POTS in the past?

Fair point and I agree with that. I don't feel Forster owes us anything. I very much feel he was bound to depart (one way of the other) as soon as we loaned him to Celtic. You could argue that `it has been resolved' though. McCarty has signed a three year deal. Forster departs. We now look to bring in another keeper - that will be younger and hopefully on a lot less money (freeing up wages elsewhere) and of course so shit hot that he claims the shirt and we all are happy bunnies.

Agree. I never felt Claus was loyal. I just thought we gave him the best offer so he stayed. Whether that is true or not I don't know. You are speculating and about McCarty's decision making process though - he could have become a free agent and tested the market (as they say in the US). You are probably right though, we may well have been the best offer in town, but my point was more about the attitude towards Forster than thoughts about McCarthy. No one seems disgruntled about Forster snubbing us, which is strange. Usually players that want out/turn their back on Saints are given short shrift. I don't blame him. Its a football business after all. I repeat what I have said before. I suspect he wanted out after he was pushed out the door on loan - so he maybe would have gone no matter what the offer. Returning to the fans attitude toards Forster's departure. The massive dislike of McCarthy (on here at least) and the realisation that he is our number 1 next year seems to have grabbed the attention, meanwhile Forster departs, on free (which is bad for our coffers) and not a bad word is said. Do we all wish him well? No one feel snubbed?

It's interesting the amount of love Forster gets considering he has snubbed our contract offer and will walk on a free. I see posts on here questioning why brojas is getting game time now we are safe, when Armstrong needs to be tried out in preparation for next season. No one is saying that about Forster/McCarthy. McCarthy on the other hand is despised on here, yet he wants to stay and play for Saints and has signed a new deal. Do we not value loyalty or do we not regard McCarthy as loyal, just fortunate? Do we see Forster as badly treated and assume we low balled him (not to mention farmed him out to Celtic) thus have sympathy for him wanting to go elsewhere? I guess the long and short of it is Forster felt he could get a better deal elsewhere and McCarthy didn't. But is the general consensus that we wish Forster well as he joins another side?

Lloris makes far too many mistakes to be classed as top quality IMO, and Spurs should have upgraded years ago, but not sure Johnstone is a big improvement - I don't think he had been great this season. That's Spurs' problem. Is Johnstone actually better than McCarthy?

Henderson will want £130k a week and United a sizeable fee. That counts us out.

I thought he was injured. Hamstring injury.

Not sure it is `clear' as to which was offered what and when. We may have offered him less money, than he is on now, which he would be less than impressed with, but we have no idea if that was the case. I'd of thought Forster's mind was made up to leave long before we offered him a new contract after we pretty much pushed him out the door when loaning him to Celtic. I suspect he had no intention of signing any contract with us.

no chance. Well beyond our budget. That said, what has happed to Calvert Lewin. Is he still injured?

except Redmond and Austin, but obviously they were prior to the current management team.

no a chance he'd want to come here either. He sees himself (and there has been much paper talk too) as good enough for Barca etc. Good job too, the little winey cheating prick. I'd hate to have to cheer him on.

Not sure why this has come as a surprise. We gave McCarthy a massive new contract when he was first choice, to be first choice keeper. The `to be signed' keeper was always going to be a younger and cheaper option, inevitably seen as a number 2, that we obviously hope will push him for the shirt and then go on to be the world's best keeper. McCarthy may have `fallen out of favour since', but our budget hasn't increased, so the idea we are going to sign a Henderson (or such like) on £130k a week is a pipe dream.

Good point. We certainly did murder Spurs. I wonder if their fans are having similar discussions to us as they have been equally up and down. Very good point also about the two halves. Maybe less so this season, but the two seasons before saw us destroy teams in the first half only to fade badly. We could well have been 3 or 4 up in many games. I forgot about that. We have been a very weird side under Ralph haven't we?

Fair point - and done so while having to slowly get rid of numerous millstones (transfer flops on high wages) that prevent rapid improvements. You only need to look at the wage bill league to see that we are pretty much on par in terms of actual league position.

Me neither. It's just a hipsters 4-4-2 isn't it? I do think the players know what they are doing when teas build slowly from the back (they don't always do that of course), but that doesn't mean it works as was showed at Arsenal when we did a full court press which seemed to be done perfectly, only for Arsenal to play the ball so well that they beat it and broke away to score a `total football' type goal against us.

Against the top sides like Liverpool and City (and to a lesser extent Chelsea), a 5 nil defeat is almost par for the course. Those two sides create so many chances. Some days they go in, some days they don't. I don't see big defeats to them as significant at all. Getting smashed to pieces by the likes of WBA, Leeds, Villa and Burnley is far more concerning (even if the score lines have been less horrific). This has to be down to the way we set up and the way we play (and see ourselves as a team). Every dog has his day I guess, so even losing badly to a lessor team (when we are not all that ourselves) is not a sackable offence. If it happen a lot you have to go. Have to say though, and my memory ain't great, over the last few years have we actually murdered many Prem sides ourselves? Completely dominated and somehow failed wto win by a hatful. Watford away maybe? We haven't stuffed many teams in terms of scoreline over the last few years. I think it could easily have been 3, 4 or 5 against Brighton at SMS, but I don't think there have been many games like that. Maybe its my pessimism, but in a lot of the games we have got a result, I think we rode our luck a little, while in the game we lost I felt we got exactly what we deserved. Not all of course, but quite a few.

I posted this previously. It's not a case of us letting him go, we already offered him a contract, he said no, and thus him leaving is a foregone conclusion. I think Johnstone may sign for us. My guess is that deal may have already been done with him. If not, I wouldn't rule out Cabellero getting new deal. He looked incredibly old/rusty early doors, but improved greatly and looked half decent (in relation to our other keepers) in the cup games.