CB Fry

Seems like a line up to make a bizarre point about 'look how big snd strong the squad is now' Look, our best two players from last season on the bench. Aren't we spoilt for choice.

Has he blamed it on Christians yet?

They're such a breath of fresh air, though, aint they though.

Odd. Every player at Liverpool is better than what we've got? How come Lemina was so shit then? He came from Juventus and they're, like, loads bigger than us.

Indeed - both of them had played actual seasons of football (as you should have done by the age of 24). This kid has hardly played anywhere, at all and not comparable to Bertrand or Romeu. A little cameo for injury ravaged Liverpool is not evidence that this kid is any good.

This forgets the fact that we were offering Ings an extension for about a year before this summer, and he didn't want to sign it. If I remember well, the same happened with Hojbjerg. So this is falling into the trap of believing that the clever old club can tie players down for as long as they like before the dopey old player has any inkling that they could get more money or develop their career at a different club. The players can decide to let their deals go down to a year to give them options. I don't get your point on PEH - No one is going to come in and try and buy Hojbjerg for £35m from Spurs - so this paper valuation is meaningless. I would think we will offer extensions to some of those players you mention but to be honest Salisu, Diallo have done not much since they'd arrived so I don't fear them leaving. I would be perplexed if we suddenly announced a massive pay rise and five year deal for either this year. The fact that they have needed an entire year to "settle" justifies the four year contract we gave them. Would have been mad to splam them both with whopping five year deals/salaries when they are nowhere near the finished article. KWP might sign an extension or he might assess his options if he has another great season. Basically you have to consider that in all these scenarios there are other parties involved, and the players have a level of control all the way through, not just on the day their contract tips into its final year. Lastly, the club have been crippled by the players we have given five years to: maybe not so much of a coincidence- the likes of Moi or Lemina thinking they would never ever get a better deal than our five year offer. It's interesting that a lot of our five year signings have been terrible.

The disappointing thing about the potential Phillips signing is that I thought we might spend some of the Ings money on a genuine improvement at centre back, rather than just the exact amount we get for Vestergaard. If it turns out to be this kid from Liverpool it's potential, fine, but it is interesting that this is a player demonstrably "for sale". Very much available. I'd like us to buy someone less "for sale" - someone a club wants to actually keep. Who is the Harry Maguire equivalent in the Championship now? A bit like Matty Cash to Villa last summer. Highly rated defender. We’ve done it with Armstrong fair enough but let's spend £20m on someone with two solid seasons in a tough league, not a little cameo and half a year in the German second tier. Basically I am writing this Nat person off right now to save time later. Shit mate.

Apparently he's being flown up there in a helicopter from Cardiff.

I agree - still think we will replace Vestergaard, hopefully within a week or so and then towards the end of the window we will make a move or two. Minamino for example out of nowhere. Walcott this time last year. Just sensible right now to keep expectations managed.

Congratulations on getting upset by comparing two completely unrelated things. Bravo.

Until you posted that, all I can see is a load of posts from people all agreeing that he isn't leaving.

He's one of the longest serving managers in the league for flip's sake. He's had two entire seasons plus over half a season when he started. His third summer pre-season. All that time to bed-in, get his ideas across. It is his team, 100% his team. When you're Southampton manager that does not mean you get everything your way. It doesn't mean you hand pick your entire squad disregarding the rest. It doesn't mean you get resources x infinity. You don't get to walk in and create a blank sheet of paper. You're the Southampton manager. Here are the cards you've been dealt. Play. 100% his team. Funny really, if he does brilliantly and we are top six by November, I wonder how many people making pre-excuses now will be saying "weeeelllll, that success not really actually down to him because its not his goalie and Romeu and Armstrong were here before he arrived, and Elyounoussi is still here". I'll tell you how many: none. I'll tell you my position. We do great and finish top 8 = 100% down to Ralph. We do dogshit and bottom three by Christmas = 100% down to Ralph. That's fair, isn't it?

I'm pretty confident we are going to Morgan Schneiderlin his ass for this summer. Next summer, different ball game.

If anyone wants a free alternative just to watch the occasional match (ie just Saints) then http://www.hesgoal.com/ is pretty reliable, if you can live with a couple of pop-ups to start with. It's absolutely not perfect but pretty good and it's free. I've done a few of the "pay £30 etc for a full year of all channels" things over the year and I've never found them reliable either so I don't bother. I signed up for one that went pop a few weeks into the season where all subscribers got invited to a group chat to be berated by the administrators for being to pushy and demanding. And the group chat was on Telegram so was like being a Trump Insurrectionist or in some Paedo grooming gang. Anyway, I don't do that any more and its fine for me.

Surely the The9 derby on this forum. Not sure he's here any more, but still.

Not fucking Tottenham.

We need to replace with someone with a bit of big league experience and seniority. 26, not 21. Basically someone like the Vestergaard we Hughes signed three years ago. Hopefully the one we do sign starts a bit better.

That Dujun is absolute mustard.

Not really - in the fans forum there was a point when Ralph actually said "when Vestergaard goes" (not if) and then slightly checked himself. Not sure if you heard it last night but my take out was that he would be going, all three of them talked about it as being quite similar to the Ings situation. Either Semmens or the other one said they would like to try and keep him but not much more than a vague half-idea. You're making it sound like the fans forum panel were making grand statements that Vestergaard will absolutely not be leaving etc etc but they really didn't. The only coincidence is we are getting to the start of the season which is a) when fans forums are and b) when clubs try and bid for players.

We have a bit of history of last minute signings - Mane and Toby being the standout examples. Toby was signed after quite a lot of noise around "we are not in the market for a centre back" at the time. Ralph I'm sure has talked about adding a number 6 (which means defensive midfielder these days, granddad). So my hope for a "Mane moment" this summer is someone to give us a bit more depth there. The fans forum did not say we were definitely finished.

1) We don't know if he's any good at this level yet 2) giving every single player a five year contract would be financial madness 3) most players have a reasonable sense of a career plan, and don't necessarily want the longest conceivable contract. He's 24 and might want a bit of flexibility later in his career. He will also be thinking that in two years time he might want a pay rise, not be bogged down with a five year deal he signed before he'd kicked a ball in the Prem for us. In two years time, if he is good enough to attract interest from big clubs then a) that means he's scored loads of goals for us and b) we'd get a great fee and c) if he wants to go he'll go. Four year contract is appropriate and sensible. Let's see how he gets on, yeah?

I don't think we need to put that much pressure on him. Basically in this season we need him to be as good as an Ostenstad or Pelle type - if he can get us ten, twelve goals or so in his first season, with Che, Theo and this Broja lad adding the rest, that should be enough. But I know what you're saying - lets hope we fall in love with him.

This is nice.

What kind of Blackburn fan is writing a sentence like this? "Tella and possibly Diallo" Do me a favour.

We should have signed one of those genuinely good strikers who scored 56 goals in the Championship last season.