CB Fry

Osvaldo slightly different case to the other three, I'd say. A calculated gamble especially as our team manager knew him well. The other three show the risk of buying in potential - assuming that all young players are "young, hungry and bound to improve" when they might just turn out sh it.

That's all fine. I was saying no to the idea he is "up and coming". 14 years in management says he isn't. He is an established manager.

51 and seven jobs in three major European leagues, so no.

Just the youth v experience debate. Koeman has some failure on his CV but that's what happens if you've been a manager for a while. Yakin could build his reputation here like MP has. Koeman is more of a big name big personality. Either could succeed or fail. If they pull Tuchel out of the bag I'd be delighted. He's dropped off the radar amongst all the rumours surrounding Ranieri and Gerry Francis.

You would still do due diligence on Koeman, it would actually take longer as there is more to go through and more people to speak to. The "up and coming" bit is more curious, Yakin would qualify but it would certainly rule out Koeman, Ranieri, Benitez, Magath and Gerry Francis.

Can I be the first to complain about lack of communication from the club. I mean, it's been, like, two hours and no one has said anything to update us. Nothing short of a disgrace.

Quite. It's a strange old mutually exclusive world some folk on here live in. What seems to me like a nice touch is us sticking to our guns to sell no one else until we have the new man in. They will both still go, but it's a fine point of principle all the same.

You'll be back, soon enough, squinnying about how easy it is "in hindsight" just like you do on the countless times when you've been proved wrong, like the gutless tedious fool you are. Bring on the Steve Wigley standard manager.

I was looking forward to hearing about the ASSET STRIP and FIRE SALE and the club being PUT UP FOR SALE and the fact that we are recruiting a STEVE WIGLEY STANDARD MANAGER. Because the forum geniuses cannot possibly be wrong about all that stuff, surely?

We are not going to reveal names on the shortlist. Unless we have gone completely mental. He'll probably talk generically about "the process" though.

I've walked round the set of On Safari. True story.

You clearly don't get the logic. That agent stuff increases the pressure on the board to do a deal, because it suggests RK is entirely open to the job, when the reality is (could be) that he only wants it at XXX wages and/or XXX transfer funds. It sends a nice message to the fans to say - look, I'm not stalling, not me. That is a pressure play. Not necessarily the greatest move but a move nonetheless. The agent's primary job is not necessarily to get RK one job or another job, just to get the best deal.

Definitely some poker going on. His agent piping up with that bit of pro-Saints flannel the other day was also part of the game: make it look like RK is begging to come here, so if it falls through the club look like they blew it. I would think RK doesn't come cheap, and may well be making silly demands of us, which we may be correct to push back on. Let's hope it all resolves itself soon.

I've seen the schedule for the 16-7 year olds course. Looks brilliant. Week four of the course is a lovely singing competition between all the kids involved. The final is on Thursday, with the three winning kids taken away on Friday to have hot wax poured into their eyes before being sent off out into Gunwharf Quay with a cardboard sign and a song in their heart.

Toshack has always spoken very highly of Gerry Francis, so that's probably were that link has come from.

What? The topic is what you would do if you were a player. I've answered it, I'd want to play for Saints but if I was good enough I'd want to player higher up. If I wasn't good enough for Saints I wouldn't jack in football, I'd sign for Reading, or Yeovil or whoever. You seem to be saying if you were a footballer you'd only play for Saints or no one else, which is ridiculous. At some point you are likely to go up or down. There are very few Jason Dodds, and he wasn't a fan anyway. In the real world I support Saints and couldn't care less if we finished top four, in fact I like it just fine that we don't.

I think wanting to play at the very highest level (I'd go to Arsenal or Chelsea too, Arsenal would be my first choice) is hardly showing "lack of ambition". Thinking you can single handedly elevate Saints is not ambition, it's a bit dopey.

I've heard that too. Took QPR to fifth in the Premier League and has a great track record of developing young flair players like Andy Sinton. I'd have him in a heartbeat.

Alpine: in no way a one trick pony.

If I was good enough to play for Saints, then I would want to play for them. But if Man United offered me £100k a week and all the Hollyoaks slags I could nail, then I'd be off like a shot. Once you've done a few seasons at Saints and, say, finished eighth, what else is there to do? Move on. You'd be mental just to stay for the sake of loyalty. All I would do is make sure I leave with enough goodwill to come back either in the twilight of my playing career, or as manager, or a nice plum role on the old pre match dinners.

This is a bit of an overreaction on a thread about some footballers standing behind a banner, supporting their own country.

I think we have covered why people don't want Tim Sherwood as manager in the other thread. So what exactly is this a counter balance to?

Why are people suddenly talking about John Toshack?

Only Frank is allowed to speculate, as he does in every single one of his arse - aching rambles. Baseless, pointless guesswork speculation in every single post. Only he manages to skillfully weave in his trade mark pompous denunciation of everyone else speculating like the hypocritical arse he is. Note the tour de force of speculation laying into verbatim statements from club officials. Masterful.

Never heard of them, but at least their twitter feed isn't a complete sh it-at-the-wall random rumour generator. So slight chance it is true. But not worried yet.