CB Fry

He isn't "all of a sudden being seen as a superb judge". You've made up that assertion so you can get upset about it.

£15m for a one season loan? The whole thing is probably complete guff.

Obviously it is Reed's recommendation. It's his bloody job to appoint academy training staff.

Yes, yes but remember the cup has no magic and absolutely no one cared about that trip to Cardiff which passed by barely noticed by the people of Southampton. But I will never ever forget the street parties and carnival atmosphere all over the city that day in May 2014 when we played Man U to confirm our eighth place. What a party that was and great to get so much media coverage that day too. Simply magical and proof if ever it were needed that the league truly is all that matters.

It's really nothing to do with Koeman, and obviously he didn't appoint Sammy Lee, just like Mauricio Pochettino didn't samba into St Mary's saying "I know-a who we need to coach the academy, el fatista Paul Williams"

Yes, but that was just bog standard eighth place. Last season's eighth was glass ceiling shattering, shaking-football-to-its-very-foundations revolutionary eighth place. Don't you remember?

Sammy Lee probably didn't want to leave Liverpool for West Brom.

Far, far too melodramatic. Pochettino was manager for an entire eighteen months. Shaw as a first team player for about six months longer. Hardly the irreplaceable fabric of the club. MP wouldn't be able to pick the city out on a map two weeks before he joined us. Lallana and Lambo fair enough, but absolutely ludicrous for someone who has followed Saints since the early 80s like you to suggest "the Saints I know and support isn't there anymore". So yep. Bedwetting. Big style.

He could have gone to Fulham. I think you are the one lying.

Precisely. Fitzhugh's grumbles only make sense if Lovren was trying to get a move to West Brom or something. It's Liverpool (and Barca, maybe) who want him. The vision thing really is a total, total irrelevance.

Some on here will call you a "dinlow who has never experienced professional success in their lives". I'd call you absolutely spot on.

The pavlovian response on here is SFC is the only club who have/had a vision. No other club ever seems to and players only sign for other clubs for those "bigger club/more ££££" reasons. And no one ever joins us because we are a big club offering ££££, of course. Never. I have yet to see anyone saying that Lallana joined Liverpool because they have a great vision, just that he is leaving us because ours has apparently changed. And no one leaves to join us because they are disillusioned with the vision at their old club, just that they are joining us because our vision is better. Funny ain't it.

Assistant to the manager.

Because Liverpool want to sign him?

And that post is utter bulls hit. If you seriously believe Lovren was turning down significantly more money or significantly bigger clubs to buy into our "vision" then you're a fool.

The main reason they all want to leave is the fact that some huge clubs want individual players. Lallana isn't agitating for a move to West Brom. Lovren won't go on strike to force through a move to Swansea. It's entirely a result of having four or five players that are probably good enough to play in a top 4 squad. Pretending it is all some disillusionment with our "plan" is just nonsense.

I've read his Wikipedia page and I am in. Get this deal done, Les, FFS.

Quite. And he stayed not through selfless "loyalty" but because he simply didn't fancy moving anywhere when each opportunity arose. Le Tiss did what he wanted to do, just like Lallana and Shaw are doing now.

He jumped. That's all that matters. For all the bed wetting about others leaving lets just remember who scarpered first.

Yes, it is. 120k a week to play CL and/or at one of world's biggest football clubs or stay here with my scouse friend who is 10-14 years older than me. ONE MORE YEAR WITH RICKIE IT IS!!! YAY.

An ambition to win cups, get into Europe and be consistent mid table is not "survival". An ambition to be a Champions League club, on the other hand, is borderline retarded. The "next step up" from finishing 8th is not, say, finishing fifth, but simply finishing eighth again - that has been a task beyond plenty of clubs in recent years, and right now is a stretching enough ambition for us to go for. Plus, of course, a cup final or win.

Except we're not just bending over, are we - highest fee ever for a teenager the Shaw deal is being described as, and the Lallana fee is a good one as well. And we clearly didn't just snatch at the first offer. Lastly, if they are going then let's get them gone. I'd like to see the meltdown on here if we sold the lot of them on August 30th.

This. Just staggering how so many people are acting surprised at this. It was obvious last season when people like me were begging for us to really go for the cups and Europe and others on here were full of how we weren't ready and how we would "build" for that, and how not ready for Europe we were, and how the team needed more seasons. Just deluded and was never going to happen. As soon as a club like us gets close to the sun it does not mean the next season they will get even closer/smash the glass ceiling etc. It means the stars and/or manager gets picked off. Maybe next time people will understand the time to go for glory is the season you are in, instead of pipedreaming for some "when we're really ready" time over the rainbow.

LOL. Nicola Cortese who quit on SFC as the hero stopping other people quitting on SFC. Okay then.