Sunglasses Ron

I hear you. Put it this way though, this is a much better scenario than we've faced in recent years. Look how much we lost on 'The Unsellables'!

The buyback could be £10m and it would still be a good news story for us. We've got a highly capable player that will make us better for at least one season. We can then let him go for a massive profit. I know not everyone likes our way of doing things, but our work this summer is putting us back on the map as one of THE best destinations for emerging talent.

I’d eight to be a Newport fan right now!

Wouldn’t it be a delightful twist if we bagged a 9-0 tonight 😊

I'm just hopeful that Thierry Small isn't the next Nathan Redmond 🙃

Well I’m very happy to see my 0-3 prediction proved wrong. A morale boosting result for our fans!

I’m just going for being outclassed throughout. Would love to be proved wrong but going for 0-3.

I seem to recall Alisson let 7 in before Liverpool signed him (I think against them). Turned out alright I think 🤔

I guess that depends how many we ship at the other end? If we had a half descent defence then they might be sufficient IMO.

Just watched the highlights, was raging when I saw that goal. All that good work in the first half thrown away in a moment of madness. Typical us in recent times really.

Calm down guys, save some of your rage for next Saturday.

Yup, that was a good win. There was also the 1-0 win away to West Brom when Rickie Lambert got a last minute penalty the same week he scored that winner against Scotland. Those are the only 2 opening day wins this century as the one before was our 1-0 against Coventry in 1999 (when Egil scored).

Yup, we are truly dreadful on opening day. Sad that after 30 years of supporting Saints I can easily tell you what our 3 wins were, who scored and what the weather was like. FFS!

LLWLD WDWLD LDLDL DLLWD LDDLD DLLDL WLWLD DDDLL... ...our opening day record over the last 40 years. Imagine if that was over a season in a 21 team league, I make that we’d have 34 points. Crazy (and not in a good way)!

The key bit form that article is: Matt Crocker, Southampton’s director of football of operations, is believed to have been a key influence in the deal, especially having previously known the striker well from his time spent working at the FA. As some of us have previously said, you'd think that private conversations may have taken place between the club and striker / his agent a while back along the lines of "hold tight, insist that you'll only move to Saints and we'll make it happen for the right price". Maybe a generous signing on fee was provided in return.

Is £15m anywhere near a sizable transfer fee these days for a properly contracted player? Crazy to think that Alan Shearer went to Newcastle for that size fee 25 years ago now!

9/10 for class (1 point dropped for having less than 50% battery).

Haha you’re right, I forgot he went on a goal scoring mission during the 1st half of last season!

Just the one goal I recall. I expected a far greater return than that.

What’s to stop us extending it if he has a successful first year? We did something similar with VVD.

Some fairly unsaintly shenanigans afoot here for sure 👎🏻

Heard a rumour we've booked the Spinnaker Tower tomorrow to announce the Armstrong signing.

I do agree, I think this is looking at being a half-decent window (subject to final activity). In many ways, what has left is as equally (if not more) important than what has come in.

Sounds hopeful, very glad this should get done before the season kicks off (rather than 3 weeks later).

Seems pretty obvious to me, he's not for sale unless a crazy offer comes in. If Villa offered >£50m I don't think anyone could hammer the club (or Blackmore) as that would be lunacy on their behalf IMO.