Ivan Katalinic's 'tache

McCarthy is apparently the oldest player in the squad, according to the Beeb!!

Deservedly so. Thought Ings may have edged in ahead of Welbeck too.

Maybe is Hughes is punishing him for the red against Everton still?

Beaten by a superior team. Move on.

Problem is he gave the ref the chance to give it. If Long & JWP mark their guys properly, we're not feeling like this...

4/10. Hughes has given us more attacking purpose but going 5-3-2 all pre season & then playing 4-4-2 is odd (but an improvement). If we'd done this in pre season, we'd have signed another winger, not Armstrong. Winning & making SMS a fortress must be a priority not allowing it to be a 'help yourself to the points' venue.

Agree, backpack people is a possibility. Others have said, these have been seen before in the Northam. Thanks for your thoughts.

Didn't get on. Pointless him being called up.

What about dedicated drinks only queues?

Ok, this is one on the agenda for the first 'proper' meeting of Saints Voice, on Thursday evening. Aside from better/more timely service at the bar, what are we actually looking for product-wise? I went to the Carabao Cup match, at Brighton, a couple of weeks ago and the pies and burgers were fantastic + they were selling local ale, too. Is this the type of offering we're looking for? Any other foodstuffs? I remember the pizzas were popular, when we first landed at SMS. Any feedback gratefully received. The response from the club on this, and other issues flagged early on, will be a useful barometer for what sort of dialogue this will truly be...

Given K,billy has said Long won't be fit for Brighton and the debate on another thread about whether Gabbi will ever cut the mustard, here's a simple opportunity to say who you'd like up top with Danny Ings on Monday evening. Simple one word answers will suffice (in the absence of me knowing how to make a poll); reasons why you've picked who you've picked are ok, too. Options: Austin; Gabbiaidini; Gallagher; Armstrong (as a deeper no. 10). Austin for me, as he has a knack for scoring against Brighton and must know Ings' game from their Burnley days. Over to you...

Mate of mine was swinging on a pipe at the top of Selhurst Park roof when we scored, lost his grip and hit the gent in front of him with a flying kick in the back of the neck, sending him flying over the seat in front. My ribs were killing me laughing so much. I presume my mate & the chap in front were probably ok tho.

Read somewhere on a thread he'd picked up a knock in training but no idea if true.

Have a feeling Hughes likes this sort of hard working, unsung player. Squeezed every ounce of effort from Jon Walters at Stoke, where most would've said he was finished in the top flight, and suspect Long will be given the same support at Saints. As the lone striker, he'll never be prolific enough to guarantee a team a good season but alongside someone who does score regularly (Ings maybe), he can be the pest who occupies central defenders and creates space for others and might chip in with a few goals too. The switch to good ol' 4-4-2 could allow for a renaissance for Shane.

I felt sorry for him. We looked so much better when Austin and Gallagher were up top simply because they could support one another. Our midfield left Gabbi without real support and not playing balls into the areas he wants.

Pedestrian performance until the subs came on with much more energy. Gallagher very lively & Austin generated some impetus too. Redmond did well when he came on & delivered the first decent ball from wide all game. Two CBs did well but not much from Armstrong or Elyounoussi IMO.

Yes, saw that too. Embarrassing.

It's definitely one Saints Voice have as an item to discuss with the club, both in terms of speed & quality of service & quality of the product on offer. .

I like Hughes but even I'm struggling with having 4 central midfielders on the bench.

Gutted. As I seem to find myself after most games now.

No, the lure of working with Dave Watson would still have been too great... From the Telegraph article: "The English presence was one of the primary attractions when Gunn was considering his options this summer. The 22-year-old will be working closely with Dave Watson, the goalkeeping coach who used to coach the goalkeepers in the England senior team. Watson’s encouragement, alongside Mark Hughes, was key in convincing Gunn to make the journey south."

So, when someone hinted at a player causing problems behind the scenes recently, it turns out to be Hoedt??? Oh my days...

The arrival of the long awaited Lemina baby maybe?

Willing to see where we are after 10-12 games before I make an assessment of how Hughes is progressing. During that time it should become clearer what formations suit us best & which players should form the basis of those teams. Some are staking clear claims already (Ings, Vestergaard, Macca), others are looking as poor as last season (Stephens, Hoedt, Austin). Hopefully more will be up to speed sooner rather than later and Elyounoussi will give us that creative spark we lack without Tadic. A win against Leicester would give us a good boost & having Moi & Jannik back will make a big difference.

Defeat at Everton is never a surprise but the spine of our midfield & defence is a worry. We will be better with Vestergaard & Moi back available. Positives: Ings Ings getting off the mark Combining Saints inevitable defeat at Everon with our inevitable defeat when I'm in Cornwall saves one game we can get points from Ings Negatives Hoedt Stephens Hoedt & Stephens together Centre midfield