CSA96

Confirmed by Will Still to be rehabbing from his ankle surgery after injury at Everton away in May - back available around opening games of the season: "The next two or three weeks are going to be about building up his fitness levels and getting his foot where it needs to be. He will be back in full training at the early stages of August, and hopefully back for match situations in the first week or two of August."

I assumed Manning would stay but he's clearly been training but wasn't involved at all today - could just be that he's got a knock and nobody asked about it, but...

The back will look much better when printed with names and numbers in red, I think. Saw a couple of fan shirts from the store and they immediately looked better

So the second half team will presumably be… Bazunu; Sugawara, Quarshie, Wood, Welington; Downes, Matsuki; Robinson, Dibling, Edozie; Archer That leaves Moore, Sesay, Ballard as subs to get a few minutes late on

Had ankle surgery at the end of the season, last we saw of him was limping off at Goodison I think

Don't think THB is anywhere near game action yet, every photo we see of him he seems to be working alone and wearing trainers rather than boots

Should get a first look at Quarshie, he's been back in since the first day I think

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceq7z421pwzo Parliament's standards commissioner has launched an investigation into ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe. The BBC understands it is for allegedly failing to register hundreds of thousands of pounds raised in donations to fund his independent "Rape Gang Inquiry". More than £600,000 has been donated to a Crowdfunder started by Lowe in March to support a national inquiry into gang-based sexual exploitation across the UK. So far, Lowe has not declared any of the money on his MPs' register.

They are still here for me:

Danny Rohl will CONTINUE as manager of Sheffield Wednesday because all of the jobs he was interested in went for hired other candidates instead!

Another 14 to 22 goal a season Championship striker?

To be fair, our fanbase should know better than to judge someone by who they're being kept out of their national team side by. National teams are weirdly political things at times, especially in the US with the MLS dynamics

Group Technical Director Johannes Spors said: “Damion is a player we have been monitoring for some time who possesses excellent physical qualities and the ability to disrupt defences. “Strengthening our attacking options was one of our top priorities this summer, and Damion is a player who will add real quality to the group. Despite his relatively young age he is already a senior international, so we are excited to see him thrive in the environment here at Southampton.” Damion Downs said: “Everybody plays football to win titles. To win my first title at 20 last year was a great feeling, and I hope to repeat it again this year. “I think Southampton is a big club that should be in the Premier League, and that’s my goal – to help the team as much as I can to bring the club back to the Premier League.”

https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/saints-secure-signing-of-striker-downs

I thought we'd let him play out the last year of his contract and then move on as a free agent in 2026. He's never likely to command a big fee anyway, so that would've been a totally fine outcome for a player in their 30s who has been at the club for a decade and a half. Disappointing extension really

Will Still on Sky Sports: "Tyler's still here, I've had a good conversation with Tyler. "He's not close to anything, really. "He's a quality player so people are undoubtedly going to be after him, people asking questions. "But he's said - and I've said to him - that as long as he's here, he's a Southampton player and a good Southampton player. That's what he's been."

On the coaching staff and speculation about his brothers... "I had the last word to say yes to these. I've always worked well working with different people. "I think I need feedback and if something's not right, then I need people to tell me that something's not right. Trolls has got the experience. He knows what it takes to get out of this league and be competitive. "Adam has got that experience of a player, he's won everything there is to win. He's incredibly eager to learn and to be in and around the place so that's brilliant. Carl's still here and he's got great skills working with the players. "I worked with my brothers last season, which was brilliant, but their family reasons kept them in Belgium - close to their newly born children. "That's fine. But like I said, when I took over in Reims, it was a fully new staff to me. When I took over in Belgium, it was a fully new staff then. "I'm used to it, it takes me out of my comfort zone and sets me on the right foot so it's interesting. The first week here has confirmed that it's good."

Oh my... can you imagine how much ol' Rupes would love this in his boardroom

His direct rival for the USA #9 is moving to the Championship...

Positional rival to Damion Downs at USA level is moving to Derby - has been starting games in the Gold Cup, with Downs coming off the bench