Verbal Kint

There are far worse ways to play, the way we are currently is one of them. We smashed Arsenal 4-0 playing that way last season, and won at Spurs and United as well. Puel's biggest failure this season is his inability to get the best out of a single striker at the club. He isn't prepared to play on the counter attack to suit Long, played Austin on the wing(!) at the start of the season, never gave Rodriguez a proper run of games to find some rhythm and now Gabbiadini looks isolated the whole time

The one thing the squad isn't is too small. We need to get rid of 9 or 10 this summer and bring 4 or 5 in

'hitting on the break' being the important part of that. We offered nothing going forward yesterday and if we play like that regularly we won't pick up many points. You have to be threatening going forward in some way

At no point did we have a go. In fact I don't recall seeing a more negative performance from a saints side in a long time. Thankfully Forster won us a ppint, but we could easily have lost without registering an attack of note. I have no problem with us defending deep amd being organised, but you have to carry some sort of threat on the counter attack. Liverpool are an average side without Mane and I'd liked to have seen us offer something going forward

Our wage bill, according to the echo's article on the accounts, is likely now in excess of 80 million. I suggest your figures are wrong and am guessing our wage bill is one of the highest outside the top 6 and Everton

There are 4 things I want from a manager: 1) He plays high tempo football. Possession or counter attacking doesn't matter to me, as long as the tempo is high and supporters aren't bored senseless 2) he's committed to developing young players. I believe Koeman didn't even let the younger players train with the 1st team. How are they supposed to improve if they aren't challenged? 3) Cups are prioritised and not viewed as irritating distractions (Pochettino clearly did think that way). I want us to be doing everything possible to have more days out at Wembley, and hopefully see us win something in my lifetime 4) he gets the most out of the squad he's given Puel is not a terrible manager as some claim, and it's obviously not been a disastrous season, but the football has been mostly slow and dull and I think our squad is better than some claim. Puel hasn't got the best out of them. Ultimately it's irrelevant what supporters think, if the senior players don't like him he'll be gone

For a club that keeps telling us how good they're recruitment department is, it's amazing how many players we've signed for big money who haven't had the right fit/attitude for us

Surrender possession, sit deep with men behind the ball and play on the counter. As we did when we thumped Arsneal 4-0 and Long was man of the match, or away at Spurs when we won playing very good counter attacking football, and once again Long was fantastic. But Puel is not interested in that type of football so there isn't much point in having him here

Long is a good player when used correctly and we play to his strengths (as Koeman did last season) but I've yet to see Puel do that so it may be for the best if he moves on. I think if Puel had his way he'd get rid of all our strikers except Gabbiadini

Out: Forster, Taylor, Martina, Gardos, Targett, Clasie, , Reed (loan), Rodriguez, Tadic In: GK, CB, CM, Wide player Goalkeepers: New, McCarthy, Gazzaniga Defenders: Cedric, Pied, VVD, New, Yoshida, Stephens, Bertand, McQueen Central midfielders: Romeu, New, Hojbjerg, Davis Attacking midfielders: Redmond, JWP, Boufal, New, Sims, Hesketh Strikers: Gabbiadini, Austin, Long, Gallagher

I just don't understand why we want to pay fortunes for average players just because they've played in the PL before. Hart is better than Forster but we have a scouting system, I'd be pretty disapppinted if they can't come up with a better kepper than Hart for a lot less money

You don't know what the circumstances are though for when we will let him go. We might have said if a certain level of fee is agreed with a select few clubs then we'll sell, otherwise he stays. We have no idea though, for all we know he may have already committed to us for another season, and if he does then we will be able to sell him for enormous money next summer as he will still have 4 years left, whereas if he hadn't signed the new deal he'd only have 2 years left and put us in a worse negotiating position when it comes to the fee. One thing i do know is letting players in their prime run down their contracts is not the way forward

You're presuming there wasn't an agreement struck when that contract was given to him. I actually think it's very unlikely he signed a 6 year deal without agreeing with the club when and under what circumstances we would let him go to a big club

His best performance IMO was away at United earlier in the season after Romeu got injured, where he played as a defensive midfielder. Pep Guardiola also saw him as a defensive midfielder as well. I think he has potential there

There are only 4 first choice goalkeepers in the PL that are available to be picked for England. 1 of them, Butland, has been injured all season and another, Pickford, has only just returned from injury. He's in the squad by default

So the 45 million figure incudes the summer of Osvaldo, Lovren and Wanyama where we had a net spend of 40 million didn't we? So as expected, since Cortese left we've spent what we've brought in in transfer money

I'd rather we didn't sign PL players on massive money who actually aren't that great. Hart is better than Forster but I'd like us to look abroad to replace him. We will be able to get better for a lot less money

Can you imagine the reaction if United had had a goal disallowed like ours was in the final and had lost the game 3-2? Mourinho would have used the word 'cheated' about 10 times in his interview

What's he good at then? His distribution is awful, he looks seriously clumsy half the time when clearing (see the goal at Palace); he doesn't come off his line particularly well to sweep behind the back 4; he NEVER comes more than a couple of yards off his line to claim a cross; and the stats show he isn't making saves most weeks, in fact practically every other keeper in the league is making more than him. So what is he good at?

Forster Taylor Gazzaniga Martina Targett Gardos Reed (loan) Clasie Rodriguez Isgrove

I fear he is undroppable after being given that huge contract last summer

I don't agree. We've ditched the diamond from earlier in the season and now playing at a much higher tempo, which is the key for me. Gabbiadini has been sensational though and has helped with that. He rarely drops deep looking for the ball to feet, he's constantly making runs in behind which is creating more space for the others to drop into

I agree about the grief thing at football. Hate it but everyone is at it these days. But to be honest I think you can only take the **** out of it at the game if you're actually making an atmosphere yourselves and getting behind your team. The only time I heard united fans on Sunday in the second half was that one chant. In a cup final. Their support was absolutely pathetic, and judging by the number of "skinhead middle aged men in their black jackets not wearing colours" types that were there I'm guessing there were plenty of their match going support in attendance. Does their old school support just consist of not singing?

Please let's hope so

I actually think he might. I don't think the club would have made him captain if he was going. I think we'll get one more season out of him