leesaint88

I think he's a realistic target for a club like us, he's had reasonable success in the division and could probably build a team which will work hard and grind out results. I know a lot of fans like Rohl, but watching a few Wednesday games this season they've looked a little iffy at times and the performance against Burnley a few weeks back was woeful.

Absolutely. I'm feeling reasonably positive about this summer and I have a feeling SR will appoint a solid manager (still putting money on Cooper) and will make some smart signings. It's easy when we have such a bad season to want the owners gone but the replacement could be so much worse. At the moment, it looks like finally the club are starting to wake up a little bit and change those at the top.

That being said, his stock hasn't been talked up much in the press which I find strange considering how good he has been. I still believe that both him and Dibling will be with us for next season, I think the main departures this summer will be those who have been at the club a while and Ramsdale who could still walk in to almost any team in the top flight.

Both went off at half time, Stewart didn't achieve much but Larios looked reasonably lively. If you look at potential loans and futures for them, Larios in particular might have something going for him especially with the rumblings of Sevilla looking at a possible move. Stewart, who knows, I wouldn't be surprised if 12 months down the line he announces his retirement.

For years the worst Saints team I've ever seen was the one that played (and lost) to Swindon at the start of the 09/10 season, with the likes of Lloyd James, Lancashire, Paterson, Mellis etc I don't think we really had a shot on target that day and should of been beaten five or six nil. But, watching the last few performances I think this side has finally overtaken that one. I've never witnessed a team who look so disorganized, disinterested and totally uncompetitive, those Chelsea fans are right and I think Morecombe are probably better than us. My biggest concern was a comment I saw from a Sunderland fan recently, when you suffer such an embarrassing season which saps every little bit of hope from the club the rot can really set in and become terminal. There is a strong possibility that in 12 months time this club could be sat at the bottom of the Championship staring at another relegation..

Yes and no. In terms of rapid deployment then we're pretty good and logistically we've always been well set up. Certainly the armed forces are talking up problems because like any government department they want and need cash, that being said, we are understaffed massively in certain units and there are some concerns on the amount of suitable equipment we have available. Just remember, it was us and Dutch marines that managed to 'defeat' the US marines in an exercise not so long ago. We may be small but we certainly still have the talent and power to compete.

Nige had his time in the sun and I wouldn't want him back to tarnish any of that. Plus his recent record hasn't been great at all...

Can't see that one happening, not with a tournament summer in 2026..

I dunno, for some reason I think SR will try and play it safe this summer. Which why I think they'll sound out someone like Cooper for the job especially as there isn't any compensation needed, but even then I can't see the appointment being particularly welcomed by all elements of the support.

Totally agree and that's partly down to a large part of the support still believing we're a 'top 10' club. Certainly there needs to be a dose of realism to where we are as a club and to be honest the next managerial appointment will probably reflect this, personally I can't see Rohl joining us as I have a sneaky suspicion that he'll head back to Germany this summer. Which leaves a very small list of anyone reasonably suitable and to be honest if Cooper wanted the gig I'd give it to him.

The usual from the moon shouters. Any credible manager could see the squad wasn't good enough straight away and any potential lower league manager will wait until the summer when they know the current state of affairs. Rusk set us up against Fulham in a negative way which got a result, i'd always argue that he should of got the job till the end of the season over Juric.

For me it started in the summer of 2016 as we just couldn't replace what we had with Koeman, we started to bring in players then who were subpar and it was at that point other clubs had worked out the 'Southampton way' of scouting. I think SR had good intentions at first but it was clear in the summer of '22 they didn't want Ralph but made the bizarre decision to keep him on and try to force him out. If they sacked him then and started with a new manager? Who knows, but it really has been a clusterfuck the last three years.

I could not give a flying fuck about this one and in all honesty I bet playing Fleetwood would be tougher for Chelsea than us.

Few commentators in the US are mentioning Trump's comments are to 'rally European nations to do more' and that he's playing the Russians. Who knows though, because he's absolutely causing chaos at the moment.

It's already happening. It's noted Ukraine hasn't received any US military aid since the 22nd January...

I thought it was 'De-nazifying Ukraine and saving those in the East?'. To Russia, Ukraine is the last country it can have any control over. If it pivots to the West then the last bastion of Soviet Union is gone..

I totally understand the issues with territory and one can argue that Crimeans have always been sympathetic with Ukraine and in large parts see themselves as Ukrainian. The Donbass is a totally different entity all together as it's always had a large Slavic population which has always looked east rather than west, that said there is still a large proportion of citizens (especially in southern and western parts) who see themselves as Ukrainian rather than Russian. Either way Ukraine is going to lose territory and probably as mentioned the Donetsk & Luhansk regions along with some areas north of Crimea (along with Crimea itself). But at the same time Russia knows it's going to lose out too, it's highly likely Ukraine will get strong security guarantees along with the possibility of boots on the ground along with air support. I'd imagine the degree of loosening sanctions will depend on how Russia behaves over a period of time, because three years on we are starting to see the effects of these on the Russian economy particularly with inflation still operating at wild rates. Another factor on how the US is behaving is based on their own objectives in South America, there is a strong possibility that the US will use military force in Panama and they might be softening the approach to Russia's land grab to justify any future US operations.

What Russia wanted from Ukraine has been known for years, certainly working within the defence industry it came as no surprise that they launched a large scale invasion back in 2022. Probably the only surprise was how poorly the Russian military performed especially when it came to logistics and how quickly morale dropped in certain 'elite' units. Below is what I've always understood Russia wanted: - Land bridge to the North of Crimea - Access to fresh water supplies for Crimea - To have the Donbass & Luhansk absorbed into the Russian federation or as separate republics like South Ossetia etc. Personally I don't think the Russians are too bothered about Ukraine being in NATO, they didn't grumble much back in 2008 when the Ukrainians first floated the idea on the back of the Georgian war. But now Trump has decided it won't happen it'll be something they can push in the negotiations.

That could have a huge move forward too, as the previous stumbling blocks have been on food stuffs for which the regulations are too far and wide to ever meet. RFK seems to want the US to at least mirror the same standards we have in europe regarding additives etc. If he gets that through then it would bring a trade deal a whole lot closer.

This, i'd be worried regarding any new owners....it seems the only ones interested in English football at the moment are the Americans and they are never in it for the long term. Let's see how the summer goes, got a good chance to shake things up a bit.

Agree with this, he needs a bit of work on his positioning but if he can get that right he'll be half decent.

Positives....We won't be in the top flight, but my biggest concern is the playing squad as it's arguably weaker than the relegated team of 2023. Will the board bring in a new manager early enough to make sure we're settled for the start of the season or will we be playing catch up and end up aimlessly bumbling around the mid to lower table in the Championship....for me it's the latter.

Yep - we had agreed a fee but Ipswich smashed us on wages. Simples.

Enciso looks like a handful. Surprised Brighton let him go out on loan..

I still think Archer will leave even if we go down. With all indicators pointing towards Juric staying next season I don't think he's a player that he really rates, which is a shame as he's been very good in the past with Preston and 'Boro.