Saint Garrett

Just me that thinks the white shirt/blue shorts looks dreadful on the whu kit? Home is nice though.

I would like to see us have at least 3 good quality CM's and then Davis and JWP. Neither are very good playing defensively as they don't really tackle that much. Cork and Morgan could also do with some competition IMO.

Wouldn't look out of place in the best teams in the world. He's awesome. Needs to do it again for us next year. Him and Corky are so important to us.

Why not?!

Says the stats! http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/statszone/archive/2013/05/31/stats-zone-premier-league-central-midfielder-of-the-year.aspx

Bear been on the Photoshop again ?

When I went to Southsea I came back to the car to find a PFC engraved in the bonnet...so maybe they do!

Looks like Sunderland are signing Modibo Diakité from Lazio, decent signing for them IMO.

Was chatting to a Brighton friend last night, as spent the evening with him, and he said he likes Buckley and he's a good player, but he also said they'd be getting a very good deal if we bought him for £4m.

But thats because Bale was and is a far better more all round player. And I never said our academy is the best. Of course there are better. But the signs in recent years are very promising. We seem to be producing a 'top' player every couple of seasons along with some more mediocre ones, and like you say thats something to be massively proud of. There are also a lot of players who come through and never quite make it. But it's certainly exciting times.

But if these players had carried on playing every week then they probably would have been by now. Players need to play.

No but Chamberlain, Theo, Bale are, and Shaw is already up there, with JWP impressing as well. Dyer could possibly do a job at a standard just below that. Add a few others from Europe and the odd signing like Cork and Clyne, and you're not far off a top 6 team. It's only an example anyway.

We'll take a big crowd to WBA and Chelsea next season as were both midweek this season. Probably bigger for toon and Sunderland too, as hopefully they will be Saturdays!!

Hull is a really nice ground. Did it last season when we won 2-0 up there.

Mods?!

I hope he's been reviewing a new book while away. Could be funny reading for a lot of people. Is he back from holiday yet?!

But then you look at the players we have brought though..... Baird, Mills, James, Chamberlain, Dyer, Blackstock, Best, Gillett, Walcott, Surman, Bale, Lallana, JWP, Shaw And you could maybe scrape Jones, Williamson, even Schneiderlin in there. (At a push I know!) But you put a few top players around them and you have a handy squad.

Tbf I think we're pretty similar to Villa. But with a bit more money and able to bring in players of a bit higher quality.

Didn't realise Weimann came through their academy. Fair play.

Who are they then? How many of Villas players have come through their academy? Didn't they buy a lot of them from other teams? And yes it is extremely difficult, which is why I said its going to be very hard for us to do it. And likelihood is we won't be successful with it. But what I said was based on our recent success with youth players. It's certainly an interesting topic of discussion which you won't be able to answer for a good few years. But I do think no reason why we can't try our best to bring through the best players possible. Surround them by a few promising younger players from around the globe and we have a promising team. Yes things won't always work out the way they would in the "ideal world" but we can surely give it our best shot....

Not many who give their own youth a chance in the Prem...most buy young players from other clubs, or send their own out on loan for a few years.

I wasn't saying we were the first ones to ever do it. But clubs at this level rarely give youth a chance. We've been very good in that department the last few years and the players we've brought through show that. Yes it's going to be very heard to do, but might as well give it a go....we're not going to go out and spend millions and millions on world class players, so the only chance Cortese has of ticking his boxes are with homegrown players IMO. Is it plausible? That remains to be seen.

Thing is these young players aren't all going to come through and suddenly take us to Europe. It's going to take time. The outstanding ones will leave, but hopefully they'll stay with us a bit longer than the previous ones and so on. It will take time "in an ideal world" whether this happens or not. Yes it's unlikely we'll be able to bring through a top 6 side but why not try and be the blueprint for others to copy?

I think it's quite funny how a bit of fun making a fantasy kit manages to make its way onto @saintsfcviews, @saintsnews, @anyoldsaintswannabenews as a "this is our kit next season, on twitter. Morons.

Better than a random black one. Or a white one we never use....