Professor

Three Champions League quality signings - just what many asked for. No credit to those who ask for nothing but then praise the club after the event.

Rough translation from Roman News 18/8/2013: PRESS RELEASE- On the future of Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, there will be a verdict in the next few hours. As reported the player did not travel with the Roma team because a negotiations are in hand although the official reason given was that Osvaldo was suffering a muscle fatigue after playing for the Italian national team. Roma are encouraging the player to accept the transfer to Southampton. Coach Pochettino has spent several days trying to persuade him. The last phone call was yesterday. Osvaldo did not reject the possibility, asking a few hour's to consider and a signing-on bonus. It is taking him time to come to terms with leaving Italy and he continues to hope for a revival of interest by another club: this footballer's strategy. There are two reasons, that he has two daughters who live in Florence and he wants to retain his place in the Italy team with the World Cup approaching. Osvaldo awaits signals of other interest, if not from Italy, at least from Spain. Atletico Madrid would be a welcome destination is interested but they will not offer the sum required by Roma. ENDS In summary this is only what we already know - Roma want to sell to Southampton as they have made the highest offer. The player doesn't want to come but may not have any other options so we could be taking on a reluctant recruit. If he signs, Cue: I badly want to play in the Premier League and Southampton have always been my first love..... If he doesn't sign - no great surprise, but not long to find another player of his calibre.

Mostly agree, but I think Fonte was playing at West Brom as cover for Yoshida being jet-lagged and that Chambers was covering for Clyne, who despite being on the bench was known to be coming back from injury. JWP and JRod both played well that I can't see a reason for starting Ramirez or Stephen Davis ahead of them, but both likely to come off the bench as against WBA. So I'm expecting 2 changes that would marginally strengthen the defence and the attack. Anything can happen in football, remember QPR last season, but this really looks like another Saints win and a move up the embryonic table.

First match of the season and four players doubtful due to injury and jet-lag is hardly the start expected. Promised my self a pint of Itchen Watercress Bitter if we win and I'm looking forward to it.

Might find one if you get a train to Brockenhurst. May be one there or in Lymington. Bournemouth no chance.

Ignore him. The man is not only yesterday, he's positively prehistoric. The BBC are going to dump him soon, so should this Forum.

Spot on Mike. It was unbelievable when a pal rang me as I got home from work but there it was - McMenemy producing Keegan at the press conference on the local TV News. The optimism proved to be well-founded because we had a good team with smattering of other internationala, including Mick Channon at his peak and, they were only beaten to the Div 1 championship by a very good Liverpool side. .

Get the feeling that Osvaldo has baggage that could make him a disruptive influence. NWOB

Do we really want a player who is so soft he wears gloves, even in Italy.

Its a shame that Fox has become the whipping boy for a lot of fans, most of whom aren't really in a position to make a judgement. The club coaches clearly think he os worth a place in the squad, and he didn't get into the Scotland team by being an awful player. Unfortunately, football supporters of any club tend to pick on one player and here it is currently, Fox. If he wasn't here it would be someone else. He is the accepted understudy LB, so if Shaw as the first choice can't play then it must be Fox. Why else would the club pay his wages?

FIFA have no regard for domestic national leagues, as shown by the ludicrous decision on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Some Premier clubs will have more players away than SFC, all very frustrating given the care taken over pre-season but with the Prem now being an international league, up with it we have to put. The closest a club can come to a solution is to have more home-grown English players and rely less on foreign journeymen. At least SFC leans in that direction.

Some great moments have been mentioned and for all of us going to see Saints for the first time will always be special, for me that was at The Dell against Newcastle in the mid 1960s, but the greatest moment in my opinion wasn't just Wembley 76 but the moment that Bobby Stokes scored. Absolutely unforgettable!!!!!!!!

Newport Co would be great as we could avenge the south coast defeat of Brighton and rub it in that they long ago failed to keep up.....

Not likely. Cortese has made some poor transfer decisions, Forren for example, but Remy would be a bad choice for practical reasons as well as moral ones. Buying a player who might have to face a criminal charge and who could then be convicted, doesn't feel like the Southampton way.

With the League Tables being published after the first Football League games I see that Saints are still 14th in the Prem whilst Man U have dropped to 12th and Cardiff are up to 3rd!

The Lawrenson prediction that Pompy will win League 2 this season already looks a bit shaky after the 4-1 home defeat to Oxford. Could be nice though next season for Pompy to enjoy a local derby again, only this time with Salisbury City instead of the Saints. Come on The Whites.......

Apart from Jack Cork, most, if not all, the midfielders/strikers have scored some great looking goals at times, but apart from Lambert, haven't done it consistently. It was failure to convert chances that made the end of last season a disappointment when top half was there for the taking and a lack of goals left us in 14th. Don't think Poch will have learnt anything he didn't already know, that Cortese has just got to find him a quality goal scorer. The squad is good, but the missing player for the number 11 shirt does need to be someone quite special.

I'm looking forward to seeing a stronger Saints side with Wanyama and Lovren boosting last year's starting 11. If the club hadn't strengthened at all, I would be looking forward to the new season with less confidence. If they do bring in the extra striker or wide player they seem to be after, even if its closer to the deadline, I'll be looking forward to the season even more because the team will be even better so I'm with GS and really looking forward to seeing an improved team in Saints' colours. Maybe NickG thinks the team should never be improved and that SFC shouldn't recruit £20m internationals even if it does have the resources but then, everyone's entitled to their opinion, even foolish ones.....

As a non-gambler I am no expert on betting but do the odds not reflect the value of the bets placed rather than the bookmaker's assessment of probability. If so, all a short odds shows is that enough people have believed the rumours to make bets, it doesn't make the rumours true.

Sure I am that readers proof they have not since spellchecker so accurate proved to be.....not.

You can see how these football experts are worth their wages. The predictions for the top 4 teams are particularly astute and clearly based on inside knowledge and an understanding of the game that ordinary fans couldn't hope to have.

Strange that things should go wrong for Ranger at Newcastle because it was that well-known judge of character, Dennis Wise, who took him from Swindon to Tyneside. Surely Dennis would have given him some advice on how professional footballers should behave............

Good Luck, Alpine

This has every appearance of a local paper manufacturing a football story to fill space. Sad isn't it that Basingstoke, that once was a Hampshire town before the planners had most of it demolished to build an ugly post-war monstrosity on the site, has to look over the border to Berkshire for football interest.

On paper you would think the defence could be improved but the back four played very well from January onwards and with the addition of Lovren it looks strong. Also we have got Stephens who must be ready to take his chance when it comes. I thought the weakness in the latter part of the season when we did drop too many points was the failure to score enough goals. Wanyama might make up for the deficiency in goals from midfield but another striker or a speedy wide man would be my priorities rather than the defence.