Professor

We weren't so good in L1 that we couldn't lose to teams like Rochdale, Walsall and Tranmere. Leeds, Forest, West Ham etc., are a whole new level of challange so it really won't pay to be complacent. A major signig at CM to play alongside Morgan, with Chaplow and Hammond becoming understudies would do a lot for the confidence and demonstrate to the rest of the squad that the intentions are real. Lack of a big signing could demonstrate the opposite

Leeds at home first match a very good test.

Far from doomed IMO. Players out being replaced. Stadium capacity increasing from 8,000 to 22,000 so a big increase in income. A multi-millionaire chairman who is a lifelong supporter of the club. A manager with a decent track record, even if his eyes are too close together. Their target is consolidation in the NpC which seems a reasonable expectation. The Falmer Stadium is capable of expansion to 35,000 so they have some future proofing.

Most football managers have highs and lows but Mclaren has shown he can be a winner taking MIddlesborough into Europe and winning the Dutch Championship with FC Twente. Forest already have their top 6 squad from last season and now the Daily Mail reports that the board have given Mclaren the 'green light' to start a 'spending spree'. Is Nigel's bus still in the garage while several of the others are on the road, and with experienced drivers?

What may be more relevant is that the Forest board must have given Mclaren some assurances about funds for team strengthening. He hasn't gone to an NpC club to do anything other than rebuild his reputation in England. Saints have a good L1 squad, although they still lost 10 of their 46 L1 fixtures last season, and they now have to compete with clubs managed by the likes of Allardyce, Mclaren and Sven. Have a feeling our L1 squad won't be up to the task and its not just a case of making signings, what matters is who we sign.

To all those who complain about the cost of replica shirts, you know the answer.

Despite some people saying that West Ham are struggling financially, the actions of Sullivan and Gold in securing Allardyce and backing him with big money suggests that one promotion spot is already booked for next season. As a replacement for Parker, they could hardly do better than Nolan with his leadership reputation. COYS, we've got to compete here. PS - Sorry adriansfc but Nolan is 28, 29 next week. Still in his prime and could yet play for another 5 or 6 years.

Quite a few Arsenal players in there and some evidence that the Gooners are overstaffed when you see Bendtner wearing number 52! If AOC is even slightly tempted by Arsenal's illegal approaches through the media, maybe a squad number in the 60's might give him food for thought!

Another example in today's Times why NpC clubs have little hope of attracting Prem players. Steed Malbranque at Sunderland, at 31, will have less chance of first team action if the signing of Darren Gibson from MU goes through as expected. Its said Sunderland are ready to sell and in the past this would be the stage in a player's career where a step down a division would be the obvious thing. (Anyone thinking this means Saints should show an interest, please ask the person reading this to you, to stop). Malbranque has one year left on his contract and will be worth nothing to Sunderland if he is still there next summer but he's a high earner so if he doesn't get a prem level wage offer he'll sit out the season just for the money. Even the 3 promoted prem clubs, who are currently linked with almost every available player, would think hard about taking on someone whose performance is probably beginning to decline and who might take a large slice of the budget without offering much of a future. This wall of money between the Prem and the Championship means the HCDAJFU approach has to focus on the NpC or the lower leagues, or outside the UK. The days when players such as Bobby Moore and George Best would turn out for Fulham in Div 2, and when the Tranmere team was full of former Liverpool players are long gone. Peter Osgood and Peter Rodrigues playing for Saints at the second level wouldn't happen today but football is the worse for it.

Agree entirely. The ex-prem managers being mentioned will have the same top two or top six ambitions as anyone else but with less excuse for failure, so motivations may be greater. Allardyce has already shown the level of his intentions with an unsuccesful attempt to get Kevin Nolan from Newcastle. Many of these teams already have former Prem players on board and although these big name managers won't disregard an outstanding player from L1 their main focus will be on proven quality at a higher level. Adkins and Cortese have been saying all the right things but it will be easier to judge SFC's true intentions once signings are announced, or not.

A deal can't be off if its never been on. But if Cork wants to see the new Chelsea manager before deciding on the various offers that are around, Saints really shouldn't wait on that, especially as it seems any Prem club might be Cork's favourite over an NpC side. Adkins has indicated at least a couple of players are needed so it does look like its time to draw the blue line under Cork. As other clubs sign the best players the options are reduced so unless there is an equivalent CMF to Chamberlain ready to promote from the reserves its time to get on with it.

I'd prefer we win promotion by coming first or second, and that if the team needs some new players to achieve that, we go out and sign them, either now, or if it becomes apparent after the first 2 or 3 games that extra quality is needed then before the window closes. The UEFA fair play rules are expected to start from August 2012 when clubs will have to spend within their income, which will presumably rule out financial input from wealthy owners. This is a strong argument for going all out for promotion this coming season by investing in the team because it may be more difficult afterwards. It also means there should be several Premier quality players in the side this season.

Red and white stripes. Surely not. Very retro.

Cortese's privacy policy on signings has often worked, at least up to about 24 hours before the announcement and if Cork does sign for Saints we may not know for sure until the last minute. But people who have said nothing can happen while Cork is with the u-21's may be wrong as we have just heard the announcements on Phil Jones (Blackburn to MU) and Jordan Henderson (Sunderland to Liverpool) with both players being unveiled at their new clubs before flying out late for the u-21 tournament in Denmark. So it doesn't seem that Cork's involvemnnt with the u-21s need have prevented a deal, in which case maybe there is no deal, yet, or at all. The longer this goes on without a signature on a contract, the greater the chance that any potential deal could be hi-jacked.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/596/exclusive/2011/06/07/2521780/southampton-attempt-to-ward-off-arsenal-manchester-united-by

Also waiting to hear the outcome of the discussions over Oscar Gobern's new contract.

A month on from the news in Denmark that Saints had appointed JF-H as Director of European Recruitment, but never confirmed by the club, as far as I know. Anyone any information?

Rod Wallace was another example of a player who simply did not want to stay at Southampton. He chose not to renew his contract and was sold to Leeds where he won a Div1 Championship the following year, but Leeds were going into decline and he never won anything else with them in 7 years.

Agree with the conclusion. If Corteses is true to his word, it doesn't matter if players leave as we should expect the replacements to be better. But looking back, I don't think sales were ever just to raise money, although obviously they had that effect. With the brief exception of the Channon/Keegan years, Saints have never been seen by quality players as having the potential to provide a medal-winning career. Most of those who left did so of their own accord, not because the club wanted them to go. We will know there has been a change if we are in The Prem and are a club that top players want to join.

Thoughts - Don't start a speculative thread based on no evidence whatsoever by giving it a title that implies that speculation is fact. It is NOT.

Dan Seaborne took a lot of stick for his mistake that let Peterborough equalise in the away fixture in Feb, not just stick from the fans, as he seemed to be out of favour with Adkins after that. But he is young, should be expected to get better and as a left sided CB adds a dimension to the side. The Posh game apart, he is usually very quick. I'd be sorry to see him go.

Its no surprise that there are some good sides in the NpC, and if/when we get to The Prem there will be even stronger sides. Adkins and Cortese will be aware that there is only one way to get promoted from the NpC which is to be better than the best of the rest and that there is an obvious solution. If Adkins thinks he already has a squad that is close to the best, which just needs some modest strengthening, we have to respect his judgement as he's got more information than any of we fans. Whether the strengthened squad is good enough should be apparent by the end of August.

From what we've heard it is all up to the player but if he chooses to live in Lancashire rather than Hampshire, you'd have to question his judgement. So if he comes, he will have proved what a sensible lad he is. If he doesn't.........

More from the same Arsenal Insider website, which like most 'insider' sources is anything but:- rubbishquotes 2011-06-01 09:23 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is now thought to be going cold on the idea of moving to Arsenal. Arsenal will “soon” cease to be a power in English football, says former England international footballer Mark Chamberlain. He believes his son’s best interest would be not to make the switch to the Gunners as he expects their decline to “continue”. A year in the championship with Southampton would be best for the youngster's “development”.

The Mark Chamberlain 'quote' doesn't sound like current news, more likely something recycled, and probably taken out of context. Might not even be a quote as journalists often use cthe old trick of saying "would you say that bla, bla, bla, bla....... and if the person says well, maybe, the journalists words become a quote. If any other paper was interested enough to doorstep Mark Chamberlain, it would be interesting to know his reaction. He's just as likely to say that whilst Alex's future should be in the Prem, how and when and who with is a matter for Alex. I'll believe AOC is leaving when it happens, not before, and I think he'll still be here next season.