macca155

West Brom is always a hospitable place to go. Easy journey, good pubs, hilariously miserable but friendly fans. So other than the game it was a great day out. 0 0 away is ok. Saints have always been rubbish against the Pulls style and nothing changes. JWP worked hard, but he was pushed further forward, and was way less effective than last week. He simply doesn't have the composure to score from tight positions. However before we slag him too much I bet his pass completion beats everybody. Van Dyke looked awesome, what a buy. JRod is clearly not fit and shouldn't be starting. RK is desperately trying to give him game time but it is costing us. Send him on loan to Burnley. Let him recuperate there. Long is fit and deserves to play. The defence and midfield played well but Pelle had a poor game (he's allowed them) and as such Saints were never going to score. We all said 0 0 going up in the car and we were right. Should have put a bet on but that would require some level belief.

Urgh M25 again!

Just back from the match after getting lost in the car park from hell. I suspect some Saints fans are still in it! Anyway 0 0 is never a good result but neither are they a disaster. The team at present is barely up to Premiership standard. Ron went for damage limitation as another poster said and it worked. Their keeper made a good save from Pelle and that was about it. If you play with five defenders and 2 defensive midfielders on the pitch then you are asking a lot of the remaining players, so it was no surprise that Saints failed to score or create much. A clean sheet one point job done move on. Until the club puts some points on the board we are in relegation mode, and we stopped Watford taking 3 points out of us today and that was enough. They are probably at their peak Saints will only get better so I'm happy enough with that. It wasn't pretty but it was what was needed. a 2 hour drive for a 0 0 draw is desperate but you have to take the rough with the smooth in this game. On to Europe

Seriously? Did you watch the same game as me. JWP had a great game his set pieces are improving every game and they add a massive additional element to our game. What we can all see is that he is struggling to cover the ground quick enough and we have to hope that he adapts his game. However he certainly wasn't a passenger and was involved in most attacks. Way better than Tadic but opinions appear to be divided here on these two. Romeu had a good game but faded towards the end, he has to stop getting early cards as that is killing his game. Mane was mane, he isn't a headless chicken and I bet he is a nightmare to defend against but for me he is playing too deep. Anyway we need him to play rubbish for a while so that Utd go away. He can turn into Ronaldo in September. The problem tonight was that JRod is still a passenger as he isn't match fit. He is improving every game but he is really only effective in the final quarter. For the rest of the match he couldn't get near the ball. He is creating massive gaps behind him and occupies the same place on the field as Pelle. Several times tonight they were standing next to one another. The problem is we have to go through this pain to get him match fit and then we will have a 20 million player on our hands. I thought Saints were ok tonight (no more than that). The team is definitely weaker than last year but losing Clyne and Morgan was always going to be critical and it is going to take time to rebuild. We need that CB in pronto as Caulker is definitely only ever going to be cover. I also think we need a decent right back. If Cedric isn't up to it then play him further forward as he is a real attacking threat. I enjoyed the match and I don't have too many worries about next week. Saints should be able to win quite comfortably as they weren't that good a side.

What can you do! There doesn't seem to be any way the club can hold on to decent players. If we keep losing players like this then eventually we are going to struggle in the Prem. Mane is a great player and likely to unlock the defences of the top 5. He scares them which is why he is being targeted. However if Utd come in with a 25 Million bid he's gone, and frankly I can't really argue against it. Every player has a price and Mane is no Suarez, he certainly isn't worth 25 Million. I guess Saints just have to take the money buy someone else (better) and move on. Better still take the money promote Seager, watch him bang in 20 goals and laugh all the way to the bank. Oh how I wish that would happen. Nurse my pills....

Careful what you wish for. Our CC team will probably be uber weak and inexperienced.

Fair enough my stream was dodgy as so I couldn't really tell

I'll take 2 -2 with the way our defence was pulled all over the place in the first half. Terrible formation to start with JRod was a passenger and exposed the left hand side of the defence. Completely different team once he was replaced. He is a fantastic player and needs to be an impact player for a while. I thought Cuco looked ok when he came on but I just don't get the 'Tadic played well' comments. I thought he was weak but its all about opinions.

I think that's a tad unfair. I found myself jumping on the Tadic 'water of space' bandwagon on Thursday. However he puts a defensive shift in and moves around the park. Above all else he is Premier League fit physically and mentally. I think the team is obvious. Steks Cedric Fonte Yoshida Target Tadic Wanyama Davis JWP Mane Pelle Bench Gazza Caulker Reed JRod Juanmi Long Martina I guess the only debate will be whether Juanmi starts instead of JWP but I doubt it as he is even easier to knock off the ball. Not the strongest team it has to be said. I'll be happy with a point.

Spot on and I guess they are just the usual wind up merchants. I find it very hard to ignore them. We have to change our attitude in this country and let our players develop without this instant criticism. The boy is 20 let him develop and enjoy watching him. It was his assist that led to the goal on Thursday. He makes things happen which is a rare gift. Fortunately more enlightened views are in charge of his development, so he stands a chance.

They really were a credit to European football. That is how it should be. An amazing few days. Just completing a 300 mile plus drive home.... next time I'm flying

Err who is then?

Fair point but Tadic is half the player Lallana is. I really don't see him imposing himself on games. He and JWP are essentially competing for the same place (not position) and for me JWP brings more to the team. However neither replace Lallana who we miss. You can tell by the number of players who have tried the No 10 position. Shame Gaston didn't make it his own as we needed a 12 million player there.

Good god I hope James isn't reading this, and if you are take no notice and remember those writing an opinion here are the ones who have at best modest talent at football and even less tactical nous. I include myself firmly at the top of that list. We have on our hands a young man who loves the club, has more than two brain cells, is a regular for England U21s, and is the only player in the club who can deliver a decent set piece ball. He is already a decent premiership player and a tremendous prospect. I for one am grateful that we have managed to keep this lad on our books and I am confident he will be a big part of our future. My test of a player is whether he is a game changing option as a sub and not simply a like for like replacement. JWP makes things happen and is a conduit for other players. If the club were to even hint that he was available for sale he would be gleefully snapped up by one of our competitors. Ross Barclay and Harry Kane seem to get the same treatment from the media and their fans. One minute brilliant the next a waste of space. Other countries cherish their young players and look after them. In this country we ruin them so it is no wonder that Brit teams are regularly beaten by other European teams. Nobody is above criticism and he clearly needs to work on aspects of his game. He doesn't have the pace of other players but he'd leave most of us standing! I was complaining about his back passing yesterday but on reflection he is one of those players who will not give the ball away willingly. Espanyol were a useful (and dirty) outfit and closed down forward options very quickly. If he is going to be A grade footballer then he needs to develop the ability to overcome the stifling tactics of modern football. However I suspect our coaches are working on that. Lets celebrate what we have and let the boy develop into the footballer we all want to see.

This is isn't saying too much for Stephens and Turnball's CV but I guess play offs aren't normal games

7 - 6 now crazy game injury time left ha ha

Green is a good shout. He is great shot stopper but flaps a bit at times. His distribution isn't as good as Forster but way better than our back up at the moment. The key thing is that he would be prepared to sit on the bench from Jan onwards. We'll struggle to find an alternative. The norwegian target could well be good but if he does well, Forster won't warm the bench for him. Tricky one.

Well I did Stoke and Sunderland but couldn't face Leicester, good decision just wish I'd lumped on Leicester. I've seen this coming for weeks and here is why. It was only a few weeks ago that this team faced Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and played like genuine champion league contenders. Brilliant game and we all left pumped up and proud. Since then the deterioration has been rapid. Losing Forster was a fatal blow and exposed Saint's critically low squad depth. We all knew it straight away but just hoped that Davis or Gazza would step up... they didn't Secondly key players have been injured or suspended, the team has lost its cohesion and that telepathic passing born of familiarity has been lost. Once again squad depth has cost us here, nobody wanted Cork to go but he had Morgan Vic, Davis, JWP in front of him and he was never going to be bench warmer. Thirdly teams have worked us out and we don't have the skill or guile to change. Stop our fullbacks overlapping, press our midfield and you cut off the supply line to the forwards. We have no creativity Tadic and JWP are our the best we have and neither have really got going. Without Lallana the team is pedestrian and wastes procession. Trevor Francis (who I rate) was the expert on my dodgy stream and he observed that Barcelona had 45% procession against Bayern but made it count and won easily. They also had Messi Trevor but the point remains valid. Teams give us possession knowing we'll do little with it, all they have to do is defend in numbers when we play tippy tap around the area and eventually the ball will be tamely given away. Nobody is going to run at them. Fourthly we have no regular goal scorers, correction we do but Koeman won't play them. I like Pelle he is a great centre forward who terrorises defences but on his own he is easily marked by two players. Unlike Lambert he simply doesn't have the mobility or skill to collect the ball deeper and distribute quickly. What he needs is a young hungry striker on the bench who is itching to come on and show him how to do it. Gallagher and Seager would put him under pressure and perhaps give a bit of impetus to our play at the end of the game. Mane and Long are interchangeable but not complimentary, I'm surprised Koeman hasn't seen this. On reflection the loss of Lambo has been significant. Koeman has played at the highest level and I have nothing but admiration and gratitude for what he has achieved this year. We could be staring down the barrel of relegation if it wasn't for the professional way our players made such a good start. Finally the Spurs game was the watershed, that was the players opportunity to leapfrog a similarly exhausted team. Both teams went toe to toe and I thought it was the best game of the season. No quarter given or asked and by the end they were on their knees. For both teams the result meant they were chasing a Europa place rather than Champions league and I suspect both sets of players were mentally exhausted. I just wish Koeman would trust us enough to play the youngsters more often, sure we would be beaten more easily on occasion but you've only got to look at the performance of Reed today to see that they wouldn't let us down.. I would have cheerfully accepted 9th or 10th if it meant seeing some rising stars rather than journeymen players like Elia. However I suspect Ron knows better than me that he also has to make sure that we don't have a West Ham or Newcastle style dip whilst the squad lacks the security to cope. I suggest we all relax and just enjoy the final two games, wear you're flip flops and just think of what might have been and what is to come. Next year we'll have a decent 2nd keeper of that you can be sure, JRod will be back and our attack of Pelle, Mane, Long, Seager, Gallagher and JRod will have a lot more pace and guile to unlock premiership defences. It may need another player but we can't block promising youngsters. That is the Southampton way so best accept it. In midfield there will be incoming quality to supplement Vic, Reed, JWP, Tadic and Davis (who needs a rest). I'm assuming that Morgan will be gone and the loanees will return from whence they came. This will be where the club spends some money although Hesketh may start to make an impact if he grows a bit. We still have Ramirez on the books so he may feature... yeah right. The defence of Fonte, Gardos, Yoshida, Stephens, Bertram Tragett, and Clyne (or replacement) should be sufficient with a decent goalkeeper behind them, although I could see Gardos being shipped out and a replacement for Toby brought in. I wish the main man would stay but sadly that looks unlikely. That isn't a Champions league team next year but it might just be the year after with some experience under their belts. Lots to look forward to

Too right, having made that journey Saturday I don't think I could live with three of them. Bit of luck both Sunderland Newcastle will be relegated. Lets have a nice Southern based Premiership.

Sorry I'm with Benjii on this.... you are wrong Wood and McCarthy were excellent yesterday. A very accomplished performance from both of them. When you think that the first choice CH (Stephens & Turnball) are at Swindon this is one area we definitely don't need to make any purchases. Not convinced by Mugabi yet, he looked good in the 2nd half but it would be interesting to see him up against a more competent attack.

Well we did that last year and it didn't hurt. The problem is if we keep loaning average cheap players then they will need replacing every year. Saints aren't City or Arsenal and never will be. This is our way and no doubt there will be rocky seasons ahead.

It's not about who leaves it is about improving the squad and bringing youngsters into the first team. Like it or not this is our business model and personally I love it. Seeing one of our youngsters blossom into a great player is brilliant. Sadly it is with other clubs at the moment but gradually that will change. We have defensive midfield players in abundance. Having both Vic and Morgan on the pitch at the same time is a bit over the top and is clearly blunting our attack. Morgan going won't be catastrophic so we should say au revoir to a great servant. Reed will either support or understudy big Vic. We won't get much for Clyne so he needs to see his contract out, no question. We have no cover at right back and will need a year to sort that position out. Top of the list needs to be a striker like Ings or Austin. Saints will need to pay big money there is no choice. If JRod comes good then that is a bonus but I have my doubts. We have never replaced Lallana and I had hoped that Ramirez would do the job. Sounds like Classie is on the radar which would be good. A goalkeeper is an obvious must but there are plenty around. After that it will all be about the youngsters. I watched Jack Stephens on TV last week and he looked good. He plays a very attacking role for a centre half and reminds me of Toby. I would like to see him in the squad replacing Toby who isn't ours so no good saying he's going. Yoshida is good cover and I'm sure he will come good. Jordan Turnball had a good game as well so we don't need any centre halves. Having said that keeping Toby however unlikely should at least be an aspiration. Hopefully the journeyman overseas players like Elia and Mayuka will be reduced, and we'll see more youngsters coming through. Surely Seager, McQueen, Gallagher, Sims will be given their chance. JWP will have to score a goal sooner or later and when he does watch the big clubs circle. Hopefully we can resist their overtures. As Europe is on the cards the squad needs to be a lot bigger. A lack of depth to cover injuries has made life difficult but its still been a brilliant season and whatever happens in the summer I'm looking forward to next year. We've known worst times.

More like City need a win for CL and Saints need a win for automatic Europa League. That is very likely and would make for a spicy game. I'd prefer both teams needing a point leading to classic centre circle kick about and anybody venturing into the opposition half roundly booed. That really upsets the other teams, Brighton have never forgiven us. Or Saints secure in Europa place and a City win will deny Liverpool a CL place. Now that I would enjoy. Altogether now Blue moon you saw you standing alone. .....

Duncan that maybe, but I suspect Frank Saul was MoTM once but that doesn't stop him being our biggest ever rip off IMO. One for the oldies