Matthew Le God

The same can be said of your counter position. I have seen Thomas play a lot, and he really is limited. Possibly 5th choice in pecking order for centre back if he stayed. Richardson made League One team of the year as voted by his peers last season. Butterfield played a lot of games in the League above last season.

Team without Lambert, Fonte and Lallana Davis Richardson Harding Jaidi Seaborne Puncheon Hammond Schneiderlin Dickson Barnard Connolly It gets more complicated if you take out Schneiderlin.

Lets see you do a similar list to NickG cherry-picking your points?

Thomas was on a large wage. He really wasn't that good. As a centre back (his natural position) he had Fonte, Jaidi, Seaborne and Martin to compete with and would have been 4th choice at best and probably 5th choice. As a right back he is also not required as Saints have signed two new right backs in the summer. In terms of wide midfield. Lallana and Puncheon are and will remain first choice. Dickson, Mills, Richardson, Butterfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain are all options.

3 left backs (two of which can play as wide midfielder) 2 right backs (both of which can play as wide midfielders) 4 centre backs Hardly a fixation! How do you know they aren't looking for a winger, central midfielder and "Lambert style" striker?

Who is saying put all the pressure on Oxlade-Chamberlain? He is 16 so of course he won't play often. He is still useful to have and use occasionally. Lallana and Puncheon will be first choice wide players. Then you have Dickson, Richardson, Butterfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mills that can all cover the wide midfield role. Plus 6 week of transfer window and even longer of the loan window.

Antonio and Papa Waigo weren't released. They were loans. How many games did Pardew give Gillett? He was deadwood in a Pardew squad. The club has 4 senior centre backs. Fonte, Jaidi, Seaborne and Martin. No need for Thomas to remain on large wages to be 5th choice.

None of those that left were going to be 1st XI regulars. The squad last season had 40 players over the age of 19. The squad was too large and need to be reduced. Those that left were the deadwood, even still some remain e.g. Pulis, Forecast and possibly Holmes, Wotton. A smaller squad with quality additions is much better than a bloated squad.

As for Wotton, yes he is crap but he was the backup last season for central midfield and is also this season. Saints do need another central midfielder I agree. This is a good bench for a League One team... Bialkowski Dickson Seaborne Butterfield Wotton Oxlade-Chamberlain Connolly And have these still in reserve... Mills Martin McNish Gobern Holmes

Lets look at the full back positions. Which is stronger... 1) 2009/10 Mills, Harding, Otsembor, James, Thomas or 2) 2010/11 Mills, Harding, Dickson, Butterfield, Richardson ? Yes, Papa Waigo and Antonio are no longer here and did have useful contributions last season. However Puncheon and Lallana were first choice last season and even if Antonio and Papa Waigo were still at Saints, Lallana and Puncheon would remain first choice. You also ignore that Dickson can play as a winger and Oxlade-Chamberlain will start to be used (albeit not much due to youg age).

You only had to be at St Mary's when Saints beat Huddersfiled 5-0 in March 2010 to see Saints already had a significantly better squad and that they had a long way to catch up. Even with their signings so far they are still a long way behind bridging that gap.

Maybe Alpine needs a Stu style "Dave Benson Phillips" makeover. A new profile as Pat Sharp might work?

I wasn't the one that said the current squad is weaker. The squad last season only really took shape at the end of January 2010. Before that it was still very much a work in progress. Since January, Dickson, Richardson and Butterfield have been added. Thus the fullback positions are in theory stronger now than last season. Yes, it is missing Papa Waigo and Antonio who did play important roles but neither of those were ever 1st choice. Lallana and Puncheon started EVERY game out wide when available to do so. Dickson can play as a winger and Oxlade-Chamberlain may come on occasionally. Not to mention still 6 weeks of transfer window left.

It is shocking because those two statements conflict with each other. How had you not heard of Radhi Jaidi or David Connolly for example? Why did you say that me adding Carsley and Howard's ages together to 70, would make Carsley 43? That would suggest you thought I meant that Howard was 27 and thus a different Howard to 34 year old Steve Howard.

Really? I note you haven't posted in this thread yet... http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?23903-Opening-day-2009-vs-Opening-day-2010

Although basically lifted from the OS, Marketing Week has this as one of their lead stories... http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/southampton-fc-unveils-new-head-of-marketing/3015999.article

I wonder if Pilchards has realised his mistake yet?

Carsley 36 + Howard 34 = 70

Combined age of those two = 70

So its Scott Steadman - Head of Sales & Marketing http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2096187,00.html With these two below him... Emily Hingston as Sales Manager http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2089932,00.html and Leila Habibi as Marketing Executive http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2095917,00.html

He isn't "currently on" anything. He is unattached.

Would be amazing if true, but very hard to believe. I don't think betfairfootball is the best source for football rumours.

Nicola and Markus taking in the FC Sochaux game...

I took it from the Saints website... http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10280~49128,00.html Really shows how lacking the squad was at that point.

A nice positive alternative to an "Alpine type" thread. One year ago today on 18th July 2009 and Alan Pardew had had one day of preseason at this point with the squad. No players had been signed, no two and a half weeks of preseason and no ten days together in a Switzerland training camp playing two games. Squad on the opening day last season vs Millwall 8th August 2009... Davis Murty Thomas Perry Harding James Wotton Schneiderlin Lallana Paterson Saganowski Subs: Bialkowski Gillett Holmes Lancashire Pulis Thomson Gobern The squad above only won one of its first 10 games and it did evolve in personal over the course of the season and ended up earning only 3 fewer points than 2nd place Leeds. Compare that to a potential squad for the opening day this season vs Plymouth 7th August 2010... Davis Richardson Jaidi Fonte Harding Puncheon Schneiderlin Hammond Lallana Lambert Barnard Subs: Bialkowski Dickson Seaborne Butterfield Wotton Oxlade-Chamberlain Connolly And have these still in reserve... Mills Martin McNish Gobern Holmes Looks alot stronger doesn't it!? This is the starting point of Saints squad from match one rather than mid way through last season. (yes, I know Richardson is injured, but Butterfield is adequate cover whilst he recovers) And most importantly 3 weeks of the window left before the Plymouth game and 6 weeks in total of the window left. Saints do however need a little more squad depth. I'd like to see a new central midfielder for cover and competition with Schneiderlin and Hammond, a "Lambert style" striker and a pacy winger in that priority order. But the actual first XI is pretty much there and gelled already, just need those three areas of cover/competition and the squad is sorted. No need to panic Alpine or start anymore threads of despair!!!