Matthew Le God

My hypothetical scenario was if we had Bale aged 17 now in the Premier League rather than Championship, Bertrand signed 4 years ago... at which point this version of Bale would have been 13 years old. So why wouldn't the club have signed Bertrand?

They would have found it harder. Bale broke into the side as a left back when we were in the Championship. If Bale was 17 and at the club now he'd be competing with Bertrand and Bertrand is currently better than Bale was when Bale was 17.

Of your example players... - Oxlade-Chamberlain did not play for the Southampton first team above League One - Bale did not play for the Southampton first team above the Championship - Walcott did not play for the Southampton first team above the Championship - Shaw played for the Southampton first team in the Premier League because we were a newly promoted side, he was exceptional and the competition was Danny Fox - Lallana gained experience through multiple seasons with us in the lower league and didn't play in the Premier League until he was into his early 20s - Dyer did not play for the Southampton first team above the Championship Why have you written off the current academy players? Targett, Ward-Prowse, Sims, McQueen, Stephens have all had good exposure to the first team and others in age groups below will likely do the same and gain experience on loan before reaching the quality level required for Premier League football. The quality bar is now higher to reach our first team, so where as in League 1 or the Championship a player might make the first team in their teens they now have to be exceptional to do so in the Premier League whilst a teenagers. Due to the rise in first team quality many young players will need to gain experience on loan int he Football League and may then be ready for us when they are in their early 20s.

Saints & Leicester were top 6 as recently as 2016.

Is this a serious suggestion? He has had a failed drug test, doesn't turn up to training and is on a massive barren spell of not scoring a league goal for years. What makes you think he has a 20 goal season in him? He is a mess of a player!

Can you name another European league that has better quality in the bottom 14 of a 20 team league? This is the squad that finished in 17th in Spain... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_Legan%C3%A9s#Current_squad They would be blown out of the water by any Premier League team for wages and transfer fees.

That is simply not true. If multiple clubs offer the release clause then they will all be automatically accepted regardless of what Celta Vigo want to do, it is then for the player to pick.

Dross compared to what?

"Terrible" when compared to what?

Those clubs sacking a manager or not renewing his contract in the summer do so because they think the current one is underperforming with their current resources. That doesn't mean the league isn't strong.

Why does a lot of teams changing the manager mean the league isn't strong?

The Telegraph in 2016 reported that Emery has been interested in Saints. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/06/04/ronald-koeman-agrees-to-become-everton-manager-as-southampton-tu/

It would be daft not to at least explore interest from other managers and possibly hold interviews, as long as we are quick in making a final decision. Hughes clearly has an advantage in that he has essentially had a successful 8 game probationary period.

Look in the mirror!

If this is a serious suggestion then... wow just wow! Alderweireld wants to leave Spurs because they don't pay him enough. If he leaves it'll be to a Champions League team for wages of £180,000+ p/w.

It is ridiculous to think a club in the top tier is going to sell 10+ players in a single summer. It just doesn't happen. The **** up of the managerial appointment was the main problem last season, not the squad quality. Hughes showed this squad if managed well is capable of performing to a good level, Pellegrino however was completely out of his depth. Pellegrino stifled the squad, Hughes has shown it is possible to get a lot more out of them, mass changes are not required, 3 or 4 new players will do.

Based on what is it 'very likely'?

I don't see how anyone can be so definitive about it, we don't know what their options are. Plus they did get one managerial appointment very right.

Can you really say that with confidence without knowing who else may have applied for the role or been approached?

Do they? His work at West Brom led to him getting the England job, he finished 11th and 10th with them... WBA's highest league finishes since the early 1980s. He left for the England job so was hardly going to turn it down. Why would the West Brom fans think he is the "worst manager ever"?

Yoshida & Cedric will definitely go unless injured. Boufal possibly will, plus... Hojbjerg https://southamptonfc.com/news/2018-05-14/pierre-emile-hojbjerg-denmark-world-cup-preliminary-squad-russia-2018 Bednarek https://southamptonfc.com/news/2018-05-11/jan-bednarek-poland-provisional-world-cup-squad

- Butland is more established within the England setup - has 2 years longer left on his contract than McCarthy - Butland is 3 years younger than McCarthy

I don't have a lot of problem with the vast majority of the squad in terms of quality of player. I put our poor season largely down to a very poor managerial appointment. If this squad had a competent manager from the beginning of the season I think they would have been challenging for the top half of the table again. I'd prefer our squad to that of Burnley or Newcastle, both finished in the top half not due to player quality but being managed extremely well. Benitez & Dyche wouldn't have had Saints in a relegation battle if they were in charge from day one.

How many top flight teams can you name that have sold as many players in a summer as you are suggesting? Simply doesn't happen.

Billy Davies had a significantly less talented squad to work with. Derby were expected to go down, this Saints squad for all its problems shouldn't have been near the relegation battle if managed correctly. Mark Hughes has highlighted that if managed well it is far better than it looked under Pellegrino. The manager was a huge part of the problem, not the quality of player in the squad. If Sean Dyche or Rafa Benitez managed us this season, we'd probably have been top half again. I'd rather our squad than Burnley's or Newcastle's, but good mangers got them to perform.