Matthew Le God

Given 4-2-3-1 worked so well in the last game after a poor run, I think Puel will stick with it. At times when defending it'll look like a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1, with Ward-Prowse, Redmond & Tadic dropping deeper. Forster Cedric Caceres Yoshida Bertrand Romeu Davis Ward-Prowse Tadic Redmond Gabbiadini Subs: Hassen Stephens McQueen Hojbjerg Clasie or Boufal Rodriguez Long I can't see Sims getting a place over a more experienced senior player if they are fit. I know Caceres hasn't played a game for a year, but think he may still start depending on how he looks in training. May seem harsh on Stephens, but Caceres does add significant experience in a potentially vulnerable position.

Nice and simple to this tune. "Gabbia, Gabbia HEY! Gabbia, Gabbia, Gabbia HEY!" (from 1:20) Easy for the Northam Stand to remember.

:mcinnes: No it isn't, not in any way shape of form. You have completely lost the plot if you think Newcastle currently have a better squad than us. They aren't even remotely close. I struggle to see how any of their players would make it into our best XI. I know a lot of Saints fans seem to have it in for Forster, but he isn't remotely as bad as they make out. The last 3 or 4 months has highlighted a large section of this forum who aren't able to judge player quality particularly well and are far too black & white and make rash judgements on one or two incidents and then write a player off. The only current first team player I think is crap is Martina, the rest are all at a good level and we has some very high ability players and many with a lot of potential.

:mcinnes: No they aren't, they have a significantly weaker squad than us for a start.

I can see very little justification selling for most of them.

What evidence do you have for that? There is a significant difference between "an exit strategy" and looking for an investment partner. Liebherr in her statement called it a "potential partnership"... https://southamptonfc.com/news/2017-01-26/club-statement-southampton-football-club A partnership is not an exit. Man City sold 13% to the Chinese in 2015, did you call that an "exit strategy"? https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/dec/01/manchester-city-265m-deal-chinese-investment-group

On what is that based? In the last 10 seasons, it was possible to stay up on the following amount of points (if you had a better goal difference)... 2015/16 - 37 points 2014/15 - 35 points 2013/14 - 33 points 2012/13 - 36 points 2011/12 - 36 points 2010/11 - 39 points 2009/10 - 30 points 2008/09 - 34 points 2007/08 - 36 points 2006/07 - 38 points So in the last 10 seasons, 40 points hasn't been the benchmark in ANY of them! Currently 3rd bottom has 20 points from 25 games, they aren't remotely on target for getting 40 points from 38 points. Even if current 3rd bottom Hull got 40 points, others down the bottom wouldn't be able to match that form. 40 points won't be the 17th to 18th dotted line in 2016/17. So Dalek2003 you really need to stop with this 40 point benchmark nonsense! EVERY, SINGLE, F**KING YEAR! (do you not get bored of your nonsense? I have)

Bizarrely low prices relative to the current transfer market for Premier League players. A decent season in the Championship and players are valued at £12m to £15m.

Old Trafford and the Emirates don't have bigger playing surfaces than St Mary's. They are exactly the same size and St Mary's is the same as Wembley. In 2012 the Premier League implemented a pitch size rule that all clubs must meet if their stadium allows... 105m by 68m ​St Mary's is at that side, as are the majority of clubs, any others are smaller, none are allowed to be bigger.

Yet again you fail to concede the point when I point out to you that Cortese appointed Reed in 2010 to make football decisions. Cortese was not a football man, he delegated tasks to people who were experts in the departments of the business he was running. Reed has been making football decisions since 2010 at the club, Cortese relied heavily on him given Cortese had no real football experience. Talking about players that left under Cortese and then after Cortese left is daft. We have a significantly smaller income than the clubs that bought our best players... Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd & Spurs. It simply is not viable that the club can keep players that are good enough for & wanted by some of the richest clubs in the world. Your argument is a complete red herring and completely irrelevant. If Cortese somehow hadn't fallen out with Liebherr he wouldn't have been able to keep those players either, the club doesn't have the income needed to do so. All these thing are pointed out to you time after time. Yet you conveniently forget the rebuttals to your nonsense and trot out the same nonsense time after time. You likely will raise the same nonsense you've posted today in a few weeks.

He was on both lists; Koeman's before he arrived & the club were also already monitoring Mane before Koeman was appointed. Koeman even stated this in an interview.

A player Les Reed and his team spotted, sold for a fee rising to £38.5m to a significantly richer club. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/06/27/liverpool-could-end-up-paying-385m-for-sadio-mane/ Then signed another extremely talented player in Sofiane Boufal to replace him. Isn't that a good thing? I think it is. We are never going to be at the top of the football transfer food chain. Heisenberg you are delusional if you think we ever will. You also bizarrely think Reed wasn't the key football figure whilst Cortese was at the club. Cortese was not a football man, he hired Reed to make football decisions. Both Liebherr's, Cortese, Reed & all the managers deserve the credit for where we are as a club. Les Reed is a key part of our success, to be demanding he goes is utterly bizarre.

If you think a mid-table club is going to sack a manager who got them to only their 6th major cup final in their 132 year existence and replace him with an ex-player with ZERO experience as a manager days before Wembley then it is you that is a "joker". Mad as a box of frogs.

Can you name any examples of a manager being sacked 2 weeks before a major cup final at Wembley?

What are you accusing him of "wimping out" of? It isn't Boufal's fault many opponents see the only way to stop him being to hack him down, that is how he picks up injuries. I've also seen him accused of lacking workrate, when he is actually very effective at tackling back and winning the ball.

It removes the chance of a bidding war, so it isn't really in Southampton's interest to agree to such a deal.

The cup final is 2 weeks after the Sunderland game, there is no need for current 1st choice players like Bertrand, Cedric, Davis & Yoshida to be rotated for the Sunderland game. Puel has been rotating when fixtures are congested, we have a large amount of recovery time available now for the majority of the rest of the season.

It means you must win it or "X" happens. I was asking what you though "X" was.

What exactly do you mean by "must win"? "Must win" or what? They aren't going to sack Puel 2 weeks before a cup final at Wembley.

Well he is 73 years old!

He has also been the England manager since leaving Sunderland.

Football really is in a mess if the current Crystal Palace manger would make payments under the table to help Sunderland sign a player!!!

I'm normally pretty optimistic, but it really is dire at the moment! The lack of a centre back signing is a big issue, but as an attacking force we really don't look good either.