saint-crinny

If Fonte wants a PR war with the club he'll lose it - the club are well drilled in making departing players (and managers) look like to**ers, whether they have been acting like one or not. Suspect we'll never really know the whole truth or who to believe on this one. Either way, a sad end to his Saints career that has been a fantastic one that symbolized what we have been all about. I just look at Lambert and how he left, respected and still a bit of a hero, and compare it to this situation. If this was all happening in private and Fonte ended up going to Benfica to finish his career, I think we'd in the main be happy enough for him and wish him well. As it is, this all leaves a sour taste for me

On the original topic, it won't be Silva then, got the Hull job

At the time, we were no doubt happy with the fee we paid and Chelsea with what they received - a few years on and we'd sell them for more if they left, but that says more about is and what we have done as a club with players rather than Chelsea not getting good value for money

Sparta away and Palace were pretty poor but there haven't actually been too many shockers. There have been games where with better finishing, a disappointing draw would have actually been a decent enough win. Our lack of killer instinct in front of goal is undermining everything for me - even in some of the games we have won it could have cost us, like Everton and Swansea

While I'm firmly in the supporting Puel camp and think he is doing the right thing managing the squad how he is (if we get through the group stage next week, his whole approach to the LE will be totally justified), you could argue that if the rotation approach was working we would have won both the Sparta and Everton games, rather than just one. But anyway, as I say, he's doing the right thing for me

Frustrating lack of intensity in that second half in particular, which has cost us. Showed at SMS that Prague aren't very good and if you go at that them they have nothing to offer. Didn't do it and lost a game we should have won very comfortably. Very disappointing as we could have taken the pressure off a lot more for the final game. Last few weeks we've gone right off the boil. Earlier in the season we were playing some nice stuff and just weren't taking many of chances - now we've become pedestrian, aren't creating many chances and the few that we do, we miss. No-one really deserves any praise tonight apart from McQueen but a couple of real concerns for me - Redmond has suddenly become awful and Jay is unfortunately done at this level for me. A few weeks back Redmond was playing well and main criticism was his final pass/finishing but now his touch has completely deserted him, and Jay, he just isn't going to get back to the level we need. If Tadic is fit for Sunday I'd start him and Boufal with Austin and drop Redmond. Sunday would be an excellent time to return to form

On this one you may well be right. But what annoys me is that when you post your endless negativity about just about everything to do with the club, it comes across as though you above all else want to be proved right. Most fans have various concerns about their club, but most don't want them to actually be realised so that they can feel important on an internet forum.

On face value, another nice piece but these days, this type of article fills me a weird sense of anxiety that something bad is round the corner. Minimum being a tonking from our former players on Saturday. Does feel like a PR piece constructed with something else in mind though. Takeover is one conclusion to leap too as others have. Still, rather read press like this - there's plenty worse that could be written. We're never happy really are we? The life of the real football fan is always glass half full

Exactly. When we recovered and reverted to our dominant possession game but upped the tempo, we made plenty of chances to equalize. The bigger problem is our conversion - it's poor, only Austin gives you any faith that he's going to score and even he is missing more than he scores at the moment

So if Plan A is apparently "possession based" and we need another one, what should Plan B look like then? Not wanting the ball? I think we all know that if we went direct and that didn't work out people on here would then be smashing Puel and team for losing composure, not doing what we are good at...blah blah blah. We had an off day, a stinker, as we do at least once every season against a poor side - let's hope it won't happen again. Can't disagree that another good striker in January would be terrific though

To be honest, the way Jay is looking at the moment I'd be keen to send him to Blackburn in Jan and get Gallagher back in our squad. Must be a better option right now (I acknowledge that being at Blackburn and playing every week is doing Sam the world of good by the way, but still)

Even with his up and down performance yesterday, for me he's so much more dynamic than Clasie. Once our fixture pile up settles I hope/expect him to be first choice with Rom and Davis (or JWP if he could consistently produce like last night)

Don't agree with Puel getting criticised for his team selection. Was a massive game for the club and he picked a side he thought would win the game. Don't forget we already outplayed in Italy with a very similar side so he knew what was needed. And we won the game, so end of. If we go and beat Hull too, even more justified than he already is. The only disappointment from last night was watching Jay - a shadow of his former self really and it's hard to envisage him getting back to his previous level. Moment early in the second half summed it up for me when he was played in down the left - Jay of old would have gone straight at the defender, shifted it onto his right and got a shot away. Instead, he slowed it down, held the ball up, let Inter players get back in position and then hit a left foot cross straight at the defender. Genuinely sad for him

Bertrand and Cedric both out. Long doubtful

Must take three points at home to Burnley, otherwise we have dropped a host of points that should be in the bag and just have to find them from much tougher fixtures. Get the win, take a check on fitness for Inter, then play a side that can get the job done against a major European team in name only this season - they can't wait to be out of it.

Neither Redmond or JWP starting for U21s today as they rest a lot of players against Bosnia - pleased about that to be honest, don't need any further knocks in any position do we. Who is left to play? Davis for NI. Hojbjerg too I guess. Don't think Tadic has another game does he?

Go strong, get the win, check on fitness for Inter. Failing to beat Burnley at home, having not beaten Watford and Sunderland, is plenty of points we should have got that we need to find elsewhere

there's a list of supposed names to come doing the rounds on Twitter, some pretty unsurprising names on there if it is true

A few quotes from Ralph knocking around on Twitter - not sure the source - suggesting he has said "It's a personal issue for Eric, nothing to do with the club". Hope that isn't the stance, even though technically true, I think we need to get rid of him and make sure we aren't associated at all

Ralph's statements earlier this week have really left the club no choice at all but to sack him - you can't come out with that kind of commentary on the whole corruption piece (unprompted as well, a fair amount of egg on the club's face given what has happened the next day!) and then back one of your own when he's involved, whatever he has/hasn't done. Black is dirty enough in all this through the comments he made on camera, regardless of the fact that they don't appear to be for personal gain or related to club matters at all. He has to go

Part of a newspaper's job is to hold those in positions of authority to account, which is why investigative journalism exists. The Telegraph would not have simply sat down in a editorial meeting and thought, "shall we try and take down the new England manager?" No doubt they will have received info on this type of thing, let's face it, there's probably plenty of it about on Allardyce, and given his position felt the need to investigate it. They could have no doubt run the same story through "sources" but would it have held any sway or just been their word against Sam (and everyone else in the football corruption investigation). For me they're not really creating news here, they are exposing it.

This is well wide of the mark for me. Negative attitude towards Fonte only started with some fans when it became obvious that either he or his agent was pushing for a move to United/peddling supposed interest to get a bigger contract even though he only just signed one. Coming out a day after the window and declaring his commitment to the club would have no doubt had more impact had he done it before a potential move was closed off. Prior to that, I'd say the whole fanbase was behind him, full of respect for his ability and achievements, reveling in his rise to ultimately win the Euros, calling him a club legend and wanting him on the banner of the forum. We all know he has been a superb player for us, held the defence together with a host of (albeit very talented) different partners since we returned to the Prem. But whatever went on behind the scenes, the radio silence from the club and him post Euros was telling that there was a problem which really, must have stemmed from Fonte's camp. Coupled with a few dodgy performances earlier this season as he gets up to fitness, and the criticism is understandable. We expect more on and off the pitch from the captain. He's far from finished as a player though, a few decent performances down the line, for me I think most will be over it. I know I am already. But he's not getting any younger, we're right to be discussing the need for a replacement and I'm sure the club are too.

There is an implication of corruption here, rather than actual proof of it. But that is more than enough for him to deserve to go. It is Allardyce at the end of the day, everyone knows what he's like so the FA have to hold their hands up on the gamble of appointing him in the first place. But he lost his job as his comments completely undermined the FA, whether you think he actually did anything "wrong" or not. He was giving advice to a supposed private business on how to get around rules put in place by his employers and the governing body of his sport. Giving advice on an issue that his employers have been very clear that they are totally against and added regulation to that effect. Given the FA's role as the governing body of English football on all matters, disciplinary proceedings, bringing the game into disrepute etc, they could hardly stand by their man, even if they wanted to. He had to go. And I'm glad, never wanted him in the first place

Certainly some truth in that and as you say, others can cope with it. Hojbjerg received some very similar passes and dealt with them. Bigger worry is his positional sense in the 1st half - better teams would have played right through us I think. Anyway, picking holes really - he improved second half and hopefully will continue to do so. Just a nagging concern I have with him that I haven't been able to shake since he went missing for Capoue's goal on the opening day

Overall, a night of real positives. Great to see Austin get a couple of goals and a cracking finish from Jay Rod too, much more difficult than it looked. As others have said, hats off to Martina for an all action performance. Only one negative for me. Did anyone else find Romeu first half performance in particular a little concerning? Reading through I think general consensus is he had a good game, and he did make some crunching tackles in the second half when he was much improved, but I thought he was all over the place in the first half, with poor touch and positionally as well. Maybe some big tackles are papering over the cracks with him? I do like him, he's a good player, not in Vic's class obviously. But I've thought this a few times this season and with the current formation, his discipline, in terms of being in the right place at the right time, is critical to it's success for me. Hopefully he can continue to improve in the role