washsaint

Well this is truly awful.........only bright way of looking at it is that we got tore a new one first game of last season by Everton. But this is worrying and absolutely no threat. I just don't understand this formation - its too narrow and we are not moving the ball at pace. Play Austin up front and play as a real attacking unit as opposed to this useless false 9 formation.

Well this is truly awful.........only bright way of looking at it is that we got tore a new one first game of last season by Everton. But this is worrying and absolutely no threat. I just don't understand this formation - its too narrow and we are not moving the ball at pace. Play Austin up front and play as a real attacking unit as opposed to this useless false 9 formation.

romeu......terrible play. Right now though the formation means we have no real threat up front. Very early but that was terrible play.

But your comments about speakig through an interpreter and not wanting to be there also applied to Pochettinos time here and that wasn't too bad was it? Certain that is what Barry was alluding to. As to how he projects at a press conference - so what. It is whether he has the buy-in from the players that counts (same as with Pochettino and the language barrier or otherwise). All things seem to indicate that he does and that is more important than whether he 'entertains' the public. Or are you saying someone ;like Redknapp would be better because his press conferences are more entertaining?

bloody hell......coming back to read some of the comments, pre-season, etc. make me realize why I tend not to post on here any more. Sure there are things we need to improve on and I'm sure the club is working on the areas that need improvement. So many wet blankets on here and I think no matter what the club did it would be wrong. Championship Manager afficiandos extolling the virtues of players that quite clearly would not fit our system or mean we have 3 or 4 choices for every position. Quite incredible really - did any of you moaning whingers notice that Espanyol beat Everton after playing us? You do realize most teams have not strengthened in the summer yet? For the last 3 years we have been toothless up front - with the exception of small clusters of games where we have score a few - yet suddenly it is all the new managers fault. Quite incredible and 'I want it all now' mentality that never used to be associated with Saints fans. Thank god this forum is not representative of the real world.

Blimey, so he was also the GK, defender and midfield. Quite some player and should have gone for way more than 100 million if what you say is true.

Funny that, we have barely anyone that would get in a top 6/7 team, yet we finished 6th last season! What is wrong with people?

Maybe, but Saints consistenly do it....... Bertrand replaced Shaw Tadic replaced Lallana

where has all this replacing 7 players come from? We have lost 3 (2 of which had plenty of bench time last season and 1 who was out suspended for many matches and one who only played well when he wanted to impress) and Juanmi who never really figured. Who are the other 4 (Steklenburg was only a loan)?

nice....were you affected by all the delays? Sounds like a good event: not sure about the 20,000 riders though!!!

Batman - you truly are a piece of work. Don't you wish we were Everton or Stoke......in fact, why don't you bugger off and support them? So what would you class as a sign of ambition? Keeping Wanyama and letting him go on a free next season? Keeping Mane and getting a low value next year when he clearly would not sign a new contract? Keep your mate Pelle who is at the tail end of his career and not got almost double what we paid for him (not to mention him getting a 260K per year contract)? Every time you post trash like this it makes you look like a complete tool.

This would lock down the core of our team and would be outstanding.....would mean any sales (if any) next year would be on our terms not with the club held over a barrel.

Batman wtf - regress on the defensive side if we don't replace Mane? The defence is not the concern. 3 of the usual back 4 were not playing today and Pierre looks, albeit early, an upgrade on Wanyama. If anything I think we'll be more solid at the back than last year. It is up front I am concerned about - chances look like they will be few and far between.

Its all very well being very supportive and positive (which I normally am - the CLub has done wonders these last few years). However, that should not blind you to what is right in front of you. Of course pre-season is not the be all and end all. But do you not find it worrying that against average opposition Saints have created maybe 3 or 4 chances in the last 2 games? With players like Austin receiving the ball deep in our own half - not in the box where he is predatory - this is not going to create chances. Tadic looked terrible today - I just hope Puel is flexible in his tactics and thinking but from his past that does not necessarily seem to be the case.

I thought the younger players looked better than a lot of the established players. Pierre, Hesketh, Reed, Jones, Stephens all looked good. The system seems too rigid and predictable and will likely be easy for other teams to close down. Strikers playing really deep won't result in many goals. I truly hope there is better to come because we have created so little in this pre-season.

Valery also looks quite a prospect - crying out for a real #10 though. Tadic was awful today

Very impressed with Hesketh...great tracking back and lovely cross for the goal

Hesketh and Reed have looked good....certainly better than Clasie and JWP 1st half

Really dislike this style of play....chances will really be at a premium if we continue in this rigid style. Absolutely nothing be created from open play.

JWP and Tadic terrible so far. Only pre-season but not a lot to cheer the cockles of the heart yet. Obviously we are missing Bertrand and Cedric but the full backs playing now just don't have the quality to play in this system. Certainly would not say this is an attacking style of play. Dull would be a better word.

Clasie looking good but I can see us really struggling to create much this season. Seem to have no oomph in an attacking sense: all looks pretty but then nothing of any note in the final third.

Hi Guan.......question for you (unrelated to transfers in as we'll find out soon enough) is what you know of the mood in the camp and how the players are finding Puel and his methods. be fascinated to know how this may differ from thoughts/feelings re. Koeman

The winter where he went nearly 20 games (i think) without scoring and where Koeman dropped him.

Oh dear......do you not do irony MLG? I think you will find that Turkish was taking the p**s out of the hysterical tarts on here that always seem to think the sky is falling in.

Well I'm glad that's sorted then. 'I'll scream and I'll scream until I make myself sick' - why are there so many bedwetting hysterical tarts on here? Substantially weaker squad my arse.......we have a very good squad and just how many players per position is anyone expecting? How do you keep players happy when they are not playing? We have a very strong midfield and anyone who has forgotten that Mane went MIA for 6 months last season is deluded. If you cannot get excited by what you have seen of Redmond so far it's probably because a) hes not foreign b) he didn't cost 20 million. Were you one of the hysterical tarts over the last 2 seasons as well whining about going backwards? In case anyone has forgotten we have signed 6-7 of our key players to very long term contracts which is progression in its own right.