the saint in winchester

Yes, Pelle back, please. C'mon, Chinese owners, do it.

Hope you're right. However, I am not expecting any more incoming, just a few OUT the door now.

Boo! That's not the news we want to hear, so going to stick my fingers in my ears and chant "la la la" until 11pm.

Yes, agree. Always believed the transfer window should be closed before the season starts. And the window itself could be just a week long to get the deals done quickly. It's too much like an ebay auction currently, nothing (little) happens until the final hour. Crazy when matches are in play on the final night of the window, and your key players are given the night off to go sign for another team, or park outside the ground hoping a team will get a deal done and you are there to sign the document. Close the window 31st July!

I'd take him as player/coach, more coach than player. And I'd bring in Nigel Adkins too. I'm a soppy sort. They were good to us, we should be good to them.

Yes, time to come home, Theo. You know it makes sense. £80k a week and the job's yours.

I would pay €15M of the club's money for him, sure. Let's do the deal quickly, without fuss or hesitation.

Yes, it will, undoubtedly. Even if Les Reed makes a public statement that VVD is 100% staying, we will NOT release him for his contract at ANY price, as sure as night follows day, you can be sure one or more clubs will test us on deadline day evening with an offer. This has 21 days yet to run.

Automatic starters .... well, Fraser Forster meets that criteria as he is clearly going to play EVERY game, from pub car park to Wembley. The captain needs to be articulate, able to motivate in the pre-match huddle, and able to direct the side on the pitch during the game. I genuinely don't know who is best.

Get (ex Celtic man) Forster to call him and recommend Saints to him, explaining the fans here are really supportive, get behind you, and cheer their every move.

You're stupid (you told us to call you that) but on this, logically you would be correct. I would expect him be well along with pre-season training with his current club and able to ready to play very soon. If we can have him training with us and identifying his role, that could possibly be this Saturday. It would be odd to expect our existing squad to play another friendly just to give the new signing some match practice.

I trust you mean £75M. At £75, I will buy him myself as my man-servant.

Mauricio Pellegrino will attempt to personally broker a compromise between the Southampton board and Virgil van Dijk. The standard 'stay one more year and then we will let you go' offer?

Kolo Toure? Yaya to follow? TOURE WANTS TO PLAY Kolo Toure is yet to find a club after being released by Celtic this summer, but says he hopes to continue his playing career. The 36-year-old has spent most of the summer in Ivory Coast training and coaching within the national team set up. He told Press Association: "I just want to carry on playing if there is a good option. But at the same time if there is a good opportunity as a coach I'd like a player-coach role to inspire young players because that is what I was doing at Celtic for the last six months. "We spoke about me going on the staff and I was waiting for an offer to come but nothing is done yet and time is going on. "I still have something to offer. I have had very few injuries and I can still bring my experience and fighting spirit."

I went on Wednesday, but can't go tomorrow (away this weekend). If anyone wants to use the seats, PM me your email address and I'll send over the tickets to print out. Only ask if you can DEFINITELY go, not "I'll see how I feel tomorrow, I might go". Ta.

You weren't there then? Aside from Gallagher and Cedric, all were given some game time. This is likely to be the same players in our squad, unless a whole host are about to come IN and I don't believe they are.

Yes, he looks very good. And the #11 who you didn't notice, yet he still scored twice.

Exactly this. It's bizarre. We have many GK on our books and pre-season is the chance to rotate them. Yet only Forster plays. Genuinely concerned. Never mind VVD situation, the area of concern is the GK role.

Hope he gets game time on Saturday. However, I do fear he is on the periphery. Running up and down the line only to keep warm tonight.

Just back from the game ....what the hell was that? We were good for the first 3 minutes, had a goal attempt .... then just recycled the ball for 85 minutes, completely outplayed by our visitors, then only starting trying again with 2 mins left. Those who played well .... none Those who were poor ...everyone A championship side would have beaten us tonight. 17th says Dalek! We'll be lucky to get that.

Agree. Get his head together, play well, all is forgiven.

Demerai Gray looking likely to leave Leicester. Now there is Mane type that would improve us.

Hope they fail; we need him here.

I'd be worried if he is asked to play left back. Better at RB.

But that is exactly the phrase Mark here at the office used. He values Mane as their best player, and says if Mane is fit and if Klopp really plans to use Salah regularly then Coutinho will often be a bench start. Yes, he may not be representative of Liverpool fans but that is his opinion. However, if Barca need to sell Neymar to trigger Coutinho, this could well all be academic.