ericb

Sure people won't like this but i’ve been told in the next few weeks to expect a “very well briefed” story in the press about VVD to Liverpool.

I was reading the other day that the sale of all replica kits is down in general and companies are thinking it might be tipping point for people wearing them games. To be honest i'm not surprised, and i'm still baffled as to why people spend just shy of £50 for a poor quality t-shirt that's really only good for a year and marks you out (as a grown adult) as being a bit sad.

And doesn't map to the name i've been given in terms of who we're potentially speaking to either. Doesn't mean that it's not true of course, since i know we've ruled out at least one manager already.

Not what i've heard but wouldn't be too disappointed with that where we are now. That said if we'd swapped Koeman or Poch for Monk i think most would've said that's a definite backwards step, which does show how we've dropped off.

The rumours are most definitely founded and in many places have even been openly talked about by the clubs leadership, in particular the need to sell our "top assets" (their words not mine) because of historical debts.

We want Cortese back!!! Also... Why do we have to sell all our best players

Some of us know more than others about how he ran the club and what he did. Those of us that know don't want him back.

So far nothing they've told me has been wrong, so yeah i am, but i'm also a natural sceptic so always look to get things validated

I heard a very interesting name mentioned yesterday from a very good source, not going to share it yet as i've not been able to confirm it but if it's true it shows we're looking at a level above Ranieri that's for sure.

I know enough to know some players do have a problem with Puel.

Well that's just not true.

I think barring a disaster for the next few seasons you're going to see us and Everton interchanging on who gets the European spot based on who is playing in Europe that season (assuming the cups are won by teams in Europe already anyway). Us and them are in very similar positions right now and arguably both "the best of the rest" and the best set up to do it consistently.

otherwise known as the Chris Nicholl formation! Oh what i'd give for Wallace, Wallace, Le Tiss, Armstrong, Case, Shearer et al right now. Now that was a team you couldn't call boring

Not sure where people got this stadium expansion thing from, Krueger specifically ruled it out in his interview and said it would be a "facelift" for the stadium and not expansion

I do London to Southampton every game, London to Brighton isn't just easier (direct from Victoria or London Bridge, shortest travel time is 45mins) it's also a fraction of the cost. London to Southampton off peak day return is ~£40 without a rail card, London to Brighton is ~£20 with a travel card. Also the Southern thing is annoying but affects weekends for less thank weekdays as the majority of strikes are on week days. But apart from that you're spot on. What i would say is the major benefit for London Saints in exile is that we get a much easier ride on all away games. Not only does virtually every game have a direct train into London, but also you're far more likely to get discounted tickets then you are from Southampton. For example with a bit of pre-planning i can get London to Manchester for about £30, London to Birmingham this season was £8 return, booked early enough Sunderland and Boro would've been under £50 return. You don't get those prices from Southampton as normally you have to get somewhere then change to carry on.

So he's gone then

That is most likely true yes, expecting it to happen by the end of June. The one who's non English and the one who's already been spoken to are the same person and it's not Ranieri.

Sunday drinking in the sun is always fun isn't it?

I'm fairly confident Puel won't last beyond June.

He's absolutely right though and they're by no means the only players that have fallen out with Puel.

All season i've thought he was probably going to come good at some point. Europe aside the team i've watched away from home has been very different to the one that i've watched at St Mary's, playing with a lot more freedom and looking cleverer in their movement (on the whole). But i'm now of the opinion he's the wrong fit for the club, it does seem he's lost the dressing room and that his tactics aren't getting the traction he wants. I also think 17 goals at home this season is shocking no matter how you look at it, and i'm genuinely not convinced he'll improve on that next season even with a full squad as he just doesn't have his teams playing at home in the right way to do so. At the end of the day it does show how spoilt we've become that we could potentially finish 8th and reach a major cup final, things that really aren't normal for us, and yet still sack our manager. But that also shows just how strong our improvement has been in recent years.

I've thought since before today's result we'd get 7 more points, didn't see one of them coming at Anfield though so this is a bonus. Personally think we'll take a point from Arsenal and beat Boro and Stoke, not sure where that'll leave us though. Assuming we finish 8th, would people still claim Puel is a failure? Top 8 and a cup final would be a superb season for Saints in my opinion.

To be fair i believe you as a hell of a lot of what you've said in the past has tallied up exactly with what i've heard from the people i know too. Although i have to say it's tightened up a bit recently with a lot less slipping out.

I don't think he is better than Morgan still. I think Morgan has been woefully mismanaged and had he been in Poch's Spurs team (or day i say it Klopps Liverpool team) we'd all be vindicated on saying how good he is. Technically Morgan is a far better all round footballer than Wanyama and played correctly offers a hell of a lot more to the game than just the destroyer in the middle of the pitch that Wanyama does.

Weirdly enough that was my first game too! And as a nipper that's what I thought football was going to be about. Didn't quite turn out like that in the end though Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk