Golac's Iron Gonads

I still believe he'll come good, I'm not alone. http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/news/40313/

I'm no bedwetter, Romeu looks to be a great addition, but Caulker is very worrying, appalling decision making, poor passing, poor positioning and not dominant in the air, combined with lack of speed, he's looking more of a liability than Fox did. I'd be tempted to send him back from whence he came.

I'd rather we told Hodgson he wasn't welcome, or at least have someone key his car every time he comes down.

I'll be happy to see us look more solid in defence, would like to see Caulker and Romeu have impressive games, they should do as we're playing a team consisting of a number of Championship players, get a draw or even sneak a win and start to build that confidence. Mane in the 55th minute and Saints shutting them out for the remainder would please me greatly and give no small amount of optimism for the season.

in dutch http://www.sportingvideo.co/20150808/vv55c66c80837313.23732922-1119668.html

To a lower half premier team, Bournemouth, Villa, Leicester, Palace, etc his career will go the same way as Cork's. Less and less playing time and eventually deciding to move on for first team football, I am certain we will see Reed usurp JWP as the academy success story this season, and to have a far more important role in the squad.

Last season I expected to see him start to impose himself on games, he needed to add that aspect to his tidy passing and work rate. He didn't, I think if he doesn't move up a notch this year he'll be on his way, needs to add something more than just being a tidy player to his game (and not dead balls).

I've set up a head to head league for an added incentive. Limited to 38 teams though. 1567877-369499

Nah, Pochettino will never be held in the same regard as Branfoot, I meant Merrington specifically as a manager, did OK, nothing special kept us up...just.

Oh and **** him!

An ever more irrelevant footnote in our history, already not as important as Adkins or Koeman. Soon to be on a par with Merrington and Burley.

Not really.

This thread is going well, maybe there's something about the game on page one.

Saints these days remind me a lot of the Parma team in the mid to late 90s, football much admired by all, always got hold of some great young players/coaches (Ancelotti,, Cannavaro, Crespo, Veron, Thuram, Buffon etc) that would then leave for the bigger Italian teams. If we can have some of the success Parma enjoyed I'd be well happy, wouldn't want to end up like them now though.

Lowe would not have waited 6 years to sell him for 25 million. Had Lowe kept his position Morgan would have left for about 2.5 million when we were in Div 1 (and we'd still be there) if we were lucky.

I liked this fake Brendan and real Tesco exchange http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tesco-and-liverpool-parody-deluded-brendan-are-at-it-again-after-nathaniel-clyne-transfer--and-manchester-united-are-in-the-firing-line-10358759.html

well I trust him more than myself. So be it.

Looked good in the world cup, but also looked a bit of a big head, a bit up himself, not always a bad thing but don''t know if we need that and with Long, Mane, Tadic, Rodriguez all playing the same kind of role I'd rather we risked 12 million elsewhere in the team.

We'll see how happy he is after discovering his house is burgled every time he plays in the Europa league and that his midfield now contains Milner and Henderson not Wanyama and Scnneiderlin. A really poor move for him, what is he going to learn from Rodgers? The only plusses will be more money and a regular England place, if you can call that a plus.

Not the national sport in 2 of those countries, granted Russia's disappointing record is a conundrum, I chose those countries because they are European, have similar sized populations and historically strong domestic league competitions. Since England last graced a semi final 4 of those 5 have won the competition, Italy, France and Germany have been in 2 finals each. Other national teams that have made the world cup semis since England last did include Sweden, Bulgaria, South Korea, Turkey, Croatia, Uruguay. We are not performing as well as we should be, I don't expect us to be all conquering but it's a similar record in the Euros, it's poor stuff!

The Netherlands has a population of just 16.8 million, Germamy 80, France 66, Italy 59, and Spain 47. England has a population of 53 million we haven't made the semis of a world cup in 24 years that is not achieving what we should do. Something is very wrong with the game in this country, well not something, many things.

Christ! When was the last time that happened?

well he doesn't run around like a headless chicken (sterling, Januzaj etc etc) that makes it difficult for English pundits to understand what he contributes to a game, unless he's scoring goals.

It's hard to say really, I watched Saints in the early 80s and there was great technical skill on the field, any number of our goals of the month would show that, but it's so much faster now and that makes it far more difficult to show technical skill, yet we still see it. I do wonder how good technically some one like Giggs would be viewed now had he began his career 10 years earlier, or how would John Robertson fair in this day and age.

and Sterling is bloody awful, I'd rather take Bolasie, Zaha or even Puncheon back than have that overrated speedster, shisha smoking div at Saints. Not that we'd be able to afford the wages he seems to think he deserves.