The Kraken

Individual. Young players being told they'll only get on the pitch from the bench if the manager gets their appearance/win bonus. On a regular basis. Also youth players being "forcibly encouraged" to sign with certain "friendly" agents. All theoretically speaking, of course.

It's an open secret within football circles that JP's comments are not without basis. Allegedly, theoretically speaking etc....

Agree with the sentiments of the OP. As impressive as Saints have been since coming back up to the PL, it seems to me we are fast reaching the limits of the glass ceiling. We've been one of the highest spenders in two summer transfer windows, so our growth has been very impressive, but making up ground just to challenge for 6th or 7th is going to be just as big a leap. The cup really is our best chance of success in the short term so I hope that becomes a priority, we're quite obviously not going down so I'd hope we have a real crack at it. This PL twilight zone, as somebody above penned it, is a very apt phrase.

"Shut yer noise you f*cking old c*nt". It's like something out of a Danny Dyer movie.

Quite right too.

He really wouldn't.

Is this not the case now, then? Gibbs picks up sporadic caps here and there, so (I'm just guessing here) perhaps Hodgson sees something in him. Just maybe. The Saints issue is irrelevant, really.

No idea mush. But he's currently behind three players, not only the two you mentioned.

He also quite clearly has Kieran Gibbs in front of him.

I'm reasonably confident that Saints wouldn't look to reinvest £30M in a replacement full back, so I'd always be a little worried as to what we'd get in place of Shaw. But Clyne for £2.5M shows the type of player that is available. Sadly £30M isn't as obscene a sum of money as it was even just 5 years ago; it essentially gets you Gaston Ramirez and Dani Osvaldo. So I'd be careful of what I wished for just assuming we should take the money, and I hope we hold off for as long as possible.

Who knows why we were in the market for another LB, but its not exactly beyond the realms of possibility to suggest that it was to eradicate the need to use Dan Fox. Shaw didn't break through until a few games in, so he wasn't the de facto first choice when we looked at Buttner. Perhaps Shaw's rapid progress was a surprise; but Fox still played in 20 league games that season, so he got a pretty good run which Buttner would likely have had were he here. We still need a better reserve option at left back than Fox so Buttner could have been a decent option.

What has that got to do with anything? I'm not even sure its true; Clyne wasn't exactly on top form but I'm struggling to see who else made up those who were "far poorer displays out there" than Lambert. Perhaps you could say who all those players were?

You can keep bleating about people not being at the game all you like pal; but you might just have to accept other people's opinions that, by Lambert's own high standards, he was nowhere near his peak yesterday. Parts of his game were definitely poor. Now I can see it obviously upsets you that some people think that, but it's a perfectly valid opinion. Oh, and yes, I was at the game. I had a lovely time, thanks.

Sorry Diggers, I'm a footy thicko myself and I wouldn't be able to explain it properly.

On the same vein, is anyone denying that? Lambert wasn't at his best but he was still our only viable option up front. Not sure what the problem is with saying that lambert didn't have his best game by his own standards.

Anyone who thinks that Rickie Lambert hasn't had better games than yesterday doesn't understand football. Fact.

He obviously had issues with the captaincy in the early stages. Kelvin Davis made reference to it: I pretty much agree with that; I think it took Lallana a little while to adapt to the new responsibility. But now that he has done so he is a very worthy skipper; as would be Rickie Lambert or Dejan Lovren IMO.

Pretty much this. He provided the attacking flair we were crying out for yesterday in creating the goal but his all round play still needs to improve IMO, he's too often unnecessarily wasteful in possession or when making what should be simple passes. I don't mind it when a flair player sometimes loses the ball by trying something audacious, but Gaston loses the ball too often just trying run of the mill things, or holding on to it for too long.

Spot on, for me. Normally Lambert is excellent with his range of passing, and crossing too. Yesterday he was off all round. His shooting from distance was pretty poor too, the squandered free kick (straight into the wall) and a couple of shots that just went straight at the keeper. Not that we really had any other options, but in front of goal RL was pretty toothless yesterday.

#

Do the "we'll finish 17th" thing. Or the "41 points thing". Go on, do it!!!! Hilarious!!!!!!!

Lambert could definitely play the forward sweeper role. I'd go so far as to say that he'd be better than Dan Seaborne at it. It's a bold shout, but I stick with it.

He did come in for criticism last season; he did ok, but this season he's simply been superb. Last season I'd have never said he was an England player; this season I'd say it would be an utter travesty if he doesn't go to Brazil. the change in him has been amazing. As if the switch from League 1 to the Premier league wasn't enough, he's proven himself to be one of the best players in the whole division. A class act.

It's rare to hear you praise Rickie Lambert, Rog. I always thought you didn't rate him.

Right you are, hadn't seen how relatively poor his stats were last season. I guess that's why he came under so much criticism. Back in the groove though. One poor season sandwiched in between a glorious scoring pattern for a non-striker.