SNSUN

So, who is the third player we will be signing from Brest? 😁

I look forward to watching him play in 8 months after he's finally adjusted to the Premier League and we've had to rotate between Vokins, Salisu and Diallo at left back. 😜 It's good news that the club is also looking for another full back as well, so the mistakes of last season aren't repeated. Another right back that can play left back, or right back with KWP slotting across to left back if needed, would be the best solution, but I wonder whether we would bring in two left backs in case one of them isn't very good/doesn't adjust/doesn't live up to expectations? Unless Vokins is finally ready to step up to reserve LB I guess. I can't see Valery as having much of a future here. Obviously Brandon Williams would be perfect for us, but would he come if he knew that KWP and Perraud were first choice? Tricky.

Absolute bargain if true. But seems very low... Thankfully Bournemouth aren’t in the Prem anymore! 🤪 Just turned on the internet for the first time all evening and I see Villa have had a bid for Buendia accepted. How nice would it be if, just once, we could make headlines for a surprise expensive signing! Buendia is class though. I’ll miss him at Norwich. (Wife’s team that I loosely follow.)

If Southgate plays two defensive midfielders or 3 centre backs, especially against so-called lesser teams, then there is no hope for him. But he will. Pickford, Walker, Stones, Mings, Chilwell, Rice, Mount, Foden, Grealish, Sterling, Kane or something similar to that would get other teams shitting their kecks. But I can't see him going so attacking. Usually unless I happen to be in front of the TV anyway, I don't watch England friendlies, but I'm on a stag do tomorrow and I stupidly mentioned there was an England game, so we're going to watch it. Pray GOD for some entertainment, or I'm going to have to get very very drunk. (I will anyway, but that will accelerate the issue.)

I reckon Smallbone might have had a chance were it not for his injury.

Neither are Barcelona, with Aguero, Garcia and potentially Wijnaldum signing on for nowt. Shows there is good value to be had if you’re a big enough name! Not breaking the £20 million limit doesn’t bother me because there are relative bargains to be had, you just have to scout well.

...because he would cost more than a bag of magic beans. We don't seem to have a vessel to wee-wee in. That is until we flog Ings and Vestergaard, but even they'll not fetch much more than £35 million and that money would probably cover the cost of replacements anyway. How nice would it be to wake up one morning soon and find out we've been sold to an Arab trillionaire...

If TAA got injured enough to pull him out the squad, I don't think Southgate would select another defender to replace him. I reckon Jesse L would get the first nod, but I don't think JWP would be too far behind. EDIT: Be funny if JWP ends up getting the call and wins England the Euros with a last minute free kick in the final. V. Funny. (Mind you I will probably be pissed...)

Salisu, Bednarek, Stephens + 1 (assuming the plus one is an improvement on both Stephens and Bednarek) would be a good complement of Centre Backs. Some people say you need 5 CBs in a squad but as we're Saints, I guess that fifth spot would go to a youth player (Ramsey or Tchaptchet I guess. If you pronounce the T's in Tchaptchet and repeat his name, it sounds like a train going down the tracks. 😁). Also knowing Saints however, I think we'll start the season with Salisu and Bednarek starting, Stephens as 3rd choice and a newly signed, perennially injured CB that takes a whole season to be ready. 😉 It probably depends on who would want Vestergaard. If there are no takers this summer I think he signs a new contract in the Autumn and sticks around (which of course means we're no better off with CBs than we have been this season).

Let's hope he's a Joule in the crown of the academy.

Ohm my god these jokes are bad.

Well I called it. Underwhelming squad. I'll support them when we play but will be very "meh" if we get knocked out. At least we have other UK countries to follow. Personally I'd be surprised if anyone but France won the competition anyway.

Would be a surprise if JWP doesn’t go. I bet we take 3 or even 4 right backs too. Don’t rate Southgate at all. We finally have players to pick from that could be a new ‘golden generation’, but I don’t think Southgate is the man to win trophies. JWP is versatile, has leadership qualities, is reliable, fit, not injury prone and can take a penalty. He’d be a loss to that squad. It looks to be another “building for the future” squad if the likes of Bellingham and Saka are selected.

This, but imagine JWP and Grealish in the same time - Grealish getting fouled around the box and JWP banging in the resultant free kick. It's a recipe for GOALS! 🙂 Mount and Rice have two of the spots for midfield, if Southgate persists with a 433 then I suspect Henderson or Phillips will be his choice for the third spot.

Pope is out sadly or I think he'd have got the nod. My guess is it will be between Henderson and Pickford (with Johnstone or Ramsdale as unused 3rd choice) but I reckon Southgate will go with the experience of Pickford. We just have to hope he doesn't make any errors. Big questions over whether TAA will make the squad. Some "pundits" have him as a starting right back but Walker and Trippier will be in the squad and I reckon Southgate may take James which means TAA will miss out again. Rightly so? Well James had a cracking game yesterday and showed he can play CB in a 3 man backline (like Walker) if needed. I've never known such luxuries at right back as we have currently. KWP and Wan Bissaka must be kicking themselves! Injuries may play a part in squad selection too - but apparently Jordan Henderson is fit, just not match fit, hence why I think he'll be in Southgate's squad at the very least.

I'm starting to get excited for the Euros now as it creeps ever closer and I'm actually able to the pub for a couple of games, after World Cup 18 was ruined by my newly born daughter. 😄 Is this going to be the official Euros thread? What is everyone's choice for England starting XI if everyone is fit? For me it should be: Henderson, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell, Rice, JWP, Mount, Grealish, Sancho, Kane. But maybe I'm biased on JWP. I strongly suspect Southgate will start Pickford, Jordan Henderson, Foden and Rashford.

I said before the game Chelsea would be too much defensively for City and I wish I'd put my money where my mouth was! City need work, especially in attack, although they were unfortunate that De Bruyne went off in tears. Chelsea were well organised and difficult to break down - I bet their fans would have taken losing the FA Cup if it meant winning tonight. Reece James, Ander Christensen and Kante were outstanding. I'm glad I didn't take sides in this game, it was much easier to watch, but the right team won.

Pretty much my thoughts on it, the latter comment especially in a season when we could be struggling for survival. Otherwise it's OK. I'm a sash fan but it is nice to see the stripes back.

He'll get the Championship trophy in two years if he stays put! 😄 Seriously though it'd be a hollow victory if a team he joined won a trophy and he had very little to do with it anyway. Liverpool were his best bet (and under contract he could have stayed and got a Premier League trophy) but he came here. City and Chelsea are my bets to dominate for years now and I don't see them wanting him. United want him and is probably their best bet but with Cavani, Greenwood, Rashford and (currently) Martial there I can't see him getting that much game time. Bar cups perhaps. Even their young striker Elanga scored on the last day of the season and they may not want to block his pathway. I can't see Liverpool taking him back so that leaves Arsenal and Spurs, neither who I can see challenging for much in the next couple of seasons. All IMO of course.

He scored an overhead kick for England this season and is IMO better than Watkins. If Saints had had a season similar to Villa’s, and had Danny not picked up niggling injuries, he’d have gone. Gutted for him as he’d have been included last year. The crux of the issue now is: does Danny want playing time or is money more important to him? I can’t see him getting game time at the top level. That said it must be demoralising and frustrating to be a good player when surrounded with sub-standard players around you! 😋

Areola would be a good signing if we can get him. Nip that position in the bud before it gets any worse. Actually I'd take any of the relegated keepers over McCarthy. If it is him and Forster next season, I truly hope Fraser is the favoured one.

We haven't learned from the Shane Long saga. He has more to offer than Long yes but for £75k surely we could have signed somebody better... and on less wages.

Next year's starting XI should read: -----------New GK----------- KWP New CB Salisu New LB ---------JWP-New DM------- Armstrong-----------New AM ----Ings-----New ST. We are 6 quality first choice signings away from being back to a European place challenging team, and that's even before we factor in the potential loss of Ings and possibly even JWP (if a big club fancies him). Add the loss of those two hypothetically, and maybe Vestergaard, and then add a back up right back, and we are not far away from needing an entire XI of top players. Ain't gonna happen unless some twat like Celtic decide Elyounoussi is worth £100 million. It's going to be a long summer and we need to work miracles. Thank God we have the Euros for a distraction.

One minor positive is Minamino hasn't looked completely useless today. There are signs there if we are going to persevere with signing him that it wouldn't be a completely awful signing... though I'd still rather we sign someone proven or more of a creative midfielder which we lack. I do think we have a goal in us today... if it is the next one, West Ham may implode. Maybe dreaming though. Romeu coming on!

We don't have a big defensive midfielder to break up play (a la Wanyama). We don't have a left back that can constantly get forward. (A la prime Bertrand.) We don't have a goalkeeper that anyone can rely on for a full season. (A la Niemi.) We don't have a top centre back. (A la Van Dijk.) We don't have a creative midfielder that can unlock a defence. (A la Tadic. ) We don't have a striker to partner and complement Ings regularly. Until these problems are rectified, we will be relegation fodder every season. And to fix these problems, we need money. Seeing as the chairman is unlikely to fund us a big spending spree, I can see us going down our usual route of selling Jewels. This could be a few people's last game, and include the manager in that now.