SNSUN

Actually if we finish 8th and one of the teams above that get a 20 point deduction for financial irregularities, we can get in. :-)

We're not going down even if mathematically we still can. Hull and Swansea will be fighting for that right, but there is a chance of slipping down the table and finishing in the bottom half. Palace are flying, Leicester were until recently, Bournemouth and West Ham can still pick up points and you can never rule out Watford or Stoke. However we still have Hull and Boro to play, as well as a very winnable home dead rubber against Stoke, so there's potentially 9 points for us. Then we just have to hope of picking up a point or 3 against the big sides (I'd love to beat Liverpool and see them slip out the top 4) and we should be finishing 8th-10th. I have us finishing on 48 points, where ever that has us finishing. (10th-12th would be my prediction.)

Top 8 if we finish there and he decides to stay. Can't see it though, amazing as it'd be. (On both counts)

We've sold key players every summer we've been back in the Premier League, and that appears to be our model for financial security (not that that's necessarily a bad thing) so I really can't see us keeping VVD this summer, as our key 'jewel'. I'm preparing myself for the worst, so that if we don't sell him I'll be pleasantly surprised. The fee we'll get for him though should mean we don't need to sell any other 'jewels', but then I guess it depends on who (if anyone) kicks up a fuss and wants to leave. The media are already linking other clubs to Tadic, Cedric (not that I think Barcelona will go for him - Bellerin if anyone), Bertrand, and even Gabbiadini, not to mention the likes of Romeu, Redmond and JWP will have admirers. Then there's the question of selling squad players like JRod and Clasie. Keeping the team together as much as possible will be key to knowing how well we do next season. At the start of this season I said that this will be a transition season - and it feels as if that has been the case. If, and I say if in hope, we keep everyone together, and strengthen the backbone with a centre back and defensive midfielder, then I really think the sky is the limit next season with no extra games to play in Europe. I'm talking even fighting for top 4. However the realist in me thinks we'll be rebuilding again following the sales of a couple of key players (albeit in a stronger position than this season as we have youngsters come through and the likes of Yoshida much improved) and we'll achieve similar to this season, perhaps with a better points total due to more rest between games. Our summers are never boring, that's for sure!

I don't know who this Fred Ayre bloke is on the BBC feed but he sounds very biased digging at Saints a lot! Before my time I guess. I'm stuck at work so that and this is all I have!

Think this will be a high scoring defeat. (I don't mean we'll get whipped big style, I mean both sides will score a few but it'll be close. I'm going for 5-3 to Man City, our goals from Manolo, JWP and Bertrand. :-) Of course I hope for much more...

There's not one Arsenal player I'd have in the Saints starting eleven. Not one.

So Pompey have won Community club of the year in the EFL. Outstanding achievement. They should get bonus points for that.

I'll take a point tonight. Against Palace. At home. There I said it. Let's get to Dalek's famed 40 point mark and then reassess in the summer.

For me, it boils down to the future summer transfer dealings of 2017. On one hand, we're a bad transfer window away from a relegation battle (seeing the assets like VVD, Romeu, Bertrand, Cedric, Gabbiadini, Tadic, Redmond et al sold with crap bought in to replace them), on the other hand we have the makings of a really good team and with a couple/a few decent transfers and we could really push up the table for a top 6 spot. I think the powers that be will show Puel faith and we'll still see him here next season, and personally that wouldn't bother me as long as we show early season signs of progression, however IF the right manager became available this summer, a really decent coach and motivator, we should be looking to bring him in and let Puel go.

The songs write themselves. Previously linked with Norwich and Reading. Unusual for Arsenal to get rid of their youth - they usually want to nurture it. Preparing for life without Wenger?

No chance he'll get it with Lukaku in there. Voting only counts for 10%. The rest is "experts".

Tweet him and give him hell!

The commentators did mention it. What is a bit annoying is Phil McNulty, the BBC chief football writer, gave the only 5 rating to Redmond, despite the fact he produced perhaps the best bit of skill of the England players, and it's hardly his fault Germany were on top by the time he came on. He didn't make any mistakes, 5 is harsh. Meaningless in the long run, but still...

JWP coming on?

Spurs clearly trying to keep this game 2-1. I still think we have one more good chance in us, we just need to take it. Davis not having his best game it seems. One more sub to come yet too...

I said at the start of the season this would be a transition season and that's what it's felt like. Pellé, Mané and Wanyama going was a big dent to the backbone. But with Gabbiadini signing and starting so brightly, and the emergence of Romeu as a top DM, not to mention youth coming through, it really does feel like we're perhaps 2 signings away from being a great team. Personally I wouldn't be against a squad of --------------------------Forster(McCarthy)------------------------- Cedric(Pied)-New CB(Stephens)-VVD(Yoshida)-Bertrand(McQueen) ------------------New DM(Clasie)----Romeu(Davis)----------------- ---Boufal(JWP)--------Tadic(Hojbjerg)------------Redmond(Long) -------------------Gabbiadini(Austin)------------------------------- plus youngsters. It won't be, I'm sure we'll have an eventful summer as ever, but I think that looks like a good side if we could get the quality of those signings right.

I have an unnerving feeling we'll get something from this game. Some Decent attacking displays recently and the chance Caceres could feature. The fact we're better than 4-1 in the betting is weird - yes Spurs are a better team (vomits in mouth) but they're missing key players. Bookies have Spurs as heavy favourites for this - I can only think that it's our recent defensive displays that is the reason for that. Wish I wasn't bloody working during the game.

Agree with this. Pleased with his inclusion. Maybe it's the formation, maybe it's the coaching, but he definitely seems to be playing better of late. Whether he'll do it for England we shall see. Personally I doubt he'll get any game time for a while (unlike Redmond who I think may get a run out) but stranger things have happened.

Gabbiadini/Austin/Long/Gallagher (+youngsters like Seager and Olumola) seems like a decent complement of strikers, providing Puel (if it is indeed Puel who is manager next season, and I think it will be) can keep them all happy. Austin is the one that I feel won't like being second fiddle to someone else. As for JRod, I feel a bit sad as it's not his fault he got badly injured really, but even though he's shown flashes of his old self, we should really be letting him try his luck at form somewhere else. The problem will arise if Gabbiadini is fancied by others in the summer and the board sees a huge profit for someone we've only had for 6 months as hard to resist. Then we'll need to be in the market for a new striker and hope he's as prolific as Gab has been since he arrived.

Kane has been on fire recently. The 6-0 might give them confidence but we're far, far better than Millwall, and no Kane for Spurs is a massive plus for us. We're back in form, I can see us springing a surprise next week.

£8 million for a flawed, past-it 33 year old that gave his best years for us, has to be one of the best bits of transfer business we've performed in the last few years when it comes to selling players.

Not in Andrew Davies' case. Think he only played a dozen games for us the season he won it. VVD for me. Injury aside he was awesome for us earlier in the season, and even helped with goals when we were struggling with them. Closely followed by Romeu. I couldn't pick a third as there are a few in the running. Most improved is a tie between JWP and Yoshida. Best youngster is McQueen.

Marek Saganowski was the one that springs to mind. Came in a banged the goals in, including in the 6-0 against Wolves that we all thought we'd lose beforehand, so bad was our injury crisis. I also think the signing of Boruc at the time had a good impact on a free at a time when we only had Davis for experience.