SNSUN

Shocker, and I very nearly put him in my Fantasy Football team! Surely one of the better players, or players that have had an exceptional season, to miss a World Cup not through injury? Gazza/Tiss '98? There must be others...

I'm in - Mané as a midfielder is like printing money!

My World Cup guesses: To win - France or Brazil. You can't look past Brazil but France have some serious talent in it. Argentina could be in with a shout if Messi shows up and Aguero stays fit but they seem disorganised so I'm ruling them out. To do worse than expected - Germany IMO will be the big ones (big call that), Belgium under Martinez, Portugal. To surprise people - Uruguay can't be written off with Suarez, Cavani and Godin in their team, Senegal have Mane (nuff said), and England will win one (at least) knockout game after qualifying from the group. What are your predictions? (Bored Sunday at work...)

I think it's very much a personal thing as everyone is different when it comes to which season they enjoyed the most, even if Saints didn't do particularly well. For instance the Souness 96-97 season sticks in my head as the first time I went to "supporting" Saints to being mad about them, and even though we barely survived, there's a lot I remember about that season (GCSE year at school!). The 6-3 on MOTD which I tape recorded and watched over and over again, Mickey Evans banging a few in as we went on a late season run, the signings of Ostenstadt, Lundekvam and Berkovic, who I wished we'd kept hold of. My personal favourite though was the Pardew season in League One, when we started to piece together a squad throwing our financial muscle around (comparable to the rest of League One) as well as utilising the youth of the previous season, Lambert in great goalscoring form, and of course the JPT win at Wembley. It was also the season I've been to the most games before or since. I still think if we'd had the squad we ended the season with at the beginning, we'd have ****ed all over that league, 10 point deduction or not. Still, it turned out OK!

That would be a cracking bit of business but West Ham have made it public (no surprise there) so expect other teams to jump on that. At that price, we should be all over it too.

Leaves us with Valery as back up to Cedric, and that's if Cedric stays. I can't see us selling him this summer if Bertrand is destined to leave, but I could be wrong. Good to see Gardos leave, more for his own sake than anything else. Tied to a contract long term, he never really found a way back after his bad injury. I would think Stuart Taylor would go too, surely! That doesn't leave many players in the Under 23's, Alfie Jones, Valery and a scattering of others. I hope the next level holds a gem or two.

F5 F5 F5... First “signing” will be a new contract for Alex McCarthy, June 12th. First external signing will be Hegazi, June 22nd. (£2.5 million being the highest transfer fee we spend all summer, to calls of Reed Out at the first game of the season.)

There are attractive female Saints fans? And here I am married to a Norwich fan like a sucker... I'll vote for anyone that tells Reed we need to be spending £100 million in this window.

Agree with this, although I'm surprised there aren't more noises about the "giant teams" being interested in Salah and Mané. Oh, and Liverpool were recently linked to perennial Saints-HCDAJFU stalwart Hakim Ziyech, although now it looks as if he's off to Roma. I hate to say it, because I hate them, but Liverpool are making the right noises in the transfer market. I just keep hoping the other top 6 keep getting stronger and frustrate them.

Only 4? Then I'd be keeping Forster as back up GK, and Bertrand, Pied and Cedric as full backs. Then sell, Boufal, Targett and Reed. Keep the rest. Then I'd strengthen the spine. Off the top of my head, working from attack back... Str: Bertrand Traore AM: Thorgan Hazard DM: Wylan Cyprien CB: Ummm... Chris Smalling. Ok, then, de Ligt. Realistic? Probably not but I'm not Hughes.

He's linking up with the Koeman-managed Dutch squad for the World Cup, and both of us and Newcastle have been linked with him. We didn't sack Koeman, so here's hoping he prefers us to Everton and influences him towards the South Coast!

Move over Mo Salah, Liverpool have signed No Salad! I watched the final, despite the intention not to, and it was well worth watching - the tears, the screw ups, and then the utterly sublime from Bale. Born in Wales, made in Southampton. Awesome. Oh, and while I hate Liverpool, I hope Mo Salah is back for the World Cup. I plan on watching every game (that my newborn baby will allow) and he's worth watching. Oh, and Liverpool's best player was Mane. Surely bigger clubs are looking at him...

I guess Fredericks will sign a new contract now, but the right team got promoted. I'd have a punt on Grealish instead. Lightweight and has an attitude but undoubted talent, with a decent sell on profit down the line. Other than Johnstone the keeper, there's not one other Villa player I'd want.

Fulham are fresher, younger and have more standout players. Villa are chock full with experience and are probably stronger defensively. Could be tight. Fulham deserve it, so it'll probably be Villa. Either way, Terry will be celebrating with the winning team.

We're going to win the league!!! Seriously this was a no-brainer. He fits well, he's passionate, he's more no-nonsense that the last two managers we've had, and he did well in keeping us up when most of us thought we were heading for relegation. We have a manager with balls. Yes, there are questions over his transfer dealings, but he still led Stoke to their 3 highest ever Premier League finishes. Even if we see Hughes as a stepping stone back up the league, it's a decent appointment. Let's hope he's seen where the flaws are in the squad, and doesn't waste any time in bringing in some players to fill the gaps. For me, we need a goalkeeper to challenge McCarthy (unless we can't offload Forster in which case we have to keep him as second choice), we need a right back to replace Pied (if he goes, and maybe even 2 right backs if Cedric departs), a left back to replace the almost definitely departing Bertrand (unless he stays which would be a big surprise), a dominant centre back to bring our first choice centre backs to 5, an attacking midfielder (to replace Boufal, 2 attacking midfielders if I'm being greedy as I feel we're one light already), and a striker, unless we really are going to put our faith in the current crop (and if we do keep faith in the current crop, then I would definitely bring in 2 attacking midfielders.) WOOF, that's a lot of work, but the squad does need some surgery. Good Luck Mark. One Leslie in, now let's get one Leslie out.

He's quite slight compared to Kante. This photo of him next to Memphis Depay from a few years ago is damning. I don't know if he's bulked up since but he definitely needed to beef up when playing in the physical Premier League. (And no, I didn't Google "Jordy Clasie" naked, I just remember seeing this photo from a few years ago. Honest.) I also think Clasie has talent, but even if he stayed he'd be behind Romeu, Hojbjerg and Lemina (if we can keep hold of him) in the pecking order so it's probably best he leaves for first team football. Additionally we need to raise funds for signings.

I'm pleased he's staying, and am happy for him that his sending off didn't cost us at the end of the season. He's a perfect third choice for me, the only issue we have at the moment is he's currently amongst our best 2 centre backs. As last season showed, we need a dominant replacement for VVD in addition to the crop of CBs we currently have. So that means at centre back we have Yoshida, Hoedt, Stephens and Bednarek. (Assuming Gardos goes and not including any youth players.) Even with Bednarek showing he can be decent, and Hoedt improving in the latter few games of the season, we are still a centre back light for a 3-centre back system, so I expect we'll bring another one in. Gibson? Do we need another left footed centre back?

Leicester fans are talking about Perreira as if he'll be the best right back in the league next season. Rose tinted specs perhaps, but it certainly seems like Porto were gutted to lose him. Personally unless £30 million+ comes in for Cedric, or he kicks up a fuss and wants to leave, I'd keep him. We're already most likely seeing Pied leave e/o/c, and it's easier to replace one right back than two, and really, could we upgrade on Cedric for less than we'd sell him for? Sign Fredericks and have him and Cedric fighting it out for a first team spot. Instant strength.

Whoever we’re signing should be scouted competently, whether it be in this country or another, and although that’s not the be all and end all, it does imply it doesn’t matter whether a player isn’t signed from home or abroad. I suppose you could say lower league players have experience of the English game/system and are perhaps less likely to get homesick, but predominantly if a player is good enough for us, it doesn’t matter where we get them from. However then there is the question of expense. Foreign signings can be cheaper, but there’s no denying signing Ryan Fredericks from Fulham, a very good, nippy right back, on a free transfer this summer, would be a cracking bit of business. Is Gibson worth the rumoured £20million though? I’m not so sure. One player who has stuck out for me when watching Leeds last season (and Oxford before that) is Kemal Roofe. Decent midfield player and an eye for goal. I also wonder if we’ll be back in for Reid, whom we were linked with from Bristol City in January before blowing our load on Carrillo. There are decent players down there, you just have to hope you find a Dele Alli.

Hatton Cross very expensive as it's classed as part of the airport. Better to drive the extra 5 minutes to Hounslow West (£5.50 the day still I think) and a much bigger car park. Also Hillingdon car park is huge. Depends where in London you wish to go I guess.

Nope, but that's the point of an insurance bet - you want to lose it. I'm far happier seeing Saints survive than I would have been with the profit, (even with a new baby arriving in a couple of weeks), and I'm not a hardcore gambler - only bet what I can afford. Hughes definitely did a good job when he came in, but it was a large part due to the crud of the teams around us that we survived. If Stoke or Swansea had picked up a bit, or WBA's renaissance started earlier, then Pellegrino would have royally screwed us and we would have gone down. It was a very poor league the season just gone - we can't rely on that happening next season which is why the safe hands of Hughes would be the best choice for the time being. IF he's suffering come Christmas, then we can say we're wrong and look to appoint someone else. But I personally think he'll be better than Pellegrino and after last season, I'll take that.

This is pretty much my thought on the issue - strong in attack but weak elsewhere, especially in central midfield. I still think Drinkwater would have gone had he stayed and performed for Leicester, but on the whole we are weak in central midfield, although with Dier and Henderson I doubt others would get much of a look in anyway. The starting XI of the first game was being debated by the TalkSport lot earlier, who came up with: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier, Henderson, Dier, Young, Lindgaard, Kane, Sterling. Hard to argue with that really with the players he has taken, depending on who is fit at the time. I'm still not sure about Walker at centre back but I guess we wait and see. Looks like Payet could miss the France squad - he's just gone off injured for Marseille and is in tears.

This, but in addition their ineptitude to do anything quickly. We need a manager in place NOW, in a summer interrupted by a World Cup and with an early transfer window finish. Hughes has been here a couple of months, he has seen and experienced our strengths and weaknesses and would know what needs strengthening. Additionally, it's highly unlikely he'll bugger off at the first sign of interest from a bigger club. I'm very much "Hughes In", yes there are better managers out there I'm not disputing that, but Hughes is here now, knows the club, now knows that squad, some of which praise him for the job he was doing, and can start the rebuilding process now. And yes it's true, for all the talk of Emery and Silva etc, who's to say Reed won't saddle us with some nonentity from the Romanian second tier!

Needed an experienced manager to sort out the boring Puel team and the rot that had set in. Got Pellegrino. Completely wrong for the job, and while that's not his fault, he seemed unwilling to change. I could see we were cruising towards relegation in early November when the insurance bet went on, and while I back every manager initially whether they're the appointment I want to see or not, he was the manager I've lost faith in quickest. Bang out of his depth at this level and should have gone a lot earlier. To bring in Carrillo for a record signing fee was foolishness, and I often wonder if a more experienced manager would have pushed harder for more January signings, especially defensively. It's like a Harvester grill chef getting a job at a Michelin star restaurant, he knows how to cook food, and some of it tastes nice, but he's out of his depth and bookings will suffer. Still, he's gone, we survived thanks to Hughes. I either hope Reed now sods off or massively and very quickly learns the error of his ways. The rebuilding starts now. No more risky appointments just because we hope they are the next Pochettino, and no more risky panic signings.

I'm torn, my mate is a Fulham fan so on one hand I want them to go up, on the other hand Fredericks is on a free and we've been linked with him, and they have a few other decent players that could be pilfered like Cairney. Sess will end up in the top 6 for sure unless they go up. Also, good cross from Targett for the first goal.