SNSUN

In a way I'd rather it didn't get worldwide press. It's bad enough the top English clubs know how good our academy is (and repeatedly try to buy its products) without the whole world cottoning on. (If they haven't already...)

Very winnable, but equally very loseable as Norwich will be all the more determined to get that first win. The wife and all the in-laws (Norwich fans) will be going to this one, and I'll be stuck at work (as usual) so I really hope we pick something up. I'd take a draw, but while Norwich are learning how to integrate their new signings into their team, it's a good time to play them to pick up all three points. I heard Norwich described as awful against Hull. This pleases me.

...and some people were stuck at work while everyone else enjoys the B/H. Don't forget the shift workers! :-( ;-)

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?46422-Barnsley-vs-Saints-Build-Up#.Uhl0ixuyDpc

I would love to see Isgrove in this one and see what he truly has to offer. Before Puncheon left, I thought we are an attacking midfielder light, and now he's gone I think we're two AM's light, but this is Isgrove's chance to show he can be the answer for one of those AM spots. For the other, hopefully Pochettino and Cortese still have an ace up their sleeve. Can there be any result other than a Saints win here? Well sure, which is why I hope we don't make wholesale changes. Something like: Davis Chambers Fonte Yoshida Clyne Morgan Cork Isgrove Davis JRod Lambert Subs: Gazzaniga, Jos, Fox, Wanyama, Ramirez, Lallana, Mayuka. Do we include Osvaldo or give him another full week working on training with his new teammates? Coming up with a team for this shows we're starting to have a good squad. Resting everyone who started today, our team would be: Davis Clyne Yoshida Hooiveld Fox Cork Davis Isgrove Ramirez Guly Osvaldo which would beat most sides in the Championship IMO. (Isgrove's unknown contribution aside...) I think we'll see a team more akin the the former than the latter though.

3-1 Home win

I don't think we're going to "smash" anyone this season by a big scoreline, but I do think we'll win MOST of the games we're expected to win, especially at St Mary's. We're stronger defensively than we were last season and now we have Osvaldo, hopefully we can put away some of the many chances we create. To that end we should win tomorrow, but Sunderland are so unpredictable at the moment with all their new signings. Lawrenson asks on his predo league whether Di Canio is a genius or an idiot. I'd suggest the latter, but with all those new players, they should be fighting hard for a permanent starting place. I'm hastily going for a 3-1 win, Lambert to carry on his goalscoring form with a brace and a slammer from Wanyama. (Heh, that rhymes.)

Not too depressed with missing out here. IF we're after another attacking midfielder, there are better options out there. What a day for WBA fans.

Reading this thread, I actually hope we get relegated just so we can play in the Championship again. I'm going to poison the Saints players' food just before kick-off each game so that the players get the sh!ts on the pitch and play badly. Shove Osvaldo up your arse Cortese, I miss the days of signing Danny Fox and Jos Hooiveld.

If that's true I sincerely hope we renew our Banega interest. Would be a top signing in the same vein as those we've already brought in. We were told, and have been shown this summer, that we're only after new signings if they're better than what we have. With Sinclair that was questionable, with Banega it would seemingly be true. I trust the Guvnor though. Sinclair would still be a good signing, I just wonder whether the management has something impressive up their sleeve.

I think I heard we're entitled to a development fee of about 1% of the transfer fee. So if he goes for £90million, we'd get less than £1million. FAR less than the £10-15million,I guess, that we've given up... Is 1% accurate? It may have been more. EDIT: Ok, above post says 5% so more like £4.5 million. That's a good sum of money then - covers the Mayuka transfer and the loss from the Forren transfer!

I wonder if there's a recall clause - for when we're battling Palace for that 17th spot close to the end of the season and we don't want him influencing them to survival! Ha Wummery! From me! Dat's not usual! (Meh, it was a poor attempt.) Anywho, on a serious note, I thank Punch for what he did last season. After his hissy fit in his early Saints career, he seems to have overcome his demons (although that probably helped with us playing in a higher league) and put in some good performances. His goal against Chelsea will be remembered for a long time to come. Best of luck at Blackpool. It'll be interesting to see who we bring in to replace him (as I assume we're looking at doing...)

My guess is that they really believe in Isgrove to make the step up. I'd be a lot more confident in bringing an AM in, say Sinclair for all the speculation, but even before Puncheon went I thought we were too light creatively. Still, I suppose we'd have enough for the early part of the season, we can always correct that in January.

I thought this thread was about cigarettes. Most disappointed. Would we really let Guly go? Granted he's not the best but he's adequate cover. With no Puncheon and no Guly, even if we bring one more in, our squad in the AM department looks thin.

Bearing in mind we wear rose-tinted specs, a cross-breed Arseouthampton team would be: Boruc/Szczesny (Undecided here) Clyne Lovren Koscielny Shaw Morgan Wanyama Walcott Wilshere Ox-C Osvaldo So about half and half, but their squad is stronger than ours.

I'm not losing sleep over this. He's ours for the time being, on a long contract. As long as we get a couple of years of good service, and a hefty price tag at the end, we'll not have done bad. If we are actually pushing for Europe in a couple of years, there's every chance we could keep him indefinitely.

No, we will not finish above Arsenal. Yes, we could finish above Everton, especially if they sell Baines and Fellaini It's finishing above WBA, Norwich, West Ham and Swansea that would give us an exceptional finish this season. 7-10 would be a brilliant finish, and with the new signings and perhaps 1 or 2 more additions (in this window and next), then we could well do it.

The link to Victor Moses gets me more excited than Scott Sinclair - Sinclair is more of a goalscoring midfielder but Moses is more creative. Either would be a good addition, but I'd rather see Moses, or both(!), here.

Interesting, tricky question. GK: Need a top keeper signing. GK back-up: Boruc (as he reaches the latter stages of his career he'd still be good enough to do a job as a deputy if he was happy enough to stay.) RB: We would hope Clyne is good enough to fulfil this. I would say yes given time. After all Man Utd were interested in him for a while. As back up? Will Chambers be good enough for a top-4 back up right back? CB: Lovren and.... Probably 2-3 new top CB signings needed here, with Yoshi as back up. LB: Shaw - obviously if we keep hold of him, will be a top LB. We'd need a new reserve though, unless say Targett stepped up. CM: Wanyama (who was wanted by the top 4), Morgan (better than most top 4 midfielders anyway) and Cork is probably as good as it gets for a CM selection. One more needed? Perhaps. You need a big squad for top 4 after all. AM: Ramirez, will he ever come good? He should be good enough for a top-4 side. Sadly I doubt Lallana will be regular choice at a top 4 side, but as back up he can certainly do a job. As for the others? Possibly a youngster or two, but this department will need to be heavily invested in. Striker: Osvaldo, Lambert and JRod. Pretty tasty but another top, quick striker would probably be needed. Would JRod and Lambert be good enough for a top 4 team? Doubtful, so maybe even they would need to be upgraded upon. So top 4 players with us? Clyne, Lovren, Shaw, Morgan, Wanyama, Ramirez, Osvaldo with back ups as Cork, Lallana, Lambert and JRod. So still quite some way to go.

Incidentally is there a more annoying advert on any media system that's worse than "and all.That.Gaaaaaaaaaaaaas"...

The loss of Nigel was harsh because of the timing, the fact he deserved at least a full season in the top flight, and because he was such a likeable, positive man. Cortese has a vision to take us forwards, and he has to make ruthless decisions to do that. We were unsure about Pochettino to start with, largely because many of us hadn't heard about him, but he's got us playing well and with decent player additions, one of whom says he joined BECAUSE of Pochettino. Our future is bright at the moment, and long may that stay like that, but we'll always remember what Adkins did for us.

My wife and all her family will be at this game, and I would have been there, innocently sitting with them in the home end, but thankfully work got in the way. Outsing them people, and let's hope for my sake we win!

Golden thread then!