Red

Which is more boring currently - the footy we are playing or the comments on this forum? Close but comments for me :-) Happy new year to all!

Very little down the flanks - Ryan has been very poor, and so far not a patch on Sam - appreciate he might not be fully match fit, but hope we don't regret not being more clinical.

Hello and welcome! I am near Dublin (Wicklow mountains to be precise), but did live in Soton for many years. Remember the wife telling a Dublin cabbie that I supported the Saints and she said he couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the 20 minute journey - silly chappie as he supported Liverpool (Saints B team) and had no connection to Liverpool or had ever been to see them. Like you I can only manage very games a year - not sure what it's like from Belfast, but for me it's nearly €500 per game all told, and even then it's if I can manage to get a ticket - whilst delighted with our recent successful years, occasional tickets are much harder to buy.

I've been a bit busy work wise lately, but I completely missed RL moving to Cardiff and also that Warnock was manager there - or maybe I just don't give a hoot about life outside the top division :-)

Sorry for the delayed response (3 message limit and all that - would join as full member if I had more time, and there was a real discussion forum here rather than the usual drama queens with the hand bags and scantiness). Excellent question though and one the I have pondered myself frequently. IMHO this is complex (otherwise the great managers would have figured it out by now), but I think mainly the PL teams approach European football with a different mindset – ala we need to match the Europeans technically and so fall in to their trap as it were. Bit like when the big teams field different (poorer) teams for the league cup etc. For example take Dundalk, who played their typical Irish style and nearly caused an upset – in the second game Legia could not cope with them. Cannot think of many European games (at least ones I have watched) where the English teams have simply battered the opposition? Also, the Euro referees are a bunch of pansies and will blow for a fart in the wind, so not as easy to impose the English PL gusto. Hope this helps, and happy to continue the discussion if genuine, as it a good point as I said above.

Agree 100%. A system that worked in France (which is the only place our manager has so far worked in) does not work here - many reasons, mainly the pace of the game - too fast in PL for the technical subtlety allowed in the French league. A good/great manager (or anyone really) will realise that and adapt, so let's see how this play's out. My concern is that is Les, Blackbox et al did not spot this - maybe our magic beans are running out?

http://www.eplsite.org/stream35.html enjoy!

http://www.eplsite.org/stream35.html working a treat for me

ref having a mare

Thought his spiritual home was Sunderland - maybe they should honour him?

Naw. Sign him and if he looks great in training and initial games, just don't pick him for games and in a year we get a super star - simples :-) Now that is long investment with healthy returns!

Sadly am inclined to agree, and I never suggested that we could sign him, just that at £15M (or in other words £4M more than VM left us for), what an absolutely fantastic signing that would be. If Matic wanted to stay in England we might have a chance, but otherwise not.

What!!!! Use of the full F word without any censoring?? What is the world coming to - thank god it would never happen on this site :-)

Chelsea’s £30million signing of defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante has cast the future of Nemanja Matic into doubt. According to ESPN, Juventus are confident of tying up a deal for the Serbian with the Blues open to selling him for £15m. Matic played in Chelsea’s pre-season friendly match against Rapid Vienna last night which ended in a 2-0 defeat for new boss Antonio Conte. Matic, 27, was part of the Chelsea side which won the Premier League title in 2014-15, but struggled for form last season. Matic for £15M would be a massive upgrade on VW - wages migth be a problem but if we can stretch to £100K a week it might be a runner?

Very much doubt it - does not work like that. Percentage is based on number of games actually played - not against total potential games he could have played. I just think he was not a RK favourite for whatever reason. Like him and think he will come good, if not very good.

Or maybe Reed should just say he is delighted with this signing and it gives us really great options in midfield for the new season (no need to over egg it with the PL stuff), but I guess he is not a politician. I like Les and think he is great for us, but I also know I will get a lot of stick from my non Saints supporting mates for this comment - but I can live with that!

Exactly - don't forget Cedric's part in this - really pleased for both of them. We need both to be part of our 1st 11 - Cedric will only get better and better!

No transfer news or even rumours then I take it Bit boring really, but only a few more weeks before the real action starts

Fair enough Batman. Think we would all love a good episode led by commissioner Reed rescuing downtown St. Mary's and it's new flock :-)

No offence but sounds like you are supporting the wrong team. Life is too short be that angry or frustrated. Me, I am still wallowing in the warm glow of us still having a club and being back in the PL too boot - long may this "crap" run continue

Very much this! Also, it says in the article that at one point RK banned all of them from first team training (not that he did not select them for the first team). Our entire "Southampton Way" approach is to show the youngsters what it's like and what it takes to make the step up (including pictures in canteen etc.) and motivate them to make the grade. A far cry from what most are suggesting here, that RK should have played youngers in the first team that had not yet made the grade. All the more puzzling when you consider the "Southampton Way" was according to RK one of the main reasons he joined in the first place?

We are top 6 :-) Always liked MA, and would fit in - just saying!

Corrected it for you. Why this complete loser and idiot is still manager of England still defies me - he lost the win for us (yes I know we drew), with not adapting to the game. Yes, we were dominant, but Kane was having a mare and should have been replaced with Vardie at half time, and Sterling should not have been in the squad never mind playing today. Why take off Rooney when we needed experience to close out a game, in which I thought he did really well? I just hope the FA get shot of bumbling Woy after our early exit (desperately hoping I am wrong about our early exit but I think Wales will win the next one)

Does anyone really care who LM (my spiritual home is with the real football supporters of Sunderland) thinks we should appoint as our next manager? Thanks for the FA cup and all that but please retire with some dignity whilst you still can. Not that Bruce is a bad option, if allegedly no one wants to be the next Saints manager! Confident we can do better - keep the faith!

Steve Bruce?