saint1977

No one has ever doubted his attitude, indeed he seems a bright, well adjusted and popular lad. The issue is that at the age of 24 he has never really nailed down a first team place under approaching seven managers now, although early days with Ralph. Puel was the nearest but that was a very specific position in a very specific system Claude was deploying. I wish JWP all the best but do think a move, not just a loan, is the way forward all round. Where a trick was missed, which I said at the time but was show down by the usual suspects, was JWP having a season on loan with a promotion chasing side in the Champ to help his consistency and beef him up a bit. That stage has passed now.

Agree with this, Pellegrino and Hughes just seemed to panic after conceding or scoring. Ralph’s attitude has been a breath of fresh air so far and this is most activated the players have been since May 2016. The injection of young players eg Valery, Obafemi and Johnson has also added to the sense of zest. Well done to the young man on his first PL goal today, hopefully more to come. Redmond has been better this term overall but have a feeling he and PEH will be key players for Ralph and really kick on. Still the first choice FBs and fully fit Lemina to come and Bertrand seems very positive about Ralph. W Ham tough but winnable. Ralph now has a chance to move a few players that won’t fit his style or outlook eg Gabbi, JWP, Hoedt, Forster amongst others and they need to move for their own sakes. May see Elynoussi move on as well.

I agree, and I have always thought Sam has an unusual mix of height and athleticism. He’s at an age now though where he has to at least be on the bench when he is fully fit, and the sustained breakthrough needs to come asap. Agree with whoever said Moi (SuperSaint) although given Boufal has been hard to shift permanently (which shows Lemina’s agent isn’t the only one full of hot air), it might have be a loan at this stage to free up wages. Has shown nothing worth keeping bar one tap in during the Celta friendly. Sisto showed exactly why he should have been Mane replacement, not blooming Boufal. Do think JWP needs to move on as well for sake of all parties. Now Reed gone far more likely to happen.

Hmmm. Who do we think he was referring to?

So it looks like Davis, Gabbi and Fraser probably on way, JWP needs to move on for his own sake if Watford will buy rather than loan and can’t see him being a Ralph/pressing style player. Hoedt really needs to move on as well, but he has only recently been dropped and might think he can get his place back if his attitude is right (another aspect I’ve never been convinced by with him). Gallagher will be either be on loan or possibly sold to somewhere like Sheffield Utd. Lemina, Romeu and PEH keep, Redmond keep.

More gems today - Flynn basically found selling out his own country to Putin and Trump - yet there are still millions of imbeciles that don’t see the problem. Trump sends a good luck message on Twitter that basically confirms his collusion. Then you’ve got the Trump Foundation. Corrupt and revolting - shows how retrograde the human race has become that Trump is in the White House and still plenty of far right support it seems from many states in the US.

Pretty much as I remember it, although Gilkes was only on loan IIRC. Branfoot’s first act was to get rid of fans favourite Jimmy Case to replace him with Terry Hurlock - says it all. David Lee was signed from Bolton. Was dreadful with an equally dreadful attitude, remember him getting stick on his return. Speedie - MLT actually missed the incident with Hurlock where latter’s hair was allegedly set on fire but did recount the story in his book! Remember fans trying to get to Speedie at the Boro game. Dixon seemingly had some major off the pitch issues by that stage of his career, Branfoot’s judgement was as good as Les Reed’s 2016-18. Opening day the Milton sung ‘Donkey Dowie, Deadky Dixon’ but that song soon switched around....Dixon never scored at home, got one at Liverpool, and one at Leeds which MLT put on a plate. Speedie never scored, missed two sitters in the same Liverpool game. The only good thing he did was scored the goal that sent W Ham up at Pompey’s expense. Groves got a couple of goals but wasn’t great even before his serious injury. Kenny was superb but only one signing out what was a lot of money in those days. Agree with the VVD money comparison - Carrillo never had a chance, Moi looks terrible and not good enough for squad now, Vestergaard May improve under Ralph.

Didn’t know Midas was him! Typical Branfoot signing - played for him before, defensively limited but could be ok, but his weak point was the distribution side. Like Wesley Hoedt but more reliable, similarly poor distribution but was a better defender than Hoedt. There was a group at the back of the Milton who used to shout ‘hoof’ whenever he was about to launch the ball forward down the channels or towards a target like Dowie. Does anyone know how much he cost from Millwall? Have a figure of £400k in my head. Better value than Hoedt! Branfoot loved buying Millwall and Reading players. Didn’t think until Pellegrino cane aling as that petrified creature in the headlights that it was possible to ever have a worse manager than Branfoot. Some serious money wasted in the transfer market by Branfoot.

At least two goal saving interceptions today and looked about 1.5 trillion times better than Hoedt has all season. Must have wondered what he’d done wrong after a good WC and strong finish to season, iffy pre season but didn’t they all? Yoshi better today, some ropey moments but very brave last 20 minutes and nearly a great goal. Vestergaard better after last week’s debacle. Basically, get rid of Hoedt for anything the club can get and a leader in there please.

Had forgotten what that felt like! Players look fitter already, some way off PL fit still but League One/Championship fit which is a significant improvement in a very short space of time. The previous regime - Pellegrino, Hughes, Reed - was very, very sick, and I don’t meant that in the way teenagers do. Targett played well and great cross for Ings first, Bertrand had better buck his ideas up in January. Oriol faded but best he’s played for many months. Still defensive issues to resolve but Rome wasn’t built in a day. There’s also huge scope to get several new faces in and some of the extensive deadwood out to add leadership and pace in several areas. Let’s hope this builds momentum and massive game at Hudds next, minus Mooy.

Oh I don’t know, would frighten the other defenders witless, they would get him screaming at them if they doze off. Good SFC sides have always had leaders/enforcers

More likely to happen now than the stupid fool is back on the golf course. Pity it is two years too late to save the club. Plenty to get rid of but heck knows who would want them. If Stoke don’t take Fraser then loan him out to League One or two, re-emphasise that the club want him off the wage bill and lower league action is his future if he doesn’t shift himself ASAP. Apart from the keepers and Romeu I don’t mind who leaves in January in the slightest. Would love the League One promotion side we had to play this lot - they would score a hatful, especially Rickie against those joke CBs. Vestergaard is typical of the CB type and quality he destroyed in the Championship.

JRM bit as well. He’s never had anything going against him and now the silver spoon has dropped out the first time he’s not coping well. Hope for those of us that unlike him do a days work that this might be the road to some stability.

Good. Time for JRM to stop whining pathetically live on BBC, admit what he really is and form a racist no deal party with Farage. Hope Hammond is right that it cuts the extremists options and common sense starts prevailing.

So basically a bunch of lying nut jobs - just like the NHS £350m and Banks’s pathetic hiding of what Leave.EU really is and climate change fruitcakes. Great. Let’s have a second referendum and out all of these headcases on a plane to join their hero, and Putin’s puppet, in America.

LD made some valid points about Blair and Iraq and electoral trust that did have resonance to Brexit but this is too one eyed. May as Home Secretary was awful, no arguments there but the whole reason police numbers and public services in general are in appalling state is Tory and Labour failures to regulate banks, especially self certificated lending, and Cameron’s hamfisted austerity attempts, not understanding basic economics. Moreover, why should any of those who voted Leave trust any of the campaign leaders or funders, such as Banks who is found tonight to have broken yet another law, and Boris and his NHS lies? No time for any of them but would have slightly more trust - marginally - in the likes of Heseltine. At least there is vaguely some social conscience present, unlike JRM, Lawson who want to pick off what’s left to create Singapore light. No thanks.

Heseltine nails it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-parliaments-46428770 People from lower incomes were voting against immigration (which will just come from non EU sources now) and the banking crisis and resulting austerity, which wasn't the EU but poor regulation by Maggie, Blair and Brown. Interesting perspectives on that thread cross-party, some predictable, some not. I genuinely think a second vote with proper options, not just In/Out as 2016, is the only way out of this either way. During the process of negotiation over the last two years, far more of the issues and information has come into the public domain. It's reasonable to argue that segments of the electorate at all levels of income and education could be better informed either way unless they've been living underground with no internet, TV, radio or books. Well, unless they've been reading the pop ups from Leave.EU - I think we all agree those are a special kind of spam/clickbait!

Exactly. They were rock bottom in PL in 2010, we were resurgent but had Fonte etc cup tied. Gave them a good game (James made a brilliant save from Lallana) but fitness and the pace of Quincy off the bench Vs Jaidi and Perry told late on. We would beat them despite the current appalling state of SFC.

Yep. Yet her father’s name is all over the training ground and academy, I’d now question whether it should be due to KL’s greed. Name it after Stokes, or Channon, or MLT. Liebherr name sadly tainted for me. Bunch of shysters all round, do not give them any money whatsoever until they are gone lock stock and barrel from what used to be SFC. Blackpool have got the right ideas with boycotting home games. If you need a football fix, go the away games, it’ll show a prospective buyer the support is still there if a legitimate owner comes into place. SFC 1886 - 2017. Hopefully a new club can be born in a few years time, whether that be a saved SFC in the lower leagues or a Phoenix club.

Sensible, I can’t even get that fussed. They are footballers, same as at Huddersfield, Bolton, Norwich or anywhere else. I’ve no more interest or loyalty to them. Nothing special to me and much of a muchness.

Two players I’m not keen on but tbh apathy and disinterest sum up what I think about the players, manager, owner and everything else SFC related these days. Keep a bit of an eye on here but the first ten minutes of Solihull v Blackpool in the FA Cup have had more enjoyment than the last 2.5 years of football SFC has produced. Tim Flowers is Solihull Manager - there was a good keeper. Him v Southall in an end of season game v Everton at the Dell were astonishing, how that game finished 0-0 is amazing. Worldie after worldie. Once Gao and assorted puppets are gone for good, I’ll probably take some vague interest again, be that in League One, two or lower. Provided Gao doesn’t sink the club for good before that. No Ellis Short style paying debts off.

Can’t believe Abbott said that, what a naive idiot. Of course the police have the power to do that, and if necessary they should. Moped gangs are highly dangerous in London and spreading to other cities - muggings, burglaries but also acid attacks and stabbings. Another example of why Corbyn in power would be just as bad, if not worse, than the current shower. FFS - politics in this country down the tubes, with the LDs disappearing as well.

To answer LGTL’s question on the match thread about Gabbi and whether he’d missed both pens he’d taken for us, IIRC it is: - MU home missed - Newcastle home scored - Wigan away missed - Tonight missed 25%. Lambert and MLT it is not (or Beats). What I’d give for any of those three on the pitch. Can’t fault the effort tonight but those just aren’t Southampton calibre players as we would recognise over the years. Valery looked an improvement on Cedric though. Not hard admittedly. Stephens did alright and Vestergaard OK, Yoshi iffy. Looked better without that useless **** Hoedt, I’m sure Hughes his manager/lover will play him v Man U. WTF with Gunn on the penalties? Looked a keeper when he joined but shows you the difference between Man City level coaching and the Southern Premier League coaches at Saints. To think, the players actually used to be improved by the coaching at the club but that’s when anyone gave a turd about the standard of their work at the club.

Discipline is what will motivate, that and getting fit instead of being lazy unprofessional slobs. Whoever comes in next has to be obsessive on high tempo training. Kick any players out of the squad who won’t be able buy into that. Poch and WGS levels of needed. They are going down anyway but some visible pride on the pitch might at least engage a small minority of the fanbase.