saint1977

Klopp wont care, he’ll be laughing his head off at mugging that pensioner out of their life savings, and their savings for future seasons too. Of all the dealings with Liverpool, this has made me more cross than any of the sales. Loan with option to buy I’d have been happy with but this is stupidity on a par with Carrillo, Forster extension Mk2, Pellegrino and it goes on. I’m sure there will be the usual BS about how the medical team can make the adjustments to tracing etc, just like they did with Austin.

That hits the nail on the head - I hope he does well but look at that injury record. Liverpool could afford the risk, we couldn’t and that’s on top of the Carrillo and Forster disasters. What’s the total value down the toilet?

What is it with Les and Liverpool? They wanted £20m and no one else wanted to pay it. Does he have some interests there with the amount of business between the two clubs? £40m on a knackered Ings and appalling Carrillo - this club is in huge trouble

Quite - Les or whoever signed him seriously lost their marbles and should have lost their job. Nothing screams disinterested owner more than that.

Sorry Hypo, the facts are that you have got this one very wrong I’m afraid and I’m sure you’ll look back at the thread and put your hands up. We all get things wrong sometimes. Corbyn, Momentum, Boris and his plastic Steve Bannon alt right chums on the far right - anti-semitism and islamaphobia, they are as abhorrent as each other and I want them all out of British politics asap and out of the UK if possible. I won’t accept anyone making excuses for any of them. Anyone who does is just condoning extremists. Communism v Fascism, if Boris’s stormtroopers get hold of the Tories and infect them with a lethal virus like Momentum have with Labour. What a pathetic choice to offer the electorate. Ashamed of all of them. The memberships are infected too, no chance of either party kicking out the scum like Kinnock did with Militant. Time for a new Centre party to rule the country.

Both major parties have got problems with bigotry in different forms. With the Momentum Trots arrival and infiltration, things have become worse but a friend of mine in the national media used to cover the party conferences and even in Blair’s time there were apparently regular motions raised in protest at the leadership at the party not pursuing ‘sufficiently pro Palestinian policies’. During the Blair and Brown years these were comfortably voted down but were always there and not just a few idiots. When the unions got their claws aback in under Miliband it started to rise and then Momentum has really embedded it to the point of members of their NEC being openly anti Semitic in a way that would get you arrested on the street. The Torres are unable to make any advantage though as their obese village idiot has started banging the bigotry drum again, this time on Islamaphobia. It’s a serious issue, so don’t mind him raising it but to talk of bank robbers and pillar boxes is just f ucking offensive and he knows it. He’s playing to the far right again. Somebody had him right and called him a one dollar Donald Trump. I hope May grows a pair and expels him from the party. If he ever makes Tory leader, or Corbyn makes PM, that’s an insult to everyone who fought Hitler. Both scenarios make me want to emigrate.

For me, it’s not that every player they are signing is awful but there are differences between decent players on paper, an environment that gets the best out of them and also a balanced squad of qualities. We’ve addressed the issue in the air at the back but not mobility. We’ve not added the express pace needed that would get more out of Gabbiadini’s movement or help serve Austin. In terms of the team, they have needed to be a lot fitter and I’m still not sure they are. If you can’t have consistent PL quality across the squad, you have to be fitter and hungerier than similar sized clubs that do. The reason we shipped so many late goals last season was lack of fitness, stamina and conditioning. Judging by certain players opting out of this preseason, I don’t see this aspect changing.

It wasn't just learning things, but starting to fix some abysmal mistakes across multiple transfer windows where frankly a 10 year old could have made more coherent decisions. Not replacing Fonte, second Forster extension, Carrillo and leaving it so late to sack Pellegrino, those are just a few of the tens of million pounds of worth of damage done. Boufal and Clasie I can live with, signing that hasn't worked out but might have done on paper. Plus the players Les has bought in that still stink the place attitudinally. Tough task for Hughes, anything better than 15th is a very good season given the above. Hopefully we can shift some more of the bad apples to boost squad cohesion and Les is kept well away from first team matters.

Would love for somebody to ask a difficult question about the second Forster extension or the Carrillo transfer, seeing as it's tied Hughes' hands behind his back this summer when we needed further new blood. Would have gone as well but commuting from Devon for a game is one thing, for a fans forum is a bit much. Best one was mid-90s and Souness, some great one liners although understandably a lot of questions about Stoneham at the time to Andrew Cowan.

Agree with much of this Shroppie, and even though Hughes has gotten rid some of trouble makers Reed has infected the club with, there’s still far too many around. I want us as fans to get behind them but after the last 2 years if they get into half arsed mode again I do think we’ve got to let the individuals concerned know in no uncertain terms a much higher work rate is expected of Southampton FC players and give the ones who aren’t outting it in a horrible afternoon and support loudly the ones who are 100 per cent. We were too easy going on slackers last year, Cedric, Lemina, at times Bertrand and Austin and others need to start putting a far better shift in. I’d rather have Gallagher, Reed and Sims starting, if we are going to lose then at least let’s work hard and be professional. Disappointed as this summer was a chance to eradicate the bad apples but pre season has been more of the same.

Broadly agree but then WGS era we had players that you could say that about as well but that side worked it’s backside off. This lot won’t out-football anyone at top level but at least get super fit if you are up against technically superior players (which they mostly will be, even against Brighton and Bournemouth these days), you may rush them into having an off day. The fans would more inclined to get behind them if they looked like they were busting a gut.

I like Dazza 82s team and formation for the Burnley game. Shame Lemina hasn’t been involved in pre season so we’d have to use PEH. PEH has a good attitude, but then so did Franny and he was terrible as well. One definite change I would make is Gunn in goal, looks more assured than McCarthy, who has been a bit too casual and sloppy in pre season. Standards need to improve. Burnley will be expecting a very comfortable 3 points even after their Istanbul trip but hopefully Saints can cause a surprise and sneak a 1-0. One thing Saints have to be this season is as fit as the WGS era and arguably the Poch era. That WGS side wasn’t hugely gifted either but boy did they work and press. This lot will get several hidings next season if they don’t get fit and outlast better sides by staying in games like the WGS teams did. We don’t have a Beattie but hopefully we can share the goals around the side a bit more. We’ll have to get behind them this season and hope they hang in on there against better opposition in the majority of games of games for 70 minutes and manage to sneak goals late on by being much fitter than the last 2 years and opponents tired by midweek European games etc.

Watched most of the game last night on the stream and OS and thoroughly agree Wade. Happy with JWP if he carries on like that, Targett a very pleasant surprise at RWB, Reed bright when he came on and Gallagher’s cameo showed the unusual mix of height and pace he has, would keep him. Gabbiadini and Armstrong impressive throughout, PEH added energy and bite when he came on. Charlie did what he does best if you supply him crosses. Bertrand also very good. Davis got better, club legend but over the hill, Romeu terrible, hasn’t got out of last year’s funk. McQueen not right footed and looked rusty, Long was Long. Hoedt was Hoedt e.g. poor and unsteady, Vestergaard better. Bednarak looked a bit off the pace and might not be featuring once Yoshi back. Gunn looked the better of the two keepers I thought.

This. Gabbi has made several good runs but only Armstrong or Bertrand with the ability to spot it let along pick him out. Those two are playing well. Some stinkers out there though - Davis even more ponderous than last year. Romeu poor and has given the ball away badly. McQueen at RB doesn’t work. Long poor, touch is terrible. Fair play to Hughes if he keeps that lot up. Need to shift a few of the fringe players we could get cash for eg Targett, Reed and JWP, free up cash for some attacking pace and thrust. Will take pressure off the defence as well. Davis and Romeu passengers tonight, aren’t screening back four, contributing to attacking thrust or pressing.

You've hit the nail on the head there, Burnley will have to carry a bigger squad for Europe this year and whatever the debates on here about how much Forster is actually on, it would be fair to assume that Hart will be on rather more. Change of scenery might help him. Don't see how Dyche can fix some of those faults easily but remember, Hart was dropped by W Ham and didn't pull up any trees at Torino so looking at it objectively he's as a big a risk/opportunity as Fraser. IMHO, I think Hart will go for another overseas loan again.

Shame this didn't happen before they loaned Boufal - but if he applies himself a bit more there then they might buy him knowing they have the cash. You can only really look at your own club's squad and estimate you've filled enough gap areas before the season kicks off. The rest of it is all on paper - remember how people were excited people were when Norwich signed Van Wolfswinkle or Everton's haul last summer. Then those clubs are stuck with them on large contracts when the value has depreciated. I still believe in Saints' case that money needs to be found for a genuinely pacy winger/striker who runs between the lines and creates space for Gabbiadini and Mo Ely. I would find it by selling Targett - McQueen will do as back up to Bertrand - and a couple of the fringe players - we clearly don't need both Harrison Reed and JWP for example. Possibly Stephens as well. Would keep Gallagher and give him some opportunities this season.

Could be on his way for £15-18m, £12m is too low. If FF went to Burnley in loan, that might free up enough for a striker target, and let’s face it, the club needs one!

Almost too much to hope for, but would be brilliant and at least cancel one year out of four remaining on his big deal (whether £70k or £95k per week). *Crosses fingers*. With the calibre of Burnley's injured keepers, too much to hope for anything more but if he played a few games without any disasters, he might be able to rebuild his reputation slightly and be easier to offload next summer.

Pretty good post this. I still think the first XI could be a lot stronger but Les has really done the club at the knee caps (a rival couldn't have done any more damage) with his appalling decision-making on record signings, Forster new deal etc which will take a few windows to repair. Puel and Pellegrino were astonishingly dour, especially the latter. At least we aren't Leganes fans this season. Gabbiadini was so instinctive when he first joined (the movement, but also no-one else would have tried that wonderful first time shot v West Ham) and somehow we've got to try to get him back to that mindset. Maybe with Moi's movement that'll happen? You could see Lemina's frustrations at times as well, and Romeu's which he hinted in the press at. Also, people slate Redmond but I'd like to have seen him play for Koeman, we've only seen him under the French and Argentinian Branfoots so far. This season has to be about improvement, probably lower-mid, hopefully not too much of a relegation scrap and top half would be LMA Manager of the Year territory. We've got rid of some of the worst rotten apples and are trying to move others on, as fans we need to get behind them this season and by staying in the PL for another 2-3 years hopefully we can reverse Les Reed's severe damage that he has caused.

Agree on Sims, need that type of player but does Hesketh still play football? If so, he definitely needs a loan to somewhere to become a bit more robust, get some competitive football under his belt. Took a while for Lallana to come through after his debut v Preston but Hesketh is taking it to an extreme.

He was playing well in 2016/17? League Cup Final and Palace away for starters and there were a few more poor games as well. He did well 2015/16 and no one is disputing that extension but just to extend after the poor season under Puel was bad enough and it won’t have been for less will it, plus agents fees etc?

Definitely. Not going to Newcastle then

Quite, not sure what some of the club ultras on here find hard to understand. It was a very damaging and totally unjustified extension with no business logic. Reed and the club should expect a lot of scrutiny.

Couldn’t agree more. Kreuger is just as capable for letting the old fool p iss away that much money. Will take a few years to undo the stupid errors and sheer quantity wasted. The worst two are the Carrillo signing and Forster’s extension, which is a 4 year millstone around the neck. Appalling to still think Les is employed by the club. In most industries, you’d be sacked for that at a very senior level and hauled in front of shareholders or another form of scrutiny to explain yourself.

I think it’s wholly fair - new 5 year bumper deal when your keeper has had a poor season and he’s only recently penned a long term one before that. In fact, it’s only right to scrutinise it closely. Imagine if Harry Redknapp had been DoF had been setting up contracts like that and the sort of things people would be writing on here! As Blackmore says, Les loved the sunshine in 2014-16 but less keen since then, in fact Les Lucan. If you make the very costly bloopers Les has as his level in any business, you’d be well on your bike by now and in oubluc. So he’s a lucky boy as far as I’m concerned. He’s hamstrung us fir the next 4 years with Forster, the only way out is if FF takes a free transfer with a fraction of his wages. If he wants first team football somewhere else he had better embrace that as a reality.