saint1977

Recently I'd have agreed with you but was alright today. Redmond on the other hand.... Don't think MP has the remit or guts to stand to Les and drop Redmond.

He can get his head tested with his payoff = sack him. Reed and Wilson can join him at the job centre as well. Shame on Pellegrino though for dropping Gabbiadini and before that playing him in a totally unsuitable system. Good to see Gabi sticking two fingers up at him and his puppeteer today.

Pellegrino, Reed and Wilson out now please. Not just Pellegrino, Reed has screwed two appointments and three transfer windows and that is sacking material all day long for his role. Just want someone who will at least fire up the fans and players and have some pride. Nigel as an interim and then let's see who is on the market.

Watford have backed him in the transfer market though. Try and poach whoever their DoF is - seems to be able to get a transfer deal over the line.

On paper that's mad but I'd actually do it. At least he'd kick a few up the backside. Pellegrino looks like an Argentinian Wigley with about as much control as he had as well. Sack Reed as well - 3 appalling windows is one too many.

Pretty good summary. The League One promotion side would wipe the floor with this pathetic bunch. Poor half time reaction from the fans as well, let's at least have some booing and 'what a load of rubbish' but the same disinterested rubbish as the pitch. Pellegrino has to go now and Les Reed as well I think - no clue and clearly can't inspire the players. Only Lemina, Tadic and Yoshi have remotely given a sh it. Thinking about Deeney's interview about Arsenal. same description applies, Saints have no cojones. 2% possession in our final third and a limited Newcastle side look way more dangerous. There are 90 year old care home residents that could have got down to that Hayden shot. Redmond - conman, waste of oxygen and wages, opposite of the midas touch and his first act of the game was to moan at his teammates. Transfer list and he can train with Eastleigh until we flog him for £6m in January, he is a disease in our squad. If we must play one of the other diseases - VVD - then put him up front and gives us something to aim at. Yoshi put a peach of a cross in and no-one attacked it. McQueen for Bertrand please, another shocking display from him. I never thought I'd say this but Big Sam, Hodgson etc would be much preferable to this clown. Rot set in under Puel but no guts to stand up to Reed again in the summer and insist more forward options and use the press like normal managers do.

So is that cashflow whilst the TV money comes in installments (auditor report yesterday stating how expensive it is going up to the PL) or something else? Could Gao be a sugar daddy anyway even if he wanted to be?

The worst was 04/05. Not only did we go down and have to suffer Wigley/Harry but there could have only have been four or five (at the most) 3pm Saturday home games at most? Lots of Sunday and night games that season. Mind you, the defence was equally appalling in all of them. That said, we did at least look like - and did - score some goals with Crouch and Phillips.

Quite - I like having new visitors to games. The bigger problem is the players, agents, mechanistic style of play and tactics, transfer window mess ups and people still aren't totally sure about the ownership yet.

I agree with some of that. Davis I can't dislike because he's been a great servant to SFC and gives his best event though he's been fading. Although Long isn't prolific, I do at least I know we'll always get a shift from him. Tadic and Redmond though do my head in. Tadic is a good player to watch when he can be bothered although the falling about does my head in and he slows us up at times. He's petulant and unhelpful some games though. Whereas Redmond is always petulant, moaning at a teammate or the ref, no wonder Ryan seemingly got fed up with him. I do hope MP isn't allowing himself to be dictated to on his selection (as I fear Puel was), because he wouldn't get in most Championship squads on current form. Has one move - cut in and try and curl a shot into the corner (e.g. Boro away). Was his only trademark at Norwich so shows you he hasn't progressed at all and can be part of our midfield bonfire in January. Fraser was just off form/injured last term and seems to have got his mojo back a bit. JWP I've nothing against but is like Redmond in many ways - hasn't developed anywhere enough for a place in the 18 and although has a better attitude than Nathan, there's a sense that JWP is guaranteed some form of involvement come what may. Should have been loaned out seasons ago but you have the feeling it wouldn't have been allowed. VVD - enough said, a player I tolerate until he leaves. Austin I feel some sympathy for, SFC knew what type of player he was but haven't adapted the seemingly corporate version of 4-2-3-1 in any way, emasculating not just Charlie, but also Tadic, Long and Gabbiadini. Bertrand himself doesn't appear to be enjoying any football, Saints or England. May be his mind is outside of football. Enjoy watching Romeu, Lemina, Cedric, Hoedt, Yoshida and Gabbiadini. SFC really need to build their system around Gabbiadini, Lemina. Romeu and the rest will fit. Throw the corporate template out of the window and see if MP can cut it or not, but his way.

I haven't enjoyed SFC games for a while but I do think as a crowd we can play our part. Turn the volume up when a Sants player takes opponents on or tries something, even if it doesn't come off. Instead of moaning about the tactics, let's make our feelings clear with a bust of 'attack, attack, attack' at kick off or if we see the tempo dropping and players going into Puel/MP sluggish possession walking mode. A bit of irony even - 'we'll score again, don't know where, don't know when'. The club just seems to be stuck in a rut and might need another push in changing.

Rickie is a proper SFC legend. Most of Channon's career was before my time so only MLT would go above Rickie for me in my time as a supporter. Like MLT, he always seemed to pop up with goals when SFC most needed them and his career story and our rise back through the leagues resonated. Plenty of spectacular goals, free kicks and pens. Never thought he'd miss from the spot. Shame he went to Liverpool and his back got worse by not playing. Would love him back in the current side in his prime, could link players together so well and unlike many of our current squad had a football brain.

Sir Bobby Charlton was notorious for that. Jack on the other hand was different. Of the players who became managers, Cloughie was usually good with supporters. Nicholl was always good with fans despite the stick he took in the 80s at times.

Well done to Frank - class. Heard similar stories about Shilton though from Saints, Forest and Stoke fans so it was far from just your Dad. When Keegan played for us, my dad asked him to write a message for me as a young kid inside his new book. Class act again. My mum used to work at M&S and MLT always had loads of time for the fans when he was out and about. Wayne Bridge as well getting into the WGS years. TBF to Saints, I think they try to ground players with community projects more than most PL clubs but with the money and hangers on, as we saw with VVD in the summer, it's become very difficult. There are still good examples - Mata, Defoe, Mings - but becoming rarer. The days of bumping into the likes of Ruddock, Shearer and MLT playing 18 holes of golf at Southampton Muni are long gone though.

BTW - Ben Stokes - what was he thinking of? Might as well sending a telegram to CA offering them a 5-0 win now; it'll save thousands of flights and a lot of English pain.

Blimey, there really is some great servants past their prime to go (Carberry already is, to Leics; Adams; Ervine) and some that have never looked like doing it (Topley, who I'd forgotten about, and Stevenson, which was a great story sadly). I said on here that Giles White needed to sort out some compromise agreements to free up some cash for quality in the side and he failed (again). Needs to go now and Rod needs to be ruthless. Agaes Bowl run as a business off the pitch, time to be far more professional on it. Rod can't be happy after splashing out on Roussow, Bailey and Abbott (not cheap I bet). The academy has to be a concern; had a good few years with Briggs, Wood and others through but only Crane of late. Alsop I'd give time as there's something there to but Weatherley looks D2 squad player. Fidel had a decent campaign but 36 next year - invest there or in younger legs? Might have kept him if we went down. Craig White? Fantastic opening win at Yorks which kept us up but alarming batting collapses in all formats considering the investment there. What length of contract is he on? If we can afford it, make a change there as well. Need some energy and freshness, not an experienced face like Benkenstein who I got the impression wasn't totally sold on being at Hants.

There's a lot of merit in that piece, although for balance, can you imagine the reporting if it was 1984 and Cologne V Arsenal? 'English hooligans storm Cologne End and disrupt city centre with thuggish behaviour'.

Morgan has surprised me; apart from Mane thought he'd be the most successful of our leavers and didn't think Victor would leave him miles behind. Started OK at Everton but not the heights of SFC and Man U must have seriously have drained his confidence. Ronald has built a squad there that has decent players but one dimensional - he learned something from Les. At least we aren't paying him £7m pa to get thumped at Atalanta though..

Sounds like he isn't playing badly but playing in another side that is struggling to supply the type of strikers they have and not getting midfielders to link up. Will be familiar to Sam from pre season training... Sam has all the tools, get one or two and he'll score regularly.

I agree but Benteke's height is a worry. Hope Hoedt's jump timing is good and he can put Benteke off a bit. Jack did quite well last season after the goal but have a feeling Palace will be much more direct now, getting a lot of crosses in.

At WBA or a similar club that always uses a target striker, he'd certainly have a role. I feel a bit sorry for JWP actually, he's part of a dreadful midfield group (Oriol and Lemina apart) and he isn't quite creative or productive enough to justify building a team around. He'll play better alongside an on-song Romeu and Lemina, but we need more from the position. It just sums up that Reed and Wilson have lost their way and sentiment may be clouding business decisions whereas 2015 and before they were more prepared to make them. It's almost as if JWP represents more than a footballer and that's unhealthy. I hope MP challenges them on this and other aspects because Claude was ultra-compliant in public and paid the price.

I agre, long-term contracts of assets aren't the problem as the OP asks, it's the lack of competition in key areas and some very strange transfer decisions (Bednarak). Also, rewarding poor performers, as Fraser was last year, with new contracts doesn't help unless they majorly up their game. I think Lemina and Hoedt will prove good acquisitions but SFC really needed a good clear out in midfield and to rebuild that area, thus some of the attacking midfield/wide areas would have been addressed. I thought JWP would build on last year's improved displays for example. OK, you can argue last week was a tactical balls up by MP but he was dreadful at the Wolves game. Loan him out to shock him into strengthening or sell to improve elsewhere. PEH - I like him but we have a costly player, ex-Bayern as well, not even making the squad. Tadic blows hot and cold; need a change of systen to get the best out of him. Shame Sims injured as just what we need; Hesketh has an injury record even Darren Anderton would be ashamed of. However, when the DoF comes out with one of the most stupid comments I've ever heard last summer 'Pierre joins one of the strongest midfield options in the PL' and Claude's Henry jibberish about Redmond - another midfielder/wide player who should be under severe scrutiny - you can see the level of delusion.

Looked a star at 17 but is regressing fast. Beckham or Lampard never had pace or notable strength - but worked for hours every day on set pieces, running different angles, strengthening and finishing. JWP has good technique but that's not enough in an athletic PL. So he has to be as strong and techically proficent as possible to make any impact. SFC is too cushy a number - Beckham had a loan spell at Preston and Lampard got terrible flack from Hammers fans early on. It toughened both up. JWP needs loaning out to a lower division where he is expected to be the best player, to lead and show the commitment of a PL player. Getting him out of his cosseted, protected environment might yet make a man of him. Football-wise - I don't know him as a person - he was a very mature 17 year old but gets towards his mid-20s badly naive.

Is it Eric or further up though? JWP should have been loaned out to the Championship 2 years ago - 3 managers have played and dropped him. You have to ask why. Where is PEH?

Agree with you on 3 Championship standard midfielders - need a major midfield overhaul in Jan apart from Rom and Lemina. Might have to take a bath on Boufal's value - probably half of what we paid. Hope Reed/Wilson under pressure. How did Choboloah (spelling) slip away? Clearly a few of our players know him judging by before the game. Was a snip for Watford. Re:Sims, did you post recently that he's out until Xmas? Gutted if so. Lemina is a must, Rom missed him already.