saint1977

I'm not bothered about playing them, I'd rather swap it for some decent midfielders if out so-called DoF pulls his finger out.

The scary bit is that going by the Twitter name he is 46 years of age. The schools must be really bad in E Hants.

I'm starting to come around to your point of view, much as I don't want to give in to the player/agent, the club HAS to come first. Morgan had given six years and come up with us from L1 and his behaviour was a single tweet and a couple of days. If we had a strong enough first XI to compete, fair enough but we don't. We need to get 3 or 4 quality players in quickly and as the club seem in turmoil with the takeover/non-takeover, use the VVD money.

Best thing that could have happened - will have shattered complacency. Reed has done the right things on VVD but wrong if it has taken the eye of the ball of incoming players that MP has requested. Sounds like we need to bring someone in to help Les with transfers and get the 3 players MP wants over the line before the Swansea game. VVD is a sideshow - we need a CB anyway, DMC and AMC - that was the case in May and still is now. VVD can sort himself out - he and his agent made this mess - and compete for a place when fit. Bednarak clearly needs a loan to Championship or League 1. PEH may benefit from a short loan as well to restore confidence and midfield needs a shake up to play the way MP wants.

Yes, I agree with that. The only bit I add is to buy his replacement now so they have time to bed in and also VVD may not be match fit until say October.

Biggest club - or certainly one of the top 2 or 3 - in the world though. Agree on the technicality but why would you swap Barca for PSG? £££. Probably good business by Barca and reckon it might destabilise PSG. The point I was making is that if a club of that size - release clause or not - can be shorn of it's best players then you can see the pressure Saints have been under.

Apparently we're the only club though that is put under pressure to sell and ever does. If Barca have to.... Liverpool are already trying to say Coutinho was over-rated - BS. He's their star player. We'll have most if not all of the proceeds up front if you want VVD now though....or wait 12 months.

You could argue Barca have been forced to sell Neymar to PSG by player/agent/press antics. Barcelona. Players and agents are just after £££, and that includes some of Wolves recent signings. Nobody can tell me the Neymar deal is about anything other than money. I can just about accept Coutinho to Barca might be about football but there will still be £££ involved. If Saints get another CB first, they've played this just right. If Pool buy him, it's been because of tapping up and they pay a huge premium. Plus I suspect the tapping up evidence comes out to help spike the agent. If Pool won't pay up, VVD has put his other suitors off - what a moron. We can afford to buy another CB to go with Stephens - VVD has been out for a while so let's see if he can regain his place in the autumn. Pool if they want VVD now are either going to have to give us their Coutinho money or shut up.

Quite. I actually don't mind being a shop window for a couple of years if an amazing player gets a big move, we profit and get to watch them in the meantime. What is different about this is a) VVD, agent and Klopp's illegal and disgusting conduct b) Unlike 2014 when Lallana and Lovren were kicking off, we don't have the financial pressure to sell and that's what the player and his numbskull agent don't seem to understand. If I were Les Reed and MP, I'd buy a replacement now and then sell VVD in Jan (when desperation/injuries at top 4 clubs may push the price up again) or May, let him on the bench in the meantime. Our needs are then covered and the club has made a stand against the player and the agent.

That was MLT. Oldham won to stay up, Branfoot was our manager. We were awful most of the season, had a run of six runs on the spin including a stunning win v Villa and then terrible again (IIRC lost 5-2 at Sheff Wed slightly before that).

Yes, MLT did score direct from a corner and before that Beattie from another MLT delivery via his shoulder. It was more than 7000 - I was there and we had the whole of the Arthur Waite, and plenty in the other three stands when we scored too. Must have been at least 10k. Gate was 23-24k and Wimbledon weren't in the habit of getting 17k for end of season games which didn't mean much to them. You are right on the Fez though - and there were plenty of those too. Enjoyed watching Hassan play, don't know why it didn't work out at Villa for him.

It did - although that might have been due to his injury he arrived with. Jury is out but hopeful he'll prosper under MP. Osvaldo - that was not protracted enough - as in I never wanted him to join. Poch did many good things at SFC but that was his nadir.

Liverpool is like Spurs was in early 2000s - particular manager (Hoddle) and one or two players. After he was sacked it subsided quickly. Man U is Liverpool's big rivalry and vice versa: always has been and always will be. Look at the astonishing bile both sides generate and Alan Smith's treatment (some people have forgotten about that). Everton there's some rivalry but very one sided, bit more spice these days but even when they were title rivals in the 1980s, it wasn't bad. Even City's new money hasn't elevated them as Man U's principle rivals. It's Mancs V Scousers. Can never see a rivalry with Liverpool over that distance developing or sustaining and not the deep-rooted cultural rivalries between two large cities that Manchester and Liverpool have. Whereas Southampton and Portsmouth, on a slightly smaller but no less nasty scale - that you can see re-igniting at some stage, particularly if Eisner manages to sort them out eventually. Perhaps with Brighton but I just think it's too far and they are too focused on Palace.

And he wasn't even worth it. Fair play for cancelling the last year of his deal when we were in big financial doo doos though. Gaston was quite drawn out - there's one I wish we'd let Liverpool win! Good player at the start but Championship even since and didn't do much for Boro last year.

Respect begins with respect. Aldridge has to take some of the blame for his appalling comments about VVD going on strike. Some of the comments on here have been on the boundary but so has the lack of respect on Pool Forums and their ex-players/press antics so I'd call it a score draw. By coincidence, I saw an old MOTD episode last night from 1984/5 with Oxford v Leeds. Aldridge scored a hat-trick but forearm smashed Peter Lorimer in the face - and Lorimer complete with fat lip was sent off. BTW - what a toilet the Manor Ground was. There are better Conference South grounds these days.

This has been a golden period in our history but this is also a golden post. Struggling to find a sentence or statement that I don't wholeheartedly agree with and speaks for my views as a fan. One of the best I've seen on here over the years.

Evening Standard (OK - not an impeccable source) have had Conte trailing VVD and on his shortlist on a regular basis. After all of the Liverpool smoke, I still think they are interested and no house move for VVD = easier to sell at home potentially. Chelsea can also blow Pool out of the water on personal terms and agents love £££. Jurgen would be a but a day on the Lancashire coast (and not the nice bit either). Arsenal won't pay anywhere what Saints want unless Sanchez/AOC is sold to pay for it to appease their fans. I too would wait to see how VVD fares post-injury but the agent will want his money now - up to him to secure a lucrative move to another destination other than Liverpool which satisfies both player and current employer. Now we'll find out if he's any good or not after the Blackpool shambles.

What we could afford at the time though. Similar to Kelvin in some respects. Niemi was quality but didn't dislodge Jones straight away. In fact, remember Wales v Finland just after Antti signed, was a save festival. A bit like Flowers v Southall in an end of season 0-0 in the early 90s with some saves that were bordering on arrogance they were that good.

Can see what you are saying but after the Lallana and Lovren debacles Liverpool have to be taught a lesson here. SFC have enough financial clout to do it as well. I can live with it if he goes elsewhere but Liverpool? I agree with Shroppie, that's Les Reed finished basically and I don't think Les will give in this time. We don't need to sell this summer. Good start by MP btw. VVD's agent might learn something.

I've said Chelsea all along and I'm sticking to it. They've got much better players we could be loaned as part of as deal, none of Liverpool's squad beyond the starters like Mane and co would get near our first XI. VVD won't have to move from new home in Winchester area so keeps the peace (allegedly) at home. Even if we got a few million less I would rather he went there than Liverpool. The new TV deal means we can hold out for our self-respect rather more (I hope).

He'll go to Chelsea or anywhere else (Gunners, City, Juventus) if the offer is right for the clubs and player. Forget all this nonsense from Merseyside. If they were that mercenary in Blackpool, their heads will turn with more £££ on offer at Chelsea and VVD won't even have to move house.

Quite - can imagine the video appearing on the back page of the Telegraph as well. Maybe even the tabloids. If he wants to go, ask for a transfer. Then we'll see whether his agent is all mouth and no trousers (no pun intended mate!) where clubs holding a serious interest other than LFC are concerned. Personally, I think LFC were trying to back SFC into a corner and thought our sales had to continue. They don't. If you want our player, on a long contract which he and his agent signed and he was happy to draw on when injured, pay the valuation and stop the sob stories and law-breaking.

I feel the same about VVD - I just don't want him sold to Liverpool under any circumstances. He needs to ask for a transfer if he wants to go and start behaving like an adult. This is just as bad as Lallana and Lovren although in the former's case the rumour of striking was never substantiated and we got a whopping fee for the time for both players. If he goes to Chelsea I don't mind, Arsenal if they pay a decent fee or preferably Juve. I wouldn't blame Les for that. The player, agent and Klopp are a disgrace for that meeting in Blackpool - so blatant and lacking in any respect by all of them and an appropriately seedy venue for seedy people. Then Liverpool wonder why they are so loathed outside of their little bit of the North West. The Mancs do have a point.

GM has his answer.

Re: Clasie, it depends if he's rated by the new manager or not. Certainly was out of favour with the previous. LeG seemed to be hinting that Clasie might have a different role in a new formation in return for improving his stamina. With FF, need to get the defensive screen back to near the standard it was, De Gea would be exposed last season let alone FF. Towards the end of the season Fraser looked fitter and was coming off his line better. Romeu is covering a stupid amount of ground in midfield and urgent priority to sign quality help/partner.