vectraman

2-0 saints tonight. I’m looking forward to it. Games under the lights are always somehow more special, more of an occasion. It’s what makes live football so Much better (to me) than watching it on TV. Come on Saints, two wins on the trot !!

Man City away. Just to end our hopes early Ideally the worst team left at home though please mr cup draw gods...

Saints to win this 2-0. We have a decent side out tonight, should be easily enough to see this Brighton side off

Exactly this - as with all jobs, it’s supply and demand. Premier league players? 800chosen from around the world? Doctors, nurses, police, firemen, medics etc? Hundreds of thousands in the UK alone. Lots of people could be trained to be our well respected emergency response professionals. Virtually no one makes it as a premier league player. It’s all about individual skills, excellence, fitness, coordination. Most people couldn’t even get close. Top tennis players, golfers, F1 drivers, film stars, all earn amazing wages because they are top of the tree. The best, in their field. We should say well done, you’ve made it, good luck to you. But people cant, jealousy shines through and it becomes “ too much, unfair, doctors, nurses etc” Because deep down, we all know people who are police, doctors, nurses etc. They do a fab job, but it’s not beyond lots of people. Top level football player, entertainment industry, loads of cash due to its popularity? Name your price. Market forces, supply and demand. That’s life.

I find it interesting that when Saints were in the Europa league it was a curse. A guarantee of a poor season based on playing Thursday nights every week. Every team that’s been in the Europa league has struggled... For Burnley, it was a blessing, an advantage, having played extra games. So what’s it to be?

No chance I would imagine of any future plans/expectations. Being pragmatic, no fan is going to want to hear “consolidating our Premier league status”. For I believe that is the realistic truth. Top 6 will never happen - the amount of money required to overhaul our average squad, and then compete would be impossible for Saints to achieve. FFP would be the obstacle, even if an incredibly wealthy, money no object new owner came in. As things are, we need to be self sufficient. The new owner won’t put money in, so sadly I think staying up is our aim, and not spending money we don’t have. It’d be a boring and soul destroying speech from Kruger methinks.... To a certain extent, I’d think most level headed fans can see this is the future, although we don’t want to admit it! Say we signed a new striker for 25 million, and we finished 12th in the league as opposed to 14th...we’d get 2 million extra prize money for our large outlay. It wouldn’t make financial sense, and I don’t think out new owner is chasing any dreams other than cost neutral survival.... That’s my take on our future anyway...

Ordered two shirts and shorts for my 10 and 7 year olds. All arrived safely and in good time So thank you Batman for highlighting the special offer - saving 50% is a fab saving in a new shirt. I would never have found the deal so excellent job Batman !!

Let’s not let facts get in the way though...we did play Arsenal (lost 3-2), Chelsea (lost 3-2) and Man City (last second loss) who we would not have expected to get anything from realistically anyway. So take the usual unwinnable games out and it was a decent return. You know and I know and everybody else knows Hughes turned us around and got the players to perform when it really mattered most. But if you want to slate him when the season hasn’t even started then that’s your prerogative I suppose.

Saints to finish 11th and play more attractive football. More goals at both ends! More entertaining games at home!! Man City to win the league again. Arsenal and Chelsea to miss out on top 4. Cardiff, Huddersfield and Brighton to go down.

I think it proves how inept and unadventurous our previous two managers have been. Defensive and non-attacking. I feel confident that under Hughes the team will create and score more goals.

As we are the away side tomorrow, and Croatia play in red and white shirts, what kit are England wearing?

I agree, it'd be like signing Rodriguez - good once, now, probably damaged goods. Sad I know, but signing a twice seriously injured player? Barge pole time sadly.

Clearly Maguire easily mom for me. He was literally immense.

Well done boys, a comfortable win in the end. Well played Pickford, trippier again and it pains me to say Henderson who I thought was very good. Sterling? Got in some great positions, f**ked them up very nicely though. Still unconvinced by him, great pace, no end result. The English Shane Long maybe? Looking forward to Wednesday now, we are good enough to beat Russia or Croatia, they really are not that great. COME ON ENGLAND!!

Well I hope Sterling and Alli repay the manager’s faith in them, they have both been very poor so far. Come on England let’s do this!!

If Targett wants to go and we have McQueen as back up left back, that’s okay. I’d have thought a slightly bigger fee than £10 million - £15 would be more like it, but we have a large squad and need to move players on who are just squad players. Assuming Bertrand stays, one back up left back is all we need really? I don’t see the problem with this personally.

100% Correct. Playing a right footer at left wing back is dumb. Opposition know they won’t get skinned down the line. Toss decision not taking Bertrand. Sterling total cr*p. Rashford deserved to start rather then him on past performance.

Why not loan him to a premier league team as Chelsea do with their young players? If he’s good enough a newly promoted team surely would give him some much needed top level experience?

He’s done a Karius! Bizarre how they both have stupid wispy beards and top knots, and both have played how they look

Ryan Shawcross, June 20th.

Excuse my footballing ignorance - who the heck are the wires ?? I genuinely have no idea.

For those unable to use google translate.... Karlo Bartolec rested in Zagreb after the second season in Danish Nordsjaelland. Nordsjaelland took third place and secured Euroleague qualifier, Bartolec was the standard player in the team, and after polusezone Dinamo wanted him to the right, but 2.5m euros was too much compensation he had to pay to the Danish club. I met Bartolce at one of Zagreb's cafes, he approached me kindly to greet me, so I was caught up in Denmark. What is their league? - I've been well in Denmark, the league is stronger than ours and much more professional. I play the right bend, and the more often and the right wing, depending on the formation. We took third place and won a performance in Europe, which is very important to me. Did you say that you will return to Croatia in Dinamo? - There were some contacts in the winter break, my club sought a $ 2.5 million reward that was not acceptable to Dinamo, and at the same time the manager had a bid from French Nantes so we agreed to stay until the end of the season. Has it paid off? - It is good that I have stayed, the club has won for Europe, and Southampton has expressed a very serious interest. Who represents you in negotiations? - The club manager was very busy with Nantes talk, and now Marko Naletilić has taken over. Has anybody contacted you from HNS for the national team since you left, yet you were a representative of the youth team and did you expect to call Dalić's menu? - No one contacted me, I think they're more closely following the league. Why can the team hope in Russia? - We can go far if we're lucky, we have a good team.

He seemed like a decent bloke. I'm sure the Spanish league will be more suited to his management style, and I wish him well.

Just not as good as our current left back...