Crab Lungs

This x100

Danish B-Rabbit's found Don't forget to hook up with your brahs Rabbit....

Targetts positional sense is absolutely terrible as well

Yup.

Caulker is painfully slow. Only slower thing on the pitch tonight was our build up play in the 1st half. Too many last ditch saving challenges by fonte for my liking, we really do need a composed cb alongside him. As for their goal, terrible defending, dare I say Tim Sparv waltzed into the Morgan shaped hole and pretty much had all the time in the world to get his shot away. Happy enough were score goals this season, we'll just concede by the bucket load unless we sort our def mid and centre back position.

Bullied by Deeney, Behrami to run the show... Two or three nil reverse

I used to enjoy his posts, they were funny. They were still funny when they were taking this p1ss out of me. But now he seems... a bit vitriolic, a bit unstable. Hope he's OK.

Ha, whatever. Thing is, all the people who "played it cool" over the summer probably acted like that to appear so because for some reason, a reputation means something to them. On an internet forum. Reality is, they were probably not so confident it'd work out. As it happened, everything did go swimmingly but I think there were plenty more fans concerned than unconcerned in some of the bad weeks last year.

It's a big if, and I don't think we should panic at all but can understand people's worries and frustrations. If we've got replacement players in mind, I do think it's time the club stumped up a bit of that cash and had a bit of a "balls out" incoming transfer sesh ourselves.

Obviously, we should treat this caution until anything formal is said from both sides but I can totally understand people's frustrations and worries if we do sell Mane. We lost five first-team regulars the previous season and in some ways, got very lucky that all of the players recruited to replace them bedded in so quickly and were of mostly a similar or higher standard. This year we've lost three and haven't replace them like-for-like, with the exception of Cedric who looks to have a few similar attributes to Clyne. Other than that, Clasie isn't really a replacement for Schneiderlin, more a different option; probably better suited to replace Davis. Romeu isn't really a replacement of significant calibre for Schneiderlin, though they may play in a similar position. Once again, a different proposition slightly and a slightly underwhelming one (though obviously will reserve judgement until he's played a season or so). As for Alderweireld, Yoshida "filling in" isn't good enough and whilst I do like Yoshida, he's not of the same quality. We haven't replaced him either and we really do need to step that up; Toby left us a long, long time ago now and we've gone into the season completely understaffed for that area. I do feel sorry for the fans who've bought season tickets at the moment as they've been sold a bit of a dud on the back of an excellent season last year, likewise players like Fonte, who would definitely be feeling a sense of deja vu after last year's exodus. Les talks of breaking the glass ceiling; that's all well and good but he must realise we will never get there with such massive disruption to our first team, season after season. At some point, they're going to have make either learn to say no and prove to the existing players and potential ones that we're not just a selling club, but a progressive club as well. People, players and fans alike aren't stupid; everyone knows there is a food chain in football and let's face it, we do sit just above the middle in that - but that doesn't mean we should accept the fact we will be raided every season for our best players. Those same people also know that whilst we can't keep every player at the club long-term, this strategy is completely unsustainable and if we do want to have regular forays into Europe and achieve Les' dream of Champions League football, we need to act like one of the aspirants of that (Spurs, Liverpool etc), not one of the happy-go-lucky-just-glad-to-be-here competitors of the Premier League. After working so, so hard to get back to the Premier League and establish ourselves as a recognisable force and flagship role-model club, it doesn't make any sense to then undo it every season. Big money is all well and good but it's not a computer game; money is no guarantee of an excellent footballer or ideal replacement (Osvaldo, Veron, Rebrov, many of Liverpool's signings in the past twenty years etc). The board say we've always had a plan and there is no reason to panic.... the question is, if Mane goes as well and with only 2 weeks left until the transfer window closes, what trust will YOU have left?

This, x 1000

They're an absolute bunch of c()nts, hate them. Small-time, bucket-rattling Blackpool wannabes with their success built on similar sand to that of Portsmouth's, their illustrious bigger brother. Can't wait for it to go tits up and they're begging us for a friendly again.

Bet the open top bus is getting a dust down

As you've probably seen him much more than me, tell me more....

Yeah, it's a shame really. No longer in the cool club anymore and bullied by Fry and Turkish. Bad times!

Was that Hargreaves who just said we miss Forster more than Alderweireld and Schneiderlin and that Stekelenburg has really struggled? WTF

Dragovic and Gonalons NOW. Hopefully, if I say it enough times, it'll become true. Here's hoping.

Yeah, slightly inclined to agree. I'm sure the people who "played it cool" over the summer were secretly worried like everyone else... good job it worked out for them, I suppose. Think we'll be ok IF we do get a quality CB and DM and perhaps play Clasie in advanced postion ahead of Davis.

Yeah, this is true... but what of performances? Are they at the same level? It does look like we are significantly weaker than last season... hence why people are a bit concerned, which is fair enough.

This is a lesson that proves we can't keep replacing our best players every season. Either we we go balls out, or we gamble and become a Norwich, WBA etc.

Balls out for Dragovic and Gonalons and we'll be ok. We'll get van Dijk and Romeu instead by the looks of things. Not that that is terrible, just not the same standard. Hopefully when Clasie gets back he'll have found a bit of rythym 'cos he looked like a very bad Lee Cattermole against Vitesse.

WTF Yoshida.

Is it me, but does anyone else think that our centre-halves are also doing the fullbacks defensive work as well?

Saints GK home kit maybe?

it is... just defensively, we don't have the same big characters this year and we're getting punished