positivepete

Sadly I now think that we will lose Morgan and Lovren, but if we had a core of five that did not want to stay then it is better that they are gone. Clearly their agent will be able to retire after this summers work if it is true they all have the same one. The backroom staff appoinments show we are moving into a new phase. At least we are financially stable and if we can get a squad together to get 45 to 50 points this season we will be in a good position to kick on from there. Most of us fans are in it for the long term, not just for the headlines yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

Record transfer fee for Bournemouth, and that for a 12 year old!

Don't know, I will defer to Dave Watson I think

We have sold two English players to other PL sides. As we have seen many times before fees in these circumstances are inflated. As Alan Pardew pointed out in an interview the other day, the fees are beyond the reach of normal clubs, that is why they get their players from abroad. Even Scholes criticised MU for paying the money they did for Shaw. So selling £90m worth of talent will not cost £90m to replace. We are certainly not in a worse position than we were when we got promoted, we only had two players with any PL experience at all at that point. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/10933747/Luke-Shaws-30m-price-tag-is-why-we-buy-foreign-at-Newcastle-we-cant-afford-English-says-Alan-Pardew.html Suggest you read the Pardew interview.

Les Reed is a well known innovator in football circles. His original appointment is what has led us to the current high standard of the academy and the new training ground. The Premier League blueprints for academies are based entirely on Les Reed's academy plans when he was at the FA. The FA did not have the nous to push the plans through. Leibherr's money and vision enabled Reed to show how it should be done. We will always sell academy graduates, it is part of the business funding model that will enable us to be self funding. Rather that that than a fan loaned club like the lot down the road.

The food chain at work again, we are higher up the chain than Brighton.

Hi AussieSaint Dave and I will be there. Saints and Guly 21 Brazil shirts to hand

I am not sure he would fit into our system. Burnley play a traditional 442 with a little and large front line. We play one up front, would Danny Ings be able to play as a lone striker? He is a great worker and has scored an impressive amount of goals but I would be surprised if he was for us. Same goes for Jordan Rhodes who some on here bang on about. No way he could play as a lone striker, his movement is non existent.

Spot on, he is the player who sets the tempo. Whilst the midfield is our strongest department it would be gutting to lose Morgan now. Fully expect him to move on in the next couple of years, but the timing if he left now would not be good.

Spot on

The other reason we do well is that we do not take as many in each year group as other clubs, the coach to pupil ratio is better so the coaching is more individual

Indeed he is, he has passed every level with ease. Wiltshire commented that he looked like a player with 100 caps in Belo Horizonte. I was there and he was as calm as you like. Barring injuries he will be a top player, and Man Utd may soon be too small for him. Proud to have seen what looks like turning out to be his last game as a Saints player. He has been a joy to watch through the sixty odd games he played for us. We are being well compensated for losing him, and let's hope we invest the money wisely. We will always remember he started his career with us, as we do with Bale, Walcott, Chamberlain.

Flying out today for the game, hopefully get to see a couple of Saints players at the World Cup! Have to spend the next couple of weeks partying on Copocabana beach then. Tough life.

Laughing stock to the Press and internet WuMs yes. Speak to anyone in football and Saints are respected all over Europe. Parents of young pros I have spoken to all say that the talk of 16 to 22 year olds in the game is of how Saints run the academy and give youth a chance. We may end up losing a few top end pros this summer but the club will continue to thrive with the structure we have.

Spot on Bearsy

Flying out Sunday, hopefully Roy will change the team for the third game. Better support Switzerland and Holland for my two weeks out there

Spot on

Or Chris Woods, former player, recently released from Old Trafford

As mentioned above, wifi in Dell bar but not great. Most 3G is useless on match days, EE 4G had some success, but no doubt as more users get 4G the connections will get worse. O2 for instance bring extra masts to events such as Royal Ascot. There was a lot of publicity about the wifi at Man City when it was installed but I have not heard much about how usable it is. Most people expect connectivity these days.

Pretty decent assessment from what we know so far.

Very pleased with this appointment. Chris Woods is available as a potential goalkeeping coach, good reputation and former Saint

Gary Lewin and his ankle

The way Gerrard and Henderson stuck to the middle third of the pitch in contrast to the way Morgan and Cork or Victor patrol across the width of the pitchwas very noticeable.

One of the problems the press have with us is that we do our business discretely behind closed doors. Liverpool for instance conduct their transfer policy through the press. Our strategy leads to wild speculation on the things going on at the club, most of which in the last six months have proved to be rubbish.

Rubbish. We employ a coach not a manager, Les does not do any coaching.