derry

Sky would have a problem in this area if it was the most disliked team in this area in the Premier. A toss up between Liverpool, Spurs and MU I think.

7pm BST

I had problems yesterday. I easily purchased two tickets in correct ST seats for the Vitesse game but struggled with the Espanyol game trying to book the same seats. It would not allow me to buy my favourite seat but allowed the seat two along and the one next to me so I put in for three tickets which then brought up my seat. I then cancelled the seat I didn't want and completed the purchase of the two correct seats. Pricewise it recognised the double booking and applied the discount for buying both games together.

Was it an inept attack or two defensive midfielders with Davis and Ward-Prowse as two of the four attackers without scoring, lacking pace and playing sideways and backwards. Tadic carrying a groin injury made life very difficult for Pelle and whoever was the other attacker.

No problem with the cow, Saints charter their own jet.

Gazzaniga had a pretty good first half v Valencia and looked good again yesterday apart from the shot that hit him in the face as he came out then made a good save from the rebound shot. The defence seemed pretty comfortable with him in goal.

Selling Charlie Livesey was arguably the start of the rise of SFC. A fee plus Cliff Huxford bought George O'Brien and Richard Connor and promotion to Div 2. Paine and Sydenham in that team joined by Chivers moved on to Div 1, the rest is history.

Is Van Dijk injured? He isn't in the Celtic squad for their qualifier tonight.

In my view I get the showcase part of it. Just like Spurs when Bale and Modric moved to Madrid, Liverpool when Suarez to Barcelona, Man Utd Ronaldo to Madrid, Arsenal Van Persie and others to Man Utd and City there comes a time when a player gets too big for the club and moves on. In the last few years players reached this threshold going back to Walcott, Bale, Ox and Chambers then Lallana, Lovren, Shaw, followed now by Clyne and Schneiderlin. Even Alderweireld added value while here. It doesn't mean we are getting weaker, last year we brought in eight to replace five, this year it looks like seven to replace three plus Rodriguez and Ramirez. As long as we can get the team output to be better than the sum of the parts, where the team produces it's optimum level we will always produce annually diamonds that outgrow us. The art is in using the income to strengthen and evolve the overall team rather than replace with like for like. We seem to be doing a good job there. That way the League income plus the transfer income allied to buying good players will strengthen us. A lot of the big clubs pay enormous transfer fees and wages by buying players at their zenith who have performed for other clubs yet are unable to transfer that brilliance to the star studded teams they have joined. Success on the field isn't necessarily guaranteed by excessive expenditure, of course it helps.

Mine before the weekend, Friday I think.

Only time will tell how they do. Schneiderlin was allowed to play the way he liked with us and the structure took account of that. At MU he will have to compete, adapt and fit in with LVG, that may not be that easy. Making the blend work is the secret ingredient which often fails with a multitude of star players that just don't gel. I'm not so sure it's going to be that easy for them.

So far last years pickings have been underwhelming at their new clubs. This year Clyne has to step out in the unforgiving atmosphere at Anfield in virtually the same crap defence and James Milner in off the wing playing CM with Henderson, what could go wrong? Schneiderlin like Lambert has been playing for a team that has been built around him, now he has to go to MU and fit in to a star player set up with a back four that isn't that convincing and a new keeper. Time will tell but is his groin a continuing weakness as last season. Alderweireld to Tottenham suffered from hamstring weakness last year and probably only played CB for about half our games with a few at CM and RB. Spurs are asking a lot to expect that he will stay fit and shore up their poor defence. My point, if last years don't improve drastically including Shaw and this years three seamlessly step in and improve the performances of their new teams there may well be a reaction where teams will be less likely to pay lots for our players. The question is it the talent or the blend at Southampton?

0927 on newsnow.

I would think we offered enough to be taken seriously and Clasie stood down from the friendly.

We put another nail in the TH coffin today. Schneiderlin to MU. It looks like TH are now just competing for best of the rest, wonder how that will work out?

The first team looked balanced but the second team was just a collection of individuals with no shape or teamwork. Soares doesn't seem to grasp that standing off opens the door. No Schneiderlin again.

I had a PM from Willow, they are installing a new system.

Who the hell cares what any other team thinks or does. Saints are our team and the supporters in the main come from or have connections with the area. That'll do nicely for me.

Another way to deal with it. On the centre back front move on and buy a replacement. On the AM front take it to the bitter end and give no agreement.

Edited just for you.

A little bit of conjecture! Last summer we took TA on loan. But was it? From something that has happened way back that I can't remember the details a foreign loan isn't a loan. Saints would have completed a permanent transfer for an agreed fee and received his international clearance and his registration, a contract was in place to buy the player in 2015 for £6.8m unless AM activated a clause allowing them to buy him back for £1.5m before a defined date. The date has passed and Saints have their player as soon as AM accept the agreed £6.8m but in the meantime hold the international clearance and registration as AM had failed to buy him back. Skacel as mentioned on this thread and Lampard were also tied up in this sort of arrangement.

From THFC, Levy in Madrid for weekend to tie up transfer, Medical done Monday (whenever), Terms agreed so why isn't it all done and dusted? Problems? If it isn't announced shortly it could get interesting.

IMO If it is a legal issue, both AM and Saints will be consulting lawyers. If there is anything in the contract that causes problems AM's lawyers would advise them accordingly and more than likely delay the transfer until the legal problem is resolved. There also could be a registration problem ie. who holds the international clearance that last season was with Saints. If that hasn't been transferred back to AM there would be a serious problem with maybe nobody but Saints able to register him. If he signs for Spurs and the Premier League accept the registration it is a done deal. If there is financial fall out that would be resolved by agreement or in court. IMO If he doesn't sign today there may well be a block on the move until resolved.

It may be that the termination was beneficial to Osvaldo, enough to allow him to negotiate a lucrative contract with say Boca. By freeing him there may have just been a ex gratia payment so that he can sign for somebody without fees etc. It would make little sense otherwise. Saints may have got out of jail there.

What a ****! Rodgers played southern League for Newport IOW, Koeman was one of the best defenders in the world playing for Barcelona. He hasn't taught his defenders how to defend up to now and I can't see it happening with Clyne either.