derry

We paid north of £12m with I believe a 15% sell on profit to Celtic. We sold Lovren for north of £20m and Puel is already talking of VVD being capable of being one of the top six central defenders in the world. Stones went to MC for about £50m and is nowhere near that bracket. I would be gob smacked if Saints knowing the market, how good he is would even dream of allowing him to go for £25m.

It seems to me in midfield and attack, apart from Long, Romeu, Reed, Austin and Hojbjerg there is a lack of aggression and tempo. Redmond, Boufal, JWP, Davis, Tadic and Clasie slow the tempo. It's all very well having two thirds possession but if it's mainly in our own half in front of eleven opponents it invariably ends up being passed back to the goalkeeper and half the time punted up field. Boufal shows signs of being good on the ball but that needs to be in the opponents final third. Sims looks very natural with a real grasp of running the channels. If we are to score more goals other than dead ball situations we have to pressure the ball in our half and pass it up to the forwards quickly and then get the midfield players up in support immediately. The midfielders plus especially Redmond, Tadic and Boufal don't attempt to rapidly get into the six yd box mostly watching Austin or Long rather than getting in amongst the defenders.We get our best results with less than 40% possession often losing with 70% possession or not scoring. We need to speed up our whole game when we have the ball. I'm not advocating lumping it onto the heads of big defenders, rather fast movement and delivery of the ball into the path of our runners early enough to avoid running offside and exploit the maximum space behind defenders.

Redmond is a lightweight that flatters to deceive because he is nippy and looks clever on the ball. There is little end product, he has no idea where to go and just wanders mostly ball watching and waiting for a pass to feet. He has no awareness or anticipation in attack, makes no decoy runs or runs into the box on the off chance of picking up something all a necessity in a striker. He definitely hasn't got a clever football brain. Puel picking him every week is doing him no favours. The way we play must be a real irritation to Austin, Long and Rodriguez, to see Redmond averaging a goal in 11 games playing up front. Every time I see him in the team I know we will struggle to create and score.

Redmond hangs about on the edge of things looking pretty on the ball but providing absolutely nothing up front. Puel seems to have a blind spot where he is concerned. Boufal looks clever but again nothing of real substance. Attitude looks poor at times. Austin virtually playing up front on his own feeding off scraps. It was just a matter of time until a Fonte pass to the keeper ended up in the net. Forster was pathetic in dealing with it but Fonte needs to put his foot through the ball instead of the incessant back passing. The attack was lightweight it's about time Austin played up front with Long and maybe Sims. If Boufal or Redmond are to play, then it has to be with two strikers they are no threat at present. Maybe back to 4-2-3-1 with Boufal, Austin,Sims with Long in front and Romeu and Hojbjerg holding. Until the Fonte / Forster aberration we were in no bother in defence then conceding again in three minutes was more due to the lift CP got with the shock goal. The third goal was probably predictable.

I see Marcus Barnes is back playing for the U23s after a long lay off also back amongst the goals. Looked a talent before he was injured.

You should drop Canada Saint a line he has lived in Edmonton for years. Played in same youth team as MIck Channon.

Thanks, another piece of the Jigsaw. I once had to hold over Colombia whilst an entry clearance to Peru was found. Sounds like the wrong aircraft for the flight unless it had long range tanks.

Barcelona, Real Madrid should be VVD's target. Saints should state that they won't sell to a PL club. That would jack the price up.

RJ85 British four engine aircraft. Not particularly long range. The standard RJ85 has a max fuel range of 1600 nm but at its Max take off weight the range is only 1150 nm.Their were rumours reported on the news, bad weather/mountains, Mayday quoting electrical problems and a comment from the area about running out of fuel. Medellin was the destination from Santa Cruz in Bolivia presumably a tech stop, a distance of over 1600 nm more than the fuel range of a standard RJ85. It may have been a combination of all three. Speculation but the quoted electrical problem could have been related to fuel starvation and loss of generators resulting in the crash. The Mayday may have been stating the lesser of the two evils, Wouldn't be the first time that aircraft have run out of fuel. A South American 707 holding for Kennedy crashed rather than declare lack of fuel, A DC8 crashed at Portland and a Concorde ran out of fuel on landing at LHR, pressed on rather than diverted. Just a couple of instances. This one just doesn't seem straight forward.

Watched part of Hull match last night on Bein using SportsNation/sportsMania although it costs £50 a year it is by far the best I've come across especially using Kodi. No virus adverts of any kind. Arsenal v Saints showing on several channels tonight.

Got rid of the slow ultra cautious possession crap, won the ball, got it forward to runners quickly and supported in numbers with a high tempo. It looked to me that there has been a sea change in attitude, maybe a shot across Puel's bows from those that count or unhappy players now allowed to play to their strengths.. Redmond doesn't deserve a place, Sims was outstanding as were most of the other players with VVD, Romeu and Hojbjerg immense in a solid defence. JWP did his best but is still too negative. Puel nearly threw it all away at the end by unbalancing the side and attempting to pack the midfield giving possession to Everton and forcing us to desperately hang on. It would have been better to throw on Rodriguez and Long with Reed for JWP. Everton gambled and had at least six forwards which left them open to counter attack. If we had had a couple of forwards they wouldn't have been able to lay siege in the last fifteen minutes. It only needed a lucky finish and the result would have been different. Puel really is negative and I'm not convinced the change in style today is down to him.

The goals have dried up because we are ultra cautious in a narrow static midfield playing slow passing, sideways and backwards possession for the sake of it, in front of eleven opponents eventually getting the full backs forward to mostly hit into the outnumbered forward in the box. Redmond is part of the problem, where we need a run into the box he sits on his heels waiting to see what happens. He is messing up the attack. Unless we are going to play him as a winger he needs leaving out. We have forwards but they do not suit the way we play. It's not rocket science play to our strengths not neutering the forwards asking them to cover the full backs. This manager will be gone in due course unless he changes his approach. 5 goals from play in 11 matches is a relegation statistic.

We bring in players and educate the academy to play one way then adopt a system that hardly anybody plays for good reason, it doesn't suit the players who are failing to adapt. The diamond is a mess unless the players are suited to it. Ours are not.

I go along with this except Boufal until he adapts and lifts his game after a long period injured is not worth anything other than cameo appearances, whilst Redmond has been an undeserved ever present with little output or end product. I personally would go for more home grown strength and play Rodriguez, Austin and Tadic on the left with Long up front, dispensing with the three small midfielders and Play Hojbjerg with Romeu as you say. Rodriguez needs to play himself back in, If Austin is allowed to play his natural game in the box and Long takes the physical stick up front, Tadic can operate in his best position. We would also be physically stronger. I don't rate Puel because he ignores the natural strengths of some players, indulges the weaknesses of favourites and makes players fit into his system even if they don't suit it. Good managers employ systems that get the natural best out of their players not the other way round. The result is rather than making a team better than the sum of the parts Puel has made the team worse.

We need a 0-0 or a win to go through not that we deserve to. Puel seems to have no idea how to get a team to play at a high tempo and attack quickly. Again we had four times the passes as Sparta, twice the number of attempts on goal none of which the keeper had to save yet we were so slow to build up. Sparta virtually always had their whole team in front of the ball. VVD needs to head the ball down. All Puel has succeeded in doing is turning a decent team into negative nonsense. 8 goals in the last eleven games, 2 penalties, 1 own goal, five from play says it all. We just do not get runners from midfield or numbers into the box. Boufale needs time he is nowhere near ready for anything but a cameo, Redmond is out of his depth as a striker. The system is a busted flush we need to change the way we play, possession for the sake of it is a nonsense. Maybe go 4-2-3-1 and use Tadic on the left, Long, Rodriguez and Austin in front of Romeu and Hojbjerg.

Why would we want to pay through the nose for a player that hardly ever is fit for a run of games. Think Carroll at WHU, overpriced, overpaid and always injured. WHU were mugged we should have the sense to leave well alone.

That's not true, he's an expert at what he does it's just that it is so numbingly defensive that we play one of the best finishers around as an auxiliary full back. What the hell happened to the Southampton way because this isn't it. This isn't about yesterday, it's about the way we play. If we don't get players into the box and get the ball to them we aren't going to score goals. Four from play in 12 matches is a massive criticism. I'd prefer 40% possession and four goals to beat Arsenal over 65% possession and lose to Hull.

Boufal has to do a lot more than now and again beating a few players going nowhere. What sums him up for me, when Austin had a brilliant first touch and was forced wide desperately looking for a Saints player, the nearest, Boufal hadn't even bothered to make a run into the penalty area. This summed up what is wrong with Saints attacking. Only Austin makes the runs and effort, neither Boufal or Redmond make runs in support. I can accept that Long didn't have 90 minutes in him but Rodriguez, Long and Austin look a much more powerful attack as we looked much better with only two of them on the field. They will try and get into the box and compete with defenders, without that we are just powderpuff. We were one light in midfield with backs to the wall. Davis is not a player that competes physically, I felt that a midfield of Hoijbjerg, Romeu and Reed would have been more competitive and might have made it a lot more difficult. The team was too lightweight and needs to be physically more imposing.

Apologies if this is already posted. Our favourite referee Mark Clattenburg is the referee v Liverpool.

It looks like the centre/right has again given the finger to the liberal establishment. I'm looking forward to the raft of General Elections in the EU next year. The elite could be in for a hammering. What are the odds now for a breach in the EU dam if Germany, Holland, France, Austria go anti establishment and EU. Interesting times, the elite have been ****ing up the world for too long it's good that the people are kicking them out.

The PL put in a extra million and all of the clubs have earned more than last year already, £10k a win, £5k a draw. Win it £100k. The clubs need the money and voted to try it. It looks like half the U21 sides are out.

The problem for the political parties is that virtually all the constituencies in England outside London voted to Leave. If any MPs from those constituencies vote to block May they know that they will be committing political suicide, as they won't make it through a general election, which would be almost certain, if May is blocked in Parliament. As most MPs value their privileged positions, apart from the fanatical, Libs, Greens, SNP and those from constituencies that voted to Remain, most MPs from both Conservative and Labour will vote to invoke Article 50 without pre conditions. The Supreme court is a sideshow with Europhile judges on it's panel. If it rules that the first ruling is right in law it will go to Parliament ASAP, more than likely as a one liner enabling bill and Article 50 will be invoked by the end of March. I have a relation who is a very senior diplomat in Germany. They have been instructed as to what their position is. Brexit is their instruction, no ifs or buts get on with it. the German position is that they don't care whether we leave or go but they want it sorted so that there is certainty. There is no doubt that there will be a deal that is agreeable to Germany and the UK as the Germans have no intention of allowing their industries to be damaged by trade restrictions. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

I don't buy the tiredness argument. Benali was tired, 14 marathons and 1400 miles in 14 days, that was tired. Guardiola says possession is to be used to win matches. We use possession as an end in itself. To have 66% possession and lose to a poor side is nonsense as most of that possession was in our half. I don't care how euphoric fans are after beating a pretty sub standard Italian team masquerading as Internazionale Milan. In fact the other two teams in the group are no great shakes either.It wasn't ground breaking, we scored from a scramble after a corner and an own goal after the left back couldn't get out of the way of the ball. We were absolutely toothless as we have been all season. Redmond isn't a striker and never will be. Davis, Clasie, JWP and Tadic have neither the guts, determination or inclination to make the early supporting runs into the box to try and make a difference. Personally the aimless passing around in front of our penalty area is nonsense as is relying on substandard right backs to provide width. Tadic has proved time and time again that he is best on the left, by the time he beats the fullback three times on the right the defence is formed up. Fonte, VVD and Bertrand are good defenders, Romeu and Hojbjerg are good midfielders, Austin is a good striker, Long is an effective target whilst Redmond is a competent wide player. Rodriguez needs time as does Boufal. The diamond is now a 4-3-3 that is making us ineffective because of the insistence of playing one striker and Redmond. It still doesn't look like it is a system for the players we have, rather a managers favourite framework and possession obsession that the players have to fit into whether it suits them or not. We might be hard to beat but we sure as hell won't win too many unless we change our attacking system.

Some big nasty bastard to play in midfield and get in amongst the opposition. We are far too nice. Chelsea got away with murder yesterday especially their no 3 Marcos Alonso? He needed clattering especially as the referee Mike Jones was letting everything go.