CanadaSaint

What do we do as fans? Well, for a start, this forum might have fewer active members by the time this is all done. If things are looking much better by late-August, those who have been irrationally negative will hopefully disappear up the orifice from which many of their opinions seem to come. (In truth, some will do what they usually do when they've shot their own credibility all to hell - return with a new user name.) If things turn out poorly, some of us with a more positive outlook might not want to stick around for the "I told you so's'". I have a feeling that we'll see a bunch of head-turning signings in the coming weeks - and some new user names shortly after that.

I wouldn't be upset if we didn't get Forster, although I hope we have some decent alternatives. For me, Forster's biggest asset is being 6' 15" or whatever the hell he is. From what I've seen of him, his reading is questionable and he is (as tall keepers usually are) vulnerable to low shots. He could get away with those weaknesses in the SPL and playing for Celtic, but they would be ruthlessly exposed down here. And it's really important that we get this one right because Boruc's weaknesses (poor distribution and frequent brain f*rts) hurt us last year, and IMO we should really be looking for a starter rather than a back up.

If, as Koeman maintains, we haven't had bids for either Schneiderlin or Lovren, just what are people expecting right now? Not only did we have to wait for the WC to end. We also have to wait until the PL big boys have shown their cards with formal bids. Not media speculation, not agent flame-fanning, not tweets from people who know SFA. I have faith in the club and it wouldn't surprise me at all if there is indeed a "domino affect" waiting to happen, with multiple outgoings and incomings happening within the space of a few days.

"The challenges faced by Southampton over the Summer show how difficult it is to break into the top six." "We've received an e-mail from someone who goes under the name "Alpine Saint', and he's deeply concerned."

There's no point in keeping disgruntled players, so the issue of whether we're a "selling club" is not really relevant and perhaps not even that important to a club like ours. What IS important in that situation is that A) we get "top dollar" for disgruntled players, B) we scout well and find quality replacements at value prices, and C) we have the incoming transfers lined-up before we let the outgoing players leave, so that we lessen the chances of being asked to pay inflated prices because we're perceived to be desperate and rolling in cash. IMO that's a realistic and credible business model for a club like Saints. Scout well, buy low, sell high (if you have to sell). And always keep the academy conveyor belt rolling. In fact, I'd say that's the only way we can function in today's world, so I'm becoming more comfortable with the situation with each passing day.

It will be interesting to see if Lovren now starts back-pedalling a little. Saints don't have to hold tight until the window closes - just to the point at which Spurs and Liverpool sign someone else because they can't afford to risk waiting any longer. And maybe just Liverpool. Reading between the lines of the Pochettino saga, which may well have started much earlier than many of us think, it seems to me that Saints are angry enough that they wouldn't give Spurs a spot if they had the measles.

For all his undoubted talent he's always been a bit of a tactical f*rt in a thunderstorm, and Rodgers won't tolerate that. And his Cruyff turn has a limited shelf life. He's got a lot of developing to do in a high-pressure spotlight, especially with Liverpool buying so many high-cost players and knowing that not all of them will pan-out.

I tend to agree with GM, although I really enjoyed the way we played last year and certainly wouldn't call any change of tactics "long overdue". Our late-2012-13 and 2013-14 style was the product of a unique combination of a manager and a player group. We won't have that combination next season, but I have a feeling that Pochettino won't either; it will be interesting to see if he can successfully impose that style on an entirely new player group which includes some who may not be suited to it, physically or psychologically. And, even if he can, it will be interesting to see if it's effective enough to push Spurs much higher than where they finished last year. The other angle is that World Cups tend to set a new style trend, and I've never seen a World Cup more likely to do so than this one. It's very much a skill-based front foot style and it has been great to watch, it has shown a number of established countries to be "behind the times" (including the hitherto-dominant Spain), and it has enabled some less-established countries to progress far beyond where most of us expected. By the time our Summer transfer business is done, we just might be looking at a better season than the last, with a deeper squad of players who are better suited to the way the game is going. Whether we did it by luck or good judgment is a debate for another day.

No Kidding. In the last few days we've seen Suarez playing without Sturridge and Sturridge playing without Suarez. None of our players are irreplaceable on anything like the same level as Suarez is for Liverpool. Yes, I'm a little anxious about our back row BUT optimistic we'll be more effective up front (all that possession for so few goals) and I'm very happy that we look like keeping our engine room intact. The alleged budget, used effectively, could easily make us a better side - and especially squad - than we were last year. We were ticking along nicely until the injuries hit.

That's three straight seasons where we've started with an away game. I was sure we'd have a home opener this year.

I don't have a problem with the thread. At some point every society (whether it's the broader one or one like this) has to police itself - because the cops and moderators can't cover everything, and because some of the ills are annoyingly anti-social rather than illegal. Most of us have posted something that turns out (with hindsight) to have been utter crap, and I'm okay with having my stupid comments rammed back down my throat later. It's a learning experience. The ones that get "both barrels" on here are the ones that never seem to learn, and keep posting over-the-top rubbish - usually of the negative kind. The events of the past few weeks have seen more drivel than I can ever remember seeing on here ("asset stripping" etc) - and that's saying something! But some of it has been downright nasty (obnoxious personal comments about Katharina and Ralph). If the guilty parties don't like threads like this, perhaps they should think a little more before they post.

Oh, I think the club can play it with Lallana in such a way that he would be committed here - if they and the new manager want to keep him, given the "stories" about his attitude. For example, "Adam, what they were really offering was not just an insult to us - it was also an insult to you. If they viewed you as a starter they would have done better than that and they wouldn't have been so quick with the ultimatum. Your career is at a key stage - stay in the spotlight and keep developing with us, or potentially warm the bench at Liverpool. But you'd have some bridge mending to do here." He may not like hearing that kind of thing, and losing the captaincy would probably hurt, but - unless he's completely burnt his bridges here - we either have to get proper value (compared with replacement cost) or keep hold of him IMO. After all, he's an England international and - in most people's eyes - a starter. My frustration about the supposedly unanswered phone calls was not so much that his conduct deserved an answer but that it was a chance to give him some hard facts to chew on. Instead, he was left with his own (probably inflated) ego, the advice of people with other agendas, and a footballer's brain struggling to cope with all the real ramifications. But the time to convey that message was before he left for the WC.

I've lost count of the number of times I've read that argument - I just don't agree with it. And I was dragged, kicking and screaming, into this new electronic age. Forums such as this, for all their faults, are the only public barometer of a fan base, and they are read much more widely than many of us might imagine - by clubs, by media, by players, by fans of other clubs, by agents AND by Lallana's father. And so posts on here inevitably influence things to some degree.

Dave, I don't disagree with that. There was a reason why we failed to turn dominance into goals so often last season, and - for all his magical moments - Lallana was part of it. That said, we'd still have to replace him, and if I knew who his replacement would be I'd be more inclined to say "screw it, just let him go". I'm concerned that too much anti-Lallana venom from our fans hands more cards to Liverpool and makes things worse if they pull out and leave him (and us) with zero options other than to stay. Yes, he would need to eat a big chunk of humble pie, which wouldn't be easy, but I'm just advocating taking the steam out of this.

Not only did he do nothing about it - he actually fuelled it with his omments about Rickie. It wasn't just us that saw those comments - Lallana saw them as well. I'm really p*ssed off at Lallana too, but we need to take the steam out of this issue instead of making it worse. The end-game could involve anything, including Lallana still being a key Saints player next season.

I don't think SOG's comment was unfair at all, and I couldn't agree less with your last sentence. Much of it wasn't even negativity, never mind constructive criticism - it was irrational, way over-the-top venom. Accusations of "asset stripping" and cluelessness, and nasty personal comments about Katharina and Krueger, aren't on the same planet as "constructive criticism". The only reason it has lessened is because there's a new lightning rod for the same stuff - Lallana. And because the Board is showing itself to be much more focused and true-to-statement than many had accused it of being, and is now (after only two weeks) talking to some quality managerial candidates - one of whom will help the Board make the very important decisions that need to be made. The people who have turned on Lallana with some similarly nasty comments (not that he doesn't deserve a bit of a 'kicking') are the ones who will whine about his price after they've done all they can on here to hand all the cards to Liverpoool by making it clear that he can't stay with us. They're also the ones who are in danger of making it virtually impossible for Lallana to come back here if Liverpool pull out and nobody else (Spuds) are willing to cough-up the price. Yes, mistakes have been made by a lot of parties, but lashing out at everyone - sometimes with outright nastiness - hasn't helped anything.

For those who think our board lacks ambition and gonads: http://www.givemesport.com/472222-javier-hernandez-wanted-by-southaampton-as-part-of-luke-shaw-deal?autoplay=on

Gareth Rogers. I think he's primarily the finance guy, so I'm not sure how he got to be CEO - especially when there were people like John Williams supposedly available. He is probably heavily involved in trying to grow the revenue base, but that still doesn't make him a CEO. Either Ralph is effectively the CEO or nobody is really fulfilling that role. But then, like nearly everyone else on here, what the hell do I know.

Yeah, that caught my eye too. My first and continuing thought is that Katharina doesn't like how things are going and is taking a closer personal involvement, which might not augur well for Ralph.

Of that I have little doubt, but that's just an opinion. And he may be lurking in the weeds ready to pounce for a few of them. For all his scintillating football, I wouldn't trust him as far as I can p*ss him, and as I can't even p*ss p*ss very far these days, that's not a long way.

Thank you Guan - much appreciated. Hopefully we can enjoy this thread and its encouraging news for a while before the "you know who's" arrive. Most pleasing of all, Katharina certainly seems to be here for the duration and bearing a lot of her Father's dreams. Asset stripping, my arse. If I read your post correctly, I'm a little concerned that our managerial appointment may be delayed if certain of the candidates hold aspirations for a post-World Cup national team appointment. We (and Ralph and Reed) need a high-calibre manager in ASAP but - if forced to choose - I'd take the high-calibre over the ASAP.

I agree with BadgerBadger. I opened the link expecting to read something that someone else had written, but I could see Rickie's lips moving as he continually wiped non-existent sweat off his forehead and temple. What we've experienced - and what fans of other clubs experienced after his England call up - was one of the precious few modern players who seem "just like us". He was almost more a fan than a player. And it's that very dimension of Rickie's personality that makes me very happy for him even though I'm sad as hell that he's gone.

Anyone else catch the irony in this post?

My God, WTF is wrong with some of you? I'm as p*ssed off at Lallana as most of you but - as many of them are when it comes to the Board - some of these comments are way, way over the top. Lallana's conduct may be symptomatic of the ills inside football these days, but he didn't exactly invent those ills. He has been, until now, a loyal and highly valuable player for us - for more years than Rickie, and nobody (as far as I can see) is defending his actions; they are just saying that he deserved to have his phone call answered/returned. By all means, tell him things he doesn't want to hear, and even be quite pointed about it, but return the damn call. As I said earlier, let's not lose sight of the fact that (with Spurs' interest apparently waning, and with Liverpool setting out an ultimatum - and having other options) Lallana could still be a Saints player next season.

Can anyone tell me whether the "5% clause" is still in effect? (The player receives 5% of the transfer fee if he doesn't request a transfer, 0% if he does) If so, I'm all for telling Lallana that he is under contract and we don't want him to leave, and, if he wants to go, he'll have to request a transfer. That doesn't just suss out whether Lallana really has his eyes on Champions League or a 1.5 million payday - it also acts as a club principle that won't be lost on other players.