CanadaSaint

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a very quick and very clear denial from the club, based on two things: a) We have very little chance of getting him, even if we really are interested b) Being willing to pay transfer fees and wages like that would make every player target from here on extremely difficult to sign.

I'm not sure what the rules are, but I suspect that if we had given him an extended run in the Championship he might not be here now.

I sure don't want to overstate this because I have such a high regard for him as a player and as a guy, but I can foresee a situation in which our playing style makes Rickie's position far less certain. I'm not sure whether he lacked influence and involvement today because he wasn't completely fit or because he's less relevant to the way we're going to play. Feels like sacrilege saying that, but it's crossing my mind.

Although I'm still very nervous about the pairing, I actually thought that Jos and Fonte played reasonably well today (one big mistake and a few hoofs aside). We lost a lot - a hell of a lot - when Clyne went off, and I'm hoping that Richardson won't be needed too much this year. Lallana can clearly play - and even shine - at this level, and JWP was incredibly mature and effective for a 17 year old. We've clearly been working on tight triangles and ball retention. Adkins made an excellent adjustment but I'm still not sure exactly what it was. I think Rickie needs some tough love at training, or else he's going to start the season very, very slowly and could even be out of the starting line up before the end of September. I hope I'm imagining it but Schneiderlin seemed to be having trouble with his lower right shin, which I think was his problem at the end of last year.

This is one of the most encouraging signs from today. If you think we're going to be in trouble, our chances of success just went up fivefold.

Let's see if his speed over the first ten yards has improved. If it has he'll be a real asset.

I wouldn't blame Richardson for that but I don't think it would have been scored if the much quicker Clyne was still there.

Yes, you can see his self-belief grow - demanding the ball, taking almost a leadership kind of role.

I'm not sure what Nigel's adjustment was when he spoke to Ward-Prowse (any ideas?) but it certainly seemed to work.

He's been supportive so far, but I don't see patience as one of his virtues. However, I'm sure he's very mindful of the fact that he's two years (I think) ahead of the plan that he and Markus developed, and I think he's reasonable enough to settle for survival this year. He clearly has plans for expansion/improvement at every level of the club, which could take us onto a new plane. Do you seriously think that a plum job like this wouldn't be highly appealing to quality managerial candidates, even with the Cortese factor considered?

I may be wrong but I thought we had this kind of discussion last year. What really matter in NA's book are things like a) dressing room chemistry, b) an ability to play in the style he wants, and c) a side that dovetails well; when it comes to Cortese, they need to fit the fiscal responsibility criterion, and not damage the wage equilibrium he's created. It's hard to argue with the outcome so far. Yes, most of us would like to see some established names at PL level, but if they don't fit those criteria they'll probably cause more harm than good.

I don't think that's a fair characterization of the issue. Supporting a team is meant to be, for the most part, an exercise in positivity. That doesn't mean we need to agree with or admire everything the club does, and it certainly doesn't mean we have an obligation not to criticize. It just means that we're doing this for the upside, or else what's the point? What I find grating to the point of annoyance is the miserable drumbeat of sneering and baiting that comes from a few posters damn near all the time. It de-rails thread after thread, and when it's aimed at certain individuals - or when the language is needlessly aggressive and obnoxious - it does border on bullying. And the sad thing is that some decent points are lost because those individuals choose to express their views in such unpleasant ways. Now that is "thoroughly bizarre." You don't have to be a "flower" to be offended by it - it's just offensive in nature. That's why some good posters don't spend much time on here any more.

Decent enough player for Leeds from what I've seen but I'm not sure how he'd fit into our playing style. I have serious doubts. He strikes me as more of a "big fish in a small pond" kind of player.

I'm very interested to see what a pre-season of our training will do for Sharp because, even though he scored goals, I was very disappointed with his speed over the first 10-20 yards. If we can do with him what we did with Lambert, he could become a very good striker at PL level, which would push Barnard well into the background.

We needed to upgrade in various playing positions, and we're well on the road to completing that. We also needed to upgrade on the key captaincy front because, as others have pointed out, we've lacked on-pitch leadership. That will be an even bigger problem this year unless we resolve it. Nobody, other than Adkins, knows these things better than the players themselves. They also know that they will be very focused on taking their own games up a level, so I'm not sure any of them really wants the armband. Lambert, I suspect, is no exception. I don't think we were just acquiring a quality central midfielder in Davis but, quite deliberately, a captain as well. And Nigel's emphasis on "team first" will ensure that the decision, if that's the way it goes, is well accepted.

As others have said, I don't think Puncheon would be on the tour if NA didn't think he had a part to play this season, and if NA and Cortese were not willing to turn the page, if possible. But the clearest sign is this: http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2856620,00.html? The appearance of a Puncheon story on the OS is a fairly clear indication that he at least will be given (yet another) chance.

The £42.99 per year is for people who want a Dave-free commentary with no cut-outs. The £37.99 per year is for Dave offering insight and the occasional cut-out. The £4.49 per month is for people like Dalek who think we'll be relegated and might want to bail out in mid-season.

Absolutely. One of the things that makes me anxious is the thought of Fox continuing to take opposite side corners in the PL. Under-hit or over-hit them and the ball will be coming back down our vulnerable flank before we can say "sh*t".

No big quibble other than the fact that I'd be more inclined to say Richardson has been about average. But the average for everything is about to change, which was my point.

This year there will be a premium on getting forward quickly and, more to the point, getting back quickly. While Richardson has an older and wiser head, I suspect that he will be shown to be dangerously short on pace - something teams at this level will quickly exploit. What Clyne lacks in wisdom he can largely make up for with speed. IMO this will (hopefully) be a very key signing for us - short term and long term.

Well, they've been coming up a little short for quite some time so Gillett fits the bill.

And so we have another crap thread turning into another p*ssing contest. Roll on season start.

I seem to recall dear old Joe Mercer saying that someone at a world cup had been sent off for "violence of the tongue." If that's where things are going we're going to end up with some six-a-sides.

Did we ever establish who the "third party" was? If it really was Buttner's father, as rumoured at one point, I could see Cortese cooling on the deal.

I'm getting close to being concerned. "Old" football or "new" football, you need strength - and depth - "up the middle" in order to have a chance of being a decent side. It troubles me that we have no goalkeeping cover and no cover in the middle of defence, all the more so for the fact that one of our two first choice central defenders didn't play well for much of the second half of the season. If Fonte was somewhat exposed against Championship teams, he's not going to find life easier in the Premier. Hopefully we'll see the Fonte of the first 20 or so games rather than the one of the last 20 or so. That being said, I have a lot of faith that Adkins knows what he's doing.