saints_is_the_south

This.

Nice. Enjoyed that. Really hits home how big an influence Rickie has in many of our goals. Gaston heavily involved too.

Amended. Speaking as a follower of Roma as my foreign side, I can say that Osvaldo is genuinely one of the best strikers in Europe on his day, he has absolutely everything you'd want in a striker, wonderful technique, scores all types of goals, great physique, he's not lightning quick but he's not slow by any means. Unfortunately, when he decides he can't be bothered he is a real pain in the arse. He really divides opinion between the fans in Rome, some love him, some absolutely hate him and whistle his every touch. He'd be an amazing signing for us, but he really needs to sort out his attitude. Absolutely zero chance of us signing Lamela, who is absolute quality as well.

Cuadrado has been in scintillating for Fiorentina this season. He's very versatile, can play anywhere down the right hand side, from right back to an attacking winger, equally adept at defending as he is attacking. His dribbling ability is superb, and he's got pace to burn. Needless to say, I think he'd be a top signing. Would be a major coup for Newcastle if they got Ogbonna. Being watched by most of Europe's BIG clubs. Would probably cost somewhere around the 13m mark, perhaps more. One of the best CB in Serie A, had an exceptional season for Torino.

Lens could be play striker too though.

I think we need the following this summer. Centre Back (1st choice) This is the most important area where improvement is required IMO. Needs to be a real top class, international quality player. I know the rumour of Héctor Moreno of Espanyol came from a fake journo on twitter, but he would be an absolutely brilliant signing. Won over 40 caps for Mexico, won the Dutch title with AZ before moving to Spain, Espanyol's Player of the Season for 2011/12 and Pochettino was the man that signed him for them. Market value of £6.2m according to transfermarkt.co.uk. If I could choose one player for Poch to bring from his former side, it would be him. Other names that have been mentioned - Davide Astori (Cagliari), seen plenty of him as a big follower of Serie A. A very good centre back, not as good as Moreno IMO and would be overpriced at £12-£15m for me. I'd admit to knowing next to nothing about Frickson Erazo (Barcelona SC), other than Man Utd have reportedly been looking at him too, would be the cheapest of the 3 names mentioned at a rumoured £2.5m. Right Back (Cover) Whilst we have Yoshida and Jack Cork who can play there, it isn't their natural positions by any means. Richardson and Butterfield will both be moved on, so we certainly could do with some quality here. We've been linked with Jesús Gámez (Malaga) for around £5m. I certainly wouldn't be removing Clyne as first choice, and I'm not sure that a player who featured in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League would be coming with a view to being 2nd choice. So that said, I think a better option (and cheaper, probably) would be a player we were linked with last summern, Kieran Trippier (Burnley). Earned a place in the Championship team of the season, and would offer a very decent alternative at RB if Clyne were ever missing, or needed to be moved over to LB. Burnley's parachute payments expire in August, so they'll probably be grateful for the money, and we could probably nab him for around £1.5m. Left Back (Cover) We can't expect a 17/18 year old to play 38 games, and we don't want to burn Shaw out. He already seems prone to niggling injuries, so some cover needed in this area too, as Fox is evidently not good enough at this level. Clyne can play here, and Forren is also left footed so could be used as cover if needs be, so it could be that we don't actually need to sign anybody. Struggling to think of names, but we've been linked with José Enrique (Liverpool) this morning for £5m who'd be a good signing, but again I doubt he'd be wanting to move, and definitely not to play 2nd fiddle. More realistic could be Maynor Figueroa (Wigan) who is available on a free transfer, but supposedly meant to be off to West Ham. Defensive Midfield (Competition for starting spot) Morgan and Corky have both had excellent seasons, but I think we could do with some more competition here. We've been linked with Radja Nainggolan (Cagliari), a real archetypal modern midfielder who would add some real quality. Could face stiff competition with some of Italy's biggest clubs for him, and Cagliari are reported to want £15m+ for him. Would be a international level signing. Last summer we were also linked with Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht) who may be a cheaper option than Nainggolan, as their Managing Director has said he can leave for about €5.5m (£4.5m). Another name we've been linked with recently would be Victor Wanyama (Celtic), at about £10m. All 3 would be very good signings. Winger/Striker (Competition for starting spot) I think we need a striker with genuine pace and quality, who is also versatile and can be pushed out wide if needs be. Jeremain Lens (PSV Eindhoven) was linked heavily with us last summer, and looks all but certain to leave PSV this summer. Would be a real coup for us, a marquee signing. Market value of £7m, could fetch up to £10m. Ideal summer for me would be: In: Trippier (£1.5m), Moreno (£6.2m), Figueroa (Free), Nainggolan (£15m), Lens (£7m). Total outlay of £29.7m. Out: Fox (£1m), Richardson (Free), Butterfield (Free), Seaborne (Free), Stephens (Loaned out), Martin (Free), Dickson (Free), Hammond (£500K), Guly (£750K), De Ridder (£500K), Chambers (Loaned out), Isgrove (Loaned out), Chaplow (£500K), Sharp (£1.5m), Reeves (Free), Barnard (£200K), Forte (Free), Lee (£750K). Total received £5.7m Net spend of £24m. First XI with cover in brackets. Boruc (Davis, Gazzaniga) Clyne (Trippier) - Yoshida (Fonte) - Moreno (Hooiveld/Forren) - Shaw (Figeroa) Schneiderlin (Davis) - Nainggolan (Cork) Lens (Rodriguez/Puncheon) - Ramirez (JWP) - Puncheon (Lallana) Rodriguez (Lambert/Mayuka) A very strong squad there, more than capable of a top half finish.

1. Chelsea - Mourinho return. Already got the best attacking options in PL IMO. 2. Manchester United - If Ronaldo returns then I may have to re-visit this prediction. 3. Manchester City - Season of transition with new manager. 4. Arsenal - If they spend heavily in key areas then they'll be a lot closer to the top 3. ----------------------------- 5. Liverpool - Continued gradual improvement under Rodgers, and expect Sturridge and Suarez to form a very lethal partnership. 6. Tottenham Hotspur - I think Bale may stay for another year, but I think they may struggle to get over disappointment of narrowly missing out on CL two years running. 7. Everton - Another club that will be going through a period of transition. If Baines leaves then they could drop further. 8. West Ham United - Another solid and consistent season for the Hammers. 9. Southampton - No climatising period to get over like last season, expecting a strong summer transfer market to push us up into the top half. 10. Aston Villa - Think the experience from this season will do wonders for their younger players. If Benteke leaves then they'll be struggling again however. ------------------------------- 11. Swansea City - European campaign to affect them, good enough to steer well clear of any trouble. 12. Newcastle United - Pardew starting to run out of ideas, but won't be in trouble. 13. West Bromwich Albion - This season will only have increased expectations, but Lukaku will be hard to replace. Good enough to finish comfortably in mid table. 14. Norwich City - Established PL side now, may flirt with trouble but will be OK. 15. Stoke City - It'll be interesting to see if their style changes now Pulis has left. 16. Fulham - Ageing team, starting to stagnate and slipping towards trouble. 17. Cardiff City - Will invest heavily which will see them scrape to safety. -------------------------------- 18. Sunderland - Disaster is brewing under PDC IMO. Some big egos not taking to his 'methods', and a lost dressing room in general. Rose returning to Sunderland, and Mignolet may get snapped up by one of the big boys. 19. Hull City - Bruce knows what is required to keep them up, but they need to spend heavily to stand any chance. 20. Watford/Crystal Palace - Cut adrift at the bottom. Community Shield - Manchester United FA Cup - Manchester United / Runners Up - Arsenal League Cup - Chelsea

Good post, and I would agree with most, but i fail to understand how Hooiveld gets a 5, but Gazzaniga a 6? Nor how SDR even gets a vote at all, when others with a similar amount of games get a N/A. I've added .5's to my vote. Mine would be: 1. Kelvin Davis – 4.5 2. Nathaniel Clyne – 8 3. Maya Yoshida – 7 4. Morgan Schneiderlin – 9 5. Jos Hooiveld – 6 6. Jose Fonte – 5.5 7. Rickie Lambert – 8.5 8. Steven Davis – 6.5 9. Jay Rodriguez – 7 10. Gaston Ramirez – 6 11. Billy Sharp – N/A 12. Paulo Gazzaniga – 4.5 13. Danny Fox – 3 14. Dean Hammond – N/A 15. Vegard Forren N/A 16. James Ward-Prowse – 6.5 18. Jack Cork – 8 19. Tadanari Lee- N/A 20. Adam Lallana – 6 21. Guly Do Prado – 5 22. Frazer Richardson – N/A 23. Luke Shaw – 8.5 24. Emmanuel Mayuka – 4.5 31. Artur Boruc – 7.5 33. Steve De Ridder – N/A 42. Jason Puncheon – 7.5

Like many, if offered 14th after the first 10 games I'd have snapped your arm off. Slightly disappointing that our season tailed off after those 3 wins in a row had us looking good for a top half finish. We are not far off being a very good side and a combination of some quality additions and improving our ability to hold onto leads (29 points dropped from winning positions FFS) then we should be able to make the push into the top half next season.

The OWTSGMI was quite spine tingling. Great video from the club, would like to see more from fans of that too.

Fixtures are out on 18th June I think, so there's that to look forward to. I will be mainly occupied with the Ashes this summer.

Yep. Any player who has been a prominent part of the Liebherr/Cortese and rise from League 1 era that has now left, should always get a good reception at SMS. Unless it is Connolly in a skate shirt (for another team he'd also be entitled to a warm welcome.)

Harsh to describe Fox, Guly and Hammond as that. All did a job, and a very good job at that, for us in League 1 and the Championship and have all contributed to us being where we are today. They might not be at the level that we now require, but we shouldn't forget where we have come from. That said, I am extremely extremely excited about our future. I have been since about Feb/March time tbh, when our PL status for next season was looking more or less secure barring an absolute disaster. Today's news was brilliant, because like him or loathe him, had NC walked then I really believe this club would have found itself in turmoil. Now everyone can concentrate on building for next season, with no distractions or speculation and hopefully the club can deliver what MP wants by 1st July, and if not all of it but most of it.

It would be just like Saints and Cortese, for some sort of announcement to appear on the OS about 11pm tonight confirming he's staying. Another chance to show off a nice shiny watch too, and would whip the fans into a positive frenzy ahead of Sunday. Part of me wonders if all this was all a media ploy by NC to make it known how popular he is within the club, what with MP, MS and TP all coming out and singing his praises to high heaven.

Seems to be a lot harder finding out our away attendance figures than it was last season, the OS used to report it alongside the overall attendance but they don't appear to have done it many times this season. So for the season these are pure guestimates. Man City - 2,000 (Top tier full. Strangely the front of the bottom tier was full, as was the back, but there was a huge gap of seats in the middle. On Sky, 4pm Sunday KO and it was circa 50 notes a ticket) Arsenal - 3,000 (This sold out in a couple of hours, I remember getting my ticket at 9.45 online and then it being sold out about 2 minutes later! Only £25, very good price) Everton - 1,600 (We didn't take the upper tier, but the lower tier was 90% full. Our best following to Everton in many a year) West Ham - 2,500 (This is a complete guess. They definitely didn't give us as many as in we had in the Championship, which was over 3,000) West Brom - 1,500 (Another guess, looked roughly 1.5K on the TV, maybe more. They only charged £15 due to it being on TV didn't they?) QPR - 3,203 (Confirmed on the OS) Liverpool - 2,000 (Another sell out) Fulham - 3,000 (Another guess, which with it being a "neutral stand" makes it all the harder) Stoke - 2,000 (Allocation is 2,800. Not many at front of the stand, but the back was full) Villa - 3,000 (Sell out) Chelsea - 1,100 (More extortionate ticket prices. Top tier half empty, bottom tier mostly full. SaintsFC Cop on Twitter said over 1K sold) Man Utd - 1,852 (Comfirmed as final ticket sales on twitter by SaintsFC Cop. Excellent turn out on a Wednesday night at 42 quid a head. Think many made use of the Wigan game being so close and did an extended stay in the NW) Wigan - 3,100 (Confirmed by Saints FC Cop on twitter. 2,800 sold in advance, rest on the day) Newcastle - 1,664 (Confirmed by Saints FC Cop on twitter. This was advance sales figure, so with Northern Saints could have been nearer 1,800) Norwich - 2,100 (Saints FC Cop said over 2K, some here said 2.2K so probably somewhere in between) Reading - 2,216 (Sell out. Figure Confirmed by the OS) Swansea - 2,076 (Confirmed by Saints FC Cop. Another sell out) Tottenham - 3,000 (Another sell out) Sunderland - 1,500 (1,415 sold in advance as per Saints FC Cop + Northern Saints. Average count - 2,232 If any of you feel that any of the figures above are slightly inaccurate then feel free to comment. Another season of decent followings from us. Our away support has improved a lot during our time outside the top flight, a combination of a successful team, younger generation of supporters emerging and this season the novelty of PL grounds, that many of the younger gen hadn't done. Some our northern followings this season have been particularly impressive, especially when you take into consideration the cost of match tickets in the PL. For example, 2000 to Liverpool at £42, 1800 to United on a Wednesday night at £45. In PL years gone by we'd have been lucky to see 300-400 at Everton. It will be interesting to see how we compare next season, when the novelty has worn off for many.

Makes no difference.

Good summary. The start was very very tough on us, a culmination of a horrendous set of fixtures and some real amateur defending. You could be forgiven for writing us off after 10 games, as no promoted team in PL history had started as badly and stayed up. Luckily for us, there were a few others who had started almost as badly, namely QPR. People will point to the game at Loftus Road as the turning point, but for me it was a week earlier against Swansea. Whilst we didn't win, and Gazzaniga threw the points away for us, I sensed a change that day. We looked so much more solid all over the pitch, and coincided with Jack Cork and Luke Shaw's first starts of the season. The tension in St Mary's was incredible, the roof came off the place when Morgan scored. Since then, we've never really looked back. We've had a few dips here and there, but I think I'm right in saying that our form since that game would have us 8th or 9th in the table. We've not been in the bottom 3 since moving out of it on 2nd January. With one game left we could still finish in the top half, and a win on Sunday will with all likelihood see us finish in 11th, which for our first season back would be a great achievement, made even greater by the start we had. We've had some brilliant moments to look back on with fondness in years to come, beating the Champions of England and Europe at home the most notable. We have predominantly young team, with a good blend of English and foreigners and the future looks bright. Lets hope the Liebherrs and Cortese can sort out there differences, if they can then we could be in for some exciting years ahead. All things considered, I've thoroughly enjoyed our first season back in the big league, seeing players I've watched since our League 1 days pitting their wits against some of the finest players in Europe, and for the most part competing very well has been nice to see. We've had some lows, some highs, and hopefully there are more of the latter to come.

Was thinking about going to this, but they didn't exactly announce it in plenty of time before the event, it's quite a fair wedge of cash to stump up with a couple of weeks notice. Next year maybe.

Does this mean 39 points would have been enough for safety then? 38 in our case due to GD, the number I predicted some months back actually.

It might be a dive, but I've always had a good crack when I've been there. Lets be honest most places are dumps, doesn't mean a decent away day can't be had out of them though. Coventry for example, is an absolute sh*thole but that was one of the best last season for me.

Bit of fun, now we are all but safe and have nothing else to talk about! 1. Chelsea 2. Manchester United 3. Manchester City 4. Arsenal ---------------------------- 5. Liverpool 6. Tottenham Hotspur 7. Everton 8. Southampton 9. West Ham United 10. Aston Villa ------------------------------ 11. Swansea City 12. Fulham 13. Newcastle United 14. West Bromwich Albion 15. Stoke City 16. Brighton & Hove Albion 17. Cardiff City ------------------------------ 18. Sunderland 19. Norwich City 20. Hull City

http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=781416 Started a thread on their forum. See link above.

Watford. Great away day, and they'll go down for sure. Wigan, because they play better football than half the dross in the bottom half of the PL, but will probably be down there again, certainly with no Martinez. Villa - I like what Lambert is doing there, building a young team and again play some decent stuff at times. Sunderland down for me. Roma are my 2nd team, so it goes without saying that I absolutely despise Di Canio and I would love to see him go down, because he is Laziale and after all the media love in over his first 2 wins.

Ah yes. 3 then. We've certainly not been awarded as many pens as in past recent seasons.

We've only had 2 penalties this season, as far as I can recall. Villa home and Villa away. So 12 of Lambert's goals are from open play or free kicks.