doddisalegend

I think saints (hell everyone bar a dozen clubs in Europe) have been well priced out of buying a "top" CF I'd still like to see another option upfront in Jan though.

I was prepared to give them ago and wasn't to upset with our options in the summer If Long had managed to keep up the form he finished last season with that would have been OK.... sadly he hasn't I really like Jrod so I really wanted him to get a chance to get back to his old self ... sadly that doesn't look likely I figured Austin had goals in him... he does but he is out for the rest of the season So now we need a striker/CF or we are going struggle second half the season badly

Say what?

I'm surprised at how many people were so entertained last season if take out the very tail end of the season and Arsenal on boxing day and we were not very entertaining at all. Certainly not on any regular basis.

Have to say I'd expect something a bit more highbrow from a guy educated at Eton Samuel 'Sam' Matterface is an English sports broadcaster currently working for TalkSPORT and ITV Sport. Matterface was born in London and educated at the independent school Eton College

I'm sure the pay packet helped. My take is he didn't think he could achieve much more at saints (I don't think even Koeman was quiet sure how we finished 6th last season given how poor we were at times) where as improving a **** poor Everton side wasn't to hard a prospect, especially with the promise of ready cash to spend, that would improve his CV on the way to something bigger. Rightly or wrongly saints are going to do things their way and the manager needs to be in to it that way. In hindsight there was always a feeling Koeman and saints was a bit of a marriage of convenience we need a Name and a quick fix after Meltdown mark 1 and he needed a route into the PL.

Well they explains everything....

Normally I'd agree but with Austin out for most if not all the season we cant seriously hope to get by with just Long and Jrod for the rest of the season.

It would be hard to pass judgement on his footballing ability seeing as I'm struggling to remember when I last saw him actually play.

Article in the mirror by a guy called Sam Matterface http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/sam-matterface-ronald-koeman-winner-9589104 Half the people on here will lap this up and say he is totally right ( I suspect) but I cant help feeling he doesn't like Southampton FC much....

Poch's teams have a habit of tailing off in the second half of the season though when all that pressing catches up with them fit or not they struggle to keep it up. I was the same in his full season here. Just look how spurs collapsed the end of last season. I had no problem with squad rotation while we were in europa even at Christmas I could understand it a 3 games in 6 days. I expect it to happen less now we are down to one game a week. In reality though Puel is ****ed up front while he only has Long or Jrod to pick from and he has CM full of players who are much of a muchness from an attacking point of view. Unless the club gets a proper attacking midfielder and a forward who knows were the back of the net is in Jan Puel has got a struggle on his hands.

Other than a few players I'm not sure we have a best 11 VVD, Forster and Bertrand (although I think McQueen is pretty good to be fair) and Romeu are all clearly the best in their positions after that it's a bit of a crap shoot especially the CM options who are all much of a muchness and our forward none of who seem to know were the goal is regardless of which combination we play upfont.

I imagine they are ****ting themselves at the thought of an in form Shane Long I wish we had 2003 vintage Brett Ormerod and James Beattie available right now

Playing for two 0-0 draws in a row followed by winning it on penalties might be doing it the hard way.

See there is the issue a lot of modern football fans don't do longer term they want it all and they want it now. Giving players, managers or clubs time to get things right isn't really on the agenda for most.

TBF if Liverpool put the same side out against us they did against Plymouth I'd be upset if we didn't win sadly I don't think Klopp is that generous..

my commiserations

Still no sign of a player who regularly hit the back of the net then? The club aren't seriously going to make Puel soldier on through the second half of the season with Jrod and Long as our main strikers are they?

Never been married then TBF that approach has worked well for a lot of players the last few years....

All we need to do is let Liverpool have 77% possession and 28 attempts on goal and we will be fine....

Good lad faking an injury so he can come back an help us get our season back on track......

Not hopeful sadly we are in a slump, Liverpool are a far better side than the one that destroyed us in the league cup last year and we have a bunch of forwards who couldn't score in a brothel. Not really a good mix. Still you never know maybe we will pull off a surprise like Arsenal in the league last year so I hope for the win but expect a spanking...ho hum.

True. So this is a "Fonte want's to finish his career at saints" thing as long as that's a 5 year deal on 100k a week? and the transfer request is a clumsy attempt to get a better deal? I assumed when he handed in his transfer request a bid from another club would be hot on its heels because he had a move already lined up.

So this all about Fonte (or his agent) trying to get a better deal? I know Les can be prone to hyperbole in his interviews ( best midfield in the PL ?) but to outright lie and say they offered Fonte an pay raise and an extension, in a public interview, if its not true seems a risk not worth taking.

I would agree but transfer fees have gone beyond crazy now when Bolasie and Benteke are 30million pound players the whole thing has gone beyond mad. It will only get worse . Its getting to the point were PL teams will have to pay through the nose for even the most average player...