Rebel

I'm not against changing the shirt for a bit of variety - and improving sales - along the same lines as Bayern Munich have done lately with a red and white as the base colours. But last seasons kit was truly awful - it looked like an old Liverpool or Nottingham Forest kit with the pinstripes, red socks and shorts. And I don't think sales were that good as a result - and certainly not on the levels of the sash kit and the stripes from the year before. This new seasons shirt looks a lot better to me than the last season Liverpool pin stripe - not as good as the centenary shirt above - but it's OK. I am led to believe it will come with red shorts and red and white hooped socks though. The socks may be its saving grace however and make it a bit more Saintly. I'd like to see us return to red and white stripes with black shorts at some point in the near future as this is the archetypal Saints shirt. But I'd also like to see us use the sash again at some point - and maybe a halved or quartered red and white shirt at some point as well. My favourite shirts are the late 70's barcode shirt and the early 80s Air Florida shirt which are both variations of the red and white stripes though. But they both came with black shorts.

Kieran Trippier at right back and Martin Olsson at left back - both would compete for a starting place at right and left back and be happy to step up to the premier league

I said the badge would be gold! Am I ITK?

And the away kit will be a black and white - as opposed to white and black - version of the Fulham kit with a silver badge

Apparently Newcastle have pulled out of signing Douglas on a free transfer - perhaps we should step in: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/newcastle-joe-kinnear-drove-derek-1967425

Collar is wrong and the badge is gold

Saints were definitely looking for new shirt sponsors. They approached a number of companies that I know of. As I understand it aap3 were more than happy to be replaced by a bigger sponsor paying more money. But now it looks like aap3 will be the sponsors for next year and a number of the sponsorship team are no longer working at Southampton FC.

That might depend on how many and which players we sell.

Lens had his chance - let him go to Kiev

The kits have been chosen. They are just waiting to sign up a new sponsor. The home kit will be a red shirt with white ends to the sleeves, with red shorts Based on the same design as the Bristol City and Hearts home shirts. The away kit will be black with a deep v-neck white collar. Based on the same design as the Aberdeen home shirt. The socks will be hooped. The badge will be gold or silver.

Douglas Franco Texeira from Twente - 6ft 4 centre back with pace - a Brazilian with a Dutch passport - out of contrct and on a free transfer

I'd rather go for Douglas - the Dutch Brazilian - on a free transfer

So far we have been linked with Victor Ruiz, Joan Verdu, Raul Baena, Phillipe Coutinho and Jose Callejon who all played under Pochettino at Espanyol - and Hector Moreno who plays there now. I have a feeling we will end up with at least one of them (ignoring Coutinho who made the wrong decision and went to Scousepool) - but how much of it is just easy paper talk. If we had to pick one I'd go for Jose Callejon to fill the gap on the right wing - he's a pacey wide right forward which is exactly what we need. However I think it will be Victor Ruiz as Valencia need the money - and I think Pochettino sees him as cover for centre back and holding midfielder.

Tandari Lee off back to Japan - Tokyo to be exact - according to the Daily Star http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/319028/?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1664096-southamptons-5-best-and-worst-transfer-signings-of-the-past-15-years? Vote - and then discuss!? McCann for me was the worst because of who he replaced - together with Le Saux and Van Damme he was the replacement for Bridge and Marsden down our left hand side. It meant we wasted what little money we spent from Bridges transfer fee - and started us on our way down. Morgan was / is the best - fir his age when we signed him, his value now and the talent and ability he's shown this season - and the potential he's still got. Lambert would be a very close second though - followed by Pahars for me. It brought a tear to my eye the day Pahars left - just like the day Matty retired.

I'm not sure you should pay a lot of cash for a player over 26. 27 at a push. Sure sign them on a free or get them on loan - but once they get past 28 their resale value starts to drop. Ideally you'd sign a player at the age of 22 and then sell him when he's 26/27 - with his successor lined up ready to go. I can see us selling both Gaston and Puncheon and replacing them with players better suited to the way Pochettino wants to play. If he stays I think Gaston will have a great second season - but he didn't have the impact that we needed from a £12 million player in his first season - that, the fact he wife apparently ones to move back to Italy and his sending off points to an exit this summer. With Puncheon it might be a money thing - he wants more - and Palarse are prepared to offer that and a good fee for him. I'd love to see us replace them with players like Callejon, Griezman or Rodrigo. Lamela would really be a nice surprise.

At 30/31 Diego Castro seems a bit old to me unless its on loan or on a free transfer. He also looks like he's had a bit of a lower league journeyman career I'd rather go for someone like Patrick Ebert from Real Valladoild

Maybe that's why we should have a B Team playing in the lower leagues - made up mostly of u23s but the odd 24 & 25 year old. That way they get game time but also premier league coaching and maybe a bit more time to mature and make that break through.

Marc Muniesa

Great - just tried to renew online - shows all my linked accounts including my Father and my Nephew and a load of friends - but it won't let me renew my Dads or Nephews season tickets with mine - as I've done for the last 3 years - only my mate's who has bought his own for the last 3 years

Well I'm going to assume it's got some truth to it - mostly because its more fun that way It's been rumoured for a while that we had 2 players signed and sealed already. If this is true it would make sense that they were young Spanish players - and that we were waiting for the Spanish season to end. Anyway I have a feeling they will be announced this week to co-incident with the end of the Spanish season and the start of the season ticket sales to give it a boost. Could one be Marc Muniesa on a free transfer from Barca? Or possibly we're getting 2 young players from Barcelona on loan - Marc Bartra and Martin Montoya perhaps. The great striker could be someone like Alvaro Negredo from financially troubled Seville who has said he wants to play in England. Or maybe it's Adrian Lopez. The special Portuguese player is I'm guessing someone who plays in Portugal rather than being Portuguese - in that case it could be the Spanish Brazilian Rodrigo from Benfica - or maybe one of Benfica's Argentinians - Gatan or Garay. Or possibly Eric Dier the young English defender at Sporting Lisbon. Lets enjoy the speculation whilst it lasts!

I fully agree with you on that one - someone like Nagginolan, Biglia or Rodwell would be perfect.

Everybody is going to be looking to Spain for the next Michu deal so they are all going to be a bit more expensive this time round. Yes the financial problems at Seville, Valencia, Malaga and Real Sociedad means these clubs will sell their star players - but it doesn't mean they will sell them cheaply. Maybe Mateo Mussachio in Spain's second tier would be good value - and out of contract Marc Muniesa at Barca We should still look at Championship players - and Les Reed and some others will know this market well. I'm not sure layers like Buckley and Bridcutt are good enough to take us where Cortese wants to go - but there are one good players with potential down there - young enough to improve - and good value. I'd take a look at Charlie Austin and a Kieran Trippier from Burnley. Henri Lansbury from Forest is another. There are also some bargains to be had in the big clubs unwanted youngsters - Sinclair and Guidetti at Citeh and McCreachan at Chelsea

I would agree with you on most of that. One problem though Davis is not a holding midfielder - he has only played well for us when he's had an attacking role. I'd switch Olsson for Figueroa at left back, ship out Hooiveld and replace Mayuka with Austin. But I think Cortese is more ambitious and more impatient than that. We are a very good centre forward, a good pacey right winger and two very good centre backs away from being a top 6 side with our starting 11 - but we are also a good second eleven away from it as well - to allow us to keep it going all season. At the moment a couple of injuries and we look like a struggling team. So I expect Cortese to spen enough money to significantly strengthen our first 11 and improve our 2nd 11

Look he's going to sign for Spurs - get over it