Rebel

Disappointed for the most part I think we'll end up signing a few more young players we can develop and then sell on at a profit - maybe a central midfielder, a centre forward and attacking midfielder - but that's probably about it - apart from one or two loans to add some depth. We'll start pre-season playing 4-2-2-2 and then realise too late after 3 or 4 league games and a bad start we don't have the players for it. What we really need to do is change the way we play or bring in a load of players that suit the 4-2-2-2. The current squad is better suited to playing 4-3-3 but even then we don't really have any strength in depth. I think it if wasn't for Ralph having 2 years left on his £7M a year contract the new owners would have replaced him by now.

I am not against signing young players with potential to develop them and sell them on at a profit - as long as most of the proceeds are reinvested back in to the team. But you need a core of good experienced players to build the team around - and one or two wise old heads to provide leadership on the pitch. And probably one or two very good players at their peak to be competitive. Right now I feel we need to add some quality and experience all over the pitch.

Leeds are signing Marc Roca to provide cover for Phillips - and possibly replace him as well. They need much greater depth to their squad so I I think they will sign someone else if they sell Phillips. I can see them signing Weston McKennie to up their American quota if they do. Biesla liked a small squad but I think Marsch and owners have realised it was too small for a premier league season. Leeds are going to spend money to strengthen the squad - backed by the prospective US owners who own the San Francisco 49ers - so its big and good enough to compete in the Premier league. I think they have plans to make Leeds a big brand in the US when they buy it outright. We really need to hope Brentford suffer from second season syndrome and the 3 teams that got promoted - Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest - just aren't good enough for the premier league.

Slightly depressing reading - but its hard to to disagree with most of this - gives a little room for some hope that things will get better https://www.football365.com/news/southampton-owners-have-a-lot-to-prove-to-james-ward-prowse-this-summer

Letting Forster go on a Free and giving McCarthy a contract extension (although this might have come down to salary demands) when Fraser was the better keeper Giving McCarthy and Stephens contract extensions and then not announcing them. Keeping Harry Lewis sitting around for no apparent reason for a couple of seasons as cover - before letting him go one a free - and when you did need him me signing Caballero (a 40 year old) to play instead. Retaining Caballero as cover / 3rd choice keeper when this should be a your B team keeper and you already have McCarthy for this role anyway. Supposedly signing Bazunu to be your number 1 when you have kept McCarthy for that role. Keeping 3 failed goal keeping coaches as the 3 first team coaches for a couple of years when they were never up to the job (and appointing them in the first place) Giving Walcott a 2 year deal on £75K a week (reportedly) when he's apparently not good enough to play regularly. Giving Shane Long a contract extension last time when he should have been released - and then saying you are in discussions about another one when you are not according to his wife. Signing Adam Armstrong and playing Long ahead of him. Not sacking a manager who has lost 9-0 twice - and finished with less points than last season (and giving that manager a 2 year contract extension at £7M per year meaning you can't afford to sack him). I could probably go on We are not exactly well managed are we? (And that's just on the football side - lets not talk about the kit fiasco of recent years) Is Crocker DoF or just 'director of football operations' or head of the academy? It looks to me like we need to appoint someone / a Director of Football to take control of it all and give us some sort of plan. It doesn't really feel like we have one at the moment. And its maybe time for a new MD as well.

Agreed - but I am not sure we can afford a proven premier league striker or a top striker from another league (hope I am wrong about that). Difference between Armstrong and Gyokeres is physicality - Armstrong doesn't have the height or pace for the premier league. Gyokeres has the height and physicality. We do need someone up front who can lead the line and win the ball in the air - we don't have anyone like that at the moment.

it sounds like Bednarek and possibly Romeu are on there way Bednarek needs to be replaced with a guaranteed starter who can lead the defence and partner Salisu - so it needs to be someone who has a good amount of first team experience. I like the look of Caleta-Car but could we persuade him to leave Champions League football at Marseille. If Forest don't make it through the play-offs Joe Worral would be another one to consider (at 25 and as Forest captain he would hopefully give some leadership on the pitch). Those 2 plus Colwill on loan from Chelsea to replace Stephens (and send Simeu out on loan to championship) would be a good depth at centre back. If Romeu does go we should take a look at Matt Grimes at Swansea - a left footed defensive midfielder and deep lying playmaker he would make a good partner for JWP - and at 25 and captain of Swansea he would hopefully give some leadership on the pitch as well. Is John Swift (25) on a free transfer from Reading worth a look to provide cover and depth at CM/AM with some experience? Although he was born in Pompey so it might be a no go on that. Ethan Ampadu might be another one to look at to provide depth and cover at centre back, DM and RB. Allowing KWP to provide cover at LB for Perraud. Or maybe we should taker a look at Josh Doig at Hibernian for left back cover. Brennan Johnson would be an obvious one for the AM position if Forest don't get promoted. Tino Anjorin from Chelsea is another we have shown interest in. I'd also take a look at Joel Piroe at Swansea for the AM / Second Striker / Inside Forward roles and Viktor Gyokeres at Coventry at centre forward to replace Long and Broja.

Tino will be out injured until half way through next season so that gives us a problem as we will only have 2 fit first team fullbacks in Perraud and KWP until then. So what do we do if one of them get injured. We could rely on Small/Vokins and Valery/Ramsey to provide cover but I don't think any of them are ready for that yet or good enough - and I am not sure any of them will be here next season. Personally I think you need 2 LBs and 2RBs to cover a whole season anyway - but you could get away with 3 if one or more of them can play on both sides. Added to that if Tino comes back fully from his injury its highly likely we will sell him next summer when Chelsea's buy back clause kicks in - so we should have one eye on needing to replace him or KWP if either or both of them leaves for a bigger club. Plus Ralph talked about needing to bring in a full back to provide cover when Tino got injured.

Aaron Hickey from Bologna would solve our problems at both left and right back - primarily a left back he is supposedly two footed and can play right back as well - he would provide cover for Perraud and KWP whilst Tino is out injured and would allow us to send Small out on loan for the season. He's supposed to be available for £15M or so. We need extra depth and cover at both left back and right back as Small in not ready for the Premier League yet - and next summer I expect we will sell one or not both of KWP and Tino. If not Hickey how about Josh Doig for left back and Max Aarons for right back.

Hopefully we will be able to sell Redmond, Elyounoussi, and Djneppo now that they only have 1 year left on their contracts. Given the wages they are on they were probably too expensive to sell to the level of club that would be interested in them when they had 2 years on their contracts. I imagine with each of them their current contracts would have to be paid up as part of the deal. It means we'll probably make very little money on them if any. If we can't sell them do we loan them out for a season - or keep them to pad out the squad? Its probably the same with Valery and Ramsey who both have a year left. Walcott is probably going nowhere for pretty much the same reason - no club will buy him given his wages and his age. Maybe a loan but I don't think he would be interested in that and we would have to subsidise it. Bednarek is the one of the few players that I think we will actually sell and get some money for - and hopefully enough to help us buy a first choice centreback. Diallo and Adam Armstrong probably need to be loaned out to clubs at a lower level in the hope we can sell them next summer if they have a relatively good season somewhere else. Tella, Vokins, Ferry, Smallbone, Watts, Simeu, Chauke and Small all probably need to be loaned out to get more game time in the hope some of them will develop as players and be good enough to play for us eventually. Forster, Caballero, McCarthy and Stephens should all have been released along with Stephens and Long. We need to sign at least 6 first team players - a CDM, CB, CM, AM and CF and RB get a couple of loans to add some depth to the squad at AM, CB and CF. Can't see us doing this though - so fully expect Moi and Redmond to stay for another year, alongside Diallo and Armstrong, Stephens and McCarthy, Valery and Ramsey and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up giving Long another 1 year contract as well.

probably a lot more than the club have to spend I would guess - but I think its what the they need to do if they want to improve the team and change the clubs downward momentum its probably £15M-20M per player at minimum - and I guess you could sell some of the current squad (Redmond, Bednarek, Elyounoussi) to raise some cash to improve the quality of the squad it all leads to the question should we sell JWP if it means we get £40-60M to invest back in to the squad

maybe we don't need a right footed CB - just someone who can play on the right of the back two - and someone who can partner Salisu effectively. Probably more importantly they need to be vocal and be a leader on the pitch.

At a minimum we need 5 players and that's before we sell or loan out anyone striker to replace Long & Broja a defensive midfielder to cover and then replace Romeu when he leaves a left footed creative No10 an experienced right footed first choice centre back to lead the defence a first choice keeper

I was leaning towards sacking Ralph after the last couple of results. But now I think its a case of the club needing to back him rather than sack - and that means investing in the playing squad as well as rebuilding the coaching set up to support him. I think every supporter can see the need for better coaching team to support Ralph. They also need to clear out the deadwood in the squad and refresh it - as well as strengthen it. Players like Redmond, Djenepo and Bednarek need to be moved on and replaced. And more importantly they need to add more depth to the squad - both in quality and quantity. For example its no coincidence we are struggling at the tail end of the season when we only have 3 first team central midfielders in JWP, Romeu and Diallo - and only one of those is a holding midfielder in Romeu (I see Armstrong and Smallbone as attacking midfielders). And if he is out injured, banned or off form we have no cover there - and JWP and Diallo are too lightweight as a pair. We need 2 add least 1 CDM and 1 CM whether we are going to play 2 or 3 in midfield to provide the cover and competition needed across a full season. If they back him and there is no improvement then they do need to sack him.

You're right I don't think they would come here to be 3rd choice - but as a young prospect competing for No.1 they would be perfect. In an ideal world we'd release McCarthy, Forster, Caballero and Lewis and sign someone like Johnstone and someone like Bazuma or Green to compete for the GK position.

We desperately need to sign a first choice keeper and a young prospect as 3rd choice keeper. Forster or McCarthy should really be the second choice keeper - but it looks like that is going to be McCarthy as he is the cheaper option and apparently already signed a new contract so Forster will probably be on his way. Someone like Etienne Green or Bazumu would be good for the young prospect. But we need to give them game time in the first team and the B team. Personally I'd have left all 4 keepers leave - Forster, McCarthy, Caballero and Lewis and signed a 2 good keepers - one mid to late 20s and one early 20s to compete for the No1 slot - with back-up provided by the B Team keepers.

Nketiah would have a transfer fee - a development fee - for any English club as he's under 23 wouldn't he? Or have I misunderstood the rules. We'd have to agree that with Arsenal or got to tribunal - so he could cost a couple of million or more.

it sounds like Dyche and the players had gone stale at Burnley - their results have picked up following his sacking. But who can blame them after the amount of time he has been in charge, the loss of players and the lack of investment. I'd like to see what Dyche could do at a big club with resources - but not Saints. With us its as much about the players as the manager - Puel, Pelligrino, Hughes and Ralphs have all failed to get consistency and a winning mentality out of the players we have. We need to change the manager and refresh the playing squad - and even if we keep Ralph we need 5 or 6 new players at a minimum to refresh the squad and change the mentality - but they can't all be 19/20/21 year old prospects - we need to some experience and leadership in the team. I'd take £60 million for JWP if we spend it on 3 or 4 good players. But whether he's goes or not we need to replace Long and Broja up front - we desperately need a another CDM to cover/replace/succeed Romeu - we need a RB to replace Tino and LB to cover Perraud - and we need at least 1 if not 2 No10s as well as first choice centre back - plus a goalkeeper So that's up to 8 or 9 players more or less. I do think Foerster, Bednarek, Stephens, Djneppo and Redmond will be moving on though so hopefully we will get some money for them. Personally I just see more of the same - until we get relegated - JWP and one or two more out and only 3 or coming in.

Reading between the lines it sounds like Bednarek is off this summer - but his time to go has probably come anyway. But I get the feeling Salisu is interested in moving to a bigger club with more money (after the Newcastle interest in January) - his recent performances suggest he is trying to give the club the message to cash in on him now. Hopefully we will keep him for another year. And Stephens is supposedly out of contract - so we could need a complete restock at centre back. So we will need least 1 if not 2 new centrebacks. Levi Colwill as cover and a long term left footed replacement for Salisu would be nice. But we will probably need a first choice right sided centre back whatever else happens. Simeu probably replaces Stephens as back up (but would Salisu / Colwill and Lyanco / Simeu be enough?) Will Valery stay as cover for right back & centre back and will Kayne Ramsey return to do the same. I think we will sell one of them at least and keep the other. I can see a big club coming in for KWP as well - and with Tino injured for the longer term we would need at least one if not 2 right backs as well. And if we get a £40M or thereabouts offer from a big club - Liverpool for example - I can see us selling JWP. Whether we do sell JWP or not we need to strengthen central midfield and add 1 if not 2 DM to provide cover for and eventually replace Romeu. But I can see us going for relatively low cost options - for example Matt Grimes from Swansea would give us a left footed CM and hopefully a leader on the pitch (as he's Captain at Swansea) and Marko Gruijc (on loan at Porto from Liverpool) would give us cover for Romeu at CDM/DM. And that doesn't even cover the need to replace Long and Broja upfront or Djeneppo / Redmond / Elyounoussi in the No. 10 role (with a year left on his contract and £75K wage Walcott is going nowhere). Tino Anjorin would be a start for the No.10 role. Bringing in Etienne Green or someone similar to compete with McCarthy sounds like a good idea - but I'd keep Forster as well. I think its going to be a buys summer.

Le Tissier is an ex-footballer - a very talented one - but his fame is built on that and nothing more. He should stick to football. He's not qualified to talk about anything else. He shouldn't use that fame to push conspiracy theories or an anti-vaccine stance - they are his personal private opinions and should stay that way. I would ask him though why none of the players who have had heart problems have come out and said it was because they had been vaccinated - its more likely they caught Covid - mildly probably - maybe they weren't even aware they had it - but then suffered some form of long Covid which gave them heart problems. But we don't know - and neither does he - so why is he giving and opinion he's not qualified to - and more so when he doesn't have the information needed to actually have an informed opinion on it.

He's saying he lost the SKY job because of what he said on Twitter - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10695719/Matt-Le-Tissier-blames-Sky-sacking-conspiracy-REALIST.html

I don't think changing the manager will make any difference at this stage unfortunately - the squad just isn't good enough. We lack a goals. We don't have any real cover for Romeu in midfield. Our No 10s (Tella, Moi, Redmond , Djneppo and Walcott) just aren't good enough. Stuart Armstrong seems like injuries and Covid have taken a toll on him. None of our keepers are really first choice keepers anymore. And them their is the lack of leadership on the pitch - and the inability to hold on to a lead. Yes Ralph doesn't seem to be able to get the best out of them on a weekly basis - and he is too attached to his 4-2-2-2 system even when we don't have the players to play it. And its a system which the players seem unable to play for 90 mins. Without Romeu there is no steel in midfield so it was obvious we needed to play a midfield 3 (JWP, Diallo and Smallbone/Livramento ?) against Arsenal. What we need is some signings in January but I don't see it happening. Yet again we will have to hope that 3 out of Burnley, Nowrich, Watford and Newcastle and worse than us if we are to stay up.

so that means Newcastle will now be just another financially doped club owned by a questionable regime / person to go with Citeh, Chelski and Everton (and PSG in France) and then you have the US owners at Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd who want a closed shop premier league or European Super League (Burnley?) and lets not forget the owners from Asia - Saints, Wolves, Leicester etc Although I don't really understand why you would buy Newcastle and not Inter Milan for example if you were the Saudis - you would dominate the Italian league like PSG do in France and Bayern in Germany and have a real chance at the Champions League. Even Marseille would make more sense to me, or Juventus or AC Milan. At best Newcastle will be one of the new top 4 along with Chelski, Citeh and United in the Premier League or smaller club in the European Super League when it comes

None of Redmond, Walcott, Elyounoussi, Djenepo and Long are good enough the answer is to play Armstrong and Tino as the number 10s / attacking midfielders and give Tella some game time. At least he will get better.

the money hasn't been taken out of the club its been used to pay-off the managers we sacked (Puel, Hughes, Pelligrino) and their coaches, and to pay-off the players we got rid of early and couldn't sell like Boufal, Hoedt, Lemina and Carillo to pay the transfer fees, signing-on fees and agents fees for the players we have signed - Theo, Armstrong, Tino, Small, Lyanco, Broja, Simeu, Perraud and probably to help pay the salaries of the players we are overpaying due to the loss of income from Covid - Forster, Theo and the rest the problem is more that our owner isn't putting any money in - and the financial legacy of the signings made by Reed and Wilson and the contracts they gave out to the players we already had we wasted the £75M we got for Van Dijk on Boufal, Hoedt, Lemina, Carillo and Elyounoussi - we'd be much better off if we'd been able to sell one of them for what we bought them for. You could add Djneppo and Vestergaard to that list of bad signings. plus the contracts for Long, Forster and Stephens. that's our real problem At least we seem to have spent the money from selling Ings and Vestergaard slightly better than we did the Van Dijk money. The problem here is we didn't have the money to go and buy another decent striker or a creative No 10 - or a first choice centreback. but they are still making mistakes - giving Long 2 more years and signing Theo for 2 years. the only light is that we will sell Tino for a good amount of money next summer - probably back to Chelsea. We just need to hope we spend it wisely.