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Nah, Stephens. Hoedt was always VVD replacement. Whether they're adequate is another matter.

Seriously?

Normally you talk sense, but I can't agree with you on this. This victory, probably, reduces the prospect of the manager being sacked. That increases our chances of relegation imo. The victory at Fulham = small picture. Staying up = big picture. I know which one I'm looking at.

I call it the worst possible result. We get distracted by another cup game, and he doesn't get the sack.

That was awful. Tactically out thought. Physically out fought. Without an immediate managerial change, and a massive injection of quality / passion we're out of this league.

Stop talking sense - it would seem that it's compulsory to flap and moan about having a well respected recent former player on the training ground, changing room and dugout during a time of crisis. Heaven forbid he may actually help motivate an unmotivated bunch of players.

Agreed, VVD is excellent but Alderweireld was/is the best CB I've seen in a Saints shirt since Mark Wright.

Yep. Also at fault for Alli's goal. He's a massively overrated player. He slows us down going forward and recently hasn't been the answer defensively.

Who gives a monkeys whether our stubbornness in keeping hold of a player who doesn't want to be here has meant that Liverpool couldn't win the league?! They don't interest me. My club do, and the decision to keep a player who on any assessment must have damaged morale only to sell him anyway, was ridiculous. It was showboating that has left us with a mountain to climb to stay up. Had he gone in the summer and we gave the defence a chance to become a settled unit, without a moody VVD around the club, I am convinced we'd be better placed than we are now.

I'm glad that this saga has ended. Personally I would have preferred him gone in the summer and I can't help but think that we'd be in less of a mess now had that happened.

Shocking. Romeu was dreadful, directly at fault for two goals and sloppy as hell throughout. Lemina disinterested. We needed the midfield at it but only PEH turned up so that was the match lost right there. The players heads don't seem right. The poor performances of the players is not as a result of inability or poor coaching, they just ain't performing. Another manager may get them playing but something is very amiss and if we stay up I'll be very surprised.

Seems more like an open tweet. Bless.

Keeping him was pointless and was never going to achieve anything positive. We should have sold him in the summer, and having made the wrong choice we need to negotiate the best deal, preferably involving players coming out way, to give us a chance of staying up.

That's out best 11 at the moment imo (assuming same injuries, and VVD not being selected). No chance he'll pick it though.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that there isn't. Shame, he'd be a good option at the moment.

Agreed. I can't understand why we had no cb or rb cover on the bench which only offered defensive cover for Bertrand. It seems crazy to start with 3 cb's but have no alternative but to ditch the formation if one of the 3 cb's has a problem. Otherwise it was a cracking performance and we were set up very well. Hopefully the players will take confidence from that and kick on.

Read my post, I wouldn't put Stephens ahead of Hoedt. I'd 'consider' him ahead of VVD who was utter sh1te against Newcastle. Sure we were awful against wolves but who knows how long we'd practiced it. To me it looked like not very much at all. 3421 works well for many teams and personally I'd rather see that (properly coached) than what we are playing as clearly it ain't working.

I doubt we'd get away with 12 players! However, taking Redmond out of that and leaving Tadic and Boufal behind Gabbi is how I'd go. Very much the Chelsea system, and Tadic and Boufal as inside lefts and rights could be very effective - they're both wasted out wide. Gabbi in one of the support roles would be effective also but there's no adequate replacement up top - Long would waste any chance created and Austin isn't mobile enough. The only other change I'd contemplate is Stephens for VVD. He just doesn't look interested and had a mare against Newcastle.

Lemina and Romeu should be able to control middle. I think Gabbiadini making runs from deep with Long stretching the Newcastle back 4 could be our best attacking option. I like the line up and fancy us for a few goals today.

He would.

Nah, long up top making the space for tadic and gabbi in behind. Same 3, just used differently.

Who, at the top level, is successfully playing wing backs (so 3 at the back) with 2 up front? Chelsea are successful but they play one up front, with 2 in behind. Arsenal's version is similar. That blend works as the two behind the front man have so much more freedom and can become a 2 or 3 up front. I'd love to see us with a well drilled 3 cb's, wing backs, Lemina and romeu, and then 2 ahead plus 1 up top. With vvd back in the fold I wouldn't be surprised to see it using that system.

He's stating the obvious really. We couldn't play 2 up top in the prem, we'd get battered in the middle. Alternatively we'd have to use a diamond and have no width. Both are a recipe for disaster. I up top with at least one, ideally 2, supporting as well as giving width works for the top sides and imo is the only logical way to go.

Well, I misjudged him! I didn't think much of him in the west ham game but today he was absolutely superb. Looks a hell of a player.

I think the club published something like 37 or 39 million for Staplewood. I heard it was at 35 ish+ whilst the work was still being done, with a 15 million ish budget, but that we weren't done yet.