S-Clarke

Arsenal panicking that they're being left behind, same as Spurs. So they pull this card. Hopefully they end up back on their arse.

That was one of the lowest quality games of football all season, it really was. Both teams were absolutely dreadful. I'm not happy with how we performed, I don't think we showed up enough. I really don't feel there are any leaders in this squad, a load of quiet schoolboys. We need a bigger squad and much better mentality/experience in the group. Otherwise this will continue with this lot. Whilst I think the way we try to play is the right way, with the press etc, it's a bit kamikaze with 1) this squad and 2) those defenders. There is no pace at the back and Bednarek is going to be hung out to dry once we push up. Ralph is nailed to this style though, so we either back him and let him buy the right sorts, or we let him go and bring in someone like Allardyce. This squad is in desperate need of quality injected into it, but even without quality we should still have enough about us to make more of a game out of that in my opinion. They will all wake up tomorrow and realise what a wasted chance this was, neither side showed up really but the result was pretty much expected when we have no shots on goal in a semi final. That alone was a disgrace. I'd like to see Moussa, Bednarek, Bertrand, Redmond gone - get shot. Replace those with better quality and we have have a chance going forward.

It's quite sad to see what's going on to be honest. The history of this club and our 'current' philosophy is built on developing - but it doesn't seem as if there is much to develop. So the entire club is at a standstill really. We have no money to buy ready made first team players, and the younger age groups are seemingly not near any level - so we're 'paused' at all levels pretty much. I must admit, I don't know too much about how the academy has been managed in the last 4 or so years - but it seems like we're short in squad numbers across all age groups? (so we keep having to dip in to the younger groups at all levels in order to plug the gaps). Coaching is possibly not great either? It's a long way from the Dodd and Williams days, that's for sure. Feels like people at the club have had to run all elements on financial scraps for years and now we're starting to see the output of that.

I'm fairly sure people were saying similar before we faced Bournemouth tbh. You have to be confident before a Semi-Final, what's the point otherwise? I'm looking forward to it. Clubs like Southampton get to semi finals a handful of times in our lives, so let's just enjoy it and actually look forward to it rather than sitting here fearing it in dread. For what it's worth, I don't believe league form really counts. These are one off games and strange things can often happen in one off games. Wigan's league form didn't worry them during their cup run either. Let's just enjoy the occasion, it's a shame we can't be there but it's a perfect day for it.

Everton 2 - 1 Spurs so far. Looks like Spurs are building up to our game for the match where they 'come back to life'. It's written in the stars.

I think you've lost your head a bit here.

Not replace him per-say, but upgrade on him is probably more what I'd meant to say. You'd have a new starter alongside JWP basically, Romeu would be in the squad and would probably play a good % of games too. Obviously this is pipe dream stuff though. Don't have any problem with Romeu and whilst he's decent enough, we're not going to get any further than midtable with him as our only 'destructive' type CM.

Umm, no. I think you're getting your little knickers in a twist there mate. Didn't say that at all, nor did I insinuate it or suggest it. Tell me exactly where I suggested it was ok? Point that out to me please. I just cannot quite fathom what you've read from those posts that's made you get all up in a mess about it. I think you're looking for offence which isn't there.

I think the problem we have now is that the level of player have gone up in price. So whilst you could snare Mane at like 10m 5 or 6 years ago....an equivalent at Salzburg now would be Daka...he's being touted at 20m plus. So, the market has shifted. The 10-15m market which once got us a Mane, Tadic, Pele etc isn't really getting us much now. I don't think we can genuinely get those players for this £10m figure, it's more of the development market we'll be shopping in. No instant starters etc. I think an approach could be loans for the 'experience' first team signings. Could be some decent loans out there if the parent clubs are open to subsidising most of their wages. But that market doesn't really open up until the final couple of days of the window.

Correct. It's not been rearranged yet, my guess would be mid-week before the final game of the season.

I actually won the Champions League with Southampton in 2022/2023. Finished 4th twice on the trot. Won the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Community Shield. Same as you with Adams - 30 goals I got out of him. JWP got 25 assists. Redmond got 20 goals FFS? One really sound buy I got is Christan Pavon from Boca - get him early on for like 5-7m, absolute player coming off of the left, full of goals. Jiri Pavlenka in goal from Werder Bremen is also £7m you will never regret spending. The stats seem a tiny bit skewed. Can't seem to get anything from Ings, maybe 10 goals if I'm lucky. Armstrong is also a non-player for me, doesn't do anything and I end up selling him for like £5m to West Brom. I also sold N'Lundulu for £15m to a German side, and I'd never played him either. I used that money to buy Pavon - win, win.

Exactly, these people don't even know what they're raging about half the time. 'Captain Fantastic' or 'Uncle John' get a thrill out of anonymous slagging off. In simple terms they're trolls, but their impact can be quite devastating (going beyond football).

I think he was one of the ones the club was hoping to get on a freebie (albeit with some compo). Back to the drawing board.

It's not a great squad and it hasn't been for years. The problem is that we've assembled a load of very average players and are paying them obscene amounts of money, so we've been stuck with them. In an ideal world you'd replace Bednarek, Romeu, and Adams, Redmond etc right down the spine of the team with better players. But we can't do that, so we just have to hope we pickup gems in the Diallo/Salisu price bracket and hope they develop over a year or two. The squad has regressed from where we were and that is sadly down to truly horrific scouting in the most part. If we'd spent that Mane/VVD/Wanyama/Pelle/ money better than we did then it would be a different story I imagine. We didn't though. We spent it on average like Boufal, Hoedt, Carrillo, Elyounossi, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Adams, Redmond and took our side backwards quicker than you could imagine. And given we have an owner with no interest and a keenness to sell us, we are absolutely stuck without a pot to piss in - total limbo land. So we then have to sell some of the 'above average' in order to strengthen the squad. Continuously one step backwards and it will equal the inevitable relegation at some point in the very near future as it's just not sustainable.

Ralph is stubborn, one of his weaknesses as well as a strength I guess. If you let him down or do something stupid, you very rarely get another chance. I fully expect him to be sold in the summer to 'boost' our kitty. Will we look back in a few years time at a superstar playing for PSG in the CL? Who knows. Jurys out though on what he could achieve. Talent alone doesn't get you to the top.

I can see some sort of mutual freebie payoff here. Another wonderful waste of money.

I still think we have a chance of low-to mid 40's points wise, although not as confident as I was a few weeks back. It is a big let down of a season given our end to last season and the overall start to this year, but the squad size and depth quality has hit is pretty hard to be honest

Truth be told, I'm conflicted. I think he'd add something to the squad in the sense of depth, we do 'sometimes' look better when he plays due to his pace/direct running - but the reality is that he is a long way past his best. We need to be realistic though - we're not going to be able to get someone with his experience and, still, relative quality for free. Feels like it makes sense for free/low wages, but just don't expect fireworks. I'd see him as squad depth going forward. If we had the ability to get better than Theo I'm sure we would, but we can't - and I guess we need to accept our place as a club right now with this owner.

There are cunts in all walks of life, always have been, always will be. What social media provides you with is anomality. You can hide behind whatever your avatar is and post as much vitriol as you want, sat behind a VPN, and you are pretty much untouchable. I know clubs are calling on social media to do more etc etc, but there isn't really a huge deal that can be done - otherwise you play with the idea of totally removing any form of free speech and having every post moderated before it's visible etc. As we've done through generations, we just need to accept that there are a lot of utter cunts out there and they are waiting to fire abuse at anyone to make themselves feel better. They can just do it behind a cloak online.

It's always Choupo-Moteng in these games as well. A stoke reject.

At least it was just 3? Sad that it's come to that. At all levels.

Yeah, don't disagree. The whole club is in the pits atm.

This aged well. People get too carried away by the ups, and equally, too carried away by the downs. Makes much more sense to look at things over a period. We're actually pretty bog standard mid-table averageness and it's a bit daft to expect anything more from this bunch.

We will not be appointing a manager who is currently employed. So forget your 'wish lists'.

For decent wages he's someone to add to the squad. He's not very good anymore though, and is another who does go missing. But that kinda fits with the rest of the team. He adds something, it would be nice to add better, but we do not have the money.