S-Clarke

I heard a rumour that there were serious considerations to 'pause' the completion this season, as well as the 'Checkatrade' or whatever it's called now.

Stats are stats, but I've watched him in every home game for the last 4 seasons and he infuriates me and bores me senseless. One of the prime reasons we have been so awful at home. We play more progressive and positive without him in the side. I can't say I've enjoyed him at all.

Yeah I think he is also another reason why we won't buy a 'Hoj' replacement. Lots of good things heard about this guy, he turned down some big clubs to join our academy and we seemed to shout it from the rooftops when he did sign. He is very highly thought of, maybe our new midfielder is already under our noses.

I reckon we'll start to hear a lot more in the next week or two, they're due back for training in about 14 days I think! That's when stuff will start moving I guess...

I kinda get what you're saying, there is a huge reliance on Ings and a long-term injury to him and our season is pretty much in tatters. I hope Adams form wasn't just a purple patch, but there are still elements of his game he needs to improve on. But you certainly wouldn't loan Watkins back, if he was an unproven/young player from L1/L2 - maybe, but this is a guy ready for the PL...he'd be straight in most bottom half teams squads.

No, I didn't mean Kat - I meant Gao, utterly awful owner. What did I expect him to do differently? Speak...? Tell us what his intentions are, show us some plans for what he wants to do with us. All he has done is sat back, left the running of the club to other people (there may be advantages to that, for sure), not invested penny and saddled us with the most dodgy of sponsorship deals in history. The team have got themselves playing well, we've got a good manager for sure, but the backdrop is still the same as it was - we need a change at the top to really do anything other than hover in the mid-table/relegation places. I don't want us to tread water and it just feels like that's all we'll do until Gao goes.

Possibly, but it does feel like we're totally strangled at the moment though. We couldn't even bring in KWP until we'd shifted out Cedric, so we're even dependant on money from players leaving to bring in a loan. We had to sell Targett before we could get Adams last year. We're waiting for Hoj to go so we can then pay for Salisu and KWP. Are we in financial ruin or something? It's a sad state of affairs really.

It's such shit timing that we have such a good manager in charge of us when we have such an horrific owner, it feels like a waste. A tiny bit of ambition and we'd be laughing, but no, sell, sell sell before a penny is spent. God forbid we actually spent something we didn't generate ourselves from a sale.

A lot is made of 'lightweight' and 'small' - but just look around at some of the best full backs, they're not all power houses are they? Jordi Alba is tiny, Lucas Digne isn't huge either. I don't think it's a position where you necessarily need to be a powerhouse, but you certainly need pace with the way we play (right back supporting the attacks). He has pace in abundance, reads the game very well and has an excellent low centre of gravity which enables him to wiggle out of tight spots. He's got all the natural tools of a modern day wing back to be honest.

For sure, Premier League could be our only chance really, if he's really keen on that. I just can't see it happening, not sure we have the money for it to be honest. We'd need to shift a few first and I'm not sure he's hanging around for that.

To be fair, Monaco can play the same game too. It's not a massively unique position, as there are plenty of clubs around the world which players can use as shop windows. Dortmund, Monaco, Ajax, RB Leipzig - far better options if one of those comes in for you, as you'll be in the shop window in major European competition. If Monaco are in for him then there is nothing we can offer really.

Selling Bednarek and keeping Vestergaard would be football suicide. That's why that won't happen, if anyone else leaves from the back 4 it's Vestergaard.

Southampton vice-chairman Les Reed said: "Guido represents a very exciting addition to our attacking options ahead of the final months of the season. "We are confident he will benefit us not only in the remainder of this campaign, but in the years to come."

They might as well have kept Eddie then. Maybe he ran because he saw what was coming? (sale, sale, sale and financial oblivion?) They'll be dawdling around L1/L2 in no time.

Yeah I think it is. Quite clear that Kevin De Bryune will win this though. There was uproar he didn't win the writers one!

Yeah it was Les who said that, and I believe it was also Les who likened him to Paul Scholes.

Other midfielders who would be perfect for a high tempo/counter press game: Sofyan Amrabat Konrad Laimer Yes, I've had spare time during lockdown to play FM.

Significantly different profile of player though. Reed is a smaller player, slower and not as strong. Mangala is a 6ft powerhouse really.

Weird. Maybe I'm ITK, I signed him on FM for my Southampton team. Looked for specific attributes which are good for midfielders deployed in a high press/counter pressing team, he came pretty high up on my affordable targets. Very good as well, for what it's worth. But back in the real world...

It's a balancing act which is quite simply impossible to get right for 100% of people, there will be unhappy folk and there's no getting away from that. Ballot is the way, how about excluding the 'winners' of the ballot from forthcoming ballots - so everyone gets a fair shot? I haven't renewed yet and I guess one of the reasons is because of the total unknown about how this will be managed - I'm not sure I can fork out all of that upfront, not knowing what games I'll be able to go to and then wait for potential refunds if they come my way etc. Hopefully we get some clarification in the coming weeks, as I think deadline is first of Sept for renewals.

I reckon it'll be what was reported by someone a few days ago - 18-20m guaranteed, rest in add-on's. Hopefully realistic ones. 8m guaranteed for KWP is my hunch, with the rest in add-ons. Not a bad deal for either all being told. Should break us even in the transfer funds. Will need to sell further before we can buy anymore unfortunately.

I'd heard so many good things about them, so I started watching them from their Stoke away game.....and if i'm truly honest, they have looked utter dross in pretty much most games since then! To me it looks like they're full of bottle jobs, when the pressure was really on they had no one who stepped up and got them over the line. West Brom kinda went up by default in the end, they should be nailed for 19th or 20th next season, horrific side. I think Brentford will be picked apart though - they've clearly got good players, I just think I watched them at a bad time! I think Watkins would be a good fit for a club like Villa.

Working really well today, as fast as it's ever been, nice work!

I reckon we'll see KWP, Salisu - new contracts for JWP, Bertrand announced....and then we'll settle with what we have, but keep an eye on the market - that's my hunch. Any other additions are going to rest solely on our ability to shift Lemina, Vestergaard, Carillo, Hoedt, Boufal etc on permanent deals. So, we may have some money in the bank come the end of the window! We'll have to see what happens...

Not 606 is decent too - https://www.not606.com/forums/southampton.62/ I've always used that as well, got a decent following on there.