S-Clarke

Brilliant for us and a leader all the way from L1 to our top 6 finish last season - let's just forget the last 6 months! Best moment was his goal at Brighton - epic scenes. I also think one of his best achievements was how he overcame the dip in form in the NPC and calls for him to be replaced upon promotion, to turn into one of the best CB's in the league. Shows how determined the guy is and was. Will always go down as one of the best CB's we've ever had.

He's a decent pro, but I don't think I'll be the only one who is sat here a little dumbfounded and miffed if he's our main CB come the end of the transfer window. In a season whereby we don't score goals, let's not weaken our defence.

I would agree that the club are right to invest into the academy and that is probably what they are doing, but let us remember this is a long-term thing. Investment into the academy now isn’t going to improve our first team now, it may do in the course of a few years…but I don’t want to see us get into a position where we start to ignore the ‘here and now’ – we’ve done that before and it sent us to L1. We have replaced players that we have sold; there is no argument there – not sure why people keep saying we haven’t replaced Mane. I think the likes of Boufal will come to the fore next season and Hojbjerg is just crying out for a run in the side. Redmond is a good player and does not deserve anywhere near the criticism he gets. If anything its Claude’s comments at the start of the season, which painted Redmond in an odd light and made fans expect 20 goals etc. Still think that was quite a big OG by Claude.

I wonder if we'll ever find out what went on. The media black out in the club since he returned from the Euro's was very odd, you'd expect a club to make a big deal out of a returning European Champion...but we got nothing, very little mention of him all season via the club media. Cedric got his interview though. The lack of game time in the EL was also fishy as hell. Although his absence didn't have a direct impact on us failing to qualify, it seems incredibly odd to not play him in a single minute of any of the 6 games. I think he was only on the bench for one of them. My general assumption is that Fonte arrived back in the summer and the club were ready to give him the big fanfare, but he came back demanding the world and turned into a little too big for his shoes. The lack of EL appearances is probably just us wanting to maximize his sale should a big club come in for him, not that the club would ever admit that! £9m for him is a good deal financially, but it's only a good deal for the football club if we reinvest and go again - let's not go backwards by relying on Yoshida as our main CB. The last thing we need to be doing in a season whereby we don't score goals is to weaken our defence. Let's see what the club have up their sleeves in the next week or so....

I don't think we'll be replacing Fonte. These comments seem to suggest that Yoshida is our first choice now. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/15037394.Gardos_hoping_for_Saints_chance/

onte said: “I signed for West Ham because they are a great club and a very big club. They have a lot of fans and I have known for a number of years how passionate they are. “The manager was also a very big influence. I thought that he really wanted me and that he sold me the project and the ambition of the Club. “I also have part of my family living in London and they are big West Ham fans. It just made sense for me at this stage to join West Ham. It is a new challenge and a new beginning and I am looking forward to it. “With the way that West Ham is going we can only look to be challenging in the top eight. “I told the manager in conversations that we want to win and we want to win trophies. The ambition is big and we need to aim high. “West Ham are a massive club and it is an exciting challenge and it should be for everyone. We all need to get together and start working.

That's a bit mental by Stoke, not sure why they've done it at that price. 6 months he's free. Up to £15m for someone who is free in 6 months? really? no thank you.

Seriously, Micah Richards? That just screams of someone wanting anyone, just anyone, please just sign someone, i don't care who...! Seriously though. I'd be seriously annoyed if we try to get by without replacing Fonte, no matter how it's spun by the club that will be seen as a lowering the quality of the squad. If there aren't any good enough replacements out there or are affordable to us then don't let fonte go. Simple.

Then you don't sell fonte....

I'd expect this one to come to a head in the final throws of the window. Player power will come to the fore in the end, I doubt as a professional he'll want to rot in the reserves for another 6 months. I think Liverpool are rightly holding out to see if they can get that bid now, but if they can't...then I can't imagine them blocking loan deals towards the end of the window.

To be fair, he was the only one busting a gut in the final throws of that game. For the final cross alone he deserves all the praise. I think the referee even said thanks.

The backways/sideways passing has really come about through a lack of confidence (it's easier to play it safe rather than take a gamble with a pass forward) and general imagination in the middle of the park, you'll notice that the gap between the front and the midfield is often too big. That comes about because the game is too slow through the middle and because the midfields are all pretty much the same sort of 'safe' type of player. This is why I've always thought that a proper attacking central midfielder is what we need, someone who can fill that gap between the midfield and the attack and has the imagination to spot the runs and the movement. I think that would make more of a difference to us than a striker, although I wouldn't say no to a striker as well!

I don't think there's loyalty in football in any sense, so I wouldn't expect it from the club. It's a business, if they don't feel that it's business sense to offer him the terms he wants then that's it. Loyalty won't come into it. Personally I think 80k for the next 2 years + is a lot of money for a club of our size. That sort of wage should be going on the Virgils etc, not players who are declining. Man City/Utd etc could probably stretch to that, but I don't think we're big enough to take that sort of risk. If this does happen - not that I've seen anything concrete yet - then I'd expect us to get another CB in sharpish. If the club decide to rely on Yoshida as his replacement then they have also given up on this season - no disrespect to Yoshida, but he's a great squad player, if we want to be where we were last season then we need better players than him in the 11 on a regular basis.

It's too simplistic a view to think a striker will fix everything. As long as we continue to play in front of teams at a snails pace then nothing will ever happen. ever. Pace is so important in the modern game, not just the 'atribute' of a player...but the speed the game is played at, the quickness of the passsing. We will not achieve a thing in this league if we continue to play at the pedestrian pace and in front of teams.

Massive questions tonight for me. Just a load of unimaginative, sleep indulging dross. This was a poor Norwich side without a load of their key players and we just played in front of them, we didn't try to penetrate, stretch it. What do these guys coach? What are we trying to achieve in terms of a style? Boring the pants off everyone? Death by football is pretty apt. right now. I usually look forward to games but I'm starting to feel it's just one big chore and I don't pay £600 odd quid for that.

Where does it say 9m? All I can see is a supposed ITK claiming on the WHU forum that he will sign. Quite clearly he's after one last big pay day, says a lot that WHU are the only club to offer that. Bunch of loons in charge of that place.

An absolute load of garbage. Should be giving out refunds for that horrendous load of ****.

Kone? Are you having a flaming giraffe? He is absolute garbage, not even mid level let alone top!

Reading that first post is incredible. So much of that optimism from that pre-season was misplaced. The fears of many came true when we were just over ran in most games, I think that season destroyed the careers of some of our promising young players. It was too much for them to all come into at once.

JWP is an odd one, if you look at him exclusively you see someone who can control, pass, move the ball. He receives it well on both feet and is always available for a pass etc, but he just doesn't put his mark on games at all. I honestly stand by what I've always thought, the tools are there technically...it's just physically hes behind. He's still not an old player by any means and he could still well bulk up a bit. I think he'd be perfect in a Spanish league or a league where it's less physical and more slow/passing. There's definitely talent there and you wouldn't have had 4 different managers picking him if there wasn't, he just needs to start taking games by the scruff of it's neck and dominating. Just worry that he doesn't have the physical attributes to be able to do that in this league.

We're never going to be able to afford a player who can take us to a new level instantly. That would be like ourselves going out and buying Mane from another PL club for 38m. We can't do that, we're not big enough to do that and I'm ok with that. If we can get these promising younger players and unearth their potential, then for a club of our size, it's a no brainer.

Romeu has improved through playing time, not coaching. He was good when called upon last year but didn't get a run in the side. Now he's had a run in the side you can see his ability. Exactly the same will be said of Hojbjerg if he starts playing most weeks.

I read that as a loan which becomes perm after a set amount of games, bit more secure than the Toby one that's for sure! This kid has been highly rated, so we'll have to see. Don't know a great deal about him to be honest, but he isn't an out and out striker I know that much.

Holy ****, Gardos lives!