S-Clarke

Of course it does, just like it did against Man City last year.

Will be utterly pointless to sell him. We've finally got a squad in the middle of the park, so let's start selling...!

On another note, just watching the Man City - Hull game - is it just me, or does Micheal Owen have the most annoying voice ever heard as a co-commentator?

I'm somewhere in the middle of these extremes. I didn't quite get the ''OMG HE'S WORLD CLASS' comments from last week, and I also didn't get the ''he's ****, clearly a hot head and not going to work'' comments. He's a good player, he didn't really show a great deal when he came on last week - but there were a few glimpses and a few silly bits, it was decent but not either extreme IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I think he's an excellent player - but the fit between him and Chelsea doesn't feel right, I can't see him there long term at all.

Very big player for us in our rise, his contribution should never be forgotten. All those years in the championship we were crying out for leadership in the middle, he finally gave us what we were crying out for. Don't have a bad word to say about the lad and this is a great move for him.

TBF, he's never going to make it at Chelsea. That much is clear. He needs a move, but it won't be to us. We've got more than enough!

To be honest, that entire period felt like years...!

TBF, they did lose tonight to a pretty rubbish side. All of their work was done in the 1st leg.

Depends the definition of a winger really, I don't think we're after an out and out wide man - that's for sure. We want someone who can play anywhere across the front 3, in between the lines etc. Pretty certain we won't be playing with out and out fixed wingers anytime soon.

He scored his fair share of goals though, with some of the goals proving absolutely vital in our finishing position.

bit of an idiot though. His comments don't really mean much though. He's an absolutely atrocious football player, wouldn't even class him league standard, yet he sat and took wages off us for years.

Good tie, and even better in that there are loads of prem teams facing eachother. The path could be made a hell of a lot easier...

No, according to our OS.

was about to say the same.....in there before me! we signed him about 10 days after everything else had been done.

To be honest, lots of chats and activity happens behind the scenes that we'd never know about. There's every possibility that Chelsea allowed us to formalize this side of it whilst they waited to formalize a couple of their additions. That way it could end up going through on deadline day but without the need for one of those rushed medical jobs and a worry over whether it will be completed on time. I reckon quite a few clubs work this way if the relationship between them is amicable.

Same. He looks like he could be heading out of the door first at this rate........ Not sure what went so wrong after their top 5 finish.

cheers for the snippets. I also found MP's comments interesting, ''we need to be ready to quickly act when/if developments occur'' in as many words. Kind of suggested to me that we'll need to act quickly based on another clubs activity...and that was just as Chelsea began to hijack the Willian deal, and with that now concluded I wonder if we'll see movement. And also, if you remember, MP couldn't attend the Osvaldo press conference due to ''urgent club duties''. Make of that what you will.

It is a tricky one indeed, but it's pretty clear - in my opinion anyway - that we're in need for some pace in the final third, someone who can receive the ball in the final third and beat the man. I feel that our play becomes too predicable up and around the final third, and more often than not we resort in going back and heading into the midfield again. A player like moses - who can flat in between the lines and out wide - would offer us an injection of pace to get beyond that last man and create a bit more havoc in the final third. At this moment In time, although I'm a big fan of Rodrguez - I'd put him in the team in place of Jay. Let's see what happens, we may not sign anyone else....it's still been a good window, but will be left a tiny little bit frustrated that we've lost someone who can beat a player and not replaced them.

How utterly atrocious do Newcastle look this season? Shocking.

I think he's bang on what we need. He's not your standard ''out and out'' wide man, he's a player who can float all over the front 3 and was very fluid in how he moved around the Wigan attack - that makes him an absolute shoe in for our style. I think we'd be certifiably mental not to at least try...!

Could have a decent bearing. At the end of the day, I reckon he'd play most games for us and in a world cup year he's going to be keen to be playing every week. I don't even think he'd get that at L'pool.

Ok, we get the picture. You don't like Wanyama. This isn't the thread for that.

Nice work bear, I see a couple of Norwich fans have also found the blog based on the last 2 comments!

There has been a little talk about this guy in certain quarters at SMS, this is our first ''official'' link to him: http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/08/28/southampton-hope-to-compete-with-liverpool-in-pursuit-of-victor-moses-loan-deal/ would be an excellent addition in my opinion. Certainly incredibly possible, as his game time with Chelsea will be non-existent this year.