benjii

All my friends have wimped out / have good reasons not to go. I'm planning on flying from Luton on Tuesday and back on Sunday. Maybe do a day trip to Jerusalem on the Sat. Anyone else planning anything similar?

I'm happy enough if Martina and Targett start. Cedric has been pretty poor this season so it shouldn't make much difference anyway and there's no point making Bertrand play 3 times in 8 days after an injury. Other than that, I think we should play whatever Puel thinks the strongest team is.

Can't for the life of me understand why we didn't sign a striker. Long - good squad player but so clumsy on the ball sometimes. Austin - unfit? Lazy? Just a bit crap? Rodriguez - knackered? Redmond - never been a striker before. * * * That's a pretty poor show really. I'm not one of the "spend money" whingers but it's an obvious weakness in the squad.

That volley was class but, unusually, he's also missed two good opportunities. Yet, despite him having three good chances, United are lucky to be in the match. It's a funny old game.

I wonder if the striker role in non-possession is an interim thing. Ie. an abundance of caution from Puel. Is this what his strikers did last season? Once the midfield and defence and more comfortable with the shape in defence, I wonder if the strikers will be given more freedom to stay in more central positions? It could be an evolutionary thing. Either way, it's interesting but also a bit frustrating!

I've never been a fan of the Club Unified Non-overspending Treaty (Fairplay Loss Adjusting Protocol).

Assuming it's the usual system, I would like to see Long and Rodriguez start upfront with Redmond in the "10" for this one. Not sure Tadic will see much of the ball if he starts and Redmond will get us further up the pitch more quickly. It may turn out that Rodriguez is way off the pace still but let's find out in a "free-hit" sort of match that ought, in theory, to suit his strengths more than Austin's. Giving him 15 mins here and there won't show us too much and I don't think anyone would disagree that, when fully fit, he's our best striker. I'm assuming Boufal isn't ready to start. Hopefully Bertrand is back too.

European Regulations have direct effect. They don't need UK implementing legislation. If we leave the EU those Regulations will cease to be UK law unless parliament passes an Act to replicate them. Directives do not have direct legal effect and require implementing legislation. That legislation will remain law after Brexit unless repealed. So, "do nothing" does not equal "status quo". Parliament could perhaps pass an Act that takes a blanket approach of rendering all EU Regulations automatically applicable in the UK but is that really something that would get passed? Parliament would have to vote to pass the Act, which would effectively be a direct rebuttal of the referendum result, even if only intended as a temporary measure. It's just kicking the problem into the long-grass. As others have said, it's going to be a bugger to sort!

I just hope the qualifying criteria for Beer Sheva away drop quickly after this week if there are lots of tickets left. I want to go and accommodation is sorted but if I can't buy a match ticket until one week before then flights could get difficult. It will be a shame if we don't sell out and there are people who would've gone if the tickets were available sooner (ie. me). I've got an ST and a few aways so I don't think I really ought to be kept holding on until the last minute for a game in the Middle East. If you're reading this, Saints, then please drop the criteria quickly after the end of this week! Thanks.

So is anyone else planning on heading out in Be'er Sheva after the match? Seems a shame to bomb it straight back to Tel Aviv. My plan was Be'er Sheva Thurs night and Tel Aviv night out on the Friday.

I emailed the FA about that! He was absolutely awful.

Launch party at Celebration Plaza, sponsored by the Pinnacle consortium. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, given the stop over is in Istanbul, I think they are talking about a trip to Tel Aviv, for which a Gatwick to Turin flight and the Italian train timetable is of little assistance.

Yes, I welcome you. You are welcome.

We want our club back. Or whichever way the wind blows this week.

Agreed. They should be bringing the criteria down quicker than that to leave more time for others to book flights. I've got about five aways or so and I've got cancellable hotels booked for that match but if I end up having to book flights a week before the trip the price may end up being prohibitive. As it is, if you travel in a pair, you can do flights, a few nights in a nice hotel in Tel Aviv, a night in Be'er Sheva and transport for about half the cost each of the one night travel package. There is not really any point offering a package for this match.

Yes. I was really impressed to see that. It's not like he looks slow and unfit or anything and he's been working really hard for months now so he deserves a rest.

I don't think we need a "sitting" midfielder (presumably what people mean by a DM). If we signed Carvalho he would want to sit at the base of the diamond. I think we would still have the same weakness then, as we have now, with our midfield, which I get onto in a minute...... I think it's pretty clear our new formation/system is a conscious and considered approach and is presumably here to stay. In that system, the base of the diamond doesn't need to be a big brute, it's more like a pivot that acts as a positional anchor for two in front and keeps the ball moving simply and quickly. Those three, together, should form the defensive shield and we've seen that Puel likes the 2 strikers to drop very wide in defence (presumably this is to allow those three midfielders to stay quite compact and reduce the lateral distance they need to cover). In the 4-2-3-1 (or variations thereof), the 3-1 bit can often effectively be 4 forwards and be by-passed quickly, with there being more space between them and the "2", so the "2" are more important as a joint defensive shield. Romeu is fine for the demands of the base of the diamond role and I suspect Classie and even JWP could do the job pretty well with the right players in front of them. If we add to the midfield, what we really need is someone to play in the middle two of the diamond that has a bit of physicality and an engine. Someone who can run past a player with the ball and create a bit of space for themselves or pop up in the box and have a realistic chance of converting a cross. Someone who is difficult to run past for the other team. We lack athleticism more than anything in those positions at the moment IMO. I thought JWP was actually really good on Saturday when he came on but if those 2 are Davis and JWP from time to time then it's inevitable that the anchor-man will look a bit exposed. Sissoko of Newcastle (assuming he was playing well and not half-arsed), Abu Diaby of Arsenal (assuming he wasn't even less fit than Jack Wilshere) would be the type of player I think we could do with.

That's wrong. The match is Thursday. Sabbath starts on Friday evening. I think. Anyway, stay in Beersheva on the **** and go on the **** in Tel Aviv the day before/after.

Quite. And the ****e performances under Koeman weren't confined to the first few matches of the season either. Bournemouth away anyone... surely a glorious example of flowing, high-tempo, attacking verve in the "Southampton Way" 4-3-3 (peace be upon it)? No, a tepid, lacklustre shower of ****e with loads of space in key Bournemouth attacking areas. We played worse than we have done this season, numerous times last season. The goals we have conceded this season have been nothing to do with the system. They have come from individuals making sloppy mistakes, either in defending (hacking people down in the box, not closing down, ignoring runners) or in conceding possession. The fact is, a lot of the players in our squad were at their absolute maximum last season in terms of league position relative to ability. Cedric, Romeu, Classie, Davis, JWP, Long, Austin..... those are not players who execute everything perfectly every time (or nearly every time). They are not elite players and you wouldn't really expect to see them in a team knocking on the Champions League places (yes, I know you could say the same about most of Leicester's team but that was a freak etc....). They are solid Prem players and a team comprised largely of solid Prem players is unlikely to finish in the top third that often. In the match yesterday we had plenty of good chances but messed them up through poor execution. The system was fine. Our success under Poch, and under Koeman in his first season, was due to us having a few players who were genuinely good enough for the top teams (Lallana, Shaw, Clyne, Schneiderlin, Mane) supplementing a core of hard-working and well-drilled players with no big weak links. Last season we were really not all that for large parts and were beneficiaries of Chelsea and Liverpool being ****-poor. The only players we currently have that would be of any interest to the very best teams might be Forster, Bertrand and van Dijk. We need a couple of real quality offensive players. If we had them we would probably have won both our home games. I don't think it is Puel's fault that they are not here. I also don't think that the fact they are currently not hear is anything to panic about.

True. Gave the ball away loads and cost us the chance of winning the match. Rubbish performance.

Why do we need to give Fonte a massive new contract? He's got two years left on his current one FFS and he'll be in his mid 30s by the end of it. I wouldn't begrudge him being at or near the top of our earners, given the time he's been here and the fact he is a captain. He can hang around a few more years and be a club legend. But £100k a week would be stupid and I can't see us doing that. He has no leverage and, frankly, we are being generous in offering him any sort of improved contract.

Haha, this. And at the start of last season we had two points from three matches against bottom half teams. Lack of goals is a worry but it's not because of the diamond, it's because we don't have a fit, clinical striker. Lots of people booing today. I think they are stupid babies

Cheers. I think it's unlikely, frankly, but I'll give you a shout if I do go for it!

I'm sort of considering it! Can't do Milan, been to Prague before and tickets there will be impossible to get. So that leaves Israel but I don't think any of my mates will be keen! The last train back to Tel Aviv on the Thursday seems to be at about 23:00 so it would be a risk to try to get back I think so if I did go I would do the same as you. Where are you staying in each of the two towns?