tajjuk

Can't see us winning this one to be honest, think Liverpool will come out all guns blazing and put us under pressure and we'll probably give them an easy goal from a mistake.

Forster is our first choice, I'd presume the expectation is that he will be back at some point this seasons hence why we only got one keeper in, it's quite difficult to get a decent keeper in who would be second choice and then likely at some point 3rd choice. Thing is you can moan about keepers all we want but we dropped 2 points yesterday because the team responded badly to pressure and didn't see the game out.

Not 100% convinced to be honest, seems a little shaky at time pushing stuff back into play etc, but I think marshals the defence ok and better than the other options. Forster back in for me though when he's fit.

It was a pen but so were both of ours and that also changes the game. To be honest he is a great manager but that interview did him know credit, nothing about how well Saints played and his decisions have been a bit odd.

Think we will struggle to keep him past the end of the season and I'd surprised if Vic hasn't been promised he can go next summer if the right offer comes in. But we could do an Everton, it's hardly like we need cash and Mane seems pretty happy as a Saints player at the moment

According to Mourinho referees are afraid to give penalties for Chelsea, to be honest it looked the opposite way as the foul on Mane was a clear penalty and the ref even put his whistle to his lips but bottled it. All 3 were pens which is just bad refereeing, but it was 2 - 1 in our favour Jose so I think you got more than your fair share. Anyway, great result, was a great time to play Chelsea but take nothing away from the team, excellent thoughout. Quality and togetherness of the team has been building over the last month, players bedding in, players to come back and now its all come to together, we can only look up the table to be honest. Whilst again Champs league is probably out of the question there is still an outside chance I think for new member of the top 4 with the way the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool are for example playing and even City, Utd and Arsenal all look very beatable if you pressure them. But I think another top 7 is there for us. Good to hear Clasie is ready for action as well.

It was always going to take time for this side to find it's feet, remember from the 2nd half of last season we lost Toby. Morgan, Clyne, Djuric, Elia out, ok the latter two weren't massive players but it's still changes in the squad and then 7 have come in many who have not played in English football before. Plus we had two key players in Bertrand and Forster out, with thankfully Bertrand now back in, so that's pretty much 5 of our first team out and several squad players in. That's a lot of changes for what I think is a fairly close knit squad, those new players needed time to bed in, but we still have Clasie to come in yet, Mane is finding form, Pelle is looking good, Bertrand is back, we had the Wanyama wobble as well. Signs were there last week against a much improved (and very expensively assembled) Utd, we made them look average at times and really we lost the game through our errors (and a little linesman help) rather than them really beating us. It carried on mid week with a complete thrashing of MK Dons and now today, lots of signs there of a really good team forming again. If we can keep Mane fit, Pelle on form, Jay Rod keeps getting fitter, Tadic in there as well, that's an attack to threaten anyone in the league and with more time together the defence will get better and we will have Clasie to add to that midfield as well. We'll have a few more wobbles no doubt but I think this team is potentially good enough for another challenge at the top 6/7.

Eh? We outplayed and should have beaten a Man Utd that probably cost half a billion to assemble, I think every player they had on that pitch cost more than our most expensive player and we lost to an offside and a stupid backpass yet we get threads like this? if anyone should be questioning their recruitment it's Utd, they've spent like £250 million over two seasons and still barely look a top 4 team. We are fine, I love Clasie being written off because he's injured btw:mcinnes: Stupid stupid post, hopefully this will be dragged up in a year or so and we can all point and laugh.

Get well Luke Shaw, that was nasty, hope he makes a full recovery.

Over reaction central again I see. We've made a solid if unspectacular start to the season, 3 solid away points, one good home win and one bad game. All with a team with a quite a few new faces, new signing today to bed in, two key first teamers in Forster and Bertrand to come back from injury and one key signing in Clasie to come in as well. Said at the start that I thought the team would take a while to hit their straps and stand by it, teams with 7 or 8 new signings aren't usually excellent and a complete team over night. Defensively we look sound and will get even better when Bertrand is back who will also offer more going forward, just need to get out attacking play clicking better which I think will come. Could be worse we could be Chelsea.

Haven't we also sold like £150 million worth of players? So that 'expense' is not really correct.

I seem to remember from when we beat Liverpool at St Mary's he played wide right and cut in with his left foot and had really good game, either setting up a goal or two but then was removed half time, presumably through another knock. Comments from Koeman seem to suggest he's just always injured, whenever he's played the work rate seems to be there and there is plenty of quality there but he has never seemed able to string games together. He also always looks happy and content at training (when he us training), seems to get on well with other squad members and there has not been much speculation or media about him agitating for a move or not happy. I don't really get it, my only explanation is injuries, like he's never been fully fit.

Would laugh so much if Kane now gets injured on England duty for a long time, well not so much for the player himself but the Spurs fans would go ballistic. Lot of bad tempers around this window, two involving Spurs unsettling Behrahino and Wanyama, nice to see both us and WBA hold their stance against Levy and wouldn't let them push us around, probably also shows that Spurs just don't exert the power that say a Chelsea or Utd do. Plus the De Gea, Real Madrid saga, which for me both clubs don't really come out so well though you would think that he will now go for free or much less in Jan. Also difficult to have sympathy with Utd, as it's nice to see a bigger club pick on them for once, like they do for most of their transfers with other premiership teams, though I think our deals with them over Shaw and Morgan have been handled very well and was a good deal for us. However, you have 3 key players for their club, Wanyama, Behrahinho and De Gea not featuring in games for the team that owns them because of silly transfer speculation in the main stirred up by the attempted buyers. Very clearly this episode shows that the transfer window should end the day before the season starts.

Er Clasie is a normal MC or DM, not a number 10, why would we have a line up with 3 defensive mids? That is very negative. MLGs line up is much more balanced and what I'd like to see. A fully fit Jay Rod should be in the team over Clasie in the wrong position, and over Romeu or Wanyama.

On Romeu's performance yesterday I don't see Wanyama as first choice, Romeu brought all the strength, tackling and positioning Wanyama brings but also much better link play and all round passing. Aside playing the big teams away I'd rather have someone like JWP or Clasie next to Romeu for better balance and passing than two out and out DMs. Let him sit in the reserves for a few weeks improve his attitude and eat some humble pie, unlike Morgan or Mane he's not as essential to our team, we have other options there. Plus maybe Spurs will buy someone else and he'll be left with nowhere to go.

Utter Rubbish. As he showed today his movement is good he's just not that quick, but he times his runs well, drops of well and he wins A LOT of headers, but sometimes he tries to bring the ball down more so he can play people in better. He's great at linking up the play and I think we'd be lost without him which is why we need a solid back up. IMO he's an intelligent striker, just because he doesn't run about like a headless chicken people think he doesn't offer movement, which shows how clueless some people are.

This is how we should set up anyway, Mane, Tadic and Jay Rod behind Pelle, Clasie and Romeou in the middle

Tosh. You cannot make these judgements on a handful of games from these new players, we haven't even seen Clasie yet, but apparently he is written off. This forum is full of absolute idiots. BTW Lovren was top class today, top class yeh I'd really still want him in the team. Caulker is way worse. Lallana has been missing for Liverpool for about 6 months now, so yeh I;d rather have Tadic thanks. Lambert is gone completely and Mane is quality.

Well we might be having problems but not like others aren't. Aside man City, none of last years top 7-8 teams have looked that good.

Bargain bin? a player who was highly rated last year in La Liga and was good enough to gain a call up to the Spanish National team, yet you make it sound like we have signed Bret Ormerod.

You can't and despite what these players say which is largely BS IMO, the only one who I think was genuine is Lambert the rest have gone for cash pure and simple. yeh you can talk rubbish about big clubs and history blah blah blah but the likes of Spurs and Liverpool are not champions league, haven't won anything for a while, nor are they looking likely any time soon, but they flash the cash that we simple can't pay that much, our max is around 50 - 60k I reckon which is what we have probably offered all these players to keep them, whereas the likes of Liverpool and Spurs are offering players £100k a week plus. Until we have a spending cap and a wages cap like say the MLS it will continue to happen. If European football got that it would be the best thing to happen to all the top leagues IMO.

I really don't get why the club gets blamed for these players leaving, Morgan wanted to leave, Lallana wanted to leave, Lovren wanted to leave, Clyne wanted to leave, Toby wanted to go to spuds. etc etc. Not much they can do but get the best amount for them, they can't force them to sign new contracts and we can't offer players £100k a week. Get the best price for the players, sign the best replacements we can, get used to it, that's modern football. The ONLY way we'll break into the top 4 is if we splurge like Chelsea and Man City did, which isn't happening and Fair play rules means that it's even more difficult. Unless they being in wage and spending caps, this is the Premier League, 3-4 clubs with all the money that kick down anyone that dares to challenge them.

I seriously doubt we will sell anyone. I think we will get another 1/2 players in by the end of the window and have a pretty decent first team squad, will be in the Europa league group stages and the team will be getting better and better. But we have to accept this is probably our lot, there is not much we can do, the big four will waft money in the faces of our better players and will pummel the media with 'tips' that favour them and unsettle us and the media will lap it up. It was funny watching Soccer Saturday yesterday and Merson waffling on about how we sell everyone, how we won't progress, how we could have a top 4 team by now and Tiss correcting him saying that people are paying over the odds for our players and the club will accept those offers especially if the player wants to go. And then to minutes later saying Everton are stupid not to sell John Stones to Chelsea for £27 million. For the majority of the country, most of the media, for sky, for BT etc. there are about 5/6 clubs in this country, everyone else is there to make up the numbers. That is our lot, if we have success and we upset those big teams they will do everything to upset that success. I suppose we should take it as a compliment, I mean we've pretty much caught up to Spurs in 3 years, we are not that far behind Liverpool either and these teams are spending millions to achieve their 5th and 6th, yet we didn't and finished what a few pints behind? IMO the only players we have sold recently actually worth how much the other club paid for them was Lambert and Morgan. In Morgans case it was because we kept him here last year so our hands were tied, we had to sell him. Lovren we mugged Liverpool, Lallana was never worth that much, Shaw IMO will not be Ashley Cole level, Chambers is not looking like a £15 million player, £12 million for Clyne was a huge amount for a player with one year on his contract. IF any of this is true about Wanyama, which I doubt it is, we won't sell him for less than £25 million IMO and Spurs won't pay that and the only other premiership club I can see that needs Wanyama is Arsenal, all the others are well covered for centre-mids, I also don't think Wanyama is good enough technically for Arsenal.

There are not a huge amount of wingers around these days, not in old fashioned get up and down in a 4-4-2 style anyway, they are more versatile forwards, for example Pedro is that sort of player. I'd say jay Rod and mane are also very much those sort of players.

I think that would at least be a sensible option away, Clasie as playmaker. I think at home we'd more nous in the form of Tadic or Juanmi I reckon