tajjuk

Noticed Toby gave away a stupid pen yesterday that cost Spurs the win, wonder if their fans are going ape sh*t over that one mistake and writing him off like some here seem to be doing to a few our signings over a few below par performances? Two games in, we should have won against an improved Newcastle team away and we've lost to perfect away counter game by Everton and people react like this? It was 3 counters, because we had to chase the game, they had a £27 million striker who finally had a decent game and they have a centre-back Chelsea are offering £25 million for who defended well, yet we take the lead in that game, which we had chances to do and I'm pretty sure we would have gone on to win it. Cut out the silly mistakes on the counter, improve our set piece delivery (Clasie BTW took all set pieces for Feyenoord) and that's most of the goals we have conceded gone. Remember we are still due to sign another centre-back, we are missing our first choice keeper, our main left back from last year, our replacement DM, whilst the other one had only just joined plus it will be a good 5-6 games before Jay Rod will be match sharp. Said this earlier in this thread but we were spoilt to get such a good start last season, usually new players take time to bed in, let's at least give them that chance eh? Clasie I think will really make us tick from what I've seen of him plus will increase the quality of our dead ball delivery. Cedric will improve, a new centre-back partner will help Fonte and Bertrand was on of the best left backs in the country last year. Plus a match sharp Jay Rod is like a £30 million signing. Give it time, I full expect us to be a bit up and down over these first couple of months but I reckon we will come good after that.

Tad over reaction here, we are a little under cooked, we still 1-2 more players and a few back from injury, last year we got spoiled in our start. i think this year we might have to build more slowly and get some momentum as the new players get up to speed and those injured or coming back from injury (j Rod) get form and fitness back. Remember we played a team here with a Striker bought for £27 million who decided to turn up today but in reality we played a team who got a goal on a counter attack, came here to defend anyway and set up that way, we pushed on for an equaliser and got punished on the counter again. Another day we take the lead we win comfortably IMO. We are a threat and a worry to teams like Everton these days so much so that they won't come away to us and attack. The players need to get used to that.

wow some real clueless comments here. He is decent and will develop into a quality player, ridiculous over reactions and complete blindness from some people over a 20 year old. There is far far more to football than pace and power, he has technique, good vision, and good range of passing, as well as a great work ethic. All he needs is a bit more consistency which comes with time.

Gerrard was a bit of an injury prone lanky midfielder at around 20. Doubt he weighed much more than about 11 stone at that age and he filled out ok and was generally ok with injuries. There is injury prone as in has a dodgy knee and then there is a 20 year old who is still growing and fleshing out. I'd wage this fellow is in the latter. Thing is if he as much of a hot property as the articles etc. make out, then I can't see that fee being right or us really being big enough to attract him. Unless we can splurge more wages than Shalke which I doubt or the kid wants more first team football and wants that in the premier league. But then this guy has all the hallmarks of an Arsenal signing more than us. I would go with the suggestion someone had above, our scout was at a Shalke game a few times for whatever reason, the player wants more money/a move to a big club and his agent has fabricated the line to get some interest.

Hmmn not heard of him but I like this wiki description -

eh? away kits are not traditional, especially these days they change ALL the time. So the rubbish comment only describes your following words.

Jealous, ill informed idiots nothing more. Probably fans of clubs like Leeds, Newcastle. Villa, West Ham etc who are annoyed little old Southampton are getting it so right these days whilst their clubs have even fallen out of the sleeping giants category. Far too many football fans out there thinking about past glories and old school football hierachy I think and don't like the little guys upsetting it. It's not just out club, it's clubs like Swansea and Bournemouth as well showing that reorganising clubs from top to bottom, to be run like proper businesses where everything is taken seriously and the maximum possible is squeezed out of every aspect of the club does a lot more than history, fanbases, attendances etc.

We support Saints no? If so it's a stupid question.

good signing overall, a loan so low risk to cover the slight gamble based on last season. But he's 23 so should have his best years ahead of him, he's big, strong and quick so with the right tutoring and coaching to help improve his decision making he should be decent. Which he should get with an experienced partner in Fonte and a manager who was one of the best around in his position he has everything there if he has the work ethic. Then if it all goes wrong well what have we lost? some wages. Like I said slight gamble, are we getting the Caulker of Swansea/Spurs who earned an England cap or the error prone Caulker of the last season or so (I thought he did decently in what was a very bad Cardiff team). Unfair I think to judge a player on a shambles of a relegation club like QPR, many a player I think would have struggled to have his best form there.

Totally, especially if we could get him for relatively cheap wages, he's always been very talented just had a few issues with injuries and then struggled for form coming back but he's only 25 and could be a real coup. His fitness issues look like they are behind him as well, he's already played 32 times this year according to wiki and played around 132 games since moving back to Brazil in 2013, which is almost as many as he managed in 6 seasons at Milan. The sort of clever little creative striker that could if found form be the difference between 6th/7th and top 4.

He only played 87 league games in 6 seasons, no real regular football after the first season. I doubt he regrets the move, probably regrets staying there for so long though.

You could argue the grass isn't always greener for a lot of our high profile departures. Even the mighty Bale struggled for a couple of years at Spurs. I think both Walcott and the Ox are not the players they could have been due to lack of games at key development times. Chambers could be another to add to this list, Shaw too has struggled making that step up. These are young guys in their late teens who would be playing first team footie here spending more time on the bench. I think moving at 24-25 is a better option for these players, both Morgan and Lallana I think have made moves at the right time, Lallana wouldn't be the player he is if he'd jumped ship at 19/20. You could argue Clasie as well, making the moves at the right time, showing some loyalty to the club that developed you and getting good regular seasons under your belt will stand these players in better stead for the future. Though even then there is no guarantees, as Bridge showed wasted his peak years sitting on the bench at Chelsea. Bank Balances got swollen and they probably got a higher profile to get England chances but really I think a few of these guys might regret moving so early when they look back at the their career. But they might look at a big pile of cash and think not.

Hmmn we could be offering him a chance as a centre-back.

Ultimately Spurs just threw more money at him, that is the reason he joined them nothing else. We'll still easily compete with them IMO in the also ran sections because they are a shoddily run club much like Liverpool, they flit from one plan to another, one player to another, one manager to another with no real idea what they are doing. I mean had it not been for them fluking Harry Kane last year they would have been bottom half, I mean credit for giving the guy ago but they only did because all their expensive signings where useless and couldn't score. I mean if little old Southampton can challenge in the top 4 of probably a third of the budget Liverpool and Spurs operate on how come those clubs can't maximise their resources? That is the question those clubs should be asking not trying to copy everything Saints do. So Toby is a loss and I'd like to think we could have wrapped this up earlier in the season but we don;t know the full details, but I trust our set up to find an equally as good replacement. As for Spurs I don't really thinks this strengthens them much, they have got more worries in their team than centre-back they were decently stocked there anyway and as far as I saw pretty decent defensively, yet I don't see any fixing of their over reliance on Kane and Eriksen for goals. What if Kane turns out to be another one season wonder a la Beattie or Francis Jeffers? We'll still be there and there abouts and I reckon despite all their millions and trying to poach everything we do we'll still worry Liverpool and Spurs all season.

Donated, great cause man and good luck with the run.

Er Xavi? I've always thought from what I've heard Classie is more of a playmaker midfielder, the type we need for home games against teams that park the bus which is becoming more common the better our team gets. So I've always presumed its Clasie + another more defensive minded player who can play more in the tougher away games etc. Though Cabaye could probably do both he's handled to premier league before and always carried a bit of goal threat as well. But still think it's two midfielders we need, maybe 3 if you start thinking a goal scoring one. Defensive or all rounder, a playmaker and an goal scoring AMC.

Toby should be priority, if not him then the best centre back we can get, we are decently stocked going forward with Pelle, Mane, Tadic, Jay Rod, Juanmi, Long, and Gaston still here to fill forward 3 spots. Then Morgan replacement, which I hope is two players, one defensive mid and a more playmaking mid to give us more options. Then maybe a right back and back up (or better) centre forward.

Because that is all they have at Liverpool, can't really talk about wining the league or playing in the champions league and it looks silly if he goes "well they are paying me a lot of money" A club that has aside a little blip here and there been in decline for a long time.

Personally I'd keep Gaston or at least see how he does pre-season, useful enough squad player and the talent is there you never know he could come good. Selling won't get us much.

Not Spurs, Chelsea or someone yeh fine but Spurs? meh Europa league football and trying to challenge four 4th which is exactly what Saints are trying to do/be. Go up not across.

I have two mates as Liverpool fans and to be honest last season was hilarious for me. They are fast becoming a joke as they slide more and more into mediocrity, I suspect they will get even worse next year so good luck to Clyne but stupid decision IMO. You are joining a club on the slide with a revolving door transfer policy and a manager who probably has 6 months in the job. They are only a crazy owner away from becoming Newcastle. Enjoy your more cash though and Roy will probably pick you, but if I was in the same position I would have waited to see a Utd or Arsenal etc. came in for me. Proper big clubs that vaguely know what they are doing.

Richer maybe, better looking? Anfield is an ugly old **** hole and so is the area around it and better is also arguable hes moving from 7th to 6th. Scousers can hoot all they like about their league titles and champions leagues, but they aren't getting near that again for years, nor have they for years aside that fluke season last year. Sad to see him go but he's gone for money nothing more, he'll jump ship to an actual club that challenges stuff if he improves in a few years. We'll probably be talking about Liverpool trying to by Cedric next season. Another scatter gun transfer policy again this by Liverpool, they'll do no better than last year. They are are essentially doing what Spurs did post Bale, but twice, frittering money on lots of players who are good, but with no idea who their best team is, no team cohesion and no real stand out match winners.

Decent enough signing if we can get him back to something near his best. He played a 2-3 seasons with Toby at Ajax winning the title in 2011, might be a good sign.

I'm liking all our rumours today, £18 million for toby, either Clasie or Krychowiak for £10 or near £20 million and Austin at £10 million, add in A GK, plus the two signed, Morgan and Clyne out for £40 million that would be a great window. Around a £50-60 million spend with £40 million back (maybe a little for Osvaldo or at least clearing his wages, maybe £5-8 million for Gaston) and I think a much stronger squad overall. New GK. Cedric Toby Fonte Bertrand Wanyama Clasie or Krychowiak Mane Juanmi Jay Rod Pelle/Austin Then we'd have the likes of JWP, Targett, Read, Davis, Tadic, Yoshida, Morgan, Long, Gaston for squad options.

Mirror saying we are going to offer £18 million for him. - http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/southampton-plotting-transfer-record-breaking-18m-5923265 I'd say based on last year and at 26 soon to move into peak years as a defender so could get even better its worth it. After last year AM were never going to let him go for £6 million.