ExSt Peter Saint

From watching the stream, I didn't think we were that bad. We hit the bar twice and their keeper was outstanding. We had most of the possession, but got too ponderous as the commentators said - need to move it quicker. The areas everyone was worried about before the season are biting us in the arse now we're playing premiership teams. I have a lot of respect for Guly and what he has done on our way up, but he looked a liability for large periods of the game today - much too slow allowing the defenders to get set and then take the ball. We do need Ramirez or Phillips, or both to give us more pace and ability to get in behind the defences. Good as Fox is at delivering set pieces, his defending's not good enough and he never overlaps to deliver crosses from dangerous areas. Hope Shaw's ready to step up if we don't sign anyone else! Fonte and Jos are going to concede needless goals every match in this league. We need a stronger pairing. I'm not despondent, but I think there's still work to do in the transfer window to make sure we have a chance to being a strong enough team to survive in this league.

11-13 Boring will do for me.

Heart says top half, but head says a couple of places above relegation is more likely, but it does depend on what players come in over the next few weeks and how the strikers perform. I know premier league experience isn't everything, but we really don't have much at all. I'd really like to think Lallana will be our star again and stay with us like LeTissier. If we can keep hold of our best players and build for a long stay in this league, I'll be very happy.

I had serious doubts about signing Kelvin, but he's actually done pretty well. Also agree about Marsden and Williams.

The HCDAJFU thread is far too long to trawl through, so has anyone got any idea who we're actually trying to sign in terms of centre halves? I've seen far fewer rumours about them than any other position, when it does seem crucial that we sign one in order to up the quality of the squad.

As has been said on a few threads already, it's a bit simplistic to look at the squad through positions in a 4-4-2, as it's pretty unlikely we'll play that way much of the time. Defence yes, I'm pretty sure we'll play with four and CB is the weakest link there in terms of depth, as I do think Shaw will start pushing Fox for the LB spot this year. I haven't seen Stephens at CB, but am encouraged by what I've heard so far. Just wouldn't like him or Seaborne to be regular starters. In midfield, we have more defensively capable players, such as Schneiderlin, Hammond, Davis, Cork and Ward Prowse and then the more attacking players, such as Lallana, Guly, Puncheon, Chaplow, DeRidder, Chambers. Then we have the strikers, some of who will also be utilised as attacking midfielders; Lambert, Jay Rod, Sharp, Lee and maybe other youngsters. Unless we're going to play with a traditional formation, you'd expect them to be able to adapt and play across it pretty well. I do think another really high quality attacking midfielder who can play left or right and get in behind defences is needed, but otherwise it's just GK and CB that worry me.

It says he's signed in the guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/06/southampton-vitesse-arnhem-alexander-buttner

Niemi Golac Monkou Lundekvam Bale Schneiderlin Le Tissier Svensson Berkovic Jones Pahars Subs: Bialkowski, Fonte, Baird, McCalliog, Ekelund, Lee, Skacel

Is there anyone in that team capable of tackling or heading?

I'd have a 25 man squad of: Keepers: Niemi, Bialkowski, Keller Defenders: Baird, Golac, Monkou, Lundekvam, Fonte, Jaidi, Agboola, Bale, Van Damme Midfielders: Belmadi, Do Prado, Ekelund, Schneiderlin, McCalliog, Townsend, Kachloul, Skacel, Forwards Jones, Le Tissier, Pahars, Lee, Delgado Pick your team from that.

I think we need players who will fit in with our squad - nobody who'll rock the boat. Youngish and hungry players without massive wage demands who can challenge for first team spots immediately, but will be part of a squad who all work for each other. Priority positions for me would be; GK, RB, CB, CM, RM, but real top quality players could add to the squad elsewhere, too. I really hope that some of the youth players come through to start being members of the first team squad, so don't want to fill the squad with players who are no better than the youngsters we have.

I thought Butterfield was a real weak link, although the rest of the defence were hardly solid. Nobody shone, but Morgan was probably the best of the bunch outfield. We didn't look like a team capable of going up, but hope that was just a one-off.

It's impossible not to think about it in our position at this time of the season. Hope the players hold their nerve - Lambert deserves his game at Anfield :-)

Don't care if it's dull, really. 2-0 is all that matters! :-)

Absolutely agree with what everyone's said about Fox. Neither was a yellow, so should have been on the pitch at the end. Don't think it would have made any difference though, as we didn't have a shot on goal the entire match and if you don't do that, you can't score - simples! MOTM either Puncheon or Morgan, but very hard to judge anyone on that surface - not really a football game at all. We tried to play in the first half and had most of the possession but we could have played another hour and nobody would have scored the way both teams were failing to control the ball. On ward and upward - hope Sharp's next match sees him make a proper debut where there is a chance of real football being played. Think he carries more threat than DC.

Great team performance today. Couldn't fault anyone and most of the fans were great apart from one next to me who expressed great pleasure when Guly had to go off injured - I gave him a dirty look, but left it at that. Really impressed with the way everything gelled today and the effort throughout the team right up to the end of the game when many teams would have been cruising. Only slight complaint is that I'd rather have had youngsters on the bench (who did really well last week and deserved a place) than not fully fit older members of the squad.

I think we finishes the cov game something like this; ---------------Bart Stephens Martin Hooiveld Fox Cork Hammond Schneiderlin Lallana Hoskins Reeves and looked really good! I wouldn't be too disappointed if we started with something similar (depending on who's fit) :-)

Went for Jack Cork, who I'd say was just ahead of his midfield colleagues in terms of influence and a great ability to retain the ball when needed. Not sure why everyone thought Harding was so great. He tried hard, but we looked better with Stephens on at the end IMO, who at least is right-footed.

I haven't made it to see the team much this season and first half I thought, even with a few out, "how can this lot be top of the league?". The team seemed set up totally wrong and whatever idea NA had was very much mistaken, as nobody was comfortable and we ended up going down blind alleys all the time with nobody to pass to. There was a bit of an improvement once we changed shape, but Bart kept passing the ball to Fox who was totally isolated and had to give it back. The same happened to Harding on the other side when he received a pass - nobody close and he had no options on. Of the young ones, I was only disappointed in Doble. He really didn't look close to being an option for the first team. JWP looked to be in the wrong position for him a lot of the first half, but looked dangerous in the second half and deserved a goal, although he fluffed a much better chance. Hoskins really impressed me with his movement and strength, despite not being a big lad. Reeves added an extra dimension on the left wing when he came on and really impressed me. I also thought Stephens looked very good at RB and would have preferred him to start rather than Harding, who although he did his best, was always struggling when he had to use his right foot. Will be happy for JWP, Reeves, Hoskins and Stephens to get more chances this year, so we can see how they cope with league matches. I guess whether that happens will depend on who comes in during the window.

I'd also thought about giving the youngsters some experience, but balancing that with a few older heads: Bart Butterfield Martin Hooiveld Harding/Shaw? De Ridder Ward-Prowse Hammond Reeves Sinclair Connolly Subs: Davis Harding/Shaw Cork Schneiderlin Forte Holmes Hoskins It certainly shows how desperately short of striking options we are - I certainly have no faith in Forte delivering, so it's up to the nippers.

The team really needs something to inspire them at the moment. All very flat, not getting any luck and key players missing - we must be near the bottom of the form table from December. Please let's have a few new faces in this week!

Awful thing to happen, but what was he doing out at 3am? Drowning his sorrows after realising he's lost his place in the team?

I disagree NOT! Why would you want him in the team ahead of Cork, Hammond, Morgan etc?

Thanks for posting those - made my night even more!!

I would definitely rotate - it's a squad game and we need everyone fit. Bart Butterfield Jaidi Seaborne Dickson De Ridder Schneiderlin Chaplow Holmes Forte Doble Subs, Davis, Stephens/Reeves, Cork, Guly, Barnard