AussieDog

Kelvin or Gazza Clyne (for match fitness) Maya (game time) Fonte (would have put in Jos, but I get the shivers just thinking about Fox and Jos together) Fox (no point risking Shaw) Cork (game time) Davis (game time) Isgrove (opportunity to shine) JWP Rodriguez Guly (when else are we going to play him?) Subs Gazza/Kelvin Hooiveld Rowe Chambers Mayuka if 5 subs, add Sinclair & Stephens if 7 It may be predominantly a 2nd string side, but we need to have depth of squad and if they can't beat Barnsley (no disrespect intended) then some decisions need to be made on their future. I don't think a wet night in Barnsley is the place to risk Ramirez or Osvaldo, and don't want to run the risk of unnecessary yellow/red cards for them either. A week on the training pitch, to see them/SRL/Lallana gaining a better understanding together would be more beneficial. Plus, to be honest, if we're going to concentrate on a cup this year, I would prefer the FA Cup as there is the additional prize of a european place at stake.

And so life goes full circle... convict sent from Australia to England to serve his punishment. Apparently, though, repeat offenders skip HM Prisons and are forced to live in Portsmouth

In no particular order.... Young people who think the world owes them something (in fact anybody who thinks that, but it just seems more prevalent in 15-25 years old at the moment) and show no gratitude when something is done for them (unfortunately have one of these at home until she turns 18 in 4 months time. She's going to have a big shock when her bags get packed for her in January) Rude people. Manners cost nothing. politicians who's idea of election campaigning is to criticise the opposition rather than promote their own ideas and ethos (yes, we are having an election in Australia at the moment and it seems to be a choice between dumb and dumber) Have to say cyclists too. Alot of them seem to expect to own either the road or the pavement. Pavement are for pedestrians, who should have right of way, and CAREFUL and CONSIDERATE cyclists. I wouldn't be averse to cyclist having to pay a level of road tax either if they intend using them. I could go on, but I'd have to change my name to Victor Meldrew...

So many variables, but I do think we have the potential to finish above both Everton and Arsenal. I feel the biggest difference between us and both of them is mentality. We have never seemed to have the mentality to go out and think we can win every game, or to give the opposition the correct amount of respect (too much for the likes of some of the top teams, not enough for some of the strugglers). On our day we are capable of beating anyone (but you could probably say that for at least half the teams in the league as well). I think the players we are gradually introducing into the team do have the correct mentality, but I'm not sure some of the players who have been here a while, or our academy teams do. Hopefully the introduction of "winners" (for that read those who play for big international teams mainly) will allow that mentality to seep down through the club. The game is all about "If's" and "but's", so on the assumption that we are lucky again with few serious injuries, and IF Arsenal don't strengthen in the next week and IF Everton's new Manager can't motivate his team to play out of their skin like Moyes did, then we will finish above them both BUT IF we start to get a few injuries in key areas (GK and LB to name a couple!) then we might struggle to even be top half.

Only one? I assume you are referring to Wanyama, but Boruc is pretty decent in my opinion.

This forum is great, isn't it? I love all the knee-jerk reactions and over-opinionated comments (of which I have definitely added a few in the past). At least it shows we are passionate about our club, even if a few do descend to personal insults as they don't have the intelligence to explain their reasoning without trying to ridicule others. Talk like that at a game or in the pub and they'd get a smack in the mouth, but sat behind their keyboards they can come up with all sorts of drivel (note: I may be being insulting, but I'm not being personal....lol) Back to topic: I'm with those who think JP is far enough down the order that it wouldn't have been long before he started getting frustrated, and his track record for being patient isn't very good. Maybe the management feel that Isgrove has progressed enough to be above JP now, or maybe we have someone already lined up to come in and add something to the right hand side of the team. I'm prepared to wait and see what happens before I make any criticisms. At this moment, and with the players at our disposal, he wouldn't even make the bench (in my opinion). We may have been a little toothless on Saturday (I don't know as I haven't even seen any highlights other than the disallowed goal and the penalty), but I would have thought that the priority was to keep the defence tight first, and to take any opportunities that came our way. By all accounts the disallowed goal should have stood, and we WON the game. Good enough for me as an opening to the season

At some point we will probably lose one of our better players, and although I will be disappointed, I trust that Cortese will make sure we get the best possible deal, and that we either already have an adequate backup, or that we are in a position to get one. If we lost Shaw now for double that, and managed to get Baines for a decent sum, then I think everyone would be a winner. It won't happen now, though

Fantastic news to wake up to this morning. I'm sure Rickie will savour this day for the rest of his life, no matter what happens from here on in. The birth of his 3rd and an England call-up on the same day. Shame Hodgson had to bring up the subject of Carroll as part of his reasoning. If Hodgson thinks Carroll is a better solution for Brazil he is deluded. The refs will be nowhere near as lenient on him as they are over here and all he will do is give away stupid fouls and get himself booked (just like Crouch seemed to do when he came up against the top teams. Seriously, though - what exactly does Carroll bring to the England team that Lambert doesn't? It's fair to say, neither have pace (but neither did Sheringham, Hurst, Charlton in the past). Yes the game is quicker now, but it's speed of thought that is more important, and there are other players in the squad who we can utilise for pace. we don't want to be too one-dimensional. Plus Lambert has the dead-ball advantage if required. Someone else mentioned it before, but you can't always pick players for the future - sometimes you have to pick them for the present, and in this world cup year, I think Lambert has timed his run perfectly.

any idea what they predicted last season and how that compared to the actual final table?

I thought the rumour was that the aim was to sign a forward, a winger, a midfielder and a centreback. We've spent big money on 2 of those, we've promoted a winger from the ranks, and now we seem to be trying to sign a forward. Plus we've also promoted a RB from the ranks too. Oh, and we've signed Shaw onto a proper contract. There's no point having U21 and U18's if we're never going to get any good enough for the first team, and I don't believe they would do it just to make up the numbers, so we have to trust that Isgrove and Chambers are going to be good enough. If we get the forward before the start of the season, then I think we've had a very good summer of activity.

I thought the rumour was that the aim was to sign a forward, a winger, a midfielder and a centreback. We've spent big money on 2 of those, we've promoted a winger from the ranks, and now we seem to be trying to sign a forward. Plus we've also promoted a RB from the ranks too. Oh, and we've signed Shaw onto a proper contract. There's no point having U21 and U18's if we're never going to get any good enough for the first team, and I don't believe they would do it just to make up the numbers, so we have to trust that Isgrove and Chambers are going to be good enough. If we get the forward before the start of the season, then I think we've had a very good summer of activity.

My first missus was a Saints fan and we actually hooked up whilst travelling to an away game on one of Clive Foley's coach trips. Unfortunately other than Saints and sex we didn't have that much in common, so she only lasted a couple of years. The next missus tried to like it and had a season ticket for a couple of years. Unfortunately I knew it was a losing battle when she used to take a book to read during the game. I kept her for quite a long time though, as she did have some other redeeming features. The next one was an old flame from school days and I hooked up with her when I was in the process of emigrating to Australia. she was a Saints fan, and we went to the 2003 Cup final in Cardiff, amongst others. Unfortunately, apart from supporting Saints and wanting to live in Australia, we had nothing in common any more either. Finally onto Mrs #4 (well, truth be known, I only actually married 2 of them, but the others were "defacto". I know that because they took my money when they left). Well Mrs #4 (the current, and hopefully final one) and I don't think she had actually ever watched a football match in her life (Australian...par for the course), but she "humoured me" and my obsession. I think we had been together a couple of years before I could scrape the cash together for a trip back home (thanks to Mrs #3 for clearing the account and ensuring that a large proportion went to the local solicitors benevolent - or should that be malovelent - account). Of course, the trip back had to coincide with the football season and I insisted she went with me to watch Saints v QPR in Sept 2006. I think we took the lead early but ended up losing 2-1. Despite that result, she was hooked, and every time we've been back (including a short trip back for JPT Final) she's wanted to go to every home game possible, and even wants to buy the kits every season. Luckily I've managed to restrict her to just a couple, and nothing since 2010). Apparently HER plan is for us both to take 9 months off, come over to the UK and combine touring around the country with watching every game in a season. I admire her ambition, but unless a small windfall comes my way, I can't see that happening until retirement!

Boruc Clyne Lovren Yoshida Shaw Cork Wanyama Schneiderlin Ramirez Lambert Rodriguez Subs: Davis Lallana Chambers Isgrove Mayuka Davis Puncheon ...that's what I would like to see, assuming we haven't signed anyone else. worried about a lack of width though I think the time has come where we can only afford one of Lallana or Ramirez on the pitch at the same time, especially in an away game.

Well, that's a completely unbiased viewpoint...lol... Fox is nowhere near as bad as you make out. He's played for Celtic and last season played for Scotland. OK that may not be the most glowing of recommendations, but to have as reserve a player with that level of experience and recognition is pretty good. Unless of course you are saying you are a better judge of player than Gordon Strachan?

I've always rated him quite highly but last season was a bit of a disappointment, hopefully only because of his injury problems and that he is now over them. Both Managers must have seen something though as he kept the captaincy. The team always seemed more unbalanced with both him and Gaston in it together. Maybe the 2 of them need to be interchangeable with one of them on the subs bench and coming on as an impact player for the last 20/30 minutes when the games has started to slow down? I do agree he went down far too easily last season. I hate that in the modern game!

Guess that's BBC sports personality of the year sewn up for this year already then!

So many great characters in the 60's 70's 80's and 90's that they all blur and I'd probably get the years wrong if I tried to put them in order but since then only SRL really stands out for me. Not saying we haven't had some other very good players, but for me, no-one else really has had the 'x' factor where you get that feeling that something special is going to happen when they get the ball. Over the 45 years I've been going to Saints games though, MLT was the one player I always hoped to see on the team sheet.

So many great characters in the 60's 70's 80's and 90's that they all blur and I'd probably get the years wrong if I tried to put them in order but since then only SRL really stands out for me. Not saying we haven't had some other very good players, but for me, no-one else really has had the 'x' factor where you get that feeling that something special is going to happen when they get the ball. Over the 45 years I've been going to Saints games though, MLT was the one player I always hoped to see on the team sheet.

I once lost a pair of brand new trainers in Scottsdale, Arizona. I'd been out for a few drinks with my mates when they decide to hit a lap dancing club. It was too rich for me, plus I was wasted by then so I said I'd stay in the car and sleep it off while they carried on partying. I fell asleep with my feet hanging out the window and when I woke up my shoes that I was wearing and had only purchased 12 hours earlier had been nicked. True story

I'd been out here a few months (back in 2003) and was sat in McDonalds when this copper ambled over to me with his mate. I thought he must have been following me in the car or something and I had done something wrong...but no....he'd spotted me in my saints shirt and was a fellow fan and he just wanted to say hello. It's crazy the unexpected places I've bumped in to fellow fans.

Celtic do have TWO other english players in their 1st team squad.....

how many balls do you think she can get in there? Tennis balls, I mean......

I don't have a problem with players pushing for as much as they can (even though the amounts they earn is obscene), but seriously...a million pounds for a couple of days of haggling is crazy

back to the question asked... I think the target IS top 6 but top 10 will be acceptable (barely). If we're not top 10 then I don't think he will be here the season after.

I'd better start planning my holidays for next year then. Man Utd final home game plus a rematch in the FA cup final the following week!