david in sweden

shows the difference between the " big-spending clubs " (I won't say the big clubs) that sort of contract would be "chicken feed" at Man.City, United or Chelsea. - whereas the mere thought of that type of deal for Saints gives me cold shivers...when you see how it's turned out, and even worse with Osvaldo's fiasco.

think Ronald had seen his share of " spoilt " South-American players, and Gaston's record didn't help. Now, he has a " win-win situation "....with the injury situation atm, Gaston will surely get some game time. - if he does well, RK can say ..." we give everyone a chance and he proved his worth today ". He may get another chance. - IF NOT .....he can say " there you are, I was right all the time."

I'm sure there are a few other " rising stars " in other Prem. clubs who might have made the same comment. I watched Devante Cole play in an U16? / U17 ? game for England some years ago and he looked a good prospect, the most he can hope for at Citeh, is a place on the bench - when there are half-a-dozen regulars out injured. He sounds as though he is regretting the move, but there may yet be a twist in the tail on this story.

this is the thing that surprises me. Of course there are quite a few , experienced older " has beens " and " almost famous " types in the lower leagues, but there are many young players in these teams, too and some of our lads have had the benefit of good training facilities and coaching, and would surely get a good opportunity to play football in " the real world". Naturally you can't start sending lots of teenagers halfway across the country and suddenly expect them to fit into an L1 side, but a shorter loan period (say) 1-3 months would surely be of benefit to some of them.

if you're really serious ...take another look at Dark Munster's contribution on #7

we're not short of midfield options at any level, but three lads in the U21 squad (McQueen, Sims and Barnes) are out injured. the fact that Ryan Seager was subbed after 60 mins. last night must auger well for his chances of some game time with Long and Rodriguez both unavailable. would expect the other 3 named to be involved ....to some degree, they've all had first team experience.

I think back to the days when The Dell was forced to become an all-seater stadium. Not only did it cut the club's income but effectively dis-enfranchised thousands of regulars who couldn't get in without a season ticket.. and even then there was no guarantee. The mere fact that reduced prices encourages new fans - especially youngsters - is surely good for building up the fan base of the future,(after all not every fan lives to 99) and with the cost of Prem.games - it's good that people on limited incomes can at least get see a few matches. I was unfortunate enough to have a spell where I had to work Saturdays, but always got into midweek / holiday games...and enjoyed Reserve / Youth teams games, too. A few more home draws in Cup competitions would go a long way towards "rewarding" fans who want to see more matches, but don't have the wherewithal to do it.

I'm really surprised that some people still doubt this strategy. It is a make-or-break time for these lads to build up their reputations....or just fade away. Looking at those already out on loan this season we have; Stephens, Turnbull, Gallagher, Isgrove and now McCarthy. Last season,(goalie) Will Britt had a spell out, as did Stephens, Turnbull and Sinclair, sadly he was no match for Mane, and Isgrove may have the same problem. Those lads who graduate through the ranks and make a mark in their U21 performances need serious game time at another level, and whilst we acknowledge the gap between the Championship and Prem....the difference between U21 and Prem. is enormous (although, of course one or two do make the move). Imagine my shock hearing a comment from a commentator (U21 away win at Chelsea) stating last season that Chelsea had 28 players out on loan. I'm sure they weren't all youth products, as Chelsea often buy a youngster and loan him back / out immediately, but nevertheless, quite a few must have been U21 but with Chelsea abysmal record for advancing Academy players to the first team...currently only Loftus-Cheek, I think....one wonders why they bother. Certainly we're not going to produce a.. Walcott, Bale, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Shaw or even JWP every season, but at least we can give them a chance. Eventually, we will need replacements for Pelle, Fonte and (both) Davis' and maybe Mané (sooner than we think)...but the only way to achieve that is to give the lads a chance to improve, or continually sell off " the Crown Jewels" every summer, and search for talent elsewhere. Our own lads must be given a real chance, and a loan-out is the best opportunity.

agreed, but looking at his past history, it looks as though he has been in squads where Erwin has been involved, so he must have some pedigree.... No big deal (oops no joke intended) when available for just £1 million, doesn't look the worst defender we've ever had, but if he can DAJFU in an emergency - OK.

.....and definitely better looking than Alexis Sanchez

well spotted Vectis, I have seen Cook playing in the back four previously, and it was he who made up the numbers last night. Nevetheless, they did seem a bit below par, and Everton were certainly up for it. Rather like the first team - so far - you can't always say that playing at home is an advantage.

back to Gazzaniga again. watched the U21 game v. Everton ....on YouTube. lost 0-2 with Gazzaniga in goal. I know it's quick and easy to blame the keeper when a team loses, but nevertheless he had the "usual U21 defenders" in front of him, and a very capable Reed and Gape in midfield. It was difficult against a very good Everton outfit. With three strikers on the injured list it was hard work for Seager as a lone man up top, although we might even have shaded it, with the chances we had - but for the excellent Everton keeper who made some class blocks / fingertip saves. Ryan Seager came off early (suspect he'll be in the line-up for the Villa Cup match) and the subs. Johnson and Olomola (both U18 players) looked quite useful - even at this advanced level. However, it goes down as a defeat... and another two goals that Gazzaniga has conceded. I know some people still look for him to develop, and the club have extended his contract, but I don't see 3 years of improvement in him since 2012. YES - he needs a loan-out and some regular game time at another level. It takes time for young keepers to mature, but I'm really not sure if Gazza will turn out to be another Bart ...or a Tommy Forecast.

perhaps HE could ....with the old ball, too ....when HE was 14 ?

Am going to be careful in phrasing this .... 1) IF ...there was a magical improvement in his performances ........Koeman MIGHT be inclined to change his mind...and keep him ? 2) IF / WHEN he were to/ does leave, he's unlikely to get the (rumoured) £65 K /week at another club - even in Italy..unless he has a very good agent. 3) we might end up keeping him to end of season (if still performing well) and getting his salary " re-evaluated " to a more realistic figure. 4) Most likely alternative: He goes for nothing ..and we must invest £x millions more on a replacement who will also get a large salary.

the best part ...is reading the game is " sold out " because the club put sentiment before money and dropped ticket prices (first time we've had a capacity gate in a League Cup match).

YES....we rarely sold players for more than tea money in that era, and Ted Bates R.I.P. (said in interview) Chivers was the only player he regretted having to sell. the worst part was taking Frank Saul in part-ex. He was famous for his Cup Final goal, but vastly over-rated and definitely over-priced IMO. not the first.... or last time ....Spurs scre*ed us in a transfer deal.

think you might get your wish ...around New Year(?). Gazzaniga is too old for the U21's, next in line AFTER Davis, but with Forster (supposedly) on the mend and Stekelenburg having staked a claim for the shirt...Gazza should be out on loan - after December.....perhaps.... .Gillingham ?...they seem to be doing well at present......or would that be too much like deja vu ?

we were trying to climb the mountain to the Prem., and before we had the " Black Box " I think that Cortese must have had a big say in who we bought in. Maybe not so difficult to find " fairly-good " players who could cut it in L1 .......Papa Weigo, Guly ..later Boruc ...all seemed to have come from Cortese's Italian contacts.... not sure how much input /influence Les might had on those, but perhaps he had more to do with the signings of Antonio and Barnard who looked good - in retrospect.

well ..not quite. It was his EIGHTH actually, as he wasn't playing at the start of the season, and Saints were trying to construct a reliable back four, and had to cope with injuries and poor form but Claus went on to become one of less than a dozen players (and the only non-Brit).... to play over 400 games for the club. ...that great result really was the highpoint of that season. We advanced to a "heady" 14th place (for 2 whole weeks) ....and spent the rest of the season fighting off relegation.

those of us who remember back to the 1960's will recall the name ...Dr.Beeching. A man given the job of restructuring the unprofitable British Railway system. He made masses of cutbacks, closed down 30% of the stations.....saved the country £millions, put a lot of people out of work and did the job he was asked to do... .....and he didn't make many friends, either....(not outside of the Government anyway). He was well-paid, and left the job when it was done. Nicola Cortese (former Chairman of SFC 2009-2014)...DAJFU...was well-paid for his efforts and (according to another thread)....only a few people cried when he left. Friendship didn't come into it - it was just business.

..think he's making an impression already....2 games ....2 yellow cards.

....probably won't look to be getting any job for a while. I've just read that his pay-off is around £2 million . Good pay-off for such a short time at Villa. A couple of months in the Med. should get him back on track - and he'll be ready to step up for the next batch of sackings - around New Year.

you're not alone with that thought " The 9 "..... but what can you expect with a panel of two ex-Liverpool players? They were all willing L'pool to win and wanted us to be the victims. Alan Parry was little better (as Sky commentator) despite the fact that L'pool had the lion's share of possession for much of the game... he almost had an orgasm every time they managed to string 4 passes together...... ....noticed the shocked faces in the Kop after Mane scored.....

....more or less my assessment, too. As for Jose Fonte....a figure around £1.2 million (?) comes to mind...but ours was an inexpensive squad compared to Liverpool's.

I am ...it's the routine response from a handful of our regular contributors to any new signing who doesn't turn in a MoM performance in one of his first two games. those critics have quickly forgotten how Clyne's Saints career started. We shipped loads of goals at the start, and poor Clynie was turned inside out by Man.U at SMS. Anyone who has started a new job...will hope for a short " honeymoon period " whilst they find where the car park and the toilets are, and need time to memorise the names of your new work colleagues -and where they work (or in our case - which position they play in ). It's not enough to say they've trained together for a week or two, but with "real time" football the opponents aren't playing for fun and are out to exploit the situation. YES - Cedric looked a fish out of water a few times in his opening games, but I thought he played on bravely last week after his facial injury v. a very physical Leicester side and looked even better at Anfield. Jose Fonte hinted that (Cedric) had some more to learn, but is beginning to look like a good investment.