david in sweden

I certainly not sorry that we have Ronald Koeman, but if Pochettino had stayed, I don't think anyone would have left ....as it is I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

When you sign foreign international players - why shouldn't they want to play against foreign opposition?. Over 200 countries will enter the World Cup competition and every game outside of your own league is part of a learning curve. International players will want to get that vital experience - why do clubs deny it? As the Premier League is regarded (by many players at least) as the best in the World, let's also remember - there are 12 clubs in the Prem. who won't be playing in it.

Mmm....thanks Vectis, but I agree Saint_clark carried forward to another club competition could mean another cup; Capital Cup / or / FA Cup..but can the Premier League really be described as "a club competition"?

....does anyone know the ruling for yellow / red card warnings in Europa League matches ? I thought the ref. was quite good, but he still handed out half-a-dozen yellow cards...... Is it a suspension after two cards, or a points system before being banned? (I noted West Ham have had 3 red cards - so far .....)

well everyone has an opinion don't they?..... somewhere I made a note of the Saints fan who (unfavourably) compared Mané to Ali Dia.

I recall a lot of people said the same about Gareth Bale ..and perhaps Wayne Bridge, too? Time will tell. Sometimes a change of position can make a players career.....I can remember that Newcastle released one of their young teenage goalkeepers named Alan Shearer.... and then he signed as a Saints apprentice striker...(wonder what happened to him?) If you're very lucky - you can get another Jimmy Gabriel, who came to Saints (from Everton) in the late 1960's..and played in five different positions in one season - (including emergency goalie) - and didn't disgrace himself in any of them.

In a sellers market, you can demand almost whatever price you want - if the other club is desperate enough to find someone. The selling price isn't necessarily related to the players quality, sometimes perhaps only because of one good season...(ex. Shaw/ Lovren) Signing any player is always a gamble,(form / fitness) but some of our best talent have been low-price purchases who were "coached-up" to a better level. Where many clubs make a mistake is in buying " a square peg to fit a round hole ". The player might be great in one side, but totally lost in another. The classic case of the Torres / Carroll deals is a typical example. Both players were almost " scoring for fun " in their clubs, but were abysmal after they moved. That fault lies with the manager. Last summer Brendan Rodgers bought both players in one of Saints' best-ever partnerships yet failed to play them at the same time. To keep on the subject - In just a few games, Cedric looks to be a great prospect. Will be interesting to see who gets the most caps (Clyne / Cedric).

that idea makes sense, but maybe Koeman is thinking about keeping him?. I read several Swindon fans who said Turnbull was the more impressive of the two. The fact remains that anyone who makes the squad has to be very good - if Turnbull can qualify as U21 - there's no problem to keep him another season.

this comment seems to have been " inherited " from the Cortese/ Pochettino period when ..... it was CL - or bust. Realistically we were never ready. Our natural progression from the L1 days has been a marathon rather than a sprint. Despite the performances in the last two seasons, the team has naturally evolved. Players come - others go but at no time did I feel we were ready for the CL...although a few weeks in Prem. 3rd place spot did show we have the potential for Europe, but the fact remains that the same 5- 6 teams have been playing "musical chairs" in the top places for the last 10 years, and very few clubs have managed to break that monopoly, and tbh very few seem to have the potential to do so ....maybe we could ....in a year or two? Without a decent show in the Europa League - like a good finish in the eventual group stages - we would end up being cannon fodder for the big clubs - if we made a CL spot at the end of this season. The real test of our quality this season will not be the Prem. but against international opposition in the Europa League. Much has been written about the " Koeman revolution " already, and there 's more to come. Our weakness last season was a lack of adequate " quality back-up" when we had an injury crisis and some players had a dip in form. We need even more players capable of coming in to cover key injuries / suspensions and with the prospect of a Prem. season plus two cup runs and an extended Euro league program would mean over 50 games this season. A Prem.season plus two or three Semi-final / Cup Final places means..... over 60 games. Not many player will be able to sustain the fitness / form for all that time - especially when you consider some of our players would also be playing extra international matches in between those other games. The answer YES - we care about Europa League - it's the next step-up in the development of the club. How we achieve that is Ronald Koeman's dilemma.

I think Pulis is smarter than that .........

Absolutely ! ....look forward to seeing him score against Liverpool when they meet in the Prem.

..maybe he will get a successful career ending after all. Pulis DAJF them at Stoke, when he bought several former Saints' players and got the best of what they had left.

whilst everyone is raving about Wanyama last night, and Mané 's influence on the game...I noted that I wasn't the only one to comment on Cedric Soares' input. He looked good going forward, and as he was signed as full back, we have yet to see him come up against a " genuine winger ", but I was impressed. Good as he was, I always thought that Nathaniel Clyne seemd a bit unsure on occasions, and to be sure he got skinned in some of his early games. I did like Clyne. He's certainly one of the best England RB at the moment and in one way was sorry to see him go, but Cedric came over with a different attitude. He seemed to have the right body language, and his expression - (after Pelle scored) said a lot about his determination and he was brimming over with confidence. Of course, there is a long way to go, but at least he seems to have started well, and if he manages to get one or two goals during the season, he'll be an excellent buy.

In a week when Saints introduced around a dozen or so 16 year olds as this years Academy signings, it was the U15 lads who were making the headlines. I've followed reports on the international youth tournament being played in Northern Ireland which has been extensively covered in the Belfast Telegraph. Saints U15's beat their Liverpool counterparts 3-1 in a semi-final tie and meet a Ghana outfit named " Right to Dream " in their section final tonight (Friday) They maybe a year or two away from becoming Academy graduates, but lads like strikers Jake Volkins and Jonathan Afalabi may become better-known in the future if they continue to pop in the goals as they have been doing so far. Not sure if any TV channel is streaming this little-known tournament, but the result may be encouraging to future Saints' hopefuls.

Agree with that much, Lighthouse. The real villain of the piece must be Brendan Rodgers who failed to recognise that the relative success of Lallana and Lambert was that ... ..........they played together in the team at the same time ....and weren't a substitute for each other. Saints rarely looked quite so good when one or other of them was out of the side. Still that's Liverpool's problem now - not ours. It's just a bid sad for Rickie, who didn't become a bad player during the 2014 summer holidays, and now doesn't have a whole lot more left to offer at Prem. level.

Thanks for the compliment, but I can't guarantee anything in the future. Old habits die hard, y'know.

good summary Eric. I was born in So'ton-not Sweden , and I guess you weren't born in Arabia ? ...or ? .....all things take time to adjust to after you make a move, and despite the very positive acceptance he's received.... waking up every morning - or the middle of the night with a new baby .....isn't the easiest life style to adopt so soon. The pace of the game may have been a factor, but I'm not sure that he's had a proper pre-season either (?). He needs time .... and no-one should criticise on one performance. If he's out for a few weeks, and JWP is " upto scratch ", he should be able to DAJFU......

Injured ?- NO. He had some " pre-planned ", corrective surgery on his knees, and is already back in light training (at least according to one report).

Mané has lightening pace, and being relatively short and lightweight it doesn't take much to turn him over... should be good for a few more penalties the season.

I expect half the fans think Ralph is just a good PR front man, churning out a monologue of the sort of things that fans want to hear, but having worked in a couple of organisations with good ethics and a well-planned structure, I'm more impressed by the new look set-up - even though Cortese laid good foundations at the start. I'm inclined to believe that Katarina and Ralph really are taking the " softly, softly approach " and (considering how far we've come since 2009) we are still learning to walk before we try to run) and there is still a long way to go. Just because we will get £ zillions from the TV rights / player sales - doesn't mean we're going to rush out and " buy in success " in one mad weekend.

I'm a pensioner, but not the only one by a long way.....My time is my own....(apart from the shopping, decorating, the gardening, the grandchildren ....etc, etc),

...which was my thought exactly. I don't think anyone begrudged Rickie his move to Liverpool - at least he got to play in the red shirt, and many were pleased for him. But Spurs are not my favourite team, and Pochettino's desertion and Toby's choice (though financially attractive) hasn't endeared them to many fans, and the thought of Rickie (perhaps) coming to SMS and scoring the winner would only rub salt in the wound.

Rickie Lambert is certainly on the move "somewhere " but another one of those newspaper "scoops" is suggesting he maybe a target.... for Spurs! Well... few people on here begrudged him the move back to Liverpool, and he had his season...or a lot of sub-appearances anyway, but a move to Spurs?. Think about it Rickie, it's the one club that many Saints fans " love to hate" ...I'm sure that some of them would never forgive you. A move there now, would be almost as bad as it was years ago, when some old Saints players moved down the M27 .......

so I understand. I read several reports of him helping newcomers to the club by showing them around the City, help to find accomodation, get a car etc. His contribution in our Championship season was something special, but like some others found that it was a big step-up to the Prem.level, but tried anyway.

Jos Hooiveld was welcomed back to the Stockholm-based AIK club, having left as a hero over 6 years ago, prior to his move to Celtic. The AIK fans were enthusiastic about Jos' return, but this was short lived as he pulled a muscle after 12 minutes and went off so as not to aggrevate the injury. It didn't affect AIK negatively, as they went on to beat Anders Svensson's Elfsborg outfit by 4-2 . AIK moved closer to the top, but Elfsborg are still in the hunt for a title challenge.