david in sweden

Absolutely! ....whilst Morgan held his regular first team spot, everyone else was excluded. Now that role is up for grabs.....£25 million in the bank ...a win-win situation.

I don't recall anyone on the Board (past or present) predicting a CL position in a short time....and going from 22nd in L1 to 7th in the Prem. must be some sort of record? Yes there was some mention of future " European football ", although nearly everyone wet themselves with laughter when the topic was first mentioned, but that will come to fruition in a few weeks.....whether it continues all season (or not ) remains to be seen. A step up as large as getting TOP 4 CL place, is an even bigger challenge than teams who win the Championship one season and get relegated back down the next. I'd like to see Saints do well (even very well) in the Europa League (wouldn 't we all?)....but the reality of it is that, even with further progress ...CL football at SMS may be at least 2-3 seasons away - if indeed at all. As a fan of 56 years standing......I'd like to see real success - at last, but the reality of our previous 27 year sojourn in the old Div.1 / Prem. set-up rarely saw us finish in the top half of the table. It would be nice if this were the dawn of a new Saints era, but only time will tell. Those 56 years (both good and bad) have made me more philosophical about life, but we live in hope and no-one should start criticising the present SFC set-up because it hasn't delivered the Prem.title or a CL spot in one or two seasons, and some of our better players have gone on to make a quick fortune elsewhere. Let's get real, eh ?

..that'll please a lot of AIK-ers. Some of my Swedish collegues remembered him at AIK , around the time he was playing so well for us in the Championship..........

How many has ANY English club had over the years........?

EXACTLY my thoughts, the success of Lovren and Alderweireld wasn't just their own but their partnership with Jose ..... Historical note: Regardless of his "personal issues", Claus Lundekvam clocked-up 400 games, was rarely MOM, but partnered some of the best CB's we've had in the last 30 years.

they've played too much " Fantasy Football " on their PC's and think everyone mentioned in the media simply HAS to sign for us..or we have somehow " failed ".

strange to think that Koeman is yet to sign a " real Dutchman " on a permanent contract. Elia and Stekelenberg (though both Dutch internationals), only taken as "loans", and most of our other signings who have played for him in Holland are not Dutch.

my thoughts too, and to think that people don't realise that. Pre-season has always been a period of experimentation and sometimes it's "make or break" for the U21's. They may train every week with the first teamers, but getting into a start side - even in a pre-season friendly - is their real big test. Calum Chambers "success" came after he switched roles when Clyne was injured. If any of the current youngsters really want to impress.. now is their one real chance.

.........and after almost 250 games ..he's probably more than halfway through his career. He certainly can't be called "injury-prone " but he has had some medical issues in the past......so it's good deal allround. if the deal goes through.....Fonte and KD are the only first team players left from the L1 days........

Now there you go .....coming up with sane and sensible suggestions again....you don't really expect them to listen do you ? During the season they complain about players who are bad, and in the close season about so-called " good players " who we didn't sign....daft isn't it ?

a good question that very few people seemed to have asked.......

I thought that 40 years ago and haven't changed my mind since ........

with Toby gone to Spuds , and Morgan with one foot out the door, it looks like Clasie in....and don't be surprised if RK goes for Ron Vlaar who is now available on a free.

he's hardly had a real run-out, and you don't sack someone for one mistake. tbf Fonte and Alderweireld look unbeatable at times last season, and Yoshida looked better than before when he came in. Gardos' turn may come and then it's upto him to show his paces.

However, there are also a heck of a lot of things that wouldn't have happened - had he stayed..... Toby's gone ...we march on ......

In today's market he is worth it, he should be more angry at MU. They spend money like a man with 6 arms....why are they so stubborn over the extra £ millions ?

oh joke, joke Turkish, but do be careful .. because with an OP like that published in the middle of the night, you probably sent a dozen or more fans rushing for their nappies and rubber sheets.

Crikey ! ...how did he get involved in this deal ? ...

YES, we did and we should be proud of that......but of course ... no-one expects them all to make careers at Prem. level. Some go on to glory and others into obscurity. (interesting photo published a while back of the youth team that included ....Gareth Bale ....and I got to scrathing my head to recall other names) Most players don't become first team regulars in one season - oe even two - especially at this level. Lallana, Bale, Walcott and Alex O-C ......yes and even Schneiderlin ....all came through whilst we were still in L1 / Championship. JWP still hasn't made it as an automatic choice, and perhaps only Luke Shaw made the LB spot his own in one season, but who did he have for competition? ...Fox ? NO - we don't have lots of Academy / English players in the start side - YET. I wonder how many of those 9....will still be around in 5 years time? It takes time to get established and anyone in my generation will tell you that neither Channon, MLT, or Shearer walked into the side in their first TWO seasons either. We need to be patient - and give it time. Sadly, many fans are quick to discount newcomers after a couple of poor games....

Now I noted from the Ugly Inside..... quoted Toby's agent - his father Vic - that nothing is definite and no agreement has been made, and that the situation has been unchanged ...for the past few weeks .. so where are the photos of Toby coming out of White Hart Lane " after his medical "? ....and maybe Daniel Levy was only going on holiday when he flew out of London recently.....and where are Chelsea's rep's if they are so keen to get him ? All this time-wasting....or shall we simply call it lying from the media...? These " so-called " journalists are no more than gossip-mongers making book at our expense.

even with all those names, I'm not overboard with confidence. I've always been a fan of Steven Davis, (but 30 is a dangerous age Cynthia)..and he's around that. JWP improves all the time but is still " not the real thing". I'd select Tadic (if he could play like the first half of last season) ...and we missed that at the back end of the season Juanmi may (hopefully) surprise everyone . Ramirez showed glimpses of talent -when he got into games, and between injuries. If he comes good in pre-season, worth keeping him, otherwise another loan. Hesketh is an excellent prospect, but we badly need someone with international experience who can get stuck in, win the ball- instead of having to wait to get it.

....perhaps because he's already 25......if he gives us a good season, then we can extend his contract....if not, we only have him for one year after that..

I know no more about him than most others on the forum, but am not prepared to write him off before he's kicked a ball. I can't believe that Edwin K. would put his reputation on the line by recommending a player he didn't think could improve. Remembering those of you who condemned Pelle and Tadic ..at first sight ......and those awful first games with Mané, maybe the guy needs a chance to settle in. On paper... he would be behind the queue of Yoshida and Gardos, but he may be a surprise packet?....no doubt we'll see in practice games. ...and for a fee of c.£1 million.... he can't be regarded as a gamble compared to the idea of paying £12 for someone with bad knees or ...a bad temper.

this much I'd certainly agree with ..... our problem last season was lack of depth in the Prem.squad and now with a possible run in the Europa League .....it requires serious business.

strangely enough - so do I .........and it wasn't MY £12 million that bought him in the first place......