david in sweden

Nice start for Rickie - at last (with Lallana assist).....with a goal after 2 minutes, but Palace didn't give up and after the equaliser, they looked better. For a long time, I was thinking Palace didn't deserve to lose, but after Rodgers took off Lallana, Liverpool lost their midfield control. After 3-1 ...it was clear that Liverpool didn't even deserve a point. Gerrard was a mere shadow of his former self....very poor. Never thought I'd see the day that we were above Man.U in the Prem.table....but to be 11 points clear of Liverpool (!).......

League position, stats., points, clean sheets... there have been many ways our current success has been measured recently......but now there is one more. International appearances Looking at the team that started the Leicester game....and since Clyne and Fonte have now made their international debuts..... ....every member of that team has now been capped internationally....and 4 others were on the bench v. Leicester. .....and 10 of them (exception being Ryan Bertrand who was capped at Chelsea)....have played for their country SINCE THE SUMMER. That certainly is a first in Saints history and goes along way to highlighting the progress we've made in the last year.

maybe.....the other 7% wanted Pochettino back

....this story could just be a " space-filler ", but then again.... he'll know Mané from Red Bull, and if we do " lose " a midfielder "... at a future date, he could be a good replacement.

Mané-----well he is the topic of this thread. Wasn't here from Day 1, has played half of a Capital One game, has started only 4 Prem. League games ..and been sub. in two others...in between international breaks. Think he has a lot to give, but hasn't really settled in yet. Give him time.

Right - the most important thing in buying players is consistancy of form - for someone who can't tie down a place in a mid-table Championship side, I can't really see where that price tag comes from.

one or two new signings....perhaps but not many more. Should be more interesting to see who might leave in January.....leaves much to be considered.

No doubt the international break can disturb the fluency ....especially if you're on a good run, but it seems that sometimes people use phrases like " must win " far too often, and in the wrong context. Clearly, this sort of game is a " should win ", as if we have pretentions to finishing " Top Four".......it's the sort of game " we shouldn't lose ". Performances and form show that fairly clearly...... whereas games v. Citeh, MU and Chelsea are clearer indications as to our real potential as a prospective " top side ".

.....just the right sort of comment to deter clubs from bidding in the January window........and a win-win situation. 1)....we admit he needs longer to recover, and if he does come back all guns blazing in the Spring, he'll do well for us ... 2).... IF he is intent on going in the summer, then he will have increased his value even more........

....surely that must have been " a typo " ....the media don't praise us with comments like that .....

Koeman was asked the question in his Friday press conference, and he said NO.... it hadn't been discussed.

As if playing at home against 10 men wasn't advantage enough ....... ......Chelsea are sure to win the title with decisions like the one for their first goal. Costa was clearly offside when the ball was played to him, and the lino' didn't flag it.

if Mells is " that good " can expect him to get some game time with Feyenoord.....(if he were a negative influence in our U18's, Koeman surely wouldn't put himself in bad with his old club). I don't think they respect him any less, because he left them for better things. Now that our squad has stabilised a bit, perhaps we can expect a bit more loan / transfers between the clubs?.

Rickie - y'know I even bought this kit myself, and he still won't let me play.....

.....you mean..... as compared to those who have glamourous looks ....and no brain!

......now just waiting for the death knell of that infamous quote from the Spuds Board ...giving him their.. full and total confidence.....then he's got two weeks left and ... it's adios Mauricio.

whether he stays - or not, clearly he has many positive things to say about the club (which he does well for a non-English speaker) but clearly he, like one or two others, wants to see where we end up in May. A place in a Euro competition would satisfy a number of players, but those talented, and ambitious enough will want to play at the highest level they can... in order to keep their international place(s). So far this season...we are playing football at the highest level, and the best (perhaps) we ever have, but if we are to keep, and attract this type of player, we have to be seen to be a " top four type " club.

.....which would be a shame for them..... (if such a fixtured came about). Used to be seen as a valuable boost to a small club's economy. Bad decision. Aldershot's game with Pompey, was " a sell-out " - just under 5000 fans. I think Eastleigh has an even lower capacity at their ground?.

sounds about right, but...as Rodgers has no other options for a striker, he might be forced to give Rickie a longer run-out. Balotelli hasn't impressed anyone considering the amount of time he's spend on the pitch without scoring. A " Rickie revival" might keep him in the squad a bit longer, with Sturridge still out.

......if he's a midfielder who can't run - he shouldn't be there......not at his (young) age. MLT didn't run much either, but his end-product was much more exciting to watch. I recall Alan Ball (R.I.P.) saying once that (at 36).......he played across the pitch, and had players like the (young) Steve Williams do his running for him. That's acceptable maybe, but in today's formations attacking midfield players need to do more running than anyone.

WHAT ?

EXCELLENT ARTICLE. One thing that has come out of this entire affair, is seeing that motivated/satisfied people who work in a well-structured organisation perform far above their (and others) expectations and succeed, and paying people the highest salaries in the marketplace is no guarantee of success. Problems just don't - go away - by throwing money at them, as proven by Spuds, Liverpool and (especially) Man.U. Whether Saints do well enough to qualify for a European competition may not be a major factor this season, but the fact that other clubs now surely realise that The Southampton Way works, otherwise why else would they be queueing up to buy our players?..... and lure away our key personnel. The real test of our " new Koeman side " may rest on the fitness and resilience of our players and the results in the next 10 games. Teams like Chelsea and Man City have resources way above anything we might dream of, but the mere fact that we are already where we are in the league, has shown that Saints have the greatest improvement in recent years ...of any Prem.club (outside of the "Big Six"). Injuries play a major role in a club's success/failure, especially when it is key players who are out for long periods. When clubs like Liverpool have to learn to live without Suarez and now the injured Sturridge, and Man U (seemingly) having lost the improving Welbeck to Arsenal and Danny Blind (injury) for the rest of this year...... it brings them down to the level of ordinary mid-table sides, and others clubs who visit White Hart Lane, Old Trafford and Anfield in the near future may go there with hope of winning points, and not the fear of an inevitable defeat. Of course, these " Big Clubs " will continue to try and solve their problems with a cheque book every transfer window, but in truth they already realise that the resolution to their difficulties needs more than just buying the better Saints' players, or some international superstar. If things go (as we hope) Ronald Koeman will continue to invest in the new Pelle's, Tadic's and Mane's and give us that depth in our squad they we always seemed to have lacked in the past, and likely do it by spending..... much less than the price of those who have already jumped ship. One thing to be sure is that (regardless of individual results) the next ten games will give us an indication, not just of this season, but what we may expect in the coming years - if we do it right.

......I think so, too - (if he were still 30), but on his own admission..... Matt was never interested in training...unless it was with a ball. His real value came - when he did have it. The lack of more international games is likely down to; (1)...his dislike of " hard work in training ",..and (2) his (reputed) refusal to sign for both Venables and Hoddle when they were club managers - and who later managed England when he was at his peak. Hoddle could have used his penalty-taking skills in WC 1998. Loads of his goals have been downloaded on You Tube, and it's a good education for younger fans (who never saw him play) to be able to look back, and see what it is that we all (still) rave about.

That was a good call, Batman. Recognition for Nathaniel - at last. At least Rickie got his usual 10 mins. at the end, although there were several others involved in the build-up for 3rd. goal, RL had a spell of ball retention on the touch-line before it was played on to Rooney.

.....signing Osvaldo was more like the Black Death...it must have been one of Pochettion's choices (previously at Espanyol), but MP surely didn't know how to handle the overgrown delinquent ....