david in sweden

I'm glad you added that bit, pre-judging players before they've kicked a ball is a favourite subject for some people on this site.......

there's a good point here. Ronald Koeman (apparantly) holds some sort of a record for international goals scored by a defender...the mere fact that Jack hasn't scored once in his tenure probably counts as a black mark to start with. (even Jos' own goal tally is outnumbered (just) by the goals he has scored for us ).

.......or putting it another way..... why blow away " positive " media coverage / PR by announcing three signings on the same day.....

.....then it should be a good test of the abilities of our new goalie coach Dave Watson ?

..... always thought this was part of " the Southampton Way "..(ala Cortese).....keep everything under wraps until all the paperwork has been filed !

Agree with that one, but he will go sooner or later.....If he's not happy at SMS I wouldn't want him anywhere near the dressing room .......

a free transfer and a chance to choose his own destiny is a just reward for Billy Sharp. His short but meaningful stint with Saints was enough to see us over the line and up into the Premier League in 2012. To be fair, Bill isn't Prem. quality and it seemed to some that a move from the bottom of the Championship to the top end was about the limit of his advancement, but the record books will show twenty or so apps. and the invaluable 8 goals in 8 games that gave us that promotion spot, just at the time when the ever-dependable Rickie Lambert was going through the worst goal-drought in HIS Saints' career. Without the burden of a £1 million PLUS transfer fee...." the right club " will pay Billy a decent salary, more in line with his previous earnings and the hope that he has a more dignified ending to his career. Maybe he has started to like life on the South Coast?, in which case Brighton might be a good move, but being a Yorkshireman born-and-bred ...will the lure of a move to Leeds seem more attractive, I wonder ? Despite their tragic demise/relegation down to L1 - (we know what that feels like) - Leeds still holds a special place in the hearts of Yorkshiremen, having been so very successful for past decades. Whatever his eventual choice of new club...good luck Bill ..and thanks for the memory

Anders Svensson who enjoyed a Swedish version of Beckham-type adulation after his World Cup goal in 2002... and subsequent move to Saints, before returning to his home club Elfsborg and taking up his Swedish career once again.... That was in 2005... and the years rolled on. In the middle of the summer break, Anders celebrated his 38th birthday, and in true Beckham-like physical condition is playing on in the current Elfsborg squad.....and in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League with a view to another season of glory. Anders had some mixed reactions from Saints fans (on this site) during his playing days, but many appreciated his skill and talent which was somewhat dented by Gordon Strachan's refusal to play both him and Fabrice Fernandes in same team... saying they were " too much alike in style ", and his subsequent relegation to the role of a defensive midfielder didn't improve his relationship with WGS either. Having broken the 20 year old record for international appearances for Sweden (148), Anders quit the international scene last season, amid very public criticism of (national manager) Erik Hamren's playing style, and said he would concentrate on his club career with Elfsborg. If he keeps fit and injury free..we might still be writing about him when he reaches 40.

it really is a more complex question (buctootim).. .......for a start you cannot compare all social factors; like housing or income, nor can you discount areas that share common transport system (trains,buses and the like). Whereas there are people in all parts of the country who don't actually live in the " urban area " where their club is....many people can travel long distances with apparant ease if they have good access to a motorway link, or a good train network. Some " neutrals " choose to follow a club purely based on ease of access / distance to the stadium, etc) Some fans have sentimental reasons for following a club, even if they aren't born in the area and so you cannot compare an administrative solution (like a Metropolitan area) with the " spiritual ties " that many of us have to our club. I know of a family who go to SMS every match, but are (logistically speaking) closer to three other (Championship clubs). The catchment area for fans in the South is larger than it may appear, and is most noticeable with evening games where the gate drops, not because of the nature of the opposition but because families cannot travel as easily, or get time off work in order to travel longer distances midweek evenings - if reliant on public transport. Although in this respect IOW fans have (historically-speaking) had better luck as Red Funnel is aware of such " local " attractions as an evening match, and more generous with planning of timetables, etc. There may be a larger fan base out there, but with average gates already around 30K..it'll need a stadium extension to convince some of the possibility of getting a seat, if they travel longer distances.

well that's a fair question,Colin..... but many years ago.... a colleague (who was of Afro-American decent) told me that some parents try to " create " new names for their children, thus avoiding many traditional Caucasian names that are popular in USA and some other countries. Think you'll find that there are quite a lot of " created names " around ......if you look a bit harder.

Ok good . That sounds pretty certain then ......one less to think about.

when Thorpie started this thread, it was about INGS..... could it be we're still in for him ? OK ...Vokes is injured, but on the mend and now Burnley have signed Sorell and Jutkiewicz as strikers.... if Burnley need to balance their books it could be that they really need to sell Ings.....?

.....is already playing above his level ....good on occasions but lacks consistancy.

I wish him well ....I really do, but your post reminded me of the parable of the Prodigal Son comes to mind..........

It sounds as if trying to organise this transfer is easier than getting a good translation ..no wonder things don't wotk out every time.

why not ?....either him, or Steven Davis.

.......you won't know the answer to that one before next April. Spending "big money " isn't always the answer.....consider Torres' move from Liverpool to Chelsea and Carroll's move practically everywhere else outside of Tyneside. Pochettino's idea of " reforming " Osvaldo has proven to be a costly fiasco for Saints, so must be hard to make that sort of statement before we've even played the first few games - isn't it ?.

the " Cortese Plan " was put in place 4 years ago, and presumably everyone at SMS has been working to it.....(?). Although NC has since left the club, I haven't seen an alternative / Plan B proposed, so perhaps we can assume that the overall aim is the same? ... although the time scale will have altered somewhat. If you're not happy with that thought.....maybe you were one of the people laughing ...when Premier League football was suggested back in 2009, whilst we were in the L1 relegation zone ?

well I agree with the thought behind that statement, but if van Gaal is willing to let him go...it's a bit like calling a retreat ..a tactical withdrawal IMO..He is a top class player and even though he's good enough for about 17 other Prem.sides. ...if LVG wants to sell him it's hard to find a suitable synonym that doesn't mean " MU reject ".

guesswork or a prophecy ?

I'm pretty sure we've never named a squad of players with so many different accents, though ...

you're right Norm. I think some of the more vocal critics on here only became " fans" after we were promoted from the Championship. I wonder what they will write if the season turns out to be better than anyone thought ?

Rodwell, Hernandez, Zaha........and a list as long as our bank statement appear to be linked with us now that we've got money to spend, but do I get the impression that some people feel we'd be buying " Prem. rejects "....or ? Certainly many clubs rely on the " Big Four " money clubs to help their economy by buying up young stars...in our case Shaw and Chambers. .....but are these young(er) players really " rejects "... or just not been given a proper chance. Anyone signed by Man.City or Chelsea is sure to be a foreign international and it's hard to find many players with a British passport in their dressing rooms. I think it's a bit unfair to pre-judge the Prem's younger talents - just because they can't force their way onto the team sheet every game. For Saints; Ryan Bertrand will come under special scrutiny to see if he measures up, and we may well find out that a£10 million fee is " a bit of a steal " come next April.

need to be careful with a statement like that.The vast majority of our " big money signings " have (historically) been a total waste of money. The list goes back to 1960's...and ends with Osvaldo. Yes we've had good players ...over several decades ...but most of them have been bought in on a low fee and been well worth the investment.

......and people say that the newspapers are always full of bad news