david in sweden

At last ..someone who read the opening post. Guidetti might only get on the bench with Saints (if in competition with Lambert / Sharp), but he'd be a regular with Swansea ..and he will score goals.

Considering Chelsea were without FOUR of their regular players, I think they did well to hold 0-0 as long as they did. I think any side - even with a full squad to choose from would have played a bit defensively against Bayern Munich on their own turf - don't you!

Mmm..tell Rickie Lambert that - will you, and while you're at it, Matt Le Tissier, too.

I've seen many games where the result was decided by a penalty...and the score was 1-0....(and often a dubious penalty too). If one team has 20+ shots and still can't score ...why should you feel sorry for them in a penalty situation? Bayern had enough goal chances to win 3 games! They only have themselves to blame, and Blatter standing up for them is even worse.

Sepp Blatter has really f***ed the game of football in Europe. NOW (surprise, surprise) he says penalty-shootouts ate a "tragedy" - so is war. Whilst we've sat watching games on TV and saw goals and offsides that weren't, goals that went in and weren't given whilst he insisted on the respect being shown to referees whilst ignoring technology that is used in mnay other international sports ..now he says "it's a tragedy " to settle a game by a penalty shoot-out. How many years have we been living with this?..and didn't we all weep when we lost our shoot-out v. Derby some years ago...but they seemed to approve when they though up the idea..until last week. Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that a GERMAN side lost - would it ?..or that Beckenbauer is a high flier in UEFA? Yes Bayern were certainly the better attacking side on the night (v.Chelsea) but surely Chelseas should get some credit for their defensive skills? Watching that game - with millions of others- it looked to us - like they wouldn't score had they played into Sunday night. Sour grapes Blatter, and Teutonic favouratism into the bargain. The sooner you go the better, and take Platini with you !

Hutch got in right first time - and so early in the morning, too.

Good morning Hutch! ...and well done. You got it in one. Quite a change of fortune for some - in both directions - wasn't it? especially for Blackburn - who won the Prem. title in 1994-95 under manager ..Kenny Dalglish ..wonder what happened to him ...? (JOKE) yet were relegated only 4 years later .

Good analyis Marks, but I think your opening para. is a bit adrift. You suggest (the bottom end / relegated sides) didn't spend enough money, but half of that list were undisclosed, which could mean they spent considerably more than the 10 million (average) you quoted. In my estimation the undisclosed fees often means clubs spent more than they wanted to admit for a player, either that or a big agent fee is included. I think most of the clubs mentioned were pretty disorganised because of; multiple managerial changes, key players injured, poor form or low team morale. One club you didn't mention, was Wigan. I saw them play Swindon in the FA Cup in January (they were appauling and lost 1-2) and Swindon hadn't hit their late season promotion form at that time. (Wigan's) incredible last gasp efforts saw their best players back from injury and hitting good form, and I don't think they did it by big January spending, either. Spending big money does not guarantee good results, as many clubs have found to their cost. Certainly in Saints case, very few of our " big buys" in the last 40 years have been real successes...on the contrary, many larger transfers have been a flop. However, I do expect a new club record fee..but perhaps several others, who like T.Lee, will come for a very small investment...or even on a "free". Better to pay the player more money, than give it to an opposing club if you don't have to.

..Well I must be, because I've been a Saints fan for over 50 years, and I still nostalgically drink my morning cuppa from a Saints mug marked season 2004/05, and looking at the fixture list stamped on it, I noticed the change of fortunes that has affected some clubs - for better or worse. The clubs on the fixture list were ; Arsenal Aston Villa Chelsea Everton Fulham Liverpool Man.City Man.Utd Newcastle Norwich SAINTS Tottenham WBA ---------------------------- Birmingham.....(as you will have guessed already, these are clubs no longer in Prem. (as of 2012/13) Bolton Blackburn Charlton Crystal Palace Middlesboro -------------------------- POMPEY -------------------------- Times change, but can anyone (off the top of your head NOW)..name the missing 7 clubs who will be in the Prem. next season ? - no cheating.

Sad to see . He had a great season and we were forced to part with him in the vain attempt to keep the club's economy afloat. Hindsight (as they say) is a wonderful thing, but I'm surely not alone in thinking he would have been a Saints' regular ...still, had he not moved when he did.

...is a Swedish player I've written about several times. Moved to Man.City's youth side aged 16 from Stockholms Brommapojkarna nursery side....and starred through their Academy teams. Aged 19, went on loan last season to Feyenoord, where he scored 20+goals, and now rumoured by Daily Express to go on a season loan to SWANSEA. The lad is a real slugger, (type Billy Sharp) - if true (?)... he could do a lot to help Swansea keep their Prem spot ..or SAINTS' ? I'd rather see him scoring for us than for them.

I'm sure Cortese won't allow us to brag about a fee (except if it's a free), but other " selling clubs" Chairmen have to placate their fans when they sell their star players and will certainly go public with a fee (right or wrong) just to keep the heat off them.

Might look good ...on paper, but he would have to be one of our 25 , and we can't take that chance. The first rule in transfer deals is ..never buy a player with a bad injury record, but over several decades...we've ignored it ..time after time.

Eddie Howe said a lot of these "reports " are planted (by agents) with journos to create interest. It could be that it's a way of making a "starting bid " in the auction.

On the BBC site, Burnley's board stae they have received no bids for Rodrigues...and manager Eddie Howe seems preturbed that he won't have any budget to buy players in the summer.....which suggests they may be forced to sell him ...at whatever price in order to get funds.

with some of the names being bandied around we may break the club record for a player like Hooper or Rodrigues, but TBH I don't see either of them signing. There are a lot of good players OOC /On free/ which doesn't mean they aren't any good, but either want a change or their clubs can't afford to keep them. I expect to sign 4 or 5 players, but maybe only paying a bigger fee for one, or at most two.

intersting to note that only 7 clubs have stayed in the Prem.since its inception.

You forgot to mention the 4 goals he got against Chelsea... in August 1967. and dare we also mention those two hat-tricks in that first season; v. Leicester and Burnley ! though ..if you're talking about consistancy what about the 20 times he scored 2 goals in a league game, and despite all the legendary tales, they weren't all with his head either. He could score with either foot, and took a pretty good penalty, too. 153 goals in 277 matches is a phenomenal % strike rate for someone in a team that spent much of its time trying to avoid relegation.

my thought is: you're in for some abuse when The Kraken reads this one ...good luck

thats what surprises me, too. We should just pay him to go away. GARDENING LEAVE ; I think. Someone who can't hold down a goalie's place in the Conference surely can't even be regarded as candidate for a Prem. bench place.

Pay him off now, and let's start afresh. If we can release players (for nothing) who cost big money from the start, we can certainly get rid of this one. If only half the stories published on here are correct, he's not the sort of player I'd want anywhere near the dressing room. He's certainly not a NA type - is he?

you REALLY don't have a sense of humour - do you ? END OF.............