david in sweden

Yes it is....but he's still a way off Prem.standard atm, but good to see him making some progress.

....although wasn't it.... the teenage Gary Sprake.... who made his debut for Leeds at The Dell and played a blinder when they beat us ?

well he hasn't actually " played " in a competitive game yet, but he's good back-up in case of .....,(any unforseen situations) ....but he does have a certain amount of experience as no.2 to international keepers in teams like Arsenal and Man.City in seasons when they won " things ".

...that is a bit premature!. We're talking about him scoring goals for a team struggling at the bottom end of the Championship....not Prem.standard. If he continues to score regularly, and gets to say 10-12 by the end of the season.....then we're looking at a good prospect. Otherwise, if he returns too soon ....he'll still be waiting behind Austin, JayRod and Long with an occasional place on the bench in between a few U23 games. Better off to get a good season under his belt playing at Blackburn every week.

just watched the short re-run of Sam. G's goals on OS. He has good pace for a big man (at 6' 4").....very encouraging. Nicely taken both times, although neither would get Goal of the Season.. (although with Blackburn's very poor record of not scoring this season - they just might. )

Yes, now I see that you were. Some of the other posts refer to both L1 and Championship - and I guess I lost track. as for the reason we didn't win the L1 title.....The first two home games (0-1 to Plymouth and 1-1 v. Orient) weren't a good start, and despite the 4-0 win at Bristol Rovers, Alan Pardew got the boot the following day (for reasons never properly explained). Nigel Adkins start was a real nightmare with only 1 point for the first 12 (including a home defeat to Rochdale ) after which time we did pick up, with the only really poor result being a later home defeat to Brentford. Had the start been better, we would certainly have gone into Christmas at the top with a big points lead, as it was I was pleased to get the promotion anyway, but it was those first two months that dictated the rest of the season.

..this is sure to be a headline story for those gossip media types every time he doesn't start every game- but it does show some common sense. Of course .. it's good to see Charlie banging in goals regularly, but let's not forget that he still wasn't "100% fit" last season - even after months of rehab. It would be nice to think he's put that injury crisis behind him, but he's the only "in-form" striker available at present (I like Redmond but 2 goals isn't the World) and if he were to get injured again, we'd be down to basics again....and we've still got 30 Premier League games to go....and if we are to get European football again NEXT season....we need to qualify in the Prem. which means Top 6 ... or better . We all want to see JayRod coming back, especially as the prospect of seeing the two of them in full flow would be a real bonus for Saints fans, but until he's clocked up half-a-dozen games without any recurrent injury we need to wait on his fitness - regardless of any potential goal tally. Puel has repeatedly underlined the need for ringing the changes, and the prospect of EL group qualification, or an extended run in the League and /or FA CUP ...we might conceivably face up to 55-60 games by the end of the season PLUS the fact that some of the squad will also be away on World Cup qualifying games. In the event of an eventual injury crisis, it's some comfort to think that the likes of Hesketh and McQueen actually will have had " some game time" already. So fans ...and hopefully Charlie (himself) will learn a bit of patience, and stay fit and in top form right through to the end of May.....and that is ....a long way away.

No I can't disagree with that , but the fact that as an up-and-coming player he was 3rd choice to the likes of the " first-choicers " (listed above) limited his chances. There were occasions that I might have selected Jack Cork ahead of Wanyama.....and we can only wonder what Romeu would be like today ..had Wanyama stayed? Whilst everyone is praising Sam McQueen's debut on Sunday, most of us realise that as soon as Bertrand and Targett are fit again ...Sam will be back to 3rd choice.

...actually, even more that McQ. was picked for the bench in the first place shows that Puel is committed to bringing on more younger Academy players. Many managers might have considered that putting on Yoshida ( who has no.3 shirt and started at LB after he signed)... would have been a much safer bet.

Sorry, but that's not altogether correct. Pochettino was no great advocate of " introducing young players " into the first team. He is (wrongly) credited with introducing Luke Shaw to the first team, when in fact Shaw had already played more than a dozen games for Adkins before (his) dismissal. Of course, like many managers he played a few U21 lads in League Cup games, (a competition that both he and Nicola Cortese gave little credence to), aside from which ...the only notable use of a young player (Sam Gallagher) was forced upon him by injuries to Lambert, and laterly that season - Jay Rodriguez' injury. Most fans seem to (positively) consider Sam G to be "one for the future".. but he's still nowhere near Prem. level football - even today. Gallagher's tally of 18 late substitutions (usually the last 10 minutes ) amounted to little more than 5 hours of playing time. He only started games on two occasions. Calum Chambers apparant success at RB was also an enforced move, as Clyne was injured pre-season and Chambers was hastily converted to RB when he had previously played (quite well) as a U21 midfielder. His initial good start was encouraging, but Clyne got his place back as soon as he was fit again. Ronald's Koeman's suggestion / promise / rumoured use of young players was a PR gaff. With rare exception, very few young players got a look-in and even Jake Hesketh's selection in his sad debut against Burnley was due to ongoing injuries to Schneiderlin and Cork, and Matt Targett's early forays at LB were also down to Bertrand's injuries / suspensions that season. Not much sign of any concerted effort to bring on Academy graduates either, although it has to be said that very few of the former Academy lads in last season's U21's were anywhere near the right level for Prem. football. Claude Puel's reputation for bringing on young talent preceded him, and the fact that he's given Jake Hesketh game time shows that he is willing to " give it a go" , and all credit to him for bringing on Sam McQueen against Burnley, when using the more experienced Yoshida would have been "a much safer bet" needs to be acknowledged. It must give encouragement for the likes of; Reed, Isgrove, Stephens and Olamola who have all looked on from the bench a number of times already this season.

don't know about the rest of you..... but "my" average / satisfactory score is : 7........ less than that is a bit below par......I think 5 means a relatively poor game, regardless of the opposition. If I were to mark anyone down, I would do it only because we didn't do better with " the other 31 shots "....but if Burnley had conceded more than 4 goals would have been unfair to Tom Heaton who kept the score down with some great saves, when some other keepers might have gone into double figures.

......not that sure that I ever did when he was a player ....

A good observation Warsash, but you note that those bed-wetters are always calling for someone's head after every poor result !

good guess maybe, but it was actually Dennis Wise. Like Dennis Wise, Kevin Phillips was " small of stature "(eventually 5'7") and likely even shorter when a schoolboy with Saints 1987 and later Saints Reserve player 1991. One of the very few decisions that Dave Merrington got wrong, when he tried to convert him to become a RB ...whilst at the same time Saints had a couple of other promising youngsters named Shearer and Le Tissier on the up. Kevin then dropped to non-League football but made his way back into the League and eventually played for England after scoring 35 goals with Sunderland one season. Sunderland then, somewhat thoughtlessly let him go when he was past 30. Gordon Strachan signed him and he scored 26 goals for Saints in a couple of seasons before moving on to Aston Villa following Saints' relegation from the Prem. His "absence" from Saints was a mere 12 years.

Right. John Gittens joined in 1985 but left for Swindon in 1987. He returned for a short spell in 1991 but then moved on again to Middleboro' in 1992 Total 44 apps.+ 3 subs. ..plus another 50-odd games for the Reserve side, although " fringe player " does sound a little unkind. For a young defender, he was always second choice for CB's like Mark Wright and Kevin Bond in his first spell at The Dell, and used as a back-up for the very dependable Kevin Moore and Russel Osman after his return in 1991. Perhaps he was never going to become Prem. quality and the arrival of players like Neil Ruddock, Ken Monkou and Richard Hall soon numbered his days with Saints.

CORRECT !

didn't I read somewhere ....that Sam began at full back as a boy ...and was later converted to a midfielder....?

.......somehow it happened again yesterday. Left Back has been one of the most " changed positions " in Saints' teams in the last 6 years. L1 days saw Dan Harding with the shirt..then Danny Fox...and Luke Shaw. GOODNESS how on earth will we ever replace Shaw:scared: asked so many?. Ryan Bertrand's absences allowed Matt Targett to move up, and yesterday Sam McQueen finished his Prem. debut looking like he'd been playing all season. People talk about the Academy, and "The Black Box ", but most of all there is a tremendous spirit within the squad that allows players to come into the team, or take their turn on the bench....and still come on and DAJFU....even though we've have had two major overhauls of the squad in the last two years. Only... Fonte, Davis, JWP, Rodriguez and Yoshida remain from the regular first team squad that started with Pochettino.....just 3 seasons ago. So we did replace Luke Shaw...and have done so with many others since. It's a tad unfair to say that "so-and-so" isn't as good as..."someone who's left", but you don't need a long memory to recall that both Pelle and (especially) Mane, weren't so special in their early games, and Wanyama was "all over the place" in the beginning. It's just a case of taking time to "gell " into the squad. Soon even the new faces will become familiar and find their way, and become first team "regulars ". Claude Puel's policy gives everyone a chance and is gradually paying off . Only in the summer we read rumours that Targett and McQueen might be on the move, but clearly Claude has other ideas. According to rumour, had Koeman still been with us, Hesketh, McQueen and Olamola might never have made it to the first team bench. Sam McQueen's Prem. debut yesterday was just another example of a player coming in and finding their role. Losing players may sadden some of us, but with "tailor-made" replacements coming off the bench...it can be seen that...."changing a tyre ....is much less complicated than fitting a new engine."

we were totally dominant until Targett's injury, and only Heaton saved Burnley from being 0-3 down by HT. Our defence gave Sam Mc Q...a few, quiet minutes to settle in, before he came into the game, but by the second half... he looked like he'd been playing there all season. Good displays all round and especially Austin and Redmond who are looking like a formidable attacking pair, bit also very nice to see JayRod back again. Bit of a quiet game for Tadic.... but Romeu, Davis and Clasie looked class throughout. Martina DAJFU every game - even if he doesn't look like a first choice. Burnley defended well ......considering we had 34 shots (many of which were blocked). Talk about "fluid football ".... it looked like a waterfall at times. This style of play surely augers well for the season, and Puel's mix'n'match doesn't seem to do any harm. We have 24 first choice players .....

..or maybe even.... Olomola ?

my favourite question (would have been) .... .....which Saints youth player waited 21 years to make his first team debut ..?

Craig Maskell?.......

Don't think Rickie's forgotten how to score goals, perhaps as soon as Cardiff hit a bit better form, he'll start scoring a bit more often. 35 in February,.I don't think we can expect to see him amongst the top goalscorers - even in the Championship, though he must be a good deal for £2 mill.

there are stats..and stats....and figures from people who just guess a lot, .... but during the week I read that Saints have the worst conversion rate (shots to goals).. in the Prem. My count 111 shots.. and just 7 goals. We create a lot of chances, but just can't find the back of the net regularly enough. Sooner or later, they'll start going in and we'll really blitz " someone ".....

...wanted to check back ....two factors.... Brighton (to their credit) played very consistantly throughout that Championship season, whilst Saints dropped a lot of points around Christmas / New Year. in fact .....we won only one league game of six matches in that period. In the notorious match at Brighton, we played without the suspended Schneiderlin and Rickie Lambert was red-carded after HT (for a very dubious incident) We lost (what can be called a 6 pointer) by 0-3 . After suspension, RL scored only once in the next 5 games ..and we didn't pick up real form again until February... Aside from two excellent hat-tricks later on ...Lambert was very inconsistant towards the end, but (thankfully) Billy Sharp came in and scored 8 in the last 8 games .... ................. ** whilst Rickie managed just 3 goals in the same period. ** this is not a criticism of RL whose career was exceptional...it's just "statistics"..and YES ...we should have won the title, in the end I was just glad of the promotion.