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Whilst I was also impressed by Alfie Jones showing, it should be remembered that he was second choice CB for the U18's last August. The huge catalogue of injuries in U18 and U21 gave him a chance and he did well, but we still have Jack Stephens / Jason McCarthy ahead of him in the pecking order, and both have shown in well in their respective loan outs. I'd like to see Alfie improve, but it'll take time as young goalies and CB's are the difficult to find and harder to hold their form. Stones got rave reviews at Everton in his first season, but has been pretty poor this season. Gazzaniga still hasn't developed enough to become our No.2 If he gets Young England U19/U20 games and continues to improve..... we may see a new star develop, but not in the near future, I fear.

outgoings will be; Kelvin, Gaston, Juanmi and Pelle. Almost certainly Wanyama....but hopefully not Mane. Incomings; think Ronald may be happy to keep Stekelenburg as no. 2 goalie. Stek is past 30, has a family and been at SMS for a year, and there are worse places to live than Hampshire....(Fulham for one). His record earlier this season is better than many seem to think. Many people see a problem at RB. Cedric just hasn't cracked it yet, and Martina has done well even if he's not totally Prem. he is still second choice. A new RB? Overview of the squad. Exit Gaston means.... one less MF....two if Wanyama goes. Juanmi is like " The man who never was ", and if Pelle leaves too, that'll be two strikers out the door. IF.... JayRod and Charlie Austin start scoring .....it'll be a good pairing ....if not?...it'll be back to The Black Box for more suggestions. The other options are to "promote " some of our Academy hopefuls. Those we know about have DAJFU on the odd occasion when they came in, but none who look like becoming a regular squad member YET, but we should expect to see a few named on the bench next season, otherwise RK won't have the need to use them at all. Best prospects need a further season / half season loan out, as some are already over 21. Neither Clasie or JWP has been 100% convincing so far, so we need " a midfield general " as Steven Davis (whilst good now) ...won't go on forever at his level. Expect to see Romeu as a regular (if /when Wanyama goes)...but will watch for Gardos' role as he never had a chance to "gell " in his first season and was out all of this. Every Prem. club will look to the relegated sides for cheap buy, but I wouldn't want Grealish (Villa) or Redmond (Norwich) but there are a couple of Dutchmen at Newcastle, and one never knows who has a....." I go if we're relegated "...clause in their contract, and relegated clubs have to get rid of their big earners ASAP.

.....as Pelle had deliberately avoided signing an extension..one might think that he really isn't looking to stay longer..... With one year left on his contract .....his last big pay day will be a move to Chelsea..... after the Euros. If Conte is willing to play Pelle in the international side.......why wouldn't he want him in the Chelsea line-up? Pelle is no stranger to the Prem. and many foreign signings who come from glory in their own country fall by the wayside when they come to England. After Chelsea's very poor season, Conte has to hit the ground running, as Abrahamovic isn't the most patient man in the football world and has sacked almost every top coach that Chelsea have had in the last 10 years when they fall short of his expectations.. If Chelsea aren't in the top 4 by Christmas ...Conte could be on the slippery slope...he'll use his tried and trusted players, and some Chelsea regulars will out of the door.

....so it's maybe Sammy Lee out?...... and ......Kelvin in? Just a thought.

some small things .... Amazing goal tally at the end of the season....and all without Rodriguez and Austin. Shane Long and Steven Davis both silenced their critics, and got in the goals. Mane and Pelle found the form they lost in the Dec / Jan .....(How I wish we'd had a winter break like the rest of Europe). Tadic back to his best form and handing out assists like confetti at a wedding. Interesting Koeman Plan B - playing 3 CB 's. Gave Bertrand a new dimension to his game, and saw the best of Matt Targett in a more forward left sided role. Virgil van Dijk fitted like a glove into the back line, and looking like he'd been there with Fonte for years. Fraser Forster still improving.....how good might he be in 5 years time ? (watch your back Joe Hart).

.....and to win "something" next season .

just promise Ronald £50+ million....get his signature on a new contract and let him go on holiday......Les can tie up the loose ends.

That all looks good, but just beating Spurs last weekend was great for me......today was a bonus. Best birthday present (tomorrow) that I could ask for .

don't know for sure. .BUT if we have qualified outright for EL, then the qualification games must be played first. We had Vitesse last season, and the games v.Midtjylland were Aug 20 /27. Guess it might be +/- a few days on those dates.

After Kelvin plays his last game, Jose Fonte will be the only Saints player left on staff who played through League 1, Championship and into the Prem. ......you know the others - of course ?

and of course - it doesn't . They all count once they go over the line (thanks to the new camera system), pity they don't use if for penalty appeals, though.

This season (so far).... attendance for Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, Man U, Newcastle, Man City, Sunderland and Bournemouth all exceeded 31,000 (with 4 other games were over 30K) It says more about the away following from teams in larger catchment areas, than getting 30,000+ loyal Saints fans for every match.

right !

Apparantly ...Spurs " new " ground will be 61,000 capacity...... because it's 1,000 more than the Emirates.... If they never finish above Arsenal in the Prem. , they'll carry on crowing about the fact they have a bigger ground... I'll be more impressed if they succeed in filling it for every Prem. game .

Well said. It'll be a real occasion for many people, especially those fans who turned up to watch Saints....when we were struggling to get out of the bottom four in L1 in 2009. Of course you can't compare todays squad with a team of lower league players who are all over 30 and past their prime.....but without the effort they put in we might not be in the Prem. today.......and besides it's for a great club servant and a good cause.

....now why is it that's not a surprise to me? ....like getting a telegram just a little bit late. I'd laugh if it wasn't for the thought of the money that we wasted on him.

I agree that the idea of a platform /station sounds convenient / attractive to some ......even a bit .....romantic. Wasn't it Hull's Boothberry Park ground that had a platform on one side of the stadium? The only drawback at SMS is that it might only be used 20-odd times a season.

the only time Koeman will go to Goodison, he' ll want to come back to SMS with 3 points.....

by which time we will have a team composed of 50% Academy graduates.......

BE FAIR.....we employ these guys to play football. Few of them are natural media geniuses. Forster's OK as a goalie - that suits me. JWP knows how to handle " sound-bites " but one or two others may need feeding the answers ....before they get the question. I often wonder how many Prem. players passed there GCSE's? Half of our squad don't have even English as their first language, so don't expect enthralling replies. Polite conversation is one thing, but a Q&A in a foreign language can be a minefield for some players, and even managers. All things considered, Forster did OK . (Yes ....I know he's English ).

...perhaps the presenters need a bit of microphone training. It can help if people are taught to hold the mic. properly, and no amount of enthusiasm can replace a good speaking manner and a proper " speech delivery "......... If it's purely an equipment problem, then surely we'll have a bit of spare cash to replace it after " the dead wood " is off the books.

.....which is a valid point. His goal-scoring record is surely great, but PSG are about a division above all the other clubs in the French League, and win everything. He's always been " a bit of a prima-donna" but not renowned for dropping back to mark opponents and help out at the back. If he comes .....and scores goals regularly he might be forgiven by many, but I don't see him as "team player" in the same sense as Long or even Pelle.

he's surely doesn't need the money .......after all those transfers, and he won't be getting Euro football at Everton next season......

Younger fans look for lightening progress, but we older heads can recall times when few players got their debut before they were 21....let alone having played 100. It may take another season for JWP to establish himself, but he's hardly a stranger to the squad and even if he spends time on the bench, at least people know his potential and we'll slip the groans that used to accompany substitutions in bygone days. Steve Davis is still playing very well and so it may take a year or two before JWP gets to replace him...

be right if you want to..... my point was .......that he hadn't hit the back row of the stand with potshots taken from 40 yards out......