david in sweden

just be grateful that they both went in...... and that they counted.

there is a certain logic to both arguments, but .what if ?...we were to lose Forster again for a longer period . just when having a good run of games mid season, or having made the group stages of EL..and then who do you have? ...... Gazza may be better.....nearer the end of his contract, but until then he need experience in a real team in a good league, and not in the Disney World U21 set-up.

just watched the goals again on You Tube. Davis had a foot inside the box, when he made his shot. I don't mean to argue the point, but the other three were closer in.

Mmm......are you sure this isn't another non-story from Alex Crook?

he's better than Yoshida at RB though. Maya will never get ahead of VvD .....or Bertrand, but he was always better playing on left-side.

interesting comment from Thierry Henry (no less) on the aftermatch comments... .....saying " perhaps it's the first time he's scored twice in a match, because it's the first time Koeman had played him so far forward" (behind the strikers). Had to agree that many of poor shots he's made during the season were from long distance - outside of the box and up into Row Z. I think all his four goals this season, were inside the penalty area, or even inside the 6 yard box ?

around £800K ?....at a time when the club record was perhaps something like £2 million ?...... In terms of value....quite outstanding... considering the sums we paid out for some layabouts afterwards.

yes he has .........in the U21's . Think the pace /skill level in the Prem. is something else......which is why I'm so dubious .

this has been my complaint since we were promoted from the Championship. Yes Kelvin did well for several seasons before, but he was never genuine PL standard. We were on the way to getting Butland, but Brum wouldn't sell. Instead we got Gazzaniga, who has still not convinced the majority on here. When the panic set in, we got Boruc....who was a mixed blessing in many ways. Four years on ....and we are no closer to getting good cover. I don't say Stekelenburg is the perfect choice, but as quoted in the OP....... his record is better than many give him credit for.

....a surprise decision for many of us. I'm not ITK, but have had some thoughts myself on the subject. Much has been said in Kelvin's honour, but this is surely his last season. A great club servant, and I hope he can stay on in some capacity. Sorry!.....but still Gazzaniga doesn't convince me, and any amount of good saves in U21 games is not good preparation to be back up for Forster. Gazza should go out on loan to a Championship side and come back with a dozen clean sheets...then I'll listen to arguments. Certainly, Fraser Forster has returned and shows he's good enough to get the No.2 England spot behind Hart for Euro 2016. A fair amount of (unfair) criticism has been levelled at Stekelenburg during his loan period awaiting FF's return, but stats. show he really isn't as bad as some people are trying to make out. Stekelenburg played the first 17 games and we conceded 19 goals. He also kept 6 clean sheets in the process. Even his worst critics would have to admit there were several goals conceded - from defensive lapses - that he had absolutely no control over. Forster, since returning has played ......17 games (to date) and we have conceded 16 goals .... That much vaunted 6 clean sheets he kept after his return - hasn't been surpassed since, he still has only 6 . Not sure who's in Koeman's plans,(?) and I'm sure the " Black Box " has a few candidates in there, but IMHO we could do worse that keep Stekelenburg. If we are to be a serious competitor for European games then we need real cover for an eventual injury problem (should such occur again). Not so long ago, several Prem. clubs; Arsenal and Spurs come first to mind...had three interantional keepers on their books. This situation can't be ignored and whilst we look for new signings in defence, or midfield let's not forget that there aren't too many other Forster's around.

One of the luckiest sides I've watched this season has been Man.U. Some really brain-numbing football with few chances, yet they have still won games. At least we tried to play football, but a lot of blame has been noted to our loss of points in games against lower-placed sides. Defeats in games v. Everton, Stoke, and Norwich, and a stat. that shows we lost 8 games of 11, despite superior % possession. Games we drew despite vastly superior possession. In 6 of 9 drawn games, we had considerably more shots on goal, yet failed to score enough to win. but most surprisingly stats. that show we actually won 11 of 17 games .....with considerably less % ball possession...and less shots on goal. A lot goes down to other factors like; lack of consistancy, Double-digit goal droughts by Mane and Pelle, and 10 games without Wanyama through suspensions. Yes - we started the season without Bertrand for 6 games, but don't blame Targett too much. We conceded 8 goals with Targett at LB, but 9 after Bertrand returned. Don't blame the keeper(s) ....I'm about to start a thread about a new keeper. At the end of the day....(or the season) the truth is ..you need to make your own luck ...and occasionally hope for a half-blind / unsighted referee. There was an interesting quote (from Lawrie McMenemy in interview a few years back), when asked to analyse the season..he said .... ...." Some games you play well ....and win. Some games you can play well...yet lose. There are games where you play badly and lose....and others where you can play badly ..yet still win.....". Simple logic , but very profound anyway. My favourite quote (about luck) comes from " All the Presidents Men ". Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards) questions why his reporters haven't come up with the story... " We haven't had any luck,".. they respond.......His reply was ..." get some "

Wanyama certainly is "a presence " in midfield, but he isn't irreplaceable. Playing well every game isn't the same as putting your name on a 4 year contract If he wants to go ..it's best he does so now.. whilst we can get a bit of money back to help with buying in a new name. With Saints planning long term (e.g. VvD 6 year contract,) we'd be better off letting Victor go now, than trying to find a replacement next summer. We need stability and not having to change out players every season. Fonte is still looking good, but he may not last as long as John Terry has. There are people on here who are still complaining about losing Alderweireld (who wasn't ours anyway), so we ought to go out and find the " next Wanyama ".

Pleased for him, but he's over age for the U21 's and won't get much of a look-in for our first team. If Barnsley get the extra Championship spot, they might persuade him to sign for them.

Gaston has become a folk hero for 'Boro, and it'll be pre-season before he's back properly fit. They'll want to keep him. A good guess is that he will sign on and play for them in the Prem. ......Italy and Uruguay can wait a bit longer........

...perhaps Freedom of the City comes first!

well said Clarkie, a real hero. It may not show on the score sheet but he's been the biggest threat to defences all season, and still managed double figures.

Absolutely !...and a lot of those lost points came when Pelle was out / injured / poor form and both he and Mane went a dozen or so games without scoring. Thank goodness for Shane Long ...when he was the only fit striker and put in a real shift every week. He may not become Player pf the Season .....but he certainly deserves an honourable mention.

the team may have beaten Tottenham, but Koeman won over Pochettino..........

He means.......a couple more years on top of his existing 4 year contract (now till 2022)

Good reasoning. It's not like losing a valuable player (moneywise) but getting to Europa League (please God) and an even better showing in the Prem....RK may well decide to stay anyway.

I've always followed the habit of never taking a serious look at any League tables until the 6th or 7th game....and this season it has proven almost nothing. After 7 games the League leaders are last years champs. Norrköping and Sweden's regular CL contestant Malmö. Although Malmö were awarded 3 points as a result of a 0-0 game (against Gothenburg) was abandoned after a firework thrown onto the pitch, hit a Malmö player and deafened a linesman. Fireworks at Swedish games are approaching European proportions at some clubs, and matches can seem more like Guy Fawkes Night than a game of football. Most other clubs have suffered ups-and-downs in form, ranging from big wins to embarrassing defeats, with almost everyone able to beat everyone else. Malmö suffered a surprise upset when they lost the Swedish Cup Final to the Gothenburg club Häcken, a yo-yo club usually cannon-fodder for big teams. Unlike England, where the FA Cup Final is a big glory day, the Swedish Cup creates as much excitement as talk of the JP Trophy did in Premiership Boardrooms, and the Swedish Cup has so little prestige here that it is played out in group stages pre-season as a sort of preparation for the "real season ". However, after battling through ET after a full time 2-2 draw, Häcken won a penalty shoot out to gain their first ever major trophy. If they get relegated - yet again this season - at least they will have something memorable to rejoice over. The gap between Superettan (Championship) and Allsvenskan (read.Prem.) is as large as in England as newcomers Falkenberg have found out with just 4 points from their first 7 starts, and their first-ever appearance at the top level may well be short-lived. Surprisingly early summer weather (23 deg.yesterday) may help provide brighter football, but Häcken may have already seen the best day of their season. The only greater success for the likes of Häcken (and Falkenberg) may be surviving in the top tier. Now we roll on until the mid June summer break, when some club fortunes have been known to change dramatically....

......better buying one from Richard Nixon.....

to accept a " Gentleman's word "....you have to be working with Gentlemen.

if he gets Saints to sign our top players for 6 years, and then doesn't stay he's not going to be very poplular .......

well getting the Osvaldo / Gaston " debts " off the books would go part of the way - wouldn't it? is he really on £300K?....at least he wouldn't get a 6 year contract.