david in sweden

Do you mean the £100 million* or Pelle moving to them?....let's wait and see before we laugh, eh? If Conte does (indeed) get the job.......* I don't suggest he'd spend £100 million in August - but maybe in the first 12/15 months....

almost every player gets some sort of injury, and it's almost 5 years since he left Saints...don't think he's had many injury problelms.. surely ?

It ws Conte who introduced him into the Italian national side, and GP scored a few vital goals for them. Abrahamovic will give him 100 million to spend, and he's sure to bring in a few Italian players - so why not ?

you mean ....you were watching another channel ? I think Clasie is improving all the time. After his injury-marred start ....he drew a lot of criticism from some impatient types on this site, but he does look better now. Now ...he only needs to score /assist a few vital goals and he'll be Player of the Month .

good thought angelman ...not exactly a sell-on clause but if they wanted him badly enough, and we subsidizes his salary, then we might be able to claw a back few K. if they go up.

Not the most convincing argument IMHO. The list excluded Wayne Bridge who must be considered to be the first real big money sell from the Academy (proper). He played 150+ games for Saints at Prem.level before movingChelsea, likewise it also left out Andrew Surman and Nathan Dyer (who Saints were forced to sell in the 2009 crisis) but both still made it to the Prem. The charts are a bit arbitrary as the age of 24 is not necessarily a benchmark for anything....why not 23, 22 ...or 21 ? Some of the " famous " names (above) left us whilst still in their teens, the exceptions being Bridge and Surman who were still only 22 when sold. Dyer was only 20. It must be noted that we were playing below Prem. level with some of those early "sells" and naturally they looked good prospects for "clubs with fat bank accounts" who were used to spending far more on their player signings, and could afford to take a chance with a young prospect, and nurse them along in their own U21 sides. With more and more costly foreign signings coming into the Prem. it's going to be harder for young players to make it - even if we'd like to think they might. As for the "Koeman comment " about lack of quality, ....for what it's worth I agree with him. Pochettino's "reputation for bringing on young players " (and to some degree Koeman too) ...are a bit of a fallacy, as both were forced to bring in youngsters at a time when we had massive first team injury problems, but few ever showed any signs of being good enough to displace the incumbent. At present there a few names who leave their mark in Academy games...Reed, Hesketh, McCarthy and McQueen in the U21s...and a few younger lads like Callum Slattery and Alfie Jones in the younger age group.......but at present ....no-one who looks even remotely likely to displace anyone in the first team squad on a permanent basis. All players - regardless of their age /experience go through a purple patch of good games, but young Rashford (at Man.Utd) has taken his chances well, but like James Wilson last season .....wouldn't have got near their bench in ordinary circumstances. If Rashford is still featuring in matches, and scoring goals at the end of the season ..the media will start calling him the " new Harry Kane / Deli Alli ".......it's bu** sh*t! Saints Academy will continue to produce good prospects, and some of them may make it to become Prem. players, but unless they move to " a top four club" and for a big fee, their names will be forgotten in a few years; like those of Bridge, Surman and Dyer.

This week's crazy thought ..... With Conte being tipped as the next Chelsea manager..might he not be thinking that Chelsea need a big striker up front (something they've missed for a few seasons) ...IF Pelle has a good Euro .....then Conte might feel that Graziano is the sort of player he needs up top in a new Chelsea set-up. OK I said it was the crazy idea.....

.....perhaps the tax income from all those rich retired folk in Bournemouth is needed to help balance Dorset's economy ?

Jake Vokins looking very useful. Still not 16 until next month, he looks calm and shows ability far above his years. Good prospect. Disappointing time for Sam Gallagher, just can't get it together. Bothered Chelseas defence a lot in first half, but REALLY needs a goal for his confidence. Five U18 players in this U21 line-up against a useful Chelsea out fit, a clean sheet is good - all things considered.

It's a good job that Long has been around to score those goals because neither Pelle or Mane have scored in months. If Long doesn't play.....we may start with Austin and ....Mane (?) and if things don't go according to plan A.....let's see Tadic doing his "super sub" routine..... Really looking forward to having JayRod back in contention. Score? .....hopefully a win.... 2-0?....but may have to settle for 1-1

well Mane hasn't scored in the Prem. since ......the end of October?....(aside from the early one in the 1-6 debacle v.L'pool in the League cup (I'm glad City won btw). but I wouldn't say that either he, or Tadic is an out and out striker and with Pelle's current lack of form ....I hardly noticed they were in the game near the end. IMO.... our strike force is Pelle, Austin, Long and ....Juanmi......or maybe you disagree?

bet he's glad he wasn't there today ....to miss again

If Man.City qualify in top four, then their Euro Leaugue place doesn't go to losers ?...........somebody who knows the rules please..... If they win CL.....they qualify next season as winners?....does the 4th CL place go to 5th placed team ?....in which case an extra place in Euro League ..? or ?.... If a top four side wins the FA Cup..then is an extra place available in Euro League ....?

Agreed Duncan. Pelle was a new commodity last season, and he did well with the service from Tadic....and later Mane, but it only worked against certain teams. Now he's been found out and it's not difficult to contain him without either of his former "suppliers".

not much choice until Jay Rod gets back .......although there is always Juanmi.......

Shane Long didn't give their slow-moving back-line time to think, but when Pelle came on ....he was even slower than they were....

that's been my argument for years, maybe "Sepp Blatter's successor" may extend that facility to the whole game, not just the occasional goal-line incidents.

" Another ref." might well have booked Ivanovic a couple of times in the first half for his running battle with Long. He should have felt lucky to still be on the pitch to score their winner.

given his career so far ...does he want to play for anyone else, I wonder? Wages ? ...since joining them as a teenager (from the Championship club we were at the time)....I don't that he'd have started on £100K week - do you ? ..if Arsenal want to let him go...he's not likely to expect much more than he getting now (whatever that is). I still think it's a viable deal. as for someone else's comment about letting Victor go to them , and OX coming to us . I didn't consider the idea until yesterday..but always saw Victor going to them. He's not a "replacement " for Victor (I expect that role to be between Romeu + A.N.Other) but as an extra midfielder (aged 22 ) .....it's a no-brainer.

with the referee discussion going on in another thread... ..it could be said that another referee might have booked Ivanovic a couple of times in the first half for his ongoing battle with Long.... ......so why do we have assistant referees run the line, if "the man in the middle" simply ignores them? These days they have radio communication, too. Why ignore the decision of someone only 3 yards away?. First half ....we looked better than Chelsea despite their possession stats. with Shane Long giving his " typical Shane Long " display. we lost a lot when he went off, and became toothless after Charlie Austin's departure...for all the good Pelle and Mane did ..we might as well have played with 9 men. Clasie and Romeu looked good in the first half....so did Cedric and Matt Targett. Nice that FF got his record, but what came afterwards was rubbish in comparison.

.....you mean as an alternative to spending half of every season on Arsenal's bench?

Refs like Clattenburg are very inconsistant.....and are often very pro to the home side. .....but then again what referee who gave dubious decisions at Old Trafford or Anfield, would want to find his car - minus wheels - in the car park after the game.

Much as I like his style, I'm afraid that Theo hasn't lived up to some expectations, and IF Gareth Bale were ever to return .. ......he would only play 45 mins per game .....on the wages we could offer him.

...but what about the second half?....was it another Saints revival like at Stamford Bridge? ....If you don't know the final result..... that wasn't a dream .....it was a nightmare

The win at Stamford Bridge was, in itself, a great result - especially as we came back from a goal down, but today's game against a "revived " Chelsea will be a good test of our new " clean sheet " defensive reputation. A good result would put " our revival " in real perspective, and more pressure on the two Manchester clubs who can already see themselves in sight of European glory.