david in sweden

LAST SEASON .....Saints played 45 Prem + Cup games. Pelle played in 43 and was sub. once = goal tally 16 Shane Long started 16 games and sub. 18 times (although half of those in the last 10 mins.) = goal tally 7 also noted we never lost a game when Long scored.... and in 4 of those he scored winning goal(s) THIS SEASON ..so far...Long has started 4 times ..and been sub.8 times = goal tally 5. ( 2 of those as oncoming sub.) (see more stats. on #117)

1) you were quite pedantic about the word "prolific "...if you re-read my post #117 ..you see that I said Long was most prolific based on game time. See Stats. 2) ....you said that we pay the biggest amounts to those who contribute most...that maybe true, but the two catastrophic deal (Gaston and Osvaldo) cost us a fortune. and although they are " not regulars " ..they bl**dy well ought to have been ....at those fees / salaries. You can't just brush their history under the mat and say they're gone (well almost in Gaston's case) ..and now say that Long is an expensive failure - he isn't. If (Heaven forbid) Pelle should be seriously injured, who else would you replace him with ....Juanmi ? .....because after that you've run out of options. I think we all recognise that Shane Long doesn't get picked ahead of anyone else - but the idea of selling him off cheaply to make room for another makes no sense at all. We all want to see JayRod back ASAP...but if his rehab. period takes longer than anticipated..(as it did before) then we may be without him for even longer. Given the limited number of apps. that Long has had in the last season (and a half) ..his output has been excellent in terms of goals /per game time.

I noted that myself Shroppie.....in retrospect they weren't such poor opposition, but we did ourselves no favours the way we played them over the two legs.

if you don't like the word "prolific ", we can find another.....but even 2 Prem. goals in those 115 mins of Prem. football..... is still a better return than the others. ....and while you quote that - don't forget that; 4 of Mane's 7 goals... 3 of Pelle's 9....and one of Tadic's 5 came in miscellaneous Cup games. If his name is not on the team sheet (to start) then suggest you consult Ronald Koeman about that....and with regard to others who say he's not worth £12million .... I'd agree with that totally, but he didn't put that price tag on himself, but Saints made " cash-strapped " Hull City (or were they "Tigers " ?) an offer they couldn't refuse.. as no-one knew what Pelle's potential was, and we needed back-up. Even at an inflated £12 million fee, he given more to the club than those two " fantastic " Cortese signings...Ramirez and Osvaldo...and probably at a much lower salary. £12 million may sound a lot, but if the £65K week salary that Ramirez is reputedly paid is reckoned in ..his entire career time at SFC will have cost us close to £24million.

I'm going back to this OP Saint Charlie. in order to try and prove a point. Whatever else they may do strikers should score goals - right ? So ... those of you who don't like stats. should avert their eyes, because Shane Long is (for game time) our most prolific goal scorer in the squad. We've played 22 matches in all comps, and here are the stats. supporting that. Pelle has played out a full 90 mins.in 20 games (never subbed).Playing time 1800mins. and scored 9 goals. = 1 goal per 200 mins./game time. Mane has started 19 games, and has been subbed 11 times....Playing time 1519 mins. and scored 7 goals = 1 goal per 217 mins. Tadic has started 16 games and been subbed 13 times...........Playing time 1342 mins. and scored 5 goals = 1 goal per 268 mins. Long has started 4 games and come on as sub. in 8 games.....Playing time 388 mins. and scored 5 goals = 1 goal per 77 mins. Whatever else anyone may say about him, he is nearly 3 times more likely to score than any other player - when he's on the pitch. SO...go ahead and sell him........ if that makes sense to you.

....you mean like walking on hot coals?......

.....now there's a tactic we haven't tried before....

I don't always agree with your viewpoint Alpine....well who does? ........But I think you've answered your own question on the OP. To say the Board sold our best players maybe true to some extent, but what player ...earning say £40/50K week at SFC will refuse £100K/ week at Liverpool or Man U.? and looking at the progress (or lack of it) in the careers of those who departed in summer 2014...I think we came out on top. Of course it's true to say that Schneiderlin will be hard / if not impossible / to replace, but so too were; MLT, Michael Svensson and Antti Niemi, but we moved on. In quoting the £260 million that LVG has spent..... surely proves the very point that throwing money at the problem doesn't make it go away. He has bought in a load of talented individuals who might only have played against each other in the past, because they don't look anything like "a team" except for wearing the same shirts. MU now are more boring than Arsenal were pre-Wenger ....(and that's saying something). True ....there are no youngsters on the horizon who are likely to break into the first team squad, but there isn't a magic formula that produces a new one every season, and those U21 players who are around at present may come good in a year or two....if they're not already playing in L1, by then. Bringing Cortese's name into the frame surely is the last straw, as his two big parade signings (Ramirez and Osvaldo) have been the club's most expensive catastrophies. As if their record fees weren't enough to swallow...paying off Osvaldo's contract ...and then having to pay out Ramirez (rumoured) £65K /week for 4 years ...just to have him run around training at Staplewood is the grossest (and most expensive) insult the club has ever had to bear. The fact that Cortese probably OK'd both deals from dubious Italian sources doesn't make it feel any better either. We've signed around a dozen players since Koeman joined and we must admit that the majority of them have been value for money, whilst others haven't settled in. £ for £ or perhaps Euro for Euro, we've haven't overspent our budget and (unlike MU or Liverpool) aren't panicking to get into the top 4 by next May. Koeman needs time, but SORRY ....as someone who watched Saints struggle to make it to the top half of the League (in those 27 seasons) - I'm not so unhappy.

Upto ...three (?) over-age players are allowed in U21 games and Norwich put out a strong side that night. Although scoring first we conceded 4 goals in 10 minuted in the first half , after which there was no way back. Although we looked much better second half, Norwich then came with several late goals. It was a nightmare debut for U18 full back Bakary and Saints were without the services of three regular strikers. 2-7 although decisive didn't reflect the whole game. Some results reflect the choice of line-up, although even Spurs came unstuck when including England () player Andros Townsend, who was properly sewn-up by Targett and the Saints' defenders. Even the additional height /weight advantage in the Spurs midfield was not equal to the skills of Sims, Seager, McQueen and Hesketh. NOTED: Sunderland has an excellent U21 side (top of table) whereas their first team is in the Prem's bottom three. Wonder if Sam looks at them at all?.

I wouldn't use the word " leader ", but he was a darn good foot soldier who always put in his shift (and a bit more) and DAJFU on many occasions. and IMHO..James Beattie wouldn't have been half the player he was - without Brett playing alongside him.

Yes ....say it . I'm starting to get the same feeling.

it's clear that JWP isn't meeting the expectations of many, but (looking at the stats.)..he has started 12 games (of 22) of which we won / drew 9 of those 12. Not always playing in the same role, but on the pitch does contribute to the run of play in terms of possession / assists, yet most attention is directed to goal scorers ...and whoever is MoM. JWP has come off the bench 6 times (twice for S.Davis and Tadic and once each for Romeu and Cedric). Clearly he didn't always replace them directly and their "positional changes" , but we can't always expect subs. to come on and become game-changers , (although it has resulted in goals for Long and Romeu). Clearly, JWP's lack of success in converting long distance free-kicks is a real disappointment, but at least he doesn't hit Row Z with the misses (more than I can say for some of his predecessors) and I think it is that riles some fans. We are surely used to " non-scoring midfielders " by now - although I see that Steven Davis' critics have retreated since his recent goal flurries for Saints and N.I.) Many of JWP's free-kicks/centres into the box are very good, but we seem to lack anyone capable of getting on the end of them to convert the chances. ( I recall the displeasure voiced by some fans (on here) when Rory Delap's long-throws seldom seemed to produce goals, yet when Tony Pulis later signed him for Stoke ...those same long throws became Stoke's " terror weapon", against opposing defences and resulted in some good goals - from Stoke strikers) Quite simply, they had the players to finish the job, whereas we didn't. At present Saints have very few players able to make good use of JWP's free-kicks / centres. Every player has phases of poor / indifferent form, yet Adkins, Pochettino and Koeman weren't not shy of using him on a regular basis. It should be remembered that he is still quite young (20?/21) and is often still the youngest player in the squad. I feel that, in time, he will be a success when he finds his "correct role " in the side.

...for us maybe ....with their £20 million in the bank.. and no-one tell me we couldn't find a better replacement....

ssssh!....let Arsenal spend their money and find out for themselves. (£20 million for starters, eh ?)

having already established who " Ronald's choices " are (Pelle, Tadic and Clasie)....you wonder how the others who were signed came about?. I'm sure the " Black Box " came into it somewhere, but it's obvious that part of the discussion must have been.." this guy fits the profile of what we need for (position)" ....but it's not only Saints who buy in foreign players and see them struggle to settle into the Prem. (Man.U and Liverpool have shown some good examples of that) Ronald would probably say...." .OK it's your money - go ahead " -and if they don't fit the mix, then SFC only have themselves to blame. One thing we know for sure is that IF ...Ronald ever had any intention of signing Ron Vlaar (a bitter issue for some on this board 6 months ago)..then he never bothered to follow up on it, because Vlaar has now returned to Holland and signed for AZ Alkmaar. One less derisory issue to talk about. END OF.........

we have seen some good ..and very good football this season. Perhaps the win at Stamford Bridge is the stand-out result so far. The main problem is that we are back to playing only one "good " half in each game. There is no continuity and despite the choice of midfield " talent " we have available. Ronald Koeman doesn't seem to have found his best set-up yet. We lack real ball-winners, and I'm not as convinced as many that Wanyama's physical presence alone is the answer, and his passing leaves a lot to be desired. The strikers aren't getting the telling passes for breakaways, and Mane seems to be out of position.....(and still hasn't learnt to fall properly when he is fouled). There always seems to one pass too many in the last third, whereas other teams make the best of their chances and often shoot on sight. Our shots to goals ratio is poor, and in both the Liverpool and Villa games we had enough chances to have won both games in the first 20 mins. This is not the thread to start slanging out the shortcomings, but agree that most players CAN perform well, but they don't all do it on the same day.

SPURS 0-2 SAINTS .....(I watched most of this on Spurs link which was free for this game) Matt Targett scored with a free kick just on HT. Spurs played Andros Townsend and most their attacking efforts seemed directed via him. He was well-marshalled by the Saints defence and although Spurs were dominant for 20 mins.or so after the break, they went a bit flat after Townsend went off. Spurs put on attacking subs. in an effort to get back into the game, but paid the price when Josh Sims broke away with a run and beat the oncoming Spurs keeper. 2-0 Saints were looking stronger at the back and Gazzaniga was there to make saves when needed, and was helped by some wayward shooting by the Spurs strikers. Spurs played quite a physical game and Saints were awarded around a dozen free-kicks in the 2nd half, and the tricky Josh Hesketh (who was fouled for the Saints first goal) was a victim on many occasions, and three or four Saints players needed the medics on for treatment in the second half. Two Saints players got yellow cards in the last 10 minutes, but the Spurs players went unpunished, when at least 2 of them were lucky not to get a red at some stage. A good solid performance for the U21's which put a run of defeats behind them, but unfortunately they have only one more league game before mid January.

well....Last season Shane Long scored 7 times , incl. scoring 2 (v Leicester) as oncoming sub. This season, Long has started only 3 games but been sub. 8 times and has scored 3 times in those games. He has scored 5 (so far) in all comps. Considering that Pelle has 9, Mane 7 and Long and Tadic have scored 5 each ....I hardly think you can say he makes no impact. Long's goals /game time is very impressive .....compared with the others who have made many more appearances, and only slightly better goal tally. Everyone wants to see a 100% fit JayRod back, but no-one can guarantee he'll recapture his scoring form of 2 years ago.

unless you are choosing between him and Pelle .. and have the guarantee that Pelle will find his form again, and won't get injured for the rest of the season,..... ....... and that JayRod will return sooner than expected - and hit the top level form he had two years ago. ........then I 'd forget it. He has (arugueably) the best record for a "super sub." - as the majority of his goals have been as an oncoming substitute.

Do you think Koeman will stick with this squad and not buy anyone at all? also.... I'm sure that when he says ....we won't sell anyone, he means first team squad players ONLY....expect Gaston to go .....and Juanmi on loan (somewhere)

agree with others; (as per Wednesday).....could / should have won it in the first 20 mins. Golden chances squandered. Steven Davis MOM...a stand-out player today, Wanyama disappointing, Romeu surprising, van Dijk-as good as usual , and IMO ..Cedric looked much better. Pelle almost invisible, but has no competition as Juanmi is so indecisive. ...and last, but by no means least ... JWP's 5th yellow card.. so he's out next game...... Roll on the transfer window.....now we have 4 games v. London clubs...

I was halfway to that idea myself... at least he can defend as well and looks ferocious going forward...play VvD in midfield and try Romeu in the back four ....or ?

Nice idea, but on recent form the only way any of them would get " blooded " is to join the local Fox Hunting club......or has that been banned now?

?? .... were you expecting some special press conference?... ....and on which subject?. Ralph made a statement a few weeks ago about expanding into the USA with Soccer schools... should there have been more...one in Russia maybe?....or Australia? I'm sure they'll keep you up to date and ....ITK...... if you send them your e-mail address, but I wouldn't hold your breath on that one....

Shelvey has talent, but I think he's another Prutton, or Quashie.....when that red mist comes up before his eyes.....it's the ref's red card....He lacks self-control.