MarkSFC

Not sure too many would agree with you there mate. Unlikely to play for us I would suggest, and if he does it would likely mean we are desperate or playing in The Championship again!

Swap Fonte for Carroll!

Its not about the total amount the club spends but the quality of player it buys. To use your number, if the club soent 150m in the summer on 4-5 £30-40m players, as opposed to 10-15, £10-15m pound players which would have the better outcome? We are in danger right now of "doing a Lowe" and filling the squad with mediocre. Boufal price tag should now be the minimum we spend on a player that needs to go straight into the team. We need a better team not a bigger squad.

That's interesting, well done. What it tells me is that Koemans two seasons in terms of line shape was pretty similar (at least to this point) and that Pochettinos "shape" was fairly similar to Koemans (or other way round given timeline!). In the case of Puebla line there is a totally different overall shape emerging which has more frequent peak and troughs, which would back up a theory that the rotation is not working (which is obvious really) but is causing more differences in performance. Keep up the good work, love stats, graphs!!

After the WBA game My mind was made up, he needed to go. Then I read the Reed interview in the Echo and the part he talked about the fact that Puel was brought in for his coaching and that the season schedule so far only allowed for rest, prepare play cycle, and not the coach, improve, prepare, play, rest cycle (as a coach myself) made me pause for thought and to be frank made me think he does deserve longer. What baffles me still though is his almost duplicate interviews and what appears to be a stubbornness to rotate because he's so ingrained in that process. He reminds me of Wenger in the stubbornness but what matters is results and (just like Wenger) they are not good enough for the squad. I understand the need to rotate but today and a few games ago he dropped JRod when it seems to me that he is really finding his way back and what he needs for his game and his confidence is a run of 5 or 6 or more games consecutively. Maybe he takes longer to recover but I'm cynical of that, but at the same time he sticks with VVD (which obviously is good!) and Redmond (even though he's not scoring what he needs to. If we do not sign a striker of noteworthiness in January then I worry for our PL season. I can't really see us sinking to a relegation battle but we've lost 4, it's possible to lose 4 more and then we could be in trouble. The fact that we are creating so many opportunities without the goals to show for it means our strikers are not good enough and or being coached well enough. Given the fact that the season is not allowing for coaching time (Les Reed) then the only option is to spend some money.....probably 15-20 if not more on a striker NOW.

Very true, thanks for the correction!

for once I agree with one of your posts, they look a really good pairing but my preference would be Gibson, as he looks much more composed and is left footed. Home boy and Chairman is his Dad so unlikely to leave unless for a "big" club though! I thought this would be his likely destination; especially when one of their CBs was linked with a move to Manure, guessing thats the hold up! I would be happy with Schlar or Sakho.

The actual number paid to players (as outrageous and scandalous it is) is simply down to market forces. Getting hung up on who gets what is pointless as is worrying about what clubs pay in transfer fees. At the end of the day it's all relative to income of clubs and their business model and in relation to competitors. Unless you are privy to all the details you can't comment on whether the "gossip price" is right or not, fair or not. The only thing that matters is that Saints remain solvent off the pitch and highly competitive on it. I don't care what numbers are involved to achieve that.

Yes he is good on the ball, left footed primarily and has a good range of pass. He does look awkward when he runs but I for one think he would be a very good acquisition.

Traditionally there are fewer goals scored in Italian football, but even still this does not sound like the best solution to our lack of goals.

The thing is it's not even classic defensive style - two lines of 4 or 5 - like a typical Pulis or Mourinho at Chelsea. We play possession football knocking it side to side up and back and back again and too slowly and predictable that it allows the opposition to press us too often and then we either launch it long or get caught out. We are on a fast slippery slope if he is left in charge.....and getting back up the slope it's taken 5 years to get up will take at least the same time again. As we slip, fewer players will come, the better ones will leave sooner and so we end up back down the bottom. When you're a club of our stature momentum is absolutely paramount and any set-backs take longer to rectify than it would at the large clubs, (like Chelsea this year compared to last). Decisive action - an acceptance by all that it just didn't work out and use these next 6 months to get someone in to halt the decline and set up for next season with two transfer windows. Fans will soon stop going and paying for the rubbish football being served up. Maybe KL is selling up and big money is coming and somehow 3-4 decent players will turn up this month.....but I doubt it and I also doubt Puel ability to make it work. Shame but sometimes people end up out of their depth or at a work place where it just doesn't work. Thanks for trying Puel but go home to France!!

So given that the style of play is so poor I will put two questions out there for curiosity. 1) IF Puel does get the push in the next week or so who should we get, and could we get right now? 2) IF he survives the season and nothing improves, who should we go for in the summer? For me; 1) Pardew for 6 months IF can't get Eddie Howe (which I would doubt very much indeed) 2) Eddie Howe!

Getting rid of Puel yesterday or today would of been tough given the game tomorrow but then we basically have 10 days until the thrashing by Liverpool and two weeks until the next Prem game. It's the start of the window too so tomorrow night, Tuesday morning will be the best time to get rid.

After yesterday's debacle of a game I'm now in the "need for a serious change" camp. This means of course that Puel (and his staff) must go. Having said that and although it couldn't happen, Puel strikes me as someone who is better suited to Development coaching, i.e. the U21s / U18s. I was quite hopeful when we appointed him but never truly convinced by what I read about him despite all the connections to some excellent players. Our football has gone from basically having one plan under Koeman and playing counter-attack football with Mane and Long, to a very slow paced, controlled and almost routine method. It's very boring. When Romeu is not at his very best then we become vulnerable and there is no one else who can do the role, we need to get back to a more 4-2-3-1 type of formation and move the ball much quicker. I'm not convince don't the Puel will do this and will rely on being in a "comfortable" league position to see the season out - very boringly. The only credit I would give him is his integration of more youngsters and the fact that even with the many changes he makes virtually every game (understandable to some extent but overall probably too many too often) has meant that the levels are very similar regardless of the team selected. But it's just not good enough. The question exists though, who to get instead and the main candidate I would like is working 35 miles down the road, the other inNewcastle. Both wouldn't leave mid-season and only Howe is realistic for us now. Les Reed as good as he has been has banged on about our succession planning......maybe now is the time for his successor to come aboard....

I would think that a train station somewhere between St Marys and the pier would make a lot of sense in the long term because of all of the planned development at the old city depot, Ocean Village, and the pier. Having another station would ease the burden on Central and the subsequent journeys from central. A station near the cruise liners also may be of benefit. Not that like to mention the place on here but its a bit like Portsmouths two.

I think it's an interesting one this. People are saying we are well covered in this area but I'm not so sure. I only really trust Romeu in the real holding role, although all the others can do a job they really are not as good as MS. I would have him back if we get him for less than 20m. At (just) 27 he is in theory just coming into his prime and regardless of those who criticise him for going he has had a major impact on the recent success (when a player only stays for a year or two it's very different) and I think he would be a great addition, probably playing as one of the two in front of Romeu in a midfield 1-2. Wages won't be an issue as Saints hold the cards and he would have to accept a decrease or not join. I have no doubt if the club had conversations with him and he chose to re-join that his head would be in a good place. The real question is whether there is a "better" MF we could get for the same price..... I suspect he will go to Spurs though!!

Its abundantly obvious that we need goals. Some of these need to come from the Romeu, Clasie, Davis, Hoijberg, JWP midfield, but more has to come from Long, REdmond, Tadic and Boufal forwards. Sadly I think it is time to let JRod move on to re-ignite his careeer, somewhere like Newcastle might be perfect for him, and to replace him with a more expereinced player (particularly if we get through tomorrow night) who can offer a Pelle/Lambert type style. I also think we need to replace Fonte for next season and if that happens in Jan all the better.

I cant and I would. Even though we sell players we do not sell in January. You like many others take what you read in papers as gospel when actually they (and Sky) are masters at peddling gossip to effectively drive income. Their agendas are all based on the "big clubs" because they have the most followers. They have no interest in the sport itself. Occasionally think for yourself based on logical thought and sporting sense!

I expect that our january window will be fairly quiet both ways. I can only see replacements if we decide to let Jrod, Martina or maybe Fonte go. Its fairly clear that we need to replace Fonte in the not too distant future but I would expect that to be in the summer. We obviously need more goals but in 4-5 weeks time this could be a very different situation on the assumption that Long and Boufal start hitting the back of the net. Again I would expect a decent signing in this area in the summer.

This is an intriguing scenario. It is clear that in this world the capacity of the stadium has a big influence on the potential success of the club. Of course this is not the only factor but the expansions to Old Trafford, Anfield, and the new grounds built or being built by Man City, West Ham, and Spurs shows very clearly how important this is. With Ms Leibherr at the helm i am not convinced that this would happen, at least not in the short to medium term, and by then it will likely be too late or at least much harder to catch up. IF and its a big IF, a takeover occurs shortly by this Chinese group then I hope it is only on the basis of significant investment into the ground AND the team. If not I am inclined to accept our mid-table position and the stability of KL. Interesting few weeks ahead by the sounds of it.....

increase the capacity.......

I'm guessing this is merely business acquaintances of Ms Liebherr being shown around "her football club" simply to see it. I bet they are in business together in another industry. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can't believe that Puel is still in this country. How the hell are we ever going to win a game of football if we give the ball away as much as we do. Redmond is a winger FFS, so why play him in the inside forward role.....I dont care if Puel sees Henry in him.....we need points now. We are so clearly being asset stripped by the owners because f the lack of spending and getting terrible players in, McCarthy, Pied, Hojbjerg (what is it about him that people think is good..seriously), Redmond, League 2 at most, and Boufal, is probably as good as me. Reed needs to make another video to explain the point of himself and why we are playing this hoofball give the ball away, run around like headless chickens football. fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuming.

I refer EVERYONE who is asking "where is all the money going" (which on the face of it sounds accusatory) to the summer of 2009. In very simple terms, as long as our club exists and competes in the Premier League every season the owner can do whatever she wants. I for one will always be grateful to Markus Leibherr and subsequently his daughter for saving the club I love and for the experiences since....

I would describe myself as a realistic optimist who suffers from situational moments of pessimism! My thoughts; - GKs......we are probably better off, I like the little I've seen of McCarthy in the past and he's a good age to be here a while. - DEFENDERS....after the injury to Pied I think we are in a state of equilibrium here. This is though where I think we are most vulnerable to injuries and suspensions. Imagine the (unlikely) scenario where our defence is McCarthy, Targett, Martina, Yoshida and Gardos or Stephens!! - MIDFIELDERS.....One in one out. Right now probably worse BUT I am certain Hojbjerg will be far far better than Wanyama. This is a big season for Romeu, Clasie and JWP. Depending on how it goes this could be the area we need 2-3 replacements next summer unfortunately. - ATTACKERS......Two out two in. I really like Redmond, and if the coach who Thiery Henry credits with converting him from a winger to more of a striker or at least coached the skills to become so, sees similar traits in Redmond then that's a great thing. Boufal looks like a fantastic signing and regardless of his delayed season start I'm sure we will be loving him before too long. JRod needs to have a good season as does Austin but I believe they will both hit double figures. I actually think Long will have a slightly less impactful season. But we do have good options. - MANAGER......I like him, I think he fits our ethos well. Generally he stays in places for quite a while and clearly is focussed on development, which whether our fans like it or not, the sustainable growth and success of Saints is centred on this to produce our results, as opposed to simply focussing on results with no concern for the future. Clearly we need a win sooner rather than later but he has good experience. - REED.....Surprisingly quiet this summer but proving our processes are in good shape. I suspect we went for one or two others but it seems like this transfer window was tougher for everyone. I like the fact we appear to stick to our principles rather than compromise our standards and bring a player who perhaps doesn't hit enough indicators to be much higher on the list, just to get a body in! - YOUNGSTERS.....I think the pipeline has slowed down but anticipate it will speed up again over the next 18 months. I've not seen a ought of Isgrove to suggest to me he will make it with us but from things I've read perhaps Puel does. I really like the look of Olefema, strong, quick, skill full and can finish. I think he may well be the next one to get into the first team squad. Valery looks technically sound but perhaps a little lightweight so we will see how he develops. Alfie Jones from the handful of games I have seen looks pretty good at CB, about time we produced a decent one of those! Prediction / hopes for the season; League.....8-12th. Satisfactory Europe......2nd in group behind Inter....Quarters FA Cup......Quarters League Cup.....lose in Round of 16 EFL Trophy.......god knows!! Overall I predict some bumpy patches compared to the last couple of seasons, mainly because other teams in particular the "big boys" have significantly strengthened, but also because or Europe but I am sure the style of our football will be one we all enjoy watching. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk