MarkSFC

I believe it's the Nuffield WESSEX Hospital near Winchester

Almost certainly any bets of this type would not have been placed in any of the national "high st" bookies. Possibly independents. Highly likely they were laid oversees.

touchy.

doesn't use the word exciting......

There actually seems to be a little uncertainty on his position and we do not know NA's thinking behind this potential new player. The point I am making is that too many people simply look at the names against the position and make the assumption that if we have so many "Left-Backs (for example) on the books we therefore don't need any more. I totally agree that GK (2 maybe), CB (x2), CM (maybe two), and RM are more important to fill but I doubt very much that the club simply works on one deal at a time. There will be many discussions and negotiations going on at this time of pre-season. I am very keen to see what combination of CM, RM and Wingers we sign. I have a sneaky feeling that Lallana will be used more centrally this season.

It's all about the quality. How obvious is it? We only have about a dozen players who are good enough. To become at least top 12 we need at least 6 or 7 more QUALITY players REGARDLESS of who may also be hanging around the squad.

IF we are going to take a formerly good but been injured ex-international mid-fielder would far prefer Hargreaves.

go on then....make one of Tommy Forecast

the poster of Nicola should say 'For Markus,for the fans'

On a pay as you play deal he could be a great signing, not least of all for the experience and knowledge he could share with the "youngsters". I think he is almost certainly fit and don't think it was a case of not being fit at City just more to do with not quite good enough for them.....does not mean he couldn't do a great job for us. If we did sign him I would expect him to be "in addition" to a major signing in mid-field.

Your "opinion" of us over performing and them under-performing is based I assume on past performance levels. This is exactly what many people fail to realise that past performance is an indicator of two things; 1) The level that they have performed at before and; 2 The level that they can perform at in the future. The fact that you believe that West Ham's squad under-performance indicates to me that the squad (to be general) was/is full of players who have reached their individual peaks and are on the way down and therefore perform at their best on a fewer number of occasions. And in terms of Saints this is the opposite. Our squad has players who are still improving and their performance levels are still getting better but more importantly the perform at this level far more often than not. Choices have to be made when recruiting players; do you go for experience, and therefore you know exactly what you are getting at its maximum but realise that the maximum level may not be produced as often, and that the player will only decline. Or do you choose the player with potential, whose limit is unknown but can be anticipated, and therefore as they improve (amongst others also improving) you boost the overall level to one that is actually unknown, but may also not produce as quickly as hoped or as consistently as someone more experienced. It's fairly obvious which camp we are in generally and that is far more exciting and is the long term vision rather than the short term one. I predict that we will once again over perform and West Ham will under perform as will QPR!!

I think these pictures look great. If this actually happens it would seem that the "red building and attaching structure will provide the additional significant income streams that are needed to move towards "self-sustainability". I imagine the extensions will provide major conferencing facilities, suitable "year-round" outlets like a museum, restaurant and bar(s), mega-store, and other facilities that I cant even predict! It would seem that this is the best option all round - to expand rather than build again elsewhere or even on site - and as such will have to be "future-proof". This means that it will need to be big enough to achieve the ultimate goals of the owners and without creating a white elephant or at least a ground that is too big and underused. I believe around 42-46k with corporate would be sensible. If the expansion of the seating is done well it will done in such a way that minimises the "obviousness" of smaller attendances (say 30-34k) which will be inevitable on occasions - some league and FA Cup matches perhaps. With the Staplewood development already progressing nicely there is far more probability that "an expansion" WILL take place over the coming years, and if it's going to happen it's very likely to start sooner rather than later as the sooner we have more income streams the less "financial support" the owners need to provide. I'm sure it wont be the case but Cortese must not "do a Lowe" and forget that at the end of the day the most important thing to the paying customer is the quality of the team on show.....

Welcome to the premier league lads........wow, what a start!!

I really can't understand what people see in Hammond that suggests he will be a regular in the premier league.He has played a major role no doubt in getting us there but he hit his limit last season. A new commanding midfielder - ideally Tom Huddlestone who could easily be Captain too....must surely be signed.

Who do people think will be captain next season? Hammond certainly wont be a starter, Kelvin may be/should be a doubt to start every game and its possible that Jose may be rotated with new cb My thoughts are that it has to be a player who will start every game if fit...a Terry or a Gerrard if you like I think it could be Jos or maybe Lallana Thoughts? Maybe a poll mods?

You are suggesting from this post that you only expect saints to be "in and around the bottom" which to me means bottom 8. IF that is in fact where we spend next season and some after that then what's the point? I'm not going to fall for the Champions League rhetoric but I do not see any reason why over the next two or three seasons we can finish consistently "in and around the middle to top half of the table" which in my mind is 6th-12th. Charlie Adam is probably a better player than you make out but I think he is a player who is "damaged goods" in the sense that his career has stalled at Liverpool if not actually gone backwards and that is not the type of player I think we are going for. A Charlie Adam (having just had his season in the Prem with Blackpool) is exactly the type of player I would like us to sign 1 or 2 of (a CM and CB - has a little prem experience and is developing and probably 24-26) and I think that is exactly what NA is looking for in addition to 3 or 4 more Jay Rodriguez types - young and developing with oodles of potential!!

Think that would be perfect.....being greedy....chuck in a right back too!!

Particularly the young early to mid twenty year old ones who are definitely going to get better..... Probably be wise though to get a couple of similar age ones but who have been in the prem like Scott Dann and Mark Davies for example.

I don't really care who plays as long as we score loads and win games of football!! It's just great to have 4 such strikers at the club (almost!)....add in Lallana and this is arguably the best group of attackers we have had since MLT, Shearer, Rod Wallace and Rideout....

Not at all. At least not unless we "know the full reasons" quoted from Adkins or cortese or JR or a combination!! I think the time to judge the so-called ambition is at the end of this transfer window. You never know we may miss out on JR (for whatever reason) and then spend £10 million on someone the week after! I am hopeful, not just because of my emotional attachment to the club but from a logical perspective. Everything Cortese has done and is doing suggests that there is now more ambition than ever, or at least ambition that is planned in every detail, considering all outcomes and more importantly properly funded. Why would you buy a club just to become a yo-yo club and flirt with the bottom echelons of the Premier League. It's not the prudent thing to do. A certain level of investment (of course unknown) is designed to ensure that the club can survive "on its own merits" in the future...probably in 5 to 8 years time. I think there is no doubt regardless of the JR outcome that this club has serious ambition. For once we are are very lucky.................even if it does cost us a little bit more....it's a brilliant time to support Saints after the Askham and Lowe years!!!

I get the impression that Burnley NEED to sell him in order to buy players themselves. I'm sure that he will move because it is right for him but by moving he is also providing "his club" with the funds to improve overall. At the moment though we know nothing concrete but it seems very unlikely to me that he will not sign for us.

Green would certainly be good, possibly the best we could get right now but I reckon he will go to either Spurs or Villa.

This. He derserves to be involved but he is not the keeper to take us up the Premier League. Butland maybe. Gordon maybe. A.N.Other probably! Who ever it is must be a far better commander of his box on corners particularly and have far quicker distribution and kicking ability. Davis does not aid our fast paced keep ball style.

Booed (not literally but in discussion) by me.......Graham baker (only remember one forward pass!)...Glenn Cockerill...Gordon Hobson....Paul Jones....Malcolm Waldron......amongst others; and in the current squad..........Chaplow (has the form curve of BT without the same highs and longer troughs)....Seaborne (just rubbish under pressure which effects every element of his game)

No I'm not!!!