Clifford Nelson

Last year we had a fantastically energetic midfielder called Gillet. He was our best outfield player by miles. Now he appears to have gone missing. Have we lost him somewhere? Even if AP prefers Morgan and Wotton, hmmm, without Gillet in the squad there isn't another CM in the squad who can tackle. Come to think of it, maybe he is the only midfielder in the whole squad who can.

The story at Huddersfield is no different from what AP pointed out to start with: We need 1-2 CBs; a strong CM and 1-2 strikers depending on whether Rasiak and/or Saga stays. So far we have brought in Lam. Great signing! I'm afraid the team as it stands today is only going to confirm the same thing time and time again. I don't quite know why we have signed an 18 year old on loan unless it is with a view of the long term, and to put him on in centre midfield seems a bit odd. We have also a problem with wingers. Lallana isn't one, and neither is James. If we want ammunition from crosses they are unlikely to provide it, which means either we need new wingers or, we rely on the fullbacks. If so we could as well go with three across midfield with Lallana infront and behind the strikers. Signings must come quite soon, before we slide back in the mindset of last year. I believe it will happen, but time is short. By the way: What is the story with Gillet. Not coming on against Northampton and not even on the bench at Huddersfield. What is happening?

I find it a bit difficult to understand why it is preferable that AP speaks to a non-football person like Cortese, who will always have the final say, than to somebody with responsibility for the clubs total sporting strategy (including academy and other youth activities and the targets we're setting for first team achievements) who actually has got a good football understanding. This system works in all major football clubs apart from in Britain where we seem to have strange notions about managers as benevolent dictators. Maybe we will need a foreign Sporting Director !!!!! who will know not to interfer in the managers decisions regarding the first team.

I thought Wotton had a decent game on Tuesday. He adds experience in midfield, so I understand why AP prefers him to Gillett. Otherwise I've always been a great fan of Gilletts. Perry in for Olly, that's a given, as is Rasiak for Pato. Leave the rest well alone.

Flatters to deceive. Gets himself signed and can't match his promise with repeated performances. He's no boy anymore and should have found his level for playing regularly rather than chasing for a club every summer.

I would love to see Gillett instead of Wotton. He is the natural long-term replacement alongside a creative midfielder. For the latter we've only got Morgan. AP must play Lallana until he knows how to get the best out of him. Pato to start with Lambert up front, although not easy with two target men together. Rasiak to get a cameo in case nobody wants him and he'll stay with us by default until the end of the season. He could be deadly playing off Lambert.

I have always been a defender of Chris Perry who has saved us on countless occasions and who possess good positional sense and anticipation which rather makes up for his lack of hight. The game yesterday was probably the first L1 game I've ever watched with any real interest, and I am starting to realise why you need two tall brutes at the back when the balls keeps raining in from above. I also noticed how direct we played compared with anything we've done before, or at least since Branfoot, remember him - the king of 'route one'. Pretty football is probably not the answer to the problems in L1, or CCC. The times we tried to play in midfield yesterday we ended up playing balls straight to the opposition. The penalty resulted from one of them. Morgan and Gillet were guilty more than once, but I can't say that I remember a really bad ball from Wotton...could that be possible or have I erased it from memory?

I noticed that we had young mr Pulis on the bench yesterday, which surprised me somewhat. I have never had the pleasure, or otherwise, to see him play, but was under the impression that there were good footballing reasons for why he only had played some 25 first team games at the age of 25. Has AP spotted potential, or with so many named subs can he safely pretend that AP2 is in sniffing distance of the first team, in the hope that somebody will take him off our hands?

This rumour looked odd to start with. It didn't jive with anything that AP has been saying about experienced players, or potential. No doubt he will sign prospects with potential one day, but I can't imagine that day will be soon. He is inundated with youngsters who might make it eventually, some of them better than others.

The criteria has got to do with the amount of international games they've played for their country. At the time of his last work permit he was a regular with Tunisia, I gather, but he isn't any longer. He therefore doesn't meet the criteria. I'm surprised that Saints didn't know that.

I think you and several other have got it wrong. It's not "only a website". It's the clubs voice to the supporters and it ought to do better. Since I'm checking other club websites around Europe, I am clear that ours is lagging far behind others. I have not suggested that AP has done anything wrong, but the suggestion that he had been "swift" is daft. Murty was here when AP arrived. There are other things the club no doubt will improve over time as well, such as the catering, but that is not as important as the communication with the fans.

He certainly has got a few great lines in celebration. I suppose, since he doesn't score in more than every seventh game he is playing he's got time to think up new tricks all the time. The modern games Robert Rosario...

Oh no, Pink Gins are back in!

I welcome Murty to Saints. He is a good addition, but it was hardly a great surprise, was it? OS is back to it's old tricks by firstly highlighting the signing as BIG news, and secondly got it's toe curling, stomach acid inducing, teeth grinding, SPIN back on song again. "...Alan Pardew has moved quickly..." When you can describe one of the slowest signings we have ever seen in those terms then you don't respect your readers. The Echo, of course, picked it up and printed the same tosh unedited. It winds me up to be treated like a moron.

James is definitely not a midfielder, regardless of his background. He waits for the ball to arrive to him rather than goes and meets it. Against Ajax his performance was woeful, not least if you compare it with Gillet and Fish. As a RB he will probably be OK as a back up to Murty.

From our experiences so far the new regime doesn't deal in rumours and leaks. The press leaks about Jaidi must have come from his agent, because he wants the football world to know of Saints interest so that he can hurry that CCC club along who has been thinking about an offer for a while. This smells of Stern John, I'm afraid.

That just confirms what I've thought for a long time. Isn't he on his third injury already this pre-season? Knee, blister, back... Over the years we come to spot this sequence of events when the confidence is no longer there, or when the body finally gives up, or both. With Jahidi we are still short of CBs unfortunately, since with WT in the sick bay there is still only Ollie backing up, and to be honest he is far from ready for the first team yet. As far as age goes, CBs, like goal keepers, mature late. Early thirties is fine. They will have learnt most of the tricks by then.

I agree, but I suspect it will be mainly Jahidi and Perry. WT's injuries is keeping him permanently out. Somewhat psychological I suspect. In any case it will be a welcome addition.

AP needs to make his mind up about what kind of midfielder Gillet is. I don't think he is an offensive mf, as he doesn't create enough danger, but he's got the energy of a young Oh! Terry Hurlock, breaks up the opposition's play, but he can also play a bit. Our best outfield player last season.

Cortese misheard AP when he asked for someone who was " good in the 'air".

He was under contract last year, so it made sense to use him for something. He was for a short while a superb CB for us, but that is probably as far as it goes. If he is interested in coaching he needs to get his qualifications and practice on a lower level. This is after all a club aiming to get back into the Premiership, and to do that we need proven competence.

It's a psychological conditioning of a large group of fans to meet any piece of news or event with catastrophic expectations. That's what years of dashed hopes do to people. If we're not one of those we just have to be patient and respond with a pat on the back and a "there there".

He was one of the few things to appreciate from the Ajax game.

I don't think Lawrie Mac should be dragged in as somebody of past regimes. He is the most successful manager in the club's history and has always been there to support the club. With the death of Bobby Robson today he is also the last remaining of the big characters of that era. We should be ashamed if he is not recognised by this club in his lifetime. A bit of respect would be a good start.