Rowan Gorilla 5

A summary of some of the players we've been linked with from January-ish sort of time to present. Aly Cissokho - LB - Liverpool (Valencia CF) Davide Astori - CB - Cagliari Calcio Cheikhou Kouyate - CB - RSC Anderlecht Harry Maguire - CB - Sheffield United Virgil van Dijk - CB - Celtic Diego Poyet - DM - Charlton Athletic McDonald Mariga - DM - Inter Milan Havard Nordtveit - DM - Borussia Monchengladbach Claudio Yacob - DM - West Bromwich Albion Eder - AM - Sampdoria Aaron Hunt - AM - Werder Bremen Lucas Ocampos - AM - AS Monaco Rafa Silva - AM - SC Braga Saphir Taider - AM - Inter Milan Carlos Vela - AM - Real Sociedad Sergio Garcia - CF - RCD Espanyol Paulinho - CF - AS Livorno Christian Stuani - CF - RCD Espanyol Fabio Quagliarella - CF - Juventus Mirko Vucinic - CF - Juventus I'm sure that there are many that I've missed off the list and some, if not all, of the links may be dubious. Interesting that there are no 'keepers or right backs linked. Not that we need a right back. Anybody's guess who we'll sign and how much we'll spend but there are obvious weaknesses in the squad. Interesting times ahead.

Radja Nainggolan mentioned again as possibly being on the move.

Christian Stuani, 27 year old Uruguayan striker at Espanyol being linked as well.

I imagine that there will need to be a further similar outlay in the January transfer window to that seen in the Summer. £30m plus on 3 players to once more significantly improve the quality and depth of the squad once more. Of course this will be far easier should the club maintain its very healthy league position to the midway point of the season thereby making it a far more attractive proposition to potential signings. Given various other clubs starts to the season it would appear to be as good a time as any to push on in an attempt to break into the 'closed shop' at the top of the table.

He's 27. Cardozo is 30. Slight difference.

Cardozo would have been a good signing. Wonder whether there is any truth to it. Doesn't seem to fit in with the general age range. Would certainly have made things interesting up front and would tend to indicate that Osvaldo and Rodriguez are more likely to play as attacking midfielders.

Who needs to go? Martin, Forte, Barnard, Lee and Sharp. Some posters would want Fox and Guly to leave on top of that. Rumours, mutterings at best, of Hooiveld and Mayuka out. Not sure how much money that would bring in really but it would reduce the wage bill by a reasonable amount. Pleased with the 3 players brought in so far but can't help but feel that that the squad is somewhat light in certain areas. It does feel greedy wanting more signings but there are squad numbers not yet allocated which does indicate that there might have been the intention of bringing more players in. What is it, numbers 11, 14, 15, and 19? Would like to see full back cover, a starting centre back to partner Lovren and a couple of pacy attacking midfielders to give the team and squad that added quality and resilience to deal with any injuries.

Why would we not try to improve every area of the first team and squad if that option is available? I don't understand how we can settle with what we have and not strive to better what we've got. Where did we finish last season again?

Interested in January but it didn't go through and was for a few million less than £21m. If memory serves nearer £15m.

Possible rekindling of interest in Abdelaziz Barrada?

Aleksandar Dragovic loosely linked to the club. 22 year-old Austrian centre back of Serbian heritage currently playing for FC Basel. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12691/8696962/Transfer-News-Basel-defender-Aleksandar-Dragovic-keen-on-Premier-League

I stick by my comment on the 'Deadline Day Countdown' thread. "I'm extremely happy with the players that we have signed. I'm a little concerned that we could do with a goalkeeper, left back, centre back, holding midfielder and at least one winger. I know it's greedy but there we go. That's 5 players short and a long time till the next transfer window. Is there enough strength in depth?" We were obviously looking at a goalkeeper and centre back with the comments from Adkins, a bid rejected for Butland and the links to Fontas and Kana-Biyik. We must have been looking for a left back with the Buttner saga and the later links to Boilesen and Olsson. Likewise a winger with the bid for Phillips. I can't help but feel that we wanted to add 4 players to fill these positions but for whatever reason we weren't able to do so. I only wanted a holding midfielder to be added to that list because of the way we are supposedly setting ourselves up to play this season. That's a big chunk of a 25 man squad missing. Having said that I am genuinely pleased with the players that have been brought in. None of them the finished article but a great deal of potential there.

I'm extremely happy with the players that we have signed. I'm a little concerned that we could do with a goalkeeper, left back, centre back, holding midfielder and at least one winger. I know it's greedy but there we go. That's 5 players short and a long time till the next transfer window. Is there enough strength in depth?

Obviously I don't want to see that. I don't want to see us lose at all let alone to prove a point. I hope we go on and win. I really do. But please. Can we finally put to bed this myth that Bialkowski is some kind of goalkeeping genius? I am now all out of posts. Come on you Saints! Win!!!

My opinion is not based on these 45 minutes but on how he has played over the last few years. I swear people are still judging him on that superb run of games when he was a nipper. He hasn't shown anything like that form since. This game he has been awful. And some moan about Davis! I agree that we are giving them too much time and space when they have the ball.

Would people please stop banging on about Bialkowski being brilliant and deserving his chance and being good enough to take over from Davis as he is obviously so vastly superior. He quite clearly isn't and hasn't been since he injured his knee against Newcastle all those years ago. We need to get shot of Bialkowski and Forecast and get in at least 1 top keeper if not during the transfer window then during the Summer.

No, paedophilia is not acceptable and the comparison is still daft. Unfortunately with finite resources it is not possible to go to the lengths required to ensure that no crime is committed. Sometimes the only option is to allow a crime to happen and then arrest the criminal later. This is not Minority Report. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that your team losing 4-1 to a local rival is no reason to balloon off and start hurting people, damaging property and acting like a wally.

That's a ridiculous comparison and you know it. The Probation Service would have dropped a tremendous b*llock on that particular example. Anyway, I think most would consider it a bit Judge Dredd if the police did away with such formalities as judicial process and custody.

So, if person A acts like a numpty then it is person B's fault?

The police are in no way, shape or form to blame for any of this. The only people culpable are those that were incapable of exercising rational thought and behaving themselves.

Charging decisions and delivering the case and evidence at court is down to the Crown Prosecution Service and it is they that have to make sure that "those named were nailed on Certs to be found guilty" and not the police.

The people involved have nobody to blame but themselves and if they receive a harsher sentence because it is football related then so be it. It has been long known that in this country football violence is treated differently to other violent crime owing to the massive problems experienced with hooliganism in the past. It's not as if something new has been sprung on some poor unsuspecting types.

If you are rat arsed you cannot be given street bail. Fact.

What a load of guff. "If nothing else works a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through."

How is it wrong that law-breakers are being made an example of? It's just a shame that more law-breakers are not made an example of.