Lallana's Left Peg

I completely agree with this but we're told games are decided by fine margins a lot of the time so the balance between experience and being allowed to make mistakes and winning games is hard to achieve. I don't believe JWP cost us today in terms of a tangible mistake that led to a goal or anything like that. To be honest there wasn't an alternative (unless Davis played deeper) however when we had to dig in second half he struggled to break up the play in the way we're accustomed to with Morgan, Wanyama, and Cork - that is no criticism of him as a player as he is at a different stage in his career and experience but when we look at the things that the team struggled with that is an area that was an issue for us in the second half. I think he is of sound mind to shrug off this game and learn from the experience but I started a thread on JWP last Autumn in terms of his long term future and the position he will settle on and I am still none the wiser. He looked good in the 'Davis' role in the first quarter of the season and whenever he has played deeper its never worked. He plays deeper for England U21's and looks great so for his age group he is good but in the rough and tumble of the Premier League you've got to be very strong in the middle of that park or you get eaten up.

Tactically we never change but that is the way Pochettino likes to play - we live by the sword and we die by the sword on that front. It's not a spirit thing it is a momentum thing and the team being able to ride out tough periods and work their way back into the game. We're getting a bit better at it but we're not good enough to do it away from home against 6th position. As long as we learn from it I'm ok but I do hate the way that one player gets the shakes and then others do too. Doesn't seem very professional.

He's a decent player who has a lot to offer but with the standard set in the Premier League of what you've got to be in the middle of the park to contribute as a player for a top half team it's tough for him. I'm glad we give him the experience and opportunity but it is more than fair to point out today that the game passed him by plenty of times and when we had to dig in he physically was up against it.

That is the way he plays though. He takes the gamble to open up the game. It probably works 3/10. I've never known us concede from Gaston losing the ball that high up the pitch but I've seen us score plenty after it. We can't just turn him into another Davis or JWP clone. For the last goal the clearing header was weak, the midfield was nowhere for the second ball, and then it was a fair strike - I'm not putting any of that on Ramirez personally.

It's perfectly valid to be delighted with a Manager and still find things to criticise them for which impact individual games. For example, I'm delighted with Pochettino but unless Jay-Rod was injured that sub today was absolutely awful and compounded an issue we already had on the pitch. I won't hold it against him and it won't impact his fantastic work this season but when we look at the game we just bottled I feel quite happy to point out the issues which caused it. When we can't point out the issues and get beat, that's when we've really got problems.

I don't think it is mental weakness, I think it is the genetic makeup of the team from the last 5 years. We're a momentum team and struggling to make the transition to one which doesn't rely on momentum to win games. Sometimes we do it but there are relapses like today which cost us. When the opponents have their tail up we are really vulnerable and lack composure. We bring it on ourselves and in this league the opposition have the quality to punish you. We need to find a way to stay in a game when we have our funny five mins and everyone seems to want to boot it 50 yards. I don't like the way that when one player has the shakes a few others pick it up too. The only player that doesn't in our current team is Lallana. He stands head and shoulders above the others in playing the same way no matter what the phase of the game. I wish others would pick up on his approach to the game.

Of all the performances in that game you want to say Ramirez cost us the game!?!

No he didn't. He was bullied too often in important parts of the pitch. Nothing to do with his quality but his frame allowed Spurs to go through the middle too often and win loads of second balls. It's all a part of his experience and he is good enough to learn but this is the Premier League and the one part of the pitch you don't allow teams to dominate is the middle as the moment that happens you've little chance of winning the game. We lost the middle of the park in the second half and lost it 2-0 and it felt lucky to only lose it by that much.

Awful second half. Will reserve judgement on the subs until I know if Jay Rod is injured or not - if he isn't then it was a terrible sub to make. Pochettino leaves the team to sort itself out when they lose their composure as they should have enough about them to get back into the game but the hoofing started early in the second half and never stopped. Fonte and Lovren both had the shakes and Cork and JWP weren't strong enough to provide an effective shield for them on second balls. Lambert went to **** in the second half as well. Too many poor performances in that second period and we are not a team designed to withhold large periods of pressure when we sit back (both in structure and ability). Chalk it down as an unfortunate injury list in one part of the pitch and a learning experience for the team as to what they need to do to dig in and stay in a game and also to sort themselves out when the other team has momentum.

I'm not really willing to put someone in that bracket who broke their leg (and played on) and then suffered a setback in their comeback game

Bit worried Cork is being rushed back while still hurt and not fit. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

Remember when Sunderland took the cups seriously and the media said how good it was and how their league form could improve because of their momentum? Well that has worked out well for them hasn't it?

Robinson has had a lot of injuries and the club have stuck by him during that time. He's looked ok at Youth Level but at his age now if he isn't going to make it here it is best he moves on. I believe he was told before Christmas he won't be getting a new deal but I'm not 100% convinced of the source.

Probably not a wise thing to do. When I was 14 I was taken to West Ham vs. Saints by my Dad who was being entertained by a client of his. Wore my Saints shirt under my Saints drill top (all the rage back then ). Got into the ground and then when at the bar the police approached us and asked me to take my top off. I did to reveal my Saints shirt and we got escorted straight into the away stand Was the game Benali got sent off for launching Futre into Row F.

We've had plenty of players recover from knocks before. Pochettino makes a clear difference between saying a player is doubtful and whether a player has a knock and needs to be assessed. More often than not players who have had knocks have been fine to play - there has been the odd exception but by and large I'm expecting Schneiderlin to be fit.

I reckon player wages and transfer fees alone would gobble up 70 - 80% of that. Could easily see how it is done.

I think we need to wait until 1st September before we draw any conclusions.

I think you can read between the lines to see what the Board want the future of the club to be - they want to retain an identity but we must be sustainable i.e. not be reliant on cash injections from the owner. The first part of that appears to be ensuring we maintain what we've got but that appears to be linked with increasing commercial revenue.

Hard to know what state the books are in but I think an 8th place finish this season results in around £80m of revenue from the Premier League. That is around £35m more than we got last season. To be honest assuming other revenue streams remained the same as last season I could quite easily see that £35m being gobbled up every quickly by the new contracts, signings, and transfer fees from last season and the first payments for the signings paid this season. Then also consider the £25m+ training ground for which we apparently took out a loan and you can quite easily see why we aren't that comfortable...

Fans generally exaggerate the size of the club they support - its understandable. I don't know where we stand but I've always thought considering our catchment area for support and the for the size of the city itself that our home support was below average in terms of numbers. There are clubs with smaller urban areas that have better relative attendances and many are clubs that we think are smaller than ours. Of course you have to factor in success and ticket prices into that but even then I still think that. However, one thing that is unequivocal is our great youth production and that helps our standing in the game and certainly our profile as well.

The U21's have been using a fluid formation in the final third all season. Sometimes they even play a DM as an AM. McQueen is usually a winger but he has the frame and presence to play centre-forward so he has been getting games there. Seager is usually a centre-forward but has been playing more often as a winger for the U21's. It's all a part of their development I would imagine although always interesting to see what position players settle on in senior football.

It is definitely something worth considering. I am not sure of Chambers defensive instincts at centre-back but as you say he definitely has the physique and aerial ability for it. If he proves good enough there then that wold allow one of Hooiveld or Yoshida to move on in the summer if we need to drop the wage bill a little. He's a very very young age to be getting games at centre-back in the Premier League though.

Chambers starts at Centre Back for the U21's against Fulham this afternoon. McCarthy is playing right-back, but he can also play centre-half. Therefore we're playing Chambers there out of choice rather than necessity.

Now there is a player I regret getting away from us. Heavily rumoured to be joining us around the same time Ostendstad did I think and at the bargain fee of £800k. Was absolutely gutted when I saw how well he played for Chelsea

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-want-10m-southampton-ace-chambers-as-sagna-is-set-to-reject-new-deal-9201412.html Not the first time he's been linked in the Press however the report seems to think he can be signed for £10m