Lallana's Left Peg

If we have a fit and in form squad I'm completely comfortable with Koeman saying 'Ryan Seager isn't good enough for my team'. But right now the scenario is our two best strikers are injured and the only other one we've got (on average) hits the back of the net 5-7 times a season in the top flight. I can understand why Koeman wants another striker. But until he arrives I don't know what else about this circumstance says 'Seager still doesn't deserve a chance'. Cause if it is because he isn't good enough then I'll use that as a stick to beat Koeman with when he plays Yoshida and Martina - exactly the same applies.

It's not about packing your team full of U21's. It's about giving those players a chance if your senior professionals aren't doing the business for you. If our squad is stretched and the results have been awful and it means that the next in line are our U21's then so be it. But I noticed Chelsea played some U21's yesterday, Watmore is now starting for Sunderland ahead of international players, Man Utd have given debuts to youth team players this season (and one played on Saturday), and Aston Villa have now brought Grealish back into the fold. I suppose it depends on what your definition of how good the U21's are - I believe the players many have identified as being able to help us this season have the credentials and have earned the right to be given an opportunity in the right circumstance. Ryan Seager has done nothing but score goals for the U18's and U21's the last three years. That doesn't mean he is good enough for the first team (Sam Hoskins anyone?) but in this circumstance: 1. Pelle injured 2. Jay Rod injured 3. Shane Long's finishing being what we always know it to be - erratic and below average 4. Juanmi incapable of playing up front You have no other forward to play. And Seager still doesn't get a look-in. For me this is exactly the sort of circumstance you look at a bloke who scores goals for fun and say 'this is your opportunity' and if he doesn't take it and if he doesn't impress then at least we know and at least he was given a chance. But if only having one senior striker fit means you still don't get a chance then it's wrong - because Seager has done everything asked of him and he has a professional contract and we're saying 'no chance for you'. Weird.

Saints have looked at Shelvey in the past and stayed well away as he failed pretty much every 'character' criteria they have for signing players these days. Of course, it didn't stop him shoving one past Forster from 25 yards last season but Saints insist in this off the field checks and hold them in high regard so it is what it is.

Would rather satisfy the curiosity of some fans than continue to play a team / players who hold so little goal threat. I wouldn't be as concerned about Koeman's comments about the Academy and his clear hesitancy to provide a chance to any of them if the team wasn't misfiring so badly with no clear end in sight. In football you usually give others a chance if the current players aren't doing it for you.

Kevin Kilbane was just trying to explain something that was happening on the pitch and Pearce interrupted him so he could finish off his awful story of where Son used to play at Hamburg and who he used to play for before he went to Germany

Very little can put me off watching a game of football but Jonathan Pearce is trying his hardest here. What a shambles of a commentator.

If it was a release clause that Gray had then Leicester would have to pay it all up front or come to an agreement with Birmingham over what would be acceptable (but Birmingham can refuse and insist it is all paid up front if they want).

I was at Man City U21's vs. Saints U21's at the Ethiad in the March of Pochettino's last season at the club. There was already lots of speculation about his future and the game was played on a Monday night - two days after the seniors won at Crystal Palace and 5 days before our home game against Norwich. This was our team: The likes of Shaw, JWP and Chambers were already firmly a part of the first team set-up and Pochettino had already given first team minutes to Reed and Isgrove. For whatever reason he made the 8hr round trip to Manchester that evening to watch the U21's play. If I was an U21 player I'd have been delighted with that - knowing the first team Manager showed that sort of commitment to see me play and that he had a massive interest in seeing who could impress and earn a spot in his squad / team.

That there is doubt in your mind suggests you believe realistically he could be sacked in that scenario, and thus if he is sacked then it would mean to Les Reed and the rest of the Board that 1 win in 12 or whatever it will be (with 10 of them lost) is unacceptable - regardless of perceived level of performance.

The Board have stated there is a new 5 year plan but not knowing what it is suggests they aren't sure it can be achieved and don't want to be criticised if they don't. That is perfectly fair as well. If you have ambition but don't achieve it then it's far to easily to be branded a failure for doing so. I'm happy to keep that plan internal to the club and happier that we have one rather than just existing. In terms of the 'Southampton Way' that erodes with every passing month from last season. If you look at the things that senior members of the club have said it is then clearly we are not adhering to it this season. Attacking football? No. Pathway to the first team for young players? No. Unique in the way we treat people? Can't comment but whether or not we're doing it then it doesn't appear to make a difference on the pitch so I don't care. Sign young players and turn them into better players? We're certainly signing young players, but this summer was awful in the transfer market.

It seems likely to me that there is truth in both the U21's not having enough players of the required ability for our first team right now and Koeman also not having enough faith in giving the likes of Seager or Reed a proper chance. Personally one the things I've always liked about our club is that we tend to find out if a player isn't good enough by giving them a chance. With the season over in January (bravo at the club for achieving that by the way - 6 months ago we were in three cup competitions and thought to be one of the 'best of the rest' and now our season is over - quite some achievement) once we have steadied the ship I would like to see us at least give the young players a chance. And if the suspicion is that they aren't good enough and that is confirmed then at least they got a chance and Koeman is proved right. If they don't get a chance then the issue is not just that those players become disgruntled, it is also that we become like any other club and we are less of an attractive proposition for youngsters in the future. Join Chelsea and don't get a chance and earn more, or join Saints and don't get a chance and earn less...

I won't disagree with you at all that our summer transfer business was **** poor.

He will collate stats on the players and make an appraisal. But he doesn't decide who to sign. He may provide a list of targets based on a set of criteria (both playing wise and non-playing). Les Reed and Ronald Koeman pull the trigger on that one. He'll likely make recommendations but I highly doubt we've signed a single player that Ross Wilson likes and Les Reed and Ronald Koeman are unsure about.

I should point out I don't really think Ross Wilson is a problem at Saints anyway. I am fairly sure he just manages the processes that Les Reed put in place for recruitment. Unless Ross Wilson is insulting potential signings when he meets them I don't think he has much of a say on who we're buying, but he is responsible for a lot of the recruitment process in terms of collating information on players and then doing the work in the transfer that Les Reed doesn't.

Nope. But then again we were a Championship club at the time. Saints were a step up in terms of size of club but the market we were operating in was somewhat familiar to him. Ross Wilson went from spending club record fees on players from Bradford to completing deals for international players. I don't think that is comparable.

Pelle back for this one, and with Long in 'look like a really good footballer in everything I do except when I am near the football' mode I would expect him and Tadic to come back in. Watford are decent but beatable. Score draw as we inch towards a crossroads of either Koeman being backed and staying or Les Reed hitting the reset button.

I don't think he is a huge loss. He didn't take away any IP from Saints. The system he helped to establish is the one we have in place now. Without knowing what we have changed since he left or what he has done at Spurs that he may otherwise have done here it is hard to speculate. I was surprised we replaced him with someone from Huddersfield Town though. And who knows - maybe lots of talent was identified in the summer but we couldn't convince many of them to sign? I know Les Reed said we signed all our major targets but he'd say that no matter what.

It's very much been self-inflicted, so I can't put this down to having two good seasons previously and law of averages kicking in. Koeman has already started to publicly position himself away from the blame here. He is as responsible as anyone else (and there are others who are responsible too). The moment you have a Manager who uses the media to absolve himself of blame then it's not good news. I gather this evening he has started to set expectations in the media that we may make signings.

One more reason to envy it today. Both teams in the 4th round of the FA Cup, and one of them knocking us out.

You don't need to apologise at all. We have played well in games but we fail to convert chances. And then when we need to dig in we leak silly goals. For me football can be made quite complex but it can also be made quite easy. My view is that quality shines through. We don't have enough of it and we are paying the price. I don't point the finger of blame at any individual but it is a collective effort. No doubt some players have been below par this season, and in addition Koeman has made some peculiar decisions which have cost us, plus the transfer business has been appalling. Combine that lot together and you get a squad in the state we have right now. We're nowhere near as good as last season, and we are hurtling at quite some speed down the table. I don't know how it will stop. Smashing the champions elect gave us 45mins of momentum into the next game and the moment the opposition scored we all knew what would happen and the confidence drained from the team. We're pretty rubbish at the moment. Whether or not that is acceptable will be down to preference but I think as an overall body of work given expectations and the money we had at the start of the summer this is one of the worse seasons we've ever had (relatively speaking of course). I don't really see how anyone can defend it.

You didn't answer this in the match thread so I will ask you the question in this one: If we aren't rubbish why have we lost over eighty percent of our games in the last two months?

We failed to spend any money at the business end of the pitch this summer when the last half of last season the goals dried up and the issues were there for all to see. Then to compound that issue we failed to adequately replace in midfield and defence to ensure we could at least remain solid and resolute. Net result is a return to that feeling I haven't had for 7 years of now expecting to lose most games and being pleasantly surprised if we get anything out of it.

After his comments yesterday? Season is done, I'd rather know the kids aren't good enough via watching them play than see some of the current flops stink the place up.

What is the reason we LOSE 80% of our matches in two months then? It's not bad luck. So there must be a reason?

Clasie being saved to he can get some minutes being bullied by Watford on Wednesday.