Lallana's Left Peg

I don't mind a high percentage sell on clause in the deal, for two reasons: 1. If it is to be used then it means he has been a big hit. 2. In all recent transfers where a sell on clause has existed the selling club just increase the fee that needs to be paid because of it, rather than take the hit themselves (Liverpool with Sterling, for example), so I don't think it will mean Saints will miss out on much. The only exception to this will be release clauses in the contract but I don't think Saints get involved in that sort of thing.

I said at the time that his knee buckled and it would be ligament damage - hope it isn't too bad.

Levy drives a hard bargain when selling any player. It means he finds it hard to shift players until the back end of the window. He also doesn't spend much money until he has shipped players out. It results in an absolute cluster**** at the end of every transfer window for Spurs. For all the extra income he garners from his negotiating when selling players, he loses any gains by having to purchase substandard players at the back end of the window. Spurs

Spurs

A few years ago I believe the stats showed that less goals were conceded by teams that had zonal marking. The types of goals that were conceded from zonal marking highlighted it's issues but the stats showed that fewer goals were conceded when compared to man marking. I think that has changed now though. Like most things that become popular, football then finds a way of overcoming / exploiting it and then we move onto the next thing.

I think it is just a matter of probability - that Management think there is less chance of conceding a goal from all men back even if the ball gets recycled back into the box after clearing it than if we had a man upfield and two of the opposition defenders covering him. They probably think the chances of scoring from a break from a corner are remote. On corners, I would always offer a man to go short as a decoy - more often than not it drags two men out to cover (meaning the opposition lose a defender in the box) or if they only take one it preoccupies another defender in the box who is detailed to run out if the corner is taken short.

I do. And he'd be amongst lots of footballers in being the same. It was the same when he left Celtic.

I think his agent has convinced Vic that a move to Spurs is a good idea and Vic is acting on instruction rather than through any deep desire to leave Southampton for Spurs.

I don't know what Wanyama's personal wishes are. I do know how his agent behaves. Based on how I know his agent behaves, it wouldn't surprise me to see him agitate his client for a move regardless of his clients happiness.

I think his agent is acting in the best interests of himself and what he thinks is best for Wanyama - regardless of whether Wanyama is happy or not.

Whilst I am not in any way protecting Vic's role in all this (after all, he is a grown man and do what he wants) I think it is fair to say he is very much led by his agent (unless that agent has changed when he joined us) so with his agent agitating for a move I am going to guess that the club have more issues with him than Wanyama.

I agree, they don't. But none of them will be top half or pushing for Europe like Saints want to. So we're still short.

August Update Sam Gallagher (MK Dons, Championship, Season-Long) Has featured plenty for MK Dons, but by no means an automatic starter. Yet to score. Jack Stephens (Middlesbrough, Championship, Season-Long) Has made just two appearances for Middlesbrough, both in the League Cup (two wins). However, was taken off at HT in the win at Burton Albion. Jordan Turnbull (Swindon Town, League 1, Season-Long) Has played in all Swindon's game in August. Swindon currently sit 8th in the league and went out of the League Cup at home to Exeter. Has picked up two bookings.

8 games in and finally a game where we pass the ball properly! Lets hope a lot of confidence has returned now.

I don't believe the club willingly sold any of the players that left, and we certainly gained great transfer fees for them all. The argument against the board at the moment is whether or not they have diligently spent the money required on replacements. One thing that ****es me off is that we sell a player for £25m and buy a replacement for £8m and then also cover that replacements wages from the transfer fee received for the player sold. It's going to create a team of far less quality.

Ah ok - for a moment I thought you said as a fan! I think the club has ambition but it can't make it happen based on how football works, which is a shame.

Have you really just said that!?!

Our Chairman said we wouldn't conduct any of our business in public * * apart from when we have to respond to the media circus and make statements about keeping players who are then sold a few weeks later and when we brief the media ourselves.

I think the vast majority of fans understand this. It's the how much worse we'll be that some fans are worried about. We can go back to being average but over a course of a number of seasons would feel more normal - right now a dramatic fall from grace is not out of the question - from 7th to 15th or so would be shocking.

Unfortunately this is the sort of thing that struggling teams fighting relegation spout when they make a bad start to the season and / or pick up a win and then all of a sudden think they can go on a run. Lets hope Saints themselves aren't thinking this way as a faux reset doesn't do anything to address the insane number of issues our team has at the moment.

You don't continually sell your best players and get better when it happens over the course of several years. It's impossible.

Why are we all of a sudden going to start signing better players? This summer we signed lots of players in the bargain bin range because we thought we'd have more games but it turns out we won't have more games as those players aren't that good (or good enough yet). We have an ok team but the number of players who are going to interest better teams dwindles by the year and that was always going to happen.

Christ he didn't wait long to get involved. Wonder if he is still sucking off Cortese?

Tepid applause when they venture out for warm-ups to show the disappointment from tonight and a big roar before kick-off and get behind the team. Then it's down to the players but the fans will be quick to turn unless some effort and application is shown.

Why was he on the bench then?