Lallana's Left Peg

I'm not sure we can consider a 'if you build it they will come' approach - it may be that all those expansions were done after the clubs qualified that they would be filled. Also, I think we need to add Cardiff to the list to Wolves.

He's out of contract and I think that bridge has been burnt a long time ago.

What substantiates this though? For the level of investment required there isn't really any supporting evidence which says it would make financial sense.

He's out of contract I believe, so free to do what he wants. I'm not really a fan of Richards - gets injured far too much, I don't think he has the right sort of build for the modern footballer, and I am not convinced of his football intelligence. That said, the assist totals he got at Man City were quite impressive. I'd like to think we can do better but you never know.

Fonte has been better than Alderweireld though. I'm not saying he is a better player, but Fonte's performances have been better over the course of the season.

It will be interesting to see what Tadic does in his second season in the league. He first season has been better than Lallana's was - in fact, far better over the course of a season.

I don't think ticket prices would go down if we expanded the stadium. It's a nice thought, but I don't see it. I can't see the club passing on some of the new TV deal money to the fans by virtue of lower tickets prices either. FFP makes every source of revenue absolutely vital to optimise.

It's this 'exceptional talent' loophole to work permits for non-EU players that is the biggest bunch of nonsense in everything.

Skrtel has been done - step forward Lovren...

As long as our replacements cost less than we sell for and perform to an equal level we can build. Whether or not a recruitment strategy can be that successful is the question. But it is certainly possible in theory.

I think they still would. Football is a game of momentum, if you could slow down the momentum of the opposition by time wasting at that moment you'd still do it knowing the Ref would add time on at the end - it would be worth it.

1. Did the United win put us pretty much out of the race? No. 2. Is there even a race or will it just be the top 4 as they are now? There is still a race but it is starting to look more clear cut that the incumbents will remain where they are. 3. Were we ever realistic contenders or does our relative squad size make it nigh on impossible? That little surge after Christmas was not expected but over the course of a 38 game season the little moments of quality and squad size are telling. We've given it a great shot (and will continue to do so). 4. Would you be in any way disappointed with Europa League because you thought we had a shot at the CL? Not at all. 5. Assuming we get there, would Europa be of equal, lesser or greater importance relative to the PL and other Cups next season? A club of our size will see its League Form take a significant hammering from competing in the Europa League - you can prioritise really, but just try and manage the squad the best you can in the circumstance. As long as we're safe in the league I'd like to see a strong effort in the cups.

Lallana get a lot of stick from Liverpool fans off the back of Sunday. They seem to be irked by Rodgers' insistence on shoehorning him into the team resulting in Sterling playing right wing-back etc. I thought Lallana was doing ok for Liverpool and they have far bigger problems than his presence in the team but Liverpool fans' confusion this season over a number of things has been very funny to see.

It usually takes 48hrs for the swelling to settle down enough for a meaningful scan to be taken. That said, if there is a lot of swelling its not usually a good sign. If we miss out on the Top 4 it won't be because Kelvin Davis is out keeper for the final 8 games. There is no doubt that Frazer Forster is a better keeper but Davis will do for us.

Could be 4-4-2?

There are lots and lots of reasons to like Fonte, but as a quality of football player, he is not as good as Alderweireld.

I reckon we have a 78% success rate.

Well the leaked kits that are getting everyone excited do have a sash on the away shirt which as far as I am concerned correlates with what Turkish said - I don't think he stipulated it was the home shirt at all.

Becoming rich doesn't stop you wanting more. How many rich people do you know of that turn their back on more money despite having an amazing life? I would say it's minimal compared to those who continue to want to accumulate.

Interesting - so basically a 7th place finish means qualifying in July, a 6th place finish means qualifying in August, and a 5th place finish means no qualifying.

This news is massively disappointing.

There is no doubt our U18 team is young but so are many others in the league - we aren't the only team that fast track kids by any means. The current group of U18's are mixed - some of them (not all of them) have been with the club a while. Many of them haven't - in fact, a good half dozen or so of them only joined us in the six months leading up to last summer. We took rejects from other clubs as our lads weren't that good. The current first year scholars aren't great. You talk of Sims and Seager but they are not first year scholars. When I talk of intake I talk of the first year scholars for the season i.e. the players joining the club as scholars that summer - either from other clubs or from the U16's. If you take a look at the bench for our last U18 game you will see a lot of 'Trialist' - and that will give you some indication of what level the current first year scholars are at.

I would suggest he isn't aware of the hundreds of players Saints are scouting at any one time and so can't comment!

Reed, Stephens, and Turnbull in U20 squad.

Matthew Targett called up to the U21 squad along with JWP.