Lallana's Left Peg

26 / 31 Forgot about Magilton and Pahars :mcinnes:

He seems to have settled quite well to me considering the circumstances, and I think he'll play every game he is fully fit for given the way he impacts a game - even if he isn't having the best of times when he has the ball he impacts how teams defend because of his pace and directness - he creates space for others. And his workrate is top drawer as well - he seems very motivated.

Haven't seen much of him and not aware of the reasons behind the move.

I'm a big fan of Cork I think he's a really understated footballer which is important for balance in the team however you have to look at things pragmatically - Ward-Prowse (England U21 Captain) was promised significant minutes in the first team this season and he is already competing with Schneiderlin, Wanyama, and Davis for one of three positions. Then you get to Cork. So at what price do Saints value what is potentially the fifth choice central midfielder for three positions? If Schneiderlin or Wanyama leave then it changes but right now for a club our size should we be spending 30-40k a week for that sort of depth? Or instead think that Harrison Reed (England U20 player) is a player more suited to that role? Would Cork be happy to sign a new deal and then see no playing time? We know it is a squad game and Cork has had many minutes this season however were it not for a bad injury to Ward-Prowse would he be near the team? Just a few things to consider.

Clearly wooed by Koeman otherwise he wouldn't be here. And he is keeping his options open, fair play to him - at least he is up front about it.

I am suggesting that signing Clyne to a new contract in the face of reported interest from Liverpool and Man Utd, and signing Rodriguez to a new contract in the face of reported interest from Spurs and Liverpool is a far bigger deal and far more challenging than signing Steven Davis and Jose Fonte to new deals. Davis and Fonte are both great players for us but they clearly do not garner the same level and calibre of interest from other clubs as Clyne and Rodriguez, and that using the fact they signed new deals as reference points for Clyne and Rodriguez is way off the mark.

Davis is a valuable squad member for us as a club but if anyone thinks the level of interest in him from other clubs would be anywhere near as much as it is for Clyne they are mad. And who was Fonte linked with before he signed his contract? Cardiff was it? Wow. It doesn't make sense for Clyne or Rodriguez to sign a new deal with Saints at the moment - they both have interest from bigger clubs and hold all the cards. At best I think we sign them to new deals where there are some release clauses, but that is just a guess. It would be great news to sign either of them to a new deal but they'd need a pretty compelling reason to stay in the face of bigger clubs being interested and, presumably, offering far more wages.

It's that time of year where players start to accumulate knocks as the wear and tear of the season starts to kick in, and the games come thick and fast. We already have Davis, Schneiderlin, and Tadic managing knocks / minor injuries, and Pelle is one booking away from a suspension. How should we approach the next 6 weeks - risk players and go all out or pick our battles? What is the priority for you? What should the priority be for the club? I wouldn't be adverse to the club picking its battles here - maybe prioritising the more perceivable 'winnable' games if players are struggling and need a rest. The impact is that a weaker team against the better teams gives them a chance to catch us in the league, but personally I think that would happen anyway and as Arsenal have proved year after year you don't need to get results against other 'big' teams to finish in the Top 4 as long as you handle business against the 'lesser' teams. I am heartened by the reports that the players aren't as tired from training any more as that would suggest fatigue may not be such a factor, but then again there are elements of it you just can't escape at this time of year.

Absolute worst case scenario is that he manages to replicate our approach to recruitment and player evaluation / analysis at Spurs. He has to do that in very different circumstances over there though, and ones which make the fruits of his labour harder to be effective. I don't blame him for leaving for one second either, but now this is also a good opportunity for us to attract a high calibre of applicant and get even better.

Porto players leave for amounts we can't afford.

But conversely he's also upheld his end of the bargain in every way, so I am not sure how / why he would owe us anything. He's been a model professional and played his part in the clubs success over the last two seasons. It's been a mutually beneficial relationship.

If memory serves he's had an injury like this several times over the last few seasons.

It's hardly a wild assertion though, is it? Spurs are a bigger club in every sense. Paul Mitchell left MK Dons to join us. We're a bigger club in every sense than MK Dons. I can see why anyone would think Spurs are a step up - in terms of possible remuneration, scale of work you do, budget for signing players and so on. It is a good opportunity for him. Where I would question it is whether it is the right environment for him with the Levy and Baldini dynamic in position to undermine his work very easily. But that is the challenge you take on, and the risk you take for joining a bigger club.

I enjoy Carragher's work on Sky and his columns are usually a decent read but this is ******** - anyone who saw us last season will know that Clyne / Chambers / Shaw all bombed on and in no way can any other team claim to have full-backs who bombed on more than us. The difference is that we had Schneiderlin, Cork, or Wanyama who are positionally disciplined and knew how to cover which gave Fonte and Lovren some extra help. Liverpool's issues stem from no balance in midfield and no-one in there with a defensive instinct who is also capable of physically performing that role. Both Liverpool centre-halves are left woefully exposed and while Lovern showed signs at Saints that he is good at 'solving problems' when he has to make decisions to kill attacks, at Liverpool he is facing different pressures and is cracking a bit. Lovern would excel in a different system but quite frankly any centre half at Liverpool is on a hiding to nothing.

Am I going mad or doesn't Mitchell just have to resign and serve his notice period like Matt Radcliffe did when he left for Man Utd?

You have to hand it to Ashton, he is relentless. Whilst Ben Smith and Jim White have crawled back silently into their holes Ashton just refuses to give in.

You have to hand it to Ashton, he is relentless. Whilst Ben Smith and Jim White have crawled back silently into their holes Ashton just refuses to give in.

It was reported that we do have a fee agreed - around £7m I think. If he wants to stay then get it sorted, I can't believe a better club wouldn't have already been in touch with his agent.

Lloris!

A nice touch but don't like the way it starts with 'Saved Southampton Football Club'.

I cannot claim my opinion is informed and / or based on a great deal of thought. I principally hold the view that there is a problem - there is clearly too few black coaches / Managers in our professional game and there must be a reason for it - whether racist or not. Many arguments come head down the road of there not being enough black coaches / Managers and then someone asks how many of them have their coaching qualifications and it emerges not many do. But that cannot be an excuse unless we understand why not many black people have their badges - if they feel the game is racist and there is no point then the lack of coaching qualifications cannot be used as a reasonable explanation in my opinion. The Rooney Rule is a little divisive as it somewhat formally acknowledges that there is racism in the game, and that is something no-one would want to officially admit. If it comes into existence as merely a vehicle to encourage ethnic minorities (not just black people) to pursue coaching and Managerial qualifications then I see it as a good thing, even if I think the rule itself for appointing people is wrong. Something else I feel strongly about is that football really only ever reflects society - it is not something that exists as its own entity because as a sport it is so entwined with general life. Therefore if there is a problem in football with racism then it is because there is still a problem in society with it. If society continues to make strides against racism then football will as well - it is inevitable.

Any idea what sort of allocation we'll get for this? From memory Sheffield United usually give away fans the entire bottom tier behind a goal. At least they did the last time I was there (the 2-1 win back in around 2007 (I think!) with Viafara and Rasiak scoring and Beattie getting all manner of stick from the Saints fans )

He signed Pro terms in the summer of 2013. I'm not aware of how long it is for but 2-3 years seems the norm.