Lallana's Left Peg

Important game for the fans given this summers activities and also we saw last season what a good start can do for momentum and prospects.

We sold Lovren and Chambers and signed Ryan Bertrand on loan. Club starting to make the right noises about keeping players and signing players but I think everyone has been burnt from the exploits in May / June and are waiting to see if the Board can deliver.

Nothing in the grand scheme of things as the supporters can't control anything but if rumours are true and the Schneiderlin transfer was cancelled because of supporter reaction to the other sales then perhaps our feelings have some influence and the Board cares what we think?

I suppose whether you believe what they say or not is based on trust?

Was it FourFourTwo that had us down to finish 20th or something in our first season in League 1

Looking forward to see him play I think his combative style will appease fans however I do wonder why we're signing players in arguably our strongest squad position. I'm sure it will all play out over the next few weeks.

Realistic in numbers too lol

Whilst bookies odds are never accurate they usually aren't too far off. If 8th is the best we could ever realistically finish then it may be a case of finish 11th with £72m in the bank or try to finish 8th with far less money in the bank. 3 places difference. Worth it?

Only if it accompanied a picture of Andy Carroll.

JWP is under 21 as well and it is highly unlikely just because we have space that we'll fill it with over 21 players for ****s and giggles.

Plus are we saying that the teams in the league this year are exactly as good as the teams in the league that year?

I don't believe a player sold on 2nd June was authorised for sale by a Manager appointed on 16th June.

But it also becomes harder to do when you sell all of your best and marketable players...

I was particularly impressed by his declaration that no player would be sold without input from the new Manager and then Lambert leaving two days later when we had no Manager. That was a great start to the summer.

Thus far his track record suggests what he says and what is delivered are two different things. It is for him to prove something rather than for us to blindly believe. He had that opportunity back in May and it turned out he was talking crap.

But that doesn't tie into Katharina offering Cortese a lucrative contract to stay at the club. His value was clear to her and whilst she wanted more Governance at a corporate level he clearly brought something to the table which she wanted to keep.

Let the rumours begin!

On many of the UEFA Pro Licence courses they talk about the future of the game and 2-8 formations are talked about - game is becoming so fluid and tactically advanced that the idea of set positions are being phased out and you'll have a group of players moving up and down the pitch together!

I agree with this. I think Ramirez has a real chance to shine this season if one of the midfield three plays a little forward and with less defensive responsibility. And it might be one of those seasons where we huff and puff through many games and need to rely on individual quality to make something happen for us rather than dominate teams and score goals via sheer pressure and possession.

This is a position of strength for us and one where Koeman has a dilemma. I don't know enough about his system to be aware of the role of each central midfielder, but it is clear thus far that we will play with three central midfielders in his formation. So who gets the nod assuming we start the season with these players available: Wanyama Schneiderlin Cork Davis Ward-Prowse Reed Taidar Wanyama and Schneiderlin must start you would assume. When Cork also played with these two towards the end of last season we were impressive defensively but had nothing going forward. Davis has been a great player for us and can operate a little further forward as well but can he create enough himself? Ward-Prowse seems to be primed to have a break-out season but will he start enough? And I assume Taidar won't be joining to warm the bench. All will get games as the season wears on due to injury and suspension and it is a nice problem to have but who do we think Koeman will give the nod to?

I don't believe our signings thus far match the noises from the club about pushing on and doing even better however the club were hardly going to say anything else to be fair to them. I don't like the idea of loaning players as it reeks of short-term fixes. Pelle and Tadic seem good replacements for Lambert and Lallana thus far. The team will be different, I have no fears about going down but the club really do need to show some muscle in the market.

Have you been given a sneak preview yet of FM15 and do you have any view on how FFP works in it?

Fonte needs a leader next to him. Fonte plays to the level of his partner. It's vital we get the right sort of CB for Fonte to also perform as he did last season.

It's an interesting blog - I am not sure our transfer activities this summer have been planned nor do I think that we would be seeking ways to increase our wage budget via loans however as a theory I can see some sense in it.

We really didn't need him though, can't say I am bothered whatsoever about this.