Lighthouse

You've not seen Carrillo?

There is nothing wrong with the supporters (mostly). I've never seen Long receive less than the normal support we give any other Saints player, on matchdays. He gets widely criticised on here because he is a poor player and a large number of supporters have noticed this. He's a striker who scores one goal per manager, it's just ridiculous. He hasn't had good spells under anyone. The best season of his career was when he got 10 league goals in Koeman's second year, which is mediocre at best. He doesn't deserve credit for working hard, that's the minimum I'd expect from anyone earning £60kpw or whatever he's on now.

Can't agree with that at all. Players who run and press may well be part of his plan but not ones which are as poor as Long. Unless a few more 'keepers fancy knocking his shots into the goal, he isn't going to score many. Ings has a poor history of injuries, Obafemi is unproven and Gallagher has a mediocre record at Championship level. When Austin isn't injured or suspended he just looks hopelessly slow. We desperately need a striker.

Probably wins it. My best guess was De Ridder at Reading after Hammond was s/o.

He isn’t a nuisance, he just gives them slightly less time to make a pass.

No matter how utterly, utterly awful a player is, there is always someone ready to point out that it’s the fans fault. A lot of people were saying how poor he had been first half, on the match thread yesterday and he was useless against Championship Derby. One shot (from the edge of the 6 yard box which was probably going wide) does not make him a good player.

I know. There was me thinking he was useless, just because he’s been useless for 2.5 years. Anyway, looks like he MIGHT have missed and it was an o.g.

2 o.g. In as many minutes for Fulham.

So would I, if any of them were good enough.

Have we ever put out a weaker bench in the Premier League?

Well, their ‘keeper is about to get a short ban for doing an Austin on Marriott, so it would make sense.

No

Let's hope not, we've lost every game he has scored in since the EFL Cup final. All 2 of them.

I’d also be happy with FF as a back up keeper. He’s a weakness but not appalling. Makes no sense having such depth in one position when we’re so weak elsewhere.

It’s going to be very long tomorrow.

You said if they were here and had played a lot more, they'd be worth more. Now you're saying you'd have them as back up, so which is it? Neither Sims nor Reed is Premier League quality IMO and the more frequently they play, the more detrimental it is to our results.

Don’t disagree but if we’re going with 3 at the back, that usually only leaves room for 2 of Rom, Hoj and Lemina. There will be games, like Leicester, where only one is available but for the sake of Reed’s career, I wouldn’t be sticking around for them. With our wage bill being so precarious, I’d make do with JWP rather than have a 4th DM on the books.

Better than Elyounoussi, I’ll grant you but that’s not hard. The rest of the players you mention are all square pegs in round holes. The only players I’d be comparing Sims to are Redmond and Moi. The same with Reed, who I wouldn’t compare to JWP, although I’d have said the latter was better anyway. I couldn’t see Reed forcing Hoj or Romeu out of the team.

Do go on...

Probably because we sign strikers with a history of injury problems.

And probably been relegated.

Alli’s gesture was supposedly aimed at a team mate (or at least they couldn’t prove otherwise) whereas Austin’s was aimed at the Man City fans. Probably why he got longer, that and the fact that one wa FIFA and the other the FA. Anyway, why is all the focus on this and not the fact that Austin acted like a complete tit again? Is not as if this rule comes as a surprise to anyone, a bit like kicking goalkeepers in the head.

Have to agree. I don't see any of the players you have mentioned making it at this level. Obafemi is the only one who looks like he might be Premier League level. If they go elsewhere and turn out to be amazing, like Phillips or Wise, then so be it.

All Puel's fault IMO.

Turkmen CDAJFU.