Saint86

Totally disagree Duck. We came 8th and were far far closer to the relegation zone than europe. We managed 46 points ffs - Any other season and we'd have been ****ting the bed from Christmas onwards. Saints have gone backwards in recent years and it's hard to argue differently surely? And in comparison, Liverpool will mount a title challenge with 50% of our team plus Coutinho (who we failed to sign despite having his favourite manager at the club - see also Toby and his staggeringly unaffordable 60k per week wages at tottenham). I called Les Reed a slightly better than average DoF, and to be blunt, if we'd had a better DoF we'd have achieved (or got closer to) our potential in recent years. Sadly those opportunities has been missed, and have been and gone. Our potential has changed accordingly and we are now aiming to achieve a top 10 finish only. Its a shame to refer to that oft used expression of old, but it is very much a "dell sized mentality" to think that settling for top 10 ambitions is good enough given where the club was at 2-4years ago. We had a great chance to achieve something, we didn't... and now liverpool will achieve it instead, but with our players. I'm sorry if that grates with some people and seems crazy, but likewise I do not understand people who set such low ambitions themselves. It just breeds mediocrity. And anyone who thinks saints have pushed on and achieved the potential that was on offer after Poch, or after Koeman is kidding themselves in my eyes. We have had two of the Country's best managers, a fantastic crop of players, and huge tv monies - and used all that to achieve 46 points last year. That is categorically **** poor management and why on earth do people want to argue differently? Anyway, its just a point of view and there is no point arguing about it. The only people who can change things are those at the top level of the club. And on their recent track record, I see nothing that dispels my belief that the last few seasons (pre Puel) were the best saints fan's will get for a generation. What a wasted opportunity.

What we achieved is to keep a disruptive and expensive asset at the club for the sake of pride. Instead we could have sold him and bertrand for circa £85-90m and got in some genuine quality players. Waisted window.

I think this is fair. He has been a mildly better than average director of football. Strange though, this is yet another post which highlights the delusions of saints web.... Les Reed has been pivotal in the past 6years at sms and behind all our key signings and appointments... Except any failures like Ramirez or Osvaldo ofc. It really is laughable logic. Les Reed took control when Cortese left. And since then the clubs momentum has stalled and now started to decline. How much of that is down to Les Reed is as always debatable, and he could of course have done worse. But lets not pretend we've had a world class leader in Les Reed. We've lost manger teams, coaches, scouts all to bigger clubs. But Les Reed has never been poached or even approached.

People still struggling to accept that Davis is one of the first names on the teamsheet?

In Les we trust!! Although we have weaker attacking options this year than last year... Bit of a poor joke if it remains that way. Can't wait till Gabbi and Austin inevitably get injured...

Have Liverpool been tapping up the Ox then... How else would he know about their interest and what they will offer him. Imagine both Arsenal and Chelsea are both pretty annoyed right now!

Shouldnt take 15 months for the blindingly obvious to happen though should it.

Les Reed. Sign some bloody good attackers or get your bag and leave?

"Utter codswallop!" Please read before you flame others on a forum . Where do I say that we signed those players in the championship!! GAH, you're as bad as fry! I was merely stating that the fact we had good championship players was a significant factor behind our prem successes. And that is the case. Which you agree with at least

That isn't what I am saying Fry, I am saying that in the premier league, we basically had the majority of the championship team of the season, all of which have now been sold for a very tidy sum, and all of which were integral to our best seasons. Yet we no longer sign players from the championship team of the year. That is directly where we should be looking imho. *I am not saying that we signed those players to get promoted, not sure whether you misread what I put or are misquoting me on purpose?

Its honestly really bad irony. The year the club decide to end their "selling club image", is the year we really should bin off VVD and Bertrand... We'd get lots of money, ditch two trouble makers who both CBA, and refresh the squad with change to spare. I would sell to anyone but Liverpool, unless they do offer circa £75-80m.

Its not that, our model has become very risk averse. We came up and immediately signed players so our squad was the best of the championship - Morgan, Clyne, Lallana, Lambert, Fonte etc etc. That is directly what all our success stemmed from. But we have thrown it out the window and gone already are the days where we used to have a core of talented, driven and energetic players used to english football. We aren't even linked with championship players, when the simple fact is we should be all over players like Ryan Sessegnon, Cariney, knockaert, brown etc. Its actually very poor from the club and we have completley lost our "way". Even Poch played gallagher, and will finish better than both Puel and Pellegrino... And whilst you need the addition of some foreign class (Wanyama, Mane, VVD etc.), the core should remain as a progressive and energetic squad, who are used to the tempo and aggression of english footy. Right now, saints have zero identity. And that is why we are struggling.

Davis is a great player for Saints and frankly anyone who singles him out for criticism over most of the squad knows jack schitt about football. He has been ever present since Adkins... That tells you all you need to know.

I have it as 25%, but there or there abouts.

As fans, we are being taken for a ride. Sadly the majority are a bit slow on the uptake and it takes us circa 3 years to get with the times.

Really?

The board and club have been taking the fans for a ride for quite a while now. Given this, is it surprising, especially when we have a team of mercenaries on the field, half of which don't bother to play?

Have to say. Its been another totally gash summer from the club.

Anyone else think we should just sell the ****? (C-word). But not to liverpool ofc.

Also agree, cheers Tom.

Not really. For a few years it was prodigious. But its in a lull at the moment. That is natural. Or do you see 10 Messi's at barca (one for each year of the last decade).

Given we just failed to beat a mid table championship side's second string; I think our fans should be a lot more humble about the proposition of Huddersfield. We'll do very well to get anything more than a draw here.

Huddersfield win for me.

Our attacking players just aren't good enough. And by this I mean the attacking mids / wingers. They can't finish, they aren't quick enough with their play, and they don't create enough decent chances for the striker. Selling Mane for £30m and not adequately replacing his attacking threat was probably the worst bit of business we've done since Bale and Fourpast.

What a load of rubbish this thread is. A guy fancies other guys.... let's start a 100+ post thread about it on a football forum. When you know your team's had a slow summer...