Saint86

Sigh, we sell 3 quality first team players. We sign redmond and 3 squad players. 4 players all worse than those leaving. 2 of them will hardly play unless cedric's on his bike or Forster is about to do his knee again. I remain underwhelmed by this transfer window so far. 1 or 2 genuine upgrades for the first team required otherwise we will be weaker this season with more games to play, whilst all around us our rivals for a top 8 finish are strengthening.

Seeing reports that Everton and United are both after Jose with a £9m bid having been received from Everton and ignored. (Last part does sound rubbish!) It would be disappointing if that happens, hopefully their williams interest will be the end of it.

Batman has a point. It would be unacceptable to sell those players and not reinvest to strengthen and improve the first team and squad. The team is currently weaker, that is what Batman is getting at I think. And whilst saints will do fine, most fans outside of the saintsweb bubble want to see them keep pushing onwards rather than banking shed loads of profit year after year whilst they sell the team's stars and sit pretty with the 7th lowest wages in the league. Our fanbase is very like Arsenal's tbh, we like to sit here on our high horses banging on about how fantastically well run we are... whilst at the same time not wanting to make hypocrites of ourselves by asking where the money goes each summer. Clubs where the fans that don't keep asking questions and keeping the boards on their toes have no right to expect anything from the club and ultimately end up in a direction rather like Pompey, bolton, villa etc. In my opinion our fans should be disappointed with the summer so far and should be expecting extra players to come in and strengthen the team. That thought should be voiced and it is more harmful to tell "dissenting voices" to "go and support another team" just because supposed grown adults can't stand them saying something bad, than it is for our fans to constantly expect the club to be looking for improvement. That said, we should all have faith that the club will reinvest the money as their track record has been fair on this point in recent years. Whilst the club can always do better, we can also do a hell of a lot worse. I think some do lose sight of that.

Good news Guan thank you. Glad to see that the thoughts of those who were currently unhappy with the squad depth currently this are shared by the club.

Since the last one of those is true, do I assume you believe the first two?

Don't think that is much of a guide to be honest. Watford should be tipped for relegation, United should be tipped for the title (or top 2 at least). Only indication you can take from those two games is that if we don't get 3 points we're in for a disappointing season. We won't get 6 points.

We won't struggle, but we should have strengthened over the summer and its another wasted opportunity unless we do.

I know its trousers being laughable with over the top and irrelevant comparisons again. In addition, a better comparison for some on here is where the pompey massive's blind trusting of the board got them. On the one hand you have people that want the club to always be improving... on the other hand you fans that like to remind us of our level, the glass ceiling and will be delighting in the "i told you so" moments when we don't achieve what most of us know we are capable of.

Really don't get the mentality on this, all I am advocating is that the summer so far has led to a "currently" (!!!) weaker team... and that I would expect the club to spend the money we clearly have to strengthen year on year to the best of our ability. Currently we have lost 3 players in Mane, Wanyama and Pelle, and not adequately replaced 2 of them (mane/pelle). We are weaker this summer so far, and all around us teams are strengthening. So not unreasonable to expect saints to do the same.

Not sure why stating the obvious is so worthy on scorn on this forum just because it has a mildly negative context. Also wtf are you mad. Everton are yet to sell any star players (we've sold Pelle, Wanyama and Mane) and united have spent some serious dosh on quality players. Likewise city are having a productive summer. So in comparison to the three teams you picked we have sold 3 key first team players and replaced them with young, unproven and still developing players. The simple fact remains, year on year we improve... then instead of really seizing that moment to build a special team, we instead gut the team to make a bit of profit and buy cheap again. Yeah generally it works... but we could have had a fantastic team over the years and quite possibly be better than we are now and have won a lot more!! Regardless, there is nothing wrong with highlighting the fact that saints are not spending the dosh, we had the 14th highest wage bill last season (ugly inside) and currently our first team is a lot weaker than last years; in fact the squad is weaker full stop at the moment. Personally I think it would be remiss of saints fans to not be concerned at the current squad relative to last years. It would in my honest opinion be completely unacceptable to sell 3 first team players for significant money, pocket record TV monies, and then end the summer weaker. Hence flagging it at a concern and using the word "currently" at the start of my post. This place is infested with people that get on their high horses the second anyone posts anything that even hints at questioning the club. Insane. Have to keep them on their toes.... and a fan base that just toes the line every summer ends up like Arsenal's... Laps it up but actually goes nowhere whilst continuing to pay the board's pockets some rather nice dosh.

Currently a poor window. Another golden season and failure to build upon it in the close period. How much dosh do we want to pocket year on year between transfer take and TV monies?

I think people forget that he scored the goal against Brighton that basically got us automatic promotion out of League 1, we certainly wouldn't have done that without him... The more and more you think about it it is a disgrace that he isn't on the banner!!!

We need goals from somewhere is my feeling, we've lost Pelle and Mane and replaced them with Nathan "6 goals" Redmond and a central midfielder not known for scoring. We also only have Fonte and VVD as fully competent CB's which is a slight worry but manageable, I think it will cost us points given the number of games we are going to have to play and the likely risk of injuries. I guess another keeper?!? But I like Gazza and think he is getting there, clear improvement every time I see him.

I think its hilarious that you have to slate Cortese for gaston and osvaldo (the latter clearly being a Poch signing), but you don't give him credit for being pivotal in bringing MoPo to the club. Nor do you give him any credit for the signings of players like Wanyama, Jayrod, Clyne etc etc. How do you feel about Juanmi, gardos etc etc? I wonder, those are manager signings right? Nothing to do with les reed and the black box?!?!? I've also seen you crediting Les Reed with finding MoPo, which is just laughable... Why do you feel the need to rewrite history to criticise one of the most successful chairmen we've ever had?!?! Beyond me why you can't be grateful to the man. Also you slate the offer for oxlade chamberlain, but we got £12m for a 17 year old kid with a couple of months experience in the 3rd tier of english footy... with a 25% sell on clause, and with a charge per minute clause.... That is a fantastic deal and I'll spare you the embarrassment of finding a better sale of a 3rd tier player (let alone one with that experience) because its just asking you to fail publicly.. you aren't remotely able to do it... but don't let that stop you using his sale as an imaginary stick to beat cortese with...... But to put it into context. We signed tadic, mane, pelle all for less each that we got for this 17year old you are scoffing at us selling... We technically got Long for less when you consider the extra clauses. We got Forster for less. We got Bertrand for less.... I could go on... but suffice to say attacking Cortese's ability to screw people for a good deal perhaps isn't the "in" your after. He was also drove the sport science forward as well as the academy... May have been a hard arse, fine, but he did a great job for us.

Sorry Zuess, I don't dispute that about Lambert (and I said I love the guy). But he doesn't deserve to be up there more than Kelvin or Fonte. Kelvin stuck with us through administration and the relegation to league 1. He waited until the last possible moment to see if he would get a new one, and then in the dying hours we were taken over and he turned down a deal at premier league West Ham to stay at a league 1 club with a 10 point deduction. He than captained us through 2 promotions and a wembley win... ending his playing time with saints in a testimonial that included both lambert and Le Tissier taking pens against him. Not to mention Elland Road!!!!! Lambert joined us from The Pirates (my second club), scored a shed loads of goals from us and took us up the leagues scoring some amazing goals along the way (and a lot of other ones!). He also took some cracking pens. But then he left us to go to Liverpool as a bench player where he could get a massive pay day. You may say it was for family reasons as well... But kelvin stayed here through thick and thin and with, without getting paid and with no prospect of a job at one point... He then took us back to the prem. Fonte similar to Lambert; except he stepped down to join us and stayed with us to become our captain and a great ambassador rather than heading off for pastures new and big payday. As I said, I love Lambert and would be so pleased if he came back in any kind of role. But if you want a player that defines this period its Kelvin first, then Fonte (for loyalty) and then Lambert for his relatively short but pivotal role in our rise. That's my feeling on it anyway. Loved Lambert, great player for us and clearly loves the club... but others have given more and done as much (if not more) for the club in the same time period.

I was trying to access POL atm to see how they're feeling about the new season... When I search on google for it, the search results contain a note to say, "this site may be hacked", and when I try to access the site I get an internal server error... Is it offline?

I have this exact problem with Chrome, all add in's lugs ins are up to date. It is to do with the websites coding i think. Alot of advert's embedded etc.

In truth, Fonte and Kelvin deserve to be there more than Lambert. Kelvin stuck with us through thick and thin, turned down a west ham premier league contract offer at the very end, and then helped us through two promotions and a cup final win! Fonte stepped down a division, stuck with us and helped us through 2 promotions and is now our captain and has reached international success and is a great ambassador for the club already. Lambert left us for a money move. I love the guy, but lets not kid ourselves that he should be on that banner before either Kelvin or Fonte.

Agreed, the kit is appalling. Worst we've had since the first season back and the pinstripe. And worst "proper" striped kit I can remember. Very glad I got one last season if we're going to get this crap every year under UA. I suspect there will be a minority wearing the new one this year. I hope so at least. A strong message needs to be sent that it simply isn't good enough.

Jesus, more than Le Tiss or Ted Bates? Mentalness is starting to infest this place.

Les Reed has destroyed his credibilty over anything he says. Turned into our Levy, all we care about is that he delivers. There is close to zero goodwill to him from the fans.

The problem is, one day the tv monies will not be there. The clubs that have expanded will then have a colossal advantage. Personally think should look to expand (even if to only 40-45k) as it will future proof the club to a degree. Far to easy to slip back into the Sheffield united and Coventry bracket with only a 32k stadium. Times have moved on now, when we had the dell, old trafford was 55k and was far and above the biggest ground. Now west ham, man city, tottenham, chelsea, newcastle, united etc are all in and around, or above, that bracket. Not only that, but the more kids saints get coming to the ground is important for the future. They will be future players, future fans and the lifeblood of the club for years to come.

And what a 7 years! Thank you Markus!

Pelle is the most inconsistent player I've seen at saints for a long time. And he isn't that good. He's pushing 31 and he has one year left on your contract. We have Austin, Long, JayRod already, Dost is a suitable replacement for a a squad player.

I don't disagree, but key attributes at the highest level are the physical ones. Mane has superb balance, strength and speed/acceleration. As well as a great touch and finish. His ability to just run around defenders who should have been dead certs to get the ball first is ridiculous. He could run a circle around them to get the ball faster than they could turn. Then they could never get him off it afterwards without fouling him. Boufal maybe good, but Mane was the best player I've seen at saints in many a long year - absolutely unplayable when he was on form. No way on this earth are we getting an equivalent player for almost as much money. and ofc I am no expert but I don't think the glimpses i've seen of Boufal's skill will make up for his weaker physical attributes (relative to Mane). Good player he may be! But I'd rather we were after cheaper talented players such as the Payet's, Mahrez, Mane, Tadic's of this world. Last time I checked, saints are not the club to splash circa £30m on a player, and if we are... why the hell didn't we just offer mane the money to stay