Jai27

I really hope this is the start of Redmond finding his feet and properly adapting to his new role. He worked incredibly hard last night and I rarely saw him stop to pass back when in an attacking position. In fact it looked as though the whole team was far less passive last night. This could be down to the occasion, a change or tactics, or because we simply play better football when a team actually attacks us, either way it was exciting stuff!

There's always a chance! Great result and a brilliant performance. Thought Romeu was motm and Jay looking better every minute. Clasie also had a very good game and Yoshia once again made his critics look foolish. Should have been 3 or 4 goals, but we're 1-0 up at half time in a cup semi final against Liverpool so happy days!

Utter desperation. Hardly prolific is he?

Exactly. Zero respect shown to the club who effectively made him the player he is today. His comments certainly came back to haunt him but the page in the echo was just plain stupid. I'd love to meet the brains behind that decision.

Quite possibly. Although it can be frustrating at times, I'm grateful for the way Saints don't tend to go mouthing off about transfers to the press.

Brilliant

It's an odd way of doing business really. I don't understand the benefit of making your bids public (unless you know it's for a fair amount and you to put pressure on the selling club). I suppose it's possible that the David's just like the attention.

Way too low for a January transfer. 8-12mil is more around the mark.

I'd suggest it's because there is already an air of defeat about the game. We're arguably playing the in form PL team at the moment and we've just lost 3 league games in a row and drawn with Norwich in the FA cup. Our most exciting player is injured, our second most exciting player is well off pace, our captain wants out so isn't playing, our keeper is in the worst form of his career, and our strikers aren't scoring. Despite all that I can't wait for the game this evening! I didn't think we'd get anything away at Arsenal but look how that turned out. There's always a chance and we've pulled bigger wins out of the bag before This is a huge game for us and I hope everyone fully gets behind the team tonight.

Yoshida will be the best defender in the league before 'Prowsey' gets anywhere near being good enough to play at this level. I'm not lying

Fonte out for approx 6-8mil and Sakho in for 12-15mil would be a pretty decent bit of January business really. Don't get this Gabbiadini interest though, on paper he's bang average.

Looking at it now it was quite an odd decision to sign him really. I guess it was just a bit of a 'cheap' punt that didn't work out.

Edited my original post

We've only recently ever sold 1 decent player after their first year with us, being Lovren, and he forced his way out of the club in a particularly disruptive way. So I believe we would refuse to sell after a year denying Berahino a possible big move. His track record suggests he wouldn't take it very well even if we said give us another year and you can go. Oh well, innocent until proven guilty I suppose!

If that's true how he's 'determined to ensure they get the very minimum for him when he leaves' then I don't want a character like that anywhere near Saints. It's a thankless sport but what has he got to gain other than petty vengeance by making sure they get the minimum for him? I guess it's easy to forget how much West Brom have done for him and his development. As I previously mentioned, what happens if we sign him, he has a good season for us, and we refuse to sell? Same situation again and it's not worth having someone like that disrupting the dressing room.

Makes a lot of sense unfortunately... It'll certainly make me feel better if we do loose by a couple of goals or less I'd like to think Puel has this covered though so if we do end up winning tomorrow (unlikely I know) then we set up for some pacey counter attacking football in the 2nd leg and not just try to park the bus.

They are welcome to him. I still don't understand why people on here are so keen on signing Berahino. He's clearly not too bright (even by footballer standards), is an obvious troublemaker, and hasn't had a decent goal return since 2014/15. He fits perfectly into this new group of 'young English talent' players (Lingard, Alli, Grealish, Sterling) all of which have huge egos and seem like a bunch of complete t***s. Why would his attitude be any different with us than it has been at West Brom? 1 decent season (which I don't think he'd give us anyway) and he'll pull a Lovren.

Good news. Exciting to hear Hesketh is back training with the squad as well.

Turning into a bit of a difficult situation now. Third of the way through the window and Fonte won't be in the best of moods after being outed as a supposed liar and then frozen out of the squad. Is he even still training with the rest of the team? If so, we need him gone ASAP. Not good to have a disgruntled employee moping around...

I agree that there is a certain amount of spin by the club to try and win the fans round before any action is taken. How many other clubs directors of football do you see giving an interview about a players contract? It's a bit weird really and I get the impression that Les Reed actually has a bit of an ego and likes the attention. However, to say that every player that's left recently has been painted in a bad light is incorrect. Clyne, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Shaw, Pelle, Lambert... Generally speaking these players all left with the best wishes of the club and fans alike. They didn't kick up a fuss about a move, didn't act like a teenage girl and start posting on social media (Morgan's little outburst aside, but he's French so we'll give him a break), and they certainly didn't force their way out the club like Lovren or Lallana did. They were offered a new contract, they turned it down, we received a decent offer for them, they left. It's when players and their agents start getting the media involved or think a good tweet will set the record straight, that's when the club react.

Has to be VVD. He's been captaining the team in Fonte's absence already and is everything you want from a leader. After that, Davis is the obvious choice followed by possibly Bertrand?

Reed's claiming we offered a new contract with a salary bump and additional year, Jose is saying we haven't. I suspect it's Mr Fonte talking rubbish. If so, it makes him look like a bit of a tit.

Tadanari Lee, obviously I still wonder what could have been had Guly not sabotaged Lee's time at Saints!

Truth be told yes I was more 'alarmed' this time last year. Well, prior to the Arsenal game at least.

Can't disagree with any of that. The fact that we've scored 4 goals in total from games against Watford, Sunderland, West Brom, Palace, Everton, Hull and Stoke is alarming. 4 of those teams are currently our direct competitors and the rest will most likely be in the championship next season. That's a damning statistic and is no where near good enough. The reality is that as per usual, we are very unlikely to spend any money in January. I'd expect the see Gallagher recalled and that's about it. Even if we do spend big, signs are pointing to the squad loosing faith in Puel and I don't think a new player will change that. A lot of people (myself included) are saying it's not so serious yet. We've got 3 league fixtures coming up that we should really win (perhaps a draw at Burnley). If we end up with anything less than 4 points then I'll start getting a little worried...