Ultimatt

2015/16 team vs now. Which positions do people think we're not weaker in? Forster --> McCarthy (Improved) Cedric VVD --> Vestergaard (worse) Fonte --> Hoedt (worse) Bertrand Wanyama --> Romeu/Hojbjerg (worse) Davis --> Lemina (close. Lemina with more flair which has also cost us goals. Davis was consistent) Tadic --> Elyonoussi (worse so far but too early to judge properly) JWP --> Long (close) Mane --> Redmond (worse but he's playing better this season) Pelle --> Ings (worse but Pelle was great and Ings also showing promise) Koeman would've been just as ineffective with the new batch

Maybe, just maybe, it's been the players at fault the last 3 seasons instead of the managers... We have no players left that are measurably better than anyone the other 14 also ran's have. Every games a coin flip between these 14 sides.

Look how good Watford look now that he's gone. #HeisenbergBacktrackWatch Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

He means Mo Elyounoussi right? Salah seems to get into the 6 yard box for more poacher goals than Mane so it wouldn't surprise me if he outscores him although Mane might be the more influential player this season. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Great game for him, but note that essentially all those saves didn't require him to move his feet after the shot. We know his weakness is when he has to move left or right to stop a shot and his strength is his big frame.

£300m gets you a squad of 10-20m players and we know 20m doesn't get you quality anymore: it gets you average players or unrealized potential Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

It's always the rest of the team's fault when he doesn't get the ball. Odd. I posted stats last year that he had the 2nd least touches per game out of the 60 strikers with the most minutes. 59th out of 60. A touch roughly every 4 minutes. It's the midfields fault

He has a mandate to make games (& interviews) entertaining because that's what our fans demanded. Tactically he'll play for the win each game even when that's not the smart option. Enjoy seeing lots of goals even though more are into our net than theirs.

Leicester won their title with that strategy. They must've had the same starting XI and subs nearly every match. Yes there's risk if you have some injuries but it gives the academy a chance to shine.

Agree. Even if you think the challenge only deserved a yellow, add an extra yellow for him being last defender. Red all day.

Mccarthy Cedric Yoshida Vestergaard Bertrand Reed Armstrong Hojbjerg Sims Austin Elyounoussi

I called this a year ago. They've hit their roof on wage budget after giving almost the whole team back to back new contracts the last 2 years. While they're a league above us in terms of budget they're still a long way short of the big clubs. They can't hold on to all their talent.

Not sure if you meant the 1st or 2nd extension. Here's the 2nd extension thread: https://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?58544-Forster-new-5-year-deal#.W1ivytIzaUk #meltdown

He wasn't good enough for Lazio in the much slower/less physical Italian league so he was always going to be up against it here. One thing i'll give him though is he could perhaps be a totally different (competent) player if he had a strong experienced CB beside him. He doesn't have it easy with who his CB partners are in this league.

Hughes has either been told to, or said he would, play attacking football. That's seen us concede 22 goals in his 13 games, conceding 3 goals 5/13 games. That sort of defence will have us hovering around the relegation zone 100%. The fans will be entertained as we march on to the championship.

#ambition Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Hopefully it won't do the opposite and actually help the bigger teams get a result. They seem to be the ones more likely to crowd refs and complain.

All goals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdW3N1mJNJw For that last one Fraser actually stepped the wrong way and touched the ball when he hadn't even left the ground yet. Wicked swerve on it but his reactions are just too slow. Only ever saves the ones where he can block them up close with his big frame.

Fits our new buying model then. Most of our recent signings spend more time out of the team than in it.

Should hopefully be starting at least until Glik is fit. If Poland qualify for knockouts they'll likely play either England or Belgium. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Our clubs forgotten how to offload players that aren't forcing a move. Too many pats on the back at the board for the increase in assets thanks to all these average players on long contracts.

Russia got their world cup so you can understand why Abramovich is pulling back. We might see the same with the Qatar owned teams in a few years time as China increases its investment pushing to host their own world cup.

Can't blame Hughes if its true about lack of transfer funds. He knows that without proper investment we're relegation candidates again next season.

Whoops. Euros.

"Stood out" is wrong. Lemina was a bench warmer his entire career and Juve only paid £8m for him in the same year we paid £10.5m for Clasie and sold Schneiderlin for £25m. I doubt he was signed to be 1st choice. Gabbiadini has never scored more than 8 league goals in a season. Austin broke double figures in 10 of his 11 seasons before joining us (had a dry 2007/08 as an 18 year old). He's 2 years older than Gabbi with 243 career goals to Gabbi's 69. Hoedt was picked up by Lazio on a free transfer on €1.25m/year. Can't have been much demand for him given that salary and no transfer fee required so I strongly doubt he stood out. None of them stood out at all. Nowhere close to the likes of Wanyama, VVD, Mane, Tadic that had standout seasons when we picked them up. Just because they played for big clubs, it doesn't mean they were at that level. The drop from 1st team regular to reserve can be big. Think Jack Cork vs Wanyama/Schneiderlin. Yoshida vs Fonte/VVD. Do you think those 2 players should've been hotly fought over after we finished 6th in the league? Or would you say Cork/Yoshida are reasonable PL players but not quite at the level of a 6th placed club?