Trout-Tickler

Be surprised to be honest. On Saints twitter feed on Saturday there's a picture of the squad in their cup final suits (https://t.co/0vQCcpOKq5). If you look closely VVD isn't wearing a shoe on his left foot which would suggest that either it's heavily bandaged and the shoe won't fit or it's still to swollen (or both).

I've said it on here before but I don't really have a problem with passing sideways BUT the player who makes a sideways pass must then move foward into space to receive it. Pass, move, pass, move. That's how you brake the opposition lines and create space. At moment we're to crab like.

Puel has to be careful, in two weeks time we could be out of the league cup and out of europe. Like many of our fans I was happy to have a lower league position in return for a run in europe. I want Puel to be a success but if we go out of europe a lot of the goodwill from fans giving him 'the benefit of the doubt' will disappear. Time to show some passion and desire!!

Hadn't realised that, not great at all at the moment. Agree with comments regarding keeping the ball. At present our players first thought when getting the ball is to pass sideways or backwards...so, so slow and frustrating!!!

We've got better players than Sparta but they defended well and quite simply wanted it more, that's what annoys me. Additionally our build up play is so slow, we weave pretty patterns but go absolutely no-where. If we're being honest it looked more likely that Sparta would score a second than us score an equiliser.

lol....not as if that's a problem is it!

Why are players that leave us for higher wages 'money grabbers' yet players who sign for us for higher wages than their current clubs not? Are there threads on the Salzburg, Twente, and Feyenoord forums berating Mane, Tadic, and Claise as money grabbers for joining us? All seems hypocritical to me but re-writing history and saying all players who've left us were actually gash seems to be the Saintsweb way.

He was a good player for us and scored some great goals. However, I can remember the Watford game at home last season and considering his finishing that night 'lethal' is isn't an adjective I'd use to describe him. I'd probably describe him as a sometimes inconsistent good finisher. Some days he banged in a hat-trick, others he missed from 3 yards.

Well put and sums things up perfectly. Personally, I've got no problem with changing the system but you've got to have the right tools for the job. Looking at the squad at the moment it still lines up better in the 4-2-3-1 formation.

Whilst is was inevitable that he was going to go I don't really understand why we're selling so early. The transfer window hasn't even opened and it's still ~2.5 months till it closes. If the Spurs offer is indeed the only one on the table why not wait and see if any other offers materialise? However, it's possible he's told the club that the only place he'll go is Spurs, if so then I guess are hands are tied.

Yeap...having money is one thing but spending it correctly is another. Can rest assured that with the £150 million budget being bandied about that any of their potential transfer targets will go up in price by at least 10%. A fool and their money are easily parted springs to mind....

Genuine Real Madrid must be weeping into their drinks....champions of Europe 11 times but weren't the first to install dugouts.

No way we paid the full fee upfront. There's always a basic fee plus add-ons based on appearances, goals, etc that may eventually have taken the total to €7M.

Pahars? Can't remember the exact fee though...

Bony was poor as well, an absolute shadow of the player he was at Swansea.

To be fair if Long had taken the shot on and not scored everyone on here would've said he should've squared it instead. I can't blame him for trying to pass to a teamate who he thought was in a better position.

Probably put £50 on himself to score a hat-trick before coming on.

'Ah Kenzie - how can something from Franny look like that??' The PA system at St Mary's ain't great but I can never understand a word she says pre-match. Got the looks but not the voice I'm afraid.

Is Reed injured at the moment? Was slightly surprised we didn't have a defensive midfielder on the bench yesterday unless of course JWP was that option?

Have no problem with him coming on but surely Mane for Long was a more 'like for like' substitution? With Pelle and Austin on we completely lost the ability to knock the ball over the top for somebody with pace to run onto. If you wanted to introduce Pelle then surely you swap him for Austin? FWIW I don't think Pelle is fully fit. Be interested to know if he's training properly after his knee problems. He's been good for us at times but for me he has to be fully fit to reach that level.

Can remember the Kilmarnock manager saying at the time we bought him that when playing Celtic he told his players not put VW under pressure as his distribution was so poor he'd pass the ball back to the opposition 9 times out of 10. His passing has improved at Saints but it's far from perfect and from what I've seen Romeu has better distribution.

Agree he isn't clinical but then again he's never really been so throughout his career. IMO Long gets a lot of un-warranted stick, if your going to critical about finishing then Mane should be getting pelters. How many did he miss last night? Through on goal, under no pressure and he can't even hit the target? Poor, especially for a player rated in the £30M bracket by some people on here. This place would've been in meltdown if Long had missed the chances Mane did last night.

I guess Gardos must be close to a return?

Needs results soon to stay in his current contract!

Are you going? Plenty of tickets available.