SaintTex

you mean, discussing how we are currently 40 points away from safety?

This. To add: You got this ahead, project seasons ahead and his potential impact. If he puts together a season for Saints like we all think he is capable of next season (2016-17)... say 20 goals... his value will increase despite being on the last of year of his contract that following summer. Secondly, if he puts together a monster 2016-2017 with Saints, CL qualification increases highly. [Consider where our place on the table might have been this season if he had doubled his goal total.] If we qualify for CL for the 2017-2018 season, just maybe, maybe he re-signs with us or we sell him for a monster price. We potentially have way much more to gain by having him on the squad next year.

Take a look at all 13 of Dušan Tadić's assists from the 2015/16 campaign. https://grabyo.com/g/v/Qp9iWPsx0xJ

To be honest, I have no clue how attractive or unattractive a club we are to truly top class managers. Yes, we have had three straight Top 8 finishes, certainly a plus. Further, I think Leicester winning the League this year helps us, as the stigma that a small club cant win no matter what has been shattered. No talented player or manager is going to want to come to a club if success is not possible due to a systemic league set-up, re: La Liga. The negative of course is that we are not a glamour club. We are not based in London, Manchester or Liverpool. We are never going to be showy. I think the board has done an excellent job. It has been a slow, steady, calculated burn, where I think long term , a team like Leicester's will fade. I am if the opinion are in a critical period right now. We have made positive incremental steps. Promotion, 14th, 8th, 7th (Europa qualifying), 6th (Europa Group Stages). All the while adding better, more talented players and managers, with depth. We can't think small, but at the same time we can't overreach, while ignoring the successful processes which have gotten us into this position. I am kind of all over the map with this post, but who would have thought at the beginning of this season we can offer players European football while Chelsea and Liverpool cannot. That being said, what we cannot offer is a bigger paycheck than those clubs can. Hopefully, all the other pros we offer, can counteract that con. We'll see.

Losing your best three offensive players and your best defensive minded player not named VvD is certainly a meltdown. Goal leaders last season: Mane (11), Pelle (11), Long (10), Tadic (7) Assist leaders last season: Tadic (12), Pelle (6), Mane (6), Long (4)

I feel dirty, but this is a good thing. Group Stage!!!

Liverpool 2013-2014 | 2nd place | 84 points | Champions League (welcome Lallana, Lovren, Lambert) 2014-2015 | 6th place | 62 points | Europa League (welcome Clyne) 2015-2016 | 8th place | 60 points | nothing This is a team going backwards - good job! Oh and thanks for the £61.5 million. We put it to good use.

Liverpool tears taste so delicious.

No, No, No.. it's Wes Morgan!

it's a big deal if we can avoid the qualifying round. At the beginning of the season our squad was far from settled. in the second leg of the Midtjylland game this was our starting XI (far cry from what we start with now) ------------------Stek-------------------- Martina-Yoshida-Fonte-Caulker-Targett ------JWP------Romeu------Davis------- -----------Pelle--------JRod-------------- We would be better sorted for Europa next season if we don't have to play until September in the group stages. Go Bournemouth!

depending on your world view this will either depress or impress: http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/2015-2016/between-dates Use start date as 17 08 2015 and end as 15 05 2016 Finish in 4th place if you eliminate the results of first two matches of the season for everyone..... 36 game season.

Nice summary. So, no matter what; we root for Bournemouth to win on Tuesday. That result will depend on who/if we root for on Saturday. If ManU wins or draws Tuesday, we finish in 6th place and we root for ManU to win the FA Cup Saturday, which would get us into group stage. If ManU loses Tuesday, we finish in 5th place, are automatically in the group stage and have no rooting interest; unless you feel 01) pretty strongly about sticking it to West Ham, 02) want to revel in ManU having to playing in a 3rd qualifying round or 3) like the idea of underdog Palace getting a trophy and group stage Europa.

A couple of points: 01) Pelle has been instrumental to the club's success these past two years. To deny it is crazy. 02) If we can't get more than 10 million for his transfer I would consider keeping him this year and let him be a free agent at the end of next season (if he is ok with that). His value on the pitch for an entire season is worth more than a 6 million transfer fee. 03) He showed pure class going over the bench and including KDavis in the goal celebration. He embraced this club the minute he arrived here and shown nothing but respect and class. Some time in the near future when he is no longer with the team, we are suddenly going to realize how much we miss that perfect hair, the big smile and the pure joy he always shows after a goal score. 04) If he desires to go to Italy (his home country) to finish off his career on a high point, I don't blame him one bit. The guy has earned it.

it is an interesting point. If Stones had been a Southampton player and £40m had been offered, it would have been accepted and he would have been off to Chelsea. And that £40m would have bought 3 really good players strengthening the squad. Everton dug in. They chose poorly and finished at the back half of the table. We would be a much different club right now (and likely worse for it) if we had dug in and retained Shaw, Chambers, Lambert, Lovren and Lallana 2 years ago. actually if you look at everyone we have lost in the last 2 years, who has not had a dip in career form? only Alderweireld and I guess you could include Poch in that.

this has been the clearest explanation I have seen. come Sunday, the two biggest things to root for: We win Wham loses or draws ManU losing would be nice but not as important as the other two happening.

that Liverpool lineup is pretty strong. Klopp is going for the win here. Will be interesting to see what the starting XI is on Sunday against WBA. Players must be tired. Since the beginning of April, Liverpool has or will have had a mid-week match every week until the end of their season. 7 weeks/7 additional matches ending at the Europa Final.

Well it is pretty easy to convince yourself of anything. I will say for Liverpool; WBA away, with the Europa League Final to play 72 hours later in Switzerland, is a tricky game. To add, Klopp's history suggests his teams lose focus on League play as they advance deep into tournaments. What do you think Liverpool's Starting XI is going to look like on Sunday? Those Liverpool tears are going to be delicious if they manage to find away to not be in the CL or EL next year.

NO COMPARISON 2014-2015 Tadic : 7 goals / 12 assists | Lallana 4 goals / 6 assists 2015-2016 Tadic : 4 goals / 7 assists | Lallana 5 goals / 3 assists https://d2zywfiolv4f83.cloudfront.net/img/blog/2016%2f5%2fTadic2Columns(1).jpg look at his form the last 4 games! When was the last time any player had 5 assists in two games? and that heat map speaks to his defensive prowess

for all the apparent whining and complaining there has been in regards to Tadic this year, statistically, he is having a much better year this year than last 2014/2015: 4 goals | 7 assists in 2046 min. 2015/2016: 7 goals | 12 assists in 2221 min. Tadic is what makes the offense go.

Name the teams that have this record over their last 6 matches 2 wins | 3 draws | 1 loss 9 points Newcastle, Sunderland, and..... Tottenham . . ..oh, and West Ham, but it is not as amusing if I had included them.

58% chance for 6th or better if we beat Palace. Aren't you the same poster who said our maximum points this season will be 50 in the lead up to the Stoke match? You must be staggered already.

it's pretty easy folks. 01) Root for Saints to get two more wins to finish 7th. 02) Root for Man U to win the FA Cup. 03) Root for Liverpool's opponents in League play so they finish 8th. and finally, 04) root for Liverpool to lose in the 90th minute to Seville in the Europa League Championship - So that they will go from the cusp of qualifying for CL to not being in Europe at all.

draw 01) Spurs lose the title / Leicester Champions 02) Secures third straight Top 8 finish for us 03) easiest path to 6 more points and a possible European chance However, for pure promotional value and optics, I am sure the League and media want a Spurs win today and Saturday. There isn't much excitement or pageantry seeing Leicester secure the title from their couch. ...and that would be neat to see a title clinching moment/celebration on the pitch, but better safe than sorry, I will be rooting for Spurs not to win tonight.

Stoke W Liverpool W Leicester L Newcastle W Everton D Aston Villa W Man City W 5-1-1 (16 points out of 21 since this post) averaging 2.4 goals per game during this run.

Another win and we match last year's point total. - 60 points 2 wins or 1 win and a draw we surpass last year's point total. - 61 or 63 points. Who is the only team that has 3 players in the top 20 goal scorers in the League so far? The team that has Mane (16th), Pelle (17th), and Long (18th). Each with 10 goals each.