How good do you think Saints squad is?

Answer..........complete shiiite

The Reedites seem to think the fact that Reed spent a lot of money on players, like Hoedt, Clasie, Redmond, Boufal, Gabbiadini, Tadic, Long, Hojbjerg and Carrillo, many with exotic sounding names, automatically means they must be better than cheaper players at rival clubs in the bottom 6, when the truth is most of that money has been wasted, resulting in an overall downgrade of our squad from a top 6 one 2 years ago to a bottom 6 one now. Lemina is about the only player we've bought in the last 2 years who looks worth what Les paid for him. Right now, Glenn Murray, who cost Brighton 3 million, is scoring more goals than Long, Redmond, Carrillo and Gabbiadini, who cost Saints 60 million, combined. I'd also argue that just about every team in the bottom half of the table has better central defensive options than ours, even if they cost much less than the 30 million we paid for Hoedt, Bednarek and Gardos.

I understand that the club's main priority is selling players for profit but when that profit is then wasted on buying inferior players, the law of diminishing returns is going to result in us ending up penniless at the bottom. We're near the bottom now because Reed has sold our best players, frittered away the money, and left our squad weakest in the key positions, the ones which win or lose you points, strikers and central defenders whereas, when we had Lambert, Pelle, Mane, Fonte, Alderweireld, van Dijk etc, they used to be our strengths.

The best move the club could have made this January would have been to sack Reed and bring back the man who found us better players, our former head of recruitment, Paul 'black box' Mitchell, so we could build a strong squad again.

Would you swap this lot for the pre exodus squad? Not a cat in hells chance

Do you mean the 2012/13 squad, with Boruc, Clyne, Shaw, Fonte, Schneiderlin, Cork, Lallana, Rodriguez, Lambert, Sharp etc or the 2013/14 squad with Lovren and Wanyama added to it? I'd take either of them (at the ages the players were then) over our current squad. The one glaring weakness in 2012 was Hooiveld but on current form Hoedt looks just as dodgy.

We're about five positions below where we would be with a decent manager/had brought in a keeper who can move earlier

The quality of the premier league is poor now. Aside from the top 6, the rest are there to make up the numbers and from one season to the next a team finishing 7th could go down the following year. How good are we? I would say good enough to be 10th or there about. No way we should be bottom 4 or 5. We have some capable players who are having the game coached out of them by a negative twot of a tacticial and manager.

The one glaring weakness in 2012 was Hooiveld but on current form Hoedt looks just as dodgy.

Hoedt is light years ahead of Hooiveld in quality. Some people are far too quick to jump on one misjudged kick in a game and ignore his quality in the rest of the match.

The squad is as weak as it has been since promotion. We have purchased and sold a lot of talent but Redmond is an example of poor player purchases. There are some brighter lights in the team but overall we need a rethink as I believe things have not been the same since the talent manager, Paul Mitchell, went to Spurs a few years back.

Go back a couple of years to threads on this forum about who we should buy and most people looked at our team and said the one thing we were missing was a top central attacking midfield player, someone in the mould of Eriksen. We haven't signed that player but moreover over the last three years we have lost Schneiderlin, Clyne, Alderweireld (okay he was only on loan), Wanyama, Mane, Pelle, Fonte and Van Dijk and while we have made some good signings since then (Romeu, Cedric, Austin, Lemina), I struggle to see how anyone we have bought in the last three years (Van Dijk aside, who has left anyway) was actually an improvement on the players we lost. Romeu has done well but is he as good as Schneiderlin was? Cedric good but not as good as Clyne IMO. Austin injured too much. Lemina good but as good as Wanyama? Players like Redmond, Boufal, Gabbiadini and Hoj have all been inconsistent.

 

If we have any intention of getting back to challenging top six/top four as we did under Poch and Koeman then I think we need most of a new team. Only Bertrand, Lemina and Tadic (if he can regain 2014-16 form) are at that level now (although perhaps some of the newer players could be with more experience).

 

Right now I think we are a lower mid-table team unfortunately, mostly because whilst our play is tidy enough in most respects, we aren't good enough in each box and that is where games are won and lost. With a commanding CB and a decent centre forward we would be competing with Leicester and Everton for 7th-9th but at the moment we are below that.

 

Of course in reality we are 18th in the league and several wins short of where we should be with these players and that is mostly because we have got a duff manager

So what, 2 or 3 points over a full season better than relegation? That's a fine line you are drawing there. We are an awful looking team - most pundits (like 'em or not) cannot understand how gutless, lackadaisical and disinterested we look (are). Take the fan's rose tinted specs off and smell the coffee, to mix metaphors. Since head of recruitment went to Spurs it has been downhill, each buy (VVD excepted) the wrong type of player, people who can look good in Youtube clips lacking in any context.

I think we will just about escape relegation by goal difference or a point; I hope so because I can't see us getting out of the Championship with this shapeless, leaderless team of tackle-shy sideways and backwards-passing pussies. We survived endless campaigns against relegation in the days when we we had some gritty fighters and one massive talent. We have neither now but may well be lucky that there is WBA and 3 teams just as poor as we are.

ANY relegation-facing team in the division could be improved with a change to a manager who clicks with the players. Our players, with a change in attitude, could do better with the right manager, but then so could all the other strugglers. Knife-edge stuff. The whole club seems pretty rotten now and I think we are at really at risk of heading down the Sunderland road.

I believe the losses of VVD and Fontes hurt us a lot more than people realize. We went from arguably the most solid CB situation in the PL to one of the worst, and you can see the difference. Coupld the worse defense with losing our only real goal scorer in Austin, and now suddenly those 2-1 and 1-0 wins are 0-1 losses.

Hoedt is light years ahead of Hooiveld in quality. Some people are far too quick to jump on one misjudged kick in a game and ignore his quality in the rest of the match.

One misguided kick, you're having a laugh. One calamitous mistake in a good many games is what people are judging him on. Directly responsible for (at least) 3 goals so far this season, and lucky to have got away with several more. He is a very talented player, but has to cut out these big mistakes, would still rather see Yoshida alongside Stephens, but that's not possible at the moment.

Anywhere from 7th to 10th. Top half certainly. Can pick more holes in other club squads than our own outside of the top 6 plus Everton.

Anywhere from 7th to 10th. Top half certainly. Can pick more holes in other club squads than our own outside of the top 6 plus Everton.

I disagree. Apart from fullback and central midfield our squad looks bang average. Problem being we're weak in both boxes, and that's where you win games. Brighton have a better goalie, central defenders and a limited but reliable goal scorer. Bournemouth have plenty of goals in their forward line and defenders who actually defend. We should be well ahead of both in quality but, quite simply, we aren't.

I'd say we're about on par with Newcastle or Huddersfield when it comes to the ability to actually win games, which is just plain shocking. I'd say, as a whole, our squad is probably good for 12th-18th if we play 4-2-3-1. We still don't have the right players for it as although individually they're talented enough we lack attributes throughout the team to actually win games. Our forwards don't score enough and our defense is easily bullied and has mistakes in it. We also lack pace throughout the side.

Our last few managers since Poch have all implemented a more rigid attacking structure than he advocated. That's part of the problem when it comes to goals, it's pretty easy to predict what we're trying to do going forward. However, even his team struggled when we lost JRod to injury and had no pace left in the team. We dropped down the table like a stone.

We don't need a team full of fast attacking players, we only really need a couple, but with 4-2-3-1 whoever it is has to be able to play as one of the 3 behind the striker, and the front man has to be able to hold the ball up and link play. I'm still not entirely sure that Carrillo is the right man for that job, his first touch is almost as erratic as Long's and he's nowhere close to being as good technically as Pelle was, let alone Lambert. Long isn't good enough technically to play as one of the 3. Sims looks as if he is, but it's still early days for him and ideally we'd need another player with a similar set of attributes to challenge for the spot.

I think we might be more effective as a 5-3-2/3-5-2 as the squad looks as if it would suit those formations better, with Bertrand and Stephens playing on either side of Hoedt and Carrillo and Gabbiadini playing up front together. Even then, I think we might struggle to break into the top ten with the players we have in the squad.

We're a mid table outfit and had we had a manager that was willing to play 2 up front and generally show a bit more imagination and attacking flair (play Boufal a lot more for example) that's where we'd be.

1 up front has throttled us and when the 1 up front wasn't even Austin - our 1 and only goal threat - heads dropped as the team played with no end product.

If we go down it has to go down as one of the biggest acts of self harm this club has performed in its history.

One up front is an absolute misnomer.

Our problem isn't formation, its the type of players we have and the Manager.

We're a mid table outfit and had we had a manager that was willing to play 2 up front and generally show a bit more imagination and attacking flair (play Boufal a lot more for example) that's where we'd be.

 

1 up front has throttled us and when the 1 up front wasn't even Austin - our 1 and only goal threat - heads dropped as the team played with no end product.

 

If we go down it has to go down as one of the biggest acts of self harm this club has performed in its history.

This is a nonsense. Saints played 4-2-3-1 (one upfront) for the majority of the 2014/15 & 2015/16 seasons, scored a lot of goals and finished 7th & 6th in the Premier League.

Playing one upfront is fine... if the manager sets the players out with instructions and mentality to support the lone front man well. That is the issue with Pellegrino, not there only being one striker.

This is a nonsense. Saints played 4-2-3-1 (one upfront) for the majority of the 2014/15 & 2015/16 seasons, scored a lot of goals and finished 7th & 6th in the Premier League.

 

Playing one upfront is fine... if the manager sets the players out with instructions and mentality to support the lone front man well. That is the issue with Pellegrino, not there only being one striker.

Playing one or two upfront is fine, it depends on the players. I'm not sure Long, Gabbiadini or Austin are at their best as a lone striker. Pelle and Lambert it suited.

This is a nonsense. Saints played 4-2-3-1 (one upfront) for the majority of the 2014/15 & 2015/16 seasons, scored a lot of goals and finished 7th & 6th in the Premier League.

 

Playing one upfront is fine... if the manager sets the players out with instructions and mentality to support the lone front man well. That is the issue with Pellegrino, not there only being one striker.

It's not nonsense when your 1 striker is Long, that cuts off lots of goals. Austin could have carried the burden but was ignored for around 1/3 of the season.

1 up front only works with the right player. We were throttled for a large part of the season by the manager refusing to budge from his 1 up front policy.

I find the comments that we can compete with the top six to keep top class players totally unrealistic.

We have a potentially very good young CB learning his trade, we don't have a reliable striker.

The midfield and full backs are very strong.

the best players will only go to the top clubs.

we have been incredibly skilful/fortunate in finding excellent replacements in past years but perhaps other clubs have caught up.

We've had a poor season, but hopefully we will stay up.

Get real moaners , we were in the third division south when I and my schoolfriends started supporting.

Am happy with the left but Cedric couldn't cross a road and Pied hasn't exactly set the flanks on fire....

Anywhere from 7th to 10th. Top half certainly. Can pick more holes in other club squads than our own outside of the top 6 plus Everton.

The vast majority of players in our first team squad are not even regular starters for their national teams. I don't think you'd find a single Leicester fan who'd swap their squad for ours and I doubt even Watford or Swansea fans would either. As I said before, just the fact Les Reed spent a lot of money on players doesn't mean they are any good:

Southampton

25 Squad players

Alves Soares, Cedric Ricardo

Austin, Charlie*

Bertrand, Ryan*

Boufal, Sofiane

Carrillo, Guido Marcelo

Davis, Steven*

Forster, Fraser Gerard*

Gabbiadini, Manolo

Gardos, Florin

Hoedt, Wesley

Hojbjerg, Pierre Emile Kordt

Lemina, Mario Rene Junior

Long, Shane Patrick*

McCarthy, Alex Simon*

McQueen, Samuel James*

Pied, Jeremy

Redmond, Nathan Daniel Jerome*

Rose, Jack Joseph*

Stephens, Jack*

Tadic, Dusan

Taylor, Stuart James*

Vidal, Oriol Romeu

Ward-Prowse, James Michael Edward*

Yoshida, Maya

Leicester City

25 Squad players

Albrighton, Marc Kevin*

Amartey, Daniel

Benalouane, Yohan

Diabate, Fousseni

Dragovic, Aleksandar

Fuchs, Christian

Hamer, Benjamin John*

Huth, Robert*

Iborra, Vicente

Jakupovic, Eldin

James, Matthew Lee*

Maguire, Harry*

Mahrez, Riyad

Morgan, Westley Nathan*

Okazaki, Shinji

Schmeichel, Kasper Peter*

Silva, Adrien Sebastien Perruchet

Simpson, Daniel Peter*

Vardy, Jamie*

Swansea City

25 Squad players

Ayew, Andre Morgan Rami

Ayew, Jordan

Baker-Richardson, Courtney

Bartley, Kyle*

Bony, Wilfried Guemiand

Britton, Leon James*

Carroll, Thomas James*

Clucas, Samuel Raymond*

Dyer, Nathan Antone Jonah*

Fabianski, Lukasz

Fer, Leroy

Fernandez, Federico

Ki, Sung Yueng

King, Andrew*

Mawson, Alfie Robert John*

Mulder, Erwin

Narsingh, Luciano

Naughton, Kyle*

Nordfeldt, Bo Kristoffer

Olsson, Martin Tony Waikwa*

Roberts, Connor Richard Jones*

Routledge, Wayne Neville Anthony*

Van Der Hoorn, Mike Adrianus Wilhelmus

Zabret, Gregor*

Zaragoza, Angel Rangel

Watford

25 Squad players

Bachmann, Daniel*

Britos Cabrera, Miguel Angel

Capoue, Etienne

Carrillo Diaz, Andre Martin

Cathcart, Craig George*

Chalobah, Nathaniel Nyakie*

Cholevas, Chose Loint

Cleverley, Thomas William*

Deeney, Troy Matthew*

Deulofeu Lazaro, Gerard

Doucoure, Abdoulaye

Femenia Far, Francisco

Gomes, Heurelho Da Silva

Gray, Andre Anthony*

Hughes, William James*

Janmaat, Daryl

Kabasele, Christian

Kaboul, Younes

Karnezis, Orestis-Spyridon

Mariappa, Adrian Joseph*

Ndong, Didier Ibrahim

Okaka, Stefano Chuka

Pereyra, Roberto Maximiliano

Prodl, Sebastian

Zeegelaar, Marvin Romeo Kwasie

The vast majority of players in our first team squad are not even regular starters for their national teams. I don't think you'd find a single Leicester fan who'd swap their squad for ours and I doubt even Watford or Swansea fans would either. As I said before, just the fact Les Reed spent a lot of money on players doesn't mean they are any good:

 

Southampton

25 Squad players

Alves Soares, Cedric Ricardo

Austin, Charlie*

Bertrand, Ryan*

Boufal, Sofiane

Carrillo, Guido Marcelo

Davis, Steven*

Forster, Fraser Gerard*

Gabbiadini, Manolo

Gardos, Florin

Hoedt, Wesley

Hojbjerg, Pierre Emile Kordt

Lemina, Mario Rene Junior

Long, Shane Patrick*

McCarthy, Alex Simon*

McQueen, Samuel James*

Pied, Jeremy

Redmond, Nathan Daniel Jerome*

Rose, Jack Joseph*

Stephens, Jack*

Tadic, Dusan

Taylor, Stuart James*

Vidal, Oriol Romeu

Ward-Prowse, James Michael Edward*

Yoshida, Maya

 

Leicester City

25 Squad players

Albrighton, Marc Kevin*

Amartey, Daniel

Benalouane, Yohan

Diabate, Fousseni

Dragovic, Aleksandar

Fuchs, Christian

Hamer, Benjamin John*

Huth, Robert*

Iborra, Vicente

Jakupovic, Eldin

James, Matthew Lee*

Maguire, Harry*

Mahrez, Riyad

Morgan, Westley Nathan*

Okazaki, Shinji

Schmeichel, Kasper Peter*

Silva, Adrien Sebastien Perruchet

Simpson, Daniel Peter*

Vardy, Jamie*

 

Swansea City

25 Squad players

Ayew, Andre Morgan Rami

Ayew, Jordan

Baker-Richardson, Courtney

Bartley, Kyle*

Bony, Wilfried Guemiand

Britton, Leon James*

Carroll, Thomas James*

Clucas, Samuel Raymond*

Dyer, Nathan Antone Jonah*

Fabianski, Lukasz

Fer, Leroy

Fernandez, Federico

Ki, Sung Yueng

King, Andrew*

Mawson, Alfie Robert John*

Mulder, Erwin

Narsingh, Luciano

Naughton, Kyle*

Nordfeldt, Bo Kristoffer

Olsson, Martin Tony Waikwa*

Roberts, Connor Richard Jones*

Routledge, Wayne Neville Anthony*

Van Der Hoorn, Mike Adrianus Wilhelmus

Zabret, Gregor*

Zaragoza, Angel Rangel

 

Watford

25 Squad players

Bachmann, Daniel*

Britos Cabrera, Miguel Angel

Capoue, Etienne

Carrillo Diaz, Andre Martin

Cathcart, Craig George*

Chalobah, Nathaniel Nyakie*

Cholevas, Chose Loint

Cleverley, Thomas William*

Deeney, Troy Matthew*

Deulofeu Lazaro, Gerard

Doucoure, Abdoulaye

Femenia Far, Francisco

Gomes, Heurelho Da Silva

Gray, Andre Anthony*

Hughes, William James*

Janmaat, Daryl

Kabasele, Christian

Kaboul, Younes

Karnezis, Orestis-Spyridon

Mariappa, Adrian Joseph*

Ndong, Didier Ibrahim

Okaka, Stefano Chuka

Pereyra, Roberto Maximiliano

Prodl, Sebastian

Zeegelaar, Marvin Romeo Kwasie

My thoughts exactly. Some on here think we are some big time 7th/8th team who are scrumming it with little ol Swansea and Newcastle but that just isn't the case. We have some very very average players as does every other team in that bracket.