I just hope we can find someone who can hold up the ball as well when required and can stay fit.

Well I wish Pelle well and feel we will miss him (although I am keen to see both Austin and JRod re-establish themselves in the team, but like everyone else very concerned about their prevalence for lasting injuries.

Nevertheless none of this helps us shift our reputation as being a 'selling' team and although the prices achieved have been good we have lost two thirds of our established and proven strike force with a surplus of about £60m and would expect us to be much more competitive in the transfer market and there doesn't seem to be all that much evidence of that at present.

We seem to be following a policy which is having to sell before we buy, having a sales budget which does not exceed our income from sales and not using the muscle which the TV deal represents...for instance I don't think we spent any/much of last years TV income on incoming players?

Nor do we seem to have the same advantage over our competitors any more, they seem to do their player research as well (if not better than we do now...why couldn't we sign a Payet, Kante, Imbulla etc although I cannot speak too highly of VVD's acquisition)

I also have the nagging feeling that one of the reasons Koeman left was his own experience of our lack of ambition a) because every summer we seem to dispose of our leading players b) we recruit a little riskily by buying younger less proven players (this has often worked well) and c) that we could easily have paid more for Koeman and he would have stayed if we had shown more ambition than the summer sales practice implies.

Lets see some good obvious quality signings as well as young players with potential and hopefully use our reserves a little more regularly...what about bringing back Schneiderlein (before he goes to Everton) or Chambers or even the Ox!

He has signed an 18million, 3 year deal if the reports are to be believed. That probably more than trebles his saints wages. Good luck to the bloke, been a top player with the best hair ever. Don't forget we still have long, Austen, Rodrigues, tadic and Redmond for three (at most) attacking spots and there is bound to be a reasonably big signing to come in up top. Another striker, a back up centre back, a defensive midfielder and a creative midfielder and we should have some squad.

At least you have his age right now Nick !! :o)

Seriously though, if he goes, then I would much prefer that he goes to either Italy or China rather than one of our Prem rivals. I don't begrudge him a bumper pay deal and the Chinese League seems to have to offer players extortionate amounts of money to attract players - something that Saints have never been able to do, or compete with.

Pelle has been both great and frustrating for us - scoring important goals as well going on big barren spells and frustrating everyone with his possession conceding flicks, - but he is replaceable and if he goes, I think we will get someone else in. A must with a the Europa and the medical history of JRod and Charlie - and affordable with the transfer money in so far, the TV money, the UA Shirt money and the new shirt sponsor money. Lets see what happens over the next 6/7 weeks and keep the faith.

Quite right IanRC - also those little chests and flicks like the one that set up the equaliser at Stamford Bridge, although TimSaint is also right in saying that they didn't always go as planned!

I think you are right Exiled - even quite justifiable "cash ins" like this one are all added to the mounting toll of departures. I know that the ambition-steady progress continuum is a difficult one but it would be nice to just once in a while see players stay. On Koeman I actually think he wanted to see out his year but had no intention of staying beyond it and the club didn't fancy that.