Maybe we hav a new striker lined up?

Seems a bit odd considering how much he seems to have been involved as part of the pre-season games etc.

Certainly feels more and more that we NEED an addition up front during this window!

We have 1 finisher or natural goal scorer in the club and that is srl.
All of the others including jrod need too many chances to score a goal and are nothing but cover.
If we buy another striker they are almost surplus to requirements.
Considering how much we paid for jrod I am alarmed at how he panics in front of goal and this season is make or break for him at this level.

does anyone else feel that sharp is getting a raw deal here. He hasnt done a thing wrong for saints and wasnt given a fair crack last season. I know we questioned his signing at the time but with lambert tiring, he was exactly what we needed to get us over the line. Lets not kid ourselves, it got pretty scary towards the end of the season and his goals were vital. I know he looks a bit fat and like he should be playing in the park, but so did le tiss. He went on loan and banged in a goal every other game, he has also taken his current situation very well and hasn't once acted out or stated to moan. I just feel he could be a good option on the bench at least. I still agree that we need a world class or high pedigree striker, however, i feel he should be given an opportunity. If he goes i hope its celtic, he will score a lot of goals up there and get champions league football....whatever happens i wish him the best.

Think we missed a trick with Tarabat going to fulham, exactly what we need. I doubt arry would have given him to us though.

To consider some points all of which are valid

1. Yes Mayuka has been involved with the pre season games, but then again so has everyone, Sharp had a great pre season last year yet was unceremoniously dumped.

2. Yes lambert is a natural finisher, but his work rate and pace isn't up to playing the way Pochettino wants to play, Rodriguez's is, perhaps his percentage of goals to chances isn't as good as Rickie's but perhaps his pace will get him into more scoring positions and hence as many goals,

Out of interest
Lambert 3130 minutes on pitch 97 shots and 15 goals (Not sure how many pens)
Rodriguez 2181 minutes on pitch 77 shots and 6 goals

3. I agree with tree hugger Sharp got a raw deal, perhaps he isn't true premier class, but he has a knack for goals and I would rather have had him coming off the bench ast season late on to save a point or two than Mayuka

Yeah its harsh on Sharp, he deserved a chance in the Prem considering he helped so much in getting us there! But Sharp fell out of favour at Forest in his last couple of months there last season and only featured from the bench. He is a good Championship striker but no-one's really come in with a decent offer for him. Saints will offload him this summer as soon as they get a reasonable bid. He's not the player to propel us into the top half.
We do need another goalscorer in the team. How about Jermaine Defoe if he's available? I know he's a former skate but he's still a top striker and would score plenty of goals for us. He'd probably play well off of Lambert if Poche's system can accommodate the two.

Defoe is about to turn 31 so too old for us, secondly Pochettino is known for playing a rigid 1 man up front system and this is a system that the club has introduced to all its teams, so it isn't going to change, people should realise that if a striker comes in then Lambert goes out

Agree with Tree Hugger and Nick on this one - Billy Sharp has been very harshly treated and not give a chance in the Premier league - give him a chance from the bench this year as he is a poacher who will score goals if given chances.
I hope Mayuka can do well for us in the future but would pick Sharp over him on our bench any day - if we can get our anything like our money back on Mayuka I say take it.

I agree with most point but one thing I don't understand is why dwell so much on Billy Sharp? With all due respect Billy is a quality Championship player and that's all there is to it.

Comparing Mayuka to him is farcical to say the least. Firstly Billy Sharp has no international experience (or UEFA cup experience for that matter). At his age he should be approaching the peak of his career and his CV just echoes lower league football.

Mayuka is 22 and has a long career ahead of him. The guy has won the African nations cup. Tell me how many Saints player have International medal in their cabinet?

I think the person who has been hard here done by is Mayuka. If he had stayed at Young Boys he would have played UEFA cup matches against the likes of Liverpool, as well as competed for trophies in the Swiss Premier league.

To put it bluntly he was brought into a club with a manager who didn't have him in his plans and to make matters worse his father passed away.

Let us not digress. What we have here is a young footballing talent not being fully utilised. I simply do not understand why no one on this forum can see it?

This guy played an instrumental role in beating an Ivory Coast team boasting the likes of Yaya Toure and Dider Drogba. Both of which have won the Champions League!

Clearly Owen Coyle can see his talent more so than Soton.

If I was in Mayuka's shoes I would jump at chance to play under Owen Coyle. He did wonders for the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Jack Wilshere when they played at Bolton. It would be good move for him as he will clearly be giving more playing time and the opportunity to give a good account of himself.