qwertyell

They finished 3rd last season. Qualified direct to the Champions League group stage.

He was going to be our Lallana replacement back in the day. I imagine that ship has sailed. Ramos, I just don't believe the link. The move makes no sense for him. Edit: sounds like Atalanta have ramped up moves for Rasmus Hojlund. He seems a more realistic target for us.

Richards broke his leg, I think.

I'd be disappointed if Diamond Edwards wasn't involved too, having played on the pre season tour. We're desperate for wingers/creative players. Assuming Payne is viewed as a right back/RWB - maybe he'll get a chance to show we don't need to bring in further cover.

Just reward for actually starting to play. Why it took us until we fell behind to have a go, who knows? Salisu's long throws actually make it to the penalty area now. Crazy days. Now what - stick or twist?

Poor goalkeeping. Could see that shot coming a mile off. Yet to be impressed by our "coup" signing of Man City's 4th choice keeper.

0-0 h/t. So far so good, I guess, but a poor quality game. It does make a huge difference for us to have mobile centre backs. Even if they are clumsy as fuck. Nice "goal" from Mara - he's got some quality about him, although his hold up play is nowhere at present. Nothing really to report from our "ball players". Prowse off the pace, Aribo not in the game, Elyounoussi being Elyounoussi. I'd take a draw.

JJ Morgan in the training pics. Can't imagine he's going to make the match squad, but always nice to see a youngster training with the first team.

You've announced it in the right thread.

Livramento has had a serious injury - potentially career ending - that most players struggle to fully get back up to speed from a year later - if not longer. We shouldn't be budgeting for his return any time soon. I doubt he'll start six games this season. So we need a covering option for the whole campaign. Whether that's a loan, or an experienced free (Aurier, Sidibe, Malcuit among some very serviceable right backs without a club) on a one year contract, IMO.

And Ramsey released. As far as I can tell the only fit full backs at the club who aren't youth team players are Walker-Peters and Vokins (who hasn't been in a Saints match squad for a year). It'd be absolutely wild for us to not bring another full back in. Negligent, even.

Slow as fuck.

We'd still be short a full back.

Not the rule. Denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity isn't invalidated by the keeper being in position - otherwise no-one would ever get sent off when fouled going clean through. Handball that denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity is a red card. Except when the officials bottle it. Edit (from the FA): "Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offender is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.) the offending player must be sent off. Where a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offence, the player is sent off wherever the offence occurs (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area). The following must be considered: distance between the offence and the goal general direction of the play likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball location and number of defenders"

Well, we're on the board - and surely taking with us a little bit of positivity and momentum after a decent comeback. Another must-win game slips by without the desired result, though. The next four don't look likely to yield a win. Five at the back is absolute shite for us. Can't defend no matter how many muppets are back there, and it just kills what little attacking threat we have. We muddle on.

He's joined Harrogate on a permanent transfer. We'll win this, somehow - in spite of ourselves. It just seems a very Saintsy outcome at the end of a shitty week.

I think it is a failure of management, though, to not have been better prepared - they knew weeks ago that Perraud was a major doubt for the start of the season. Yet they only took one left back with them on tour - and then immediately loaned him out. They could have, for example, spent the last month bedding in Vokins into the LWB role he often played at Ross County last season in a relatively decent loan. You could argue Scottish football is crap and Vokins doing all right in it isn't worth a damn, but then we signed Aribo based entirely on his exploits in Scotland. I'm not saying Vokins would've pulled up any trees - and may have made no difference at all - but having a full back playing in his natural position, with a month of well drilled, well organised preparation in that five man unit under his belt might have been a more viable alternative than trying to blag it with Djenepo. But they're not well drilled. They're not well organised. And the preparation thus far has looked a shambles.

Jake Vokins - an actual left back with a little bit of Premier League experience. Salisu - who has filled in at left back on occasion (might as well make use of having seven CBs in the squad). Is it Matt Carson who is quite highly rated among the youngsters? We didn't think that picking an 18 year old in midfield was an outrageous gamble. Why not give him a go? The worst he can be is not up to it - and completely indistinguishable from the rest of the team. So there's three square-ish pegs to fill the square hole that doesn't require shoe horning a shit winger we don't want into an unfamiliar role that he's even shitter in.

What should he have done, broken down in tears and begged forgiveness, while kissing the badge? The degree to which he puts his body on the line to be one of the leading defenders in the league for blocked shots should tell you there's nothing much wrong with his attitude. He's just a bit shit at the moment.

We're always one injury away from being much weaker. Most sides are. It's not realistic to expect us to have a squad of 22 starters. Better to have 11 absolute belters and mediocre back up than a squad that is more quantity than quality. A "first name on the team sheet" striker, with Armstrong, Mara, perhaps a late loan, as understudy could work. What did we used to have in reserve when Lambert, Lallana and Rodriguez were going gangbusters? Fuck all.

Playing devil's advocate, perhaps the Adams money goes towards an absolute howitzer of a striker in the pipeline who costs a bit more than our usual range, and the plan is to play one up. For Adams' qualities as a hard worker, he's not good enough to play as a lone striker. Doesn't score enough, no pace to get in behind, can't head. Armstrong isn't good enough either, for that matter. But maybe this fictional goalscoring behemoth I'm imagining bursting forth through the hallowed Staplewood gates, two parts shock to three parts awe, will be the talismanic line leader we've been crying out for. And Chesus is the sacrifice that must be made for our sins. It's a big maybe, granted.

Not really bothered about his distribution, but a couple of Spurs' goals were concerning for me. Gunny didn't really make lots of mistakes - his problem was that he was simply too easy to score past. He never saved anything; like having a hologram in goal. Bazunu couldn't do much about Sessegnon's point blank header or Salisu's donkey defending, but Dier's header wasn't in the corner and he got nowhere near it. No spring in his dive, just flopped to the floor. And Kulusevski's side footed finish wasn't in the corner either. Again Bazunu's dive didn't get within a yard of it. He's not the tallest keeper, and if he hasn't got the spring to cover the ground, I think he's going to have problems. It's only one game, of course, but he looked very easy to score against - the saves he did make were straight at him - and gave me a few Gunny flashbacks.

Bit tragic that we've reached our first "must win" game one week into the season, but here we are. If we don't manage to pull off a result, our next best chance won't be until halfway through September. Lot of pressure on the manager. Or there should be. Absolute busted flush.

There are other websites.

The "give him 10 games of the season before judging him" brigade are off to a bad start. 9 games of this shite left.