qwertyell

I guess we're into that stage of another 10/10 transfer window where we're scrambling around for some random journeymen who have done nothing in their careers to make up the numbers. We were down at Christmas, so have had a good six months to plan this rebuild.

Because Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Edwards and, before he left, Bednarek don't have an ounce of pace between them. Quarshie was signed to bring some physical attributes to the XI we were desperately lacking, not sit in the stands looking pretty. He's not covered himself in glory as yet (a whole two games) but is hardly alone on that front.

Take the point. We look a long way from being a good side even at this level. Ipswich aren't in much better shape to be fair. But an unbeaten start for the manager with a disjointed, unbalanced squad in flux is something to build on.

He was on strike at Ipswich anyway. Yeah, he's one of those.

Not until we've got some wide attacking options that aren't horrific. Assuming Dibling and Edozie are out the door, we've only got an 18 year old kid who can control the ball within three touches and might be able to beat a man. If anyone thinks technically limited strikers awkwardly shoehorned onto the wings are going to be the creative spark that gets our attack firing, they're dreaming.

Thought we were absolutely minging. Minutes into the legs of a few is probably the only positive. Kit looks all right, I guess.

He's a bit of a donkey, but he's our donkey. A lot to like: quick, physical, agile, strong in the air - and unlike the other German CB on the books, he seems like a real competitor who is up for the fight, geeing up the crowd, big fist bumps when his teammates do something good. The raw materials are there. On the flipside, his touch is an absolute white knuckle ride (although I suspect it might actually be better than it appears on first viewing - it's just his ungainly gait that makes it all look awkward). And his positional sense is not unlike a SatNav I bought at a car boot sale in the 90s. He's got cult hero written all over him. Some days great, some days a disaster.

Lot of brick shithouses who would kill a guy without blinking, probably. I'm basing this opinion entirely on Rocky IV.

Did he, though? QPR conceded more goals per game after Edwards joined them. I just don't see what his defensive qualities are. He's slow and no good in the air. Being half decent on the ball might impress the fans of the team that finished 15th in the Championship, but it's not actual defending.

Absolutely nothing up front, no quality going forwards, the defence a complete shambles, our best player a teenage academy lad. Pretty sure that's a cut and paste from last season. Brave new world, eh?

Really poor from Edwards. Not only caught square, and outpaced by the not quick Moore, but Stephens also somehow got back quicker than him - and he's slow as shit.

A centre back, and bless you.

Looking forward to seeing these boys rock up in Chelsea, Man City and Man United's youth teams in the next 18 months.

Edozie is the only senior winger on our books that can beat a man. We desperately needed more quality out wide even before his (impending) departure.

Don't really understand it from a Newcastle perspective. Ramsdale is really no better than Nick Pope - he's not an obvious upgrade, just more of the same: a perfectly serviceable keeper who has his good moments but isn't quite at the top level. Hey ho. He was always going somewhere I suppose. I'd like to think the club have seen this coming from a long way back and have contingency plans well in place regarding a replacement. I'd like to think that.

I've gotten shot of some absolute tat on ebay and gumtree.

Given that we knew we were down in January (if not earlier) and gave Spors plenty of time to assess the squad and the market and plan for a major rebuild, it's not very encouraging to be a couple of weeks out from the new season with only two signings on board (and I'm not even sure Quarshie is a starter). I don't think making do with the majority of the second shittest squad in Premier League history is going to be the rip roaring success in the Championship that others seem to.

Fernandes played a deeper role in Portugal, and does for their national team U21s too. He's a 6 or and 8. Which in Southampton maths adds up to 10, apparently.

According to transfermarkt he's played 19 times for Gremio's first team. And according to transferroom.com's work permit calculator, he's played enough and at a high enough level to qualify for a work permit quite comfortably (no need to loan him out to Goztepe like Juan). No idea if there's any legs in this link, or if he's any good. But we do need some wide attackers.

Love seeing the squad written out like this to remind everyone what a shower of shit we're stuck with. And that's even before the semi decent players leave.

He gets knocked down, but he gets up again.

Would be the death knell for his career. In his position on the RW they have Saka, Nwaneri, and they're about to sign Madueke. In the 10, they have Odegaard, Havertz, Nwaneri might end up there eventually, and have already committed to wunderkind Max Dowman (15) being in the first team squad next season. Doesn't ring true to me.

They're hints. We're getting Mane back. Fetlock the thread.

I imagine being an integral part of the by far worst PL team and worst defence in two of the last three seasons didn't exactly raise his stock.

Pretty sure Rusty said something similar once upon a time. And if he did believe that, then he sure as shit didn't know how to coach the concept into our squad.