Dusic

Lallana wants to go into coaching and his family home is still in the area so pretty sure he would be keen on moving back here. I think he would be a great asset and certainly someone we should be looking to bring back in some form of role. I know some are still bitter from when he left but at some stage you have to move on and his more recent comments suggest he probably realises he didnt go about it in the best way. Clearly a leader, has played and learned from some top coaches (Poortvliet, Poch, Klopp, Potter, De Zerbi etc) and knows how to transition from youth to mens football as well as what creates a good culture (they really valued his off the pitch impact at Brighton) If he wants to continue playing and is sensible about cash he might be worth a year with the thought that he would likely just be coming off the bench. His main influence would be as a senior player/assistant coach. If he is done with playing and wants to coach then its a no brainer to try and pair him with an experienced coach in one of the academy sides.

I think it was the games we lost either side of it that did that, specifically the 3 in 4 vs BC, Hull and Millwall after having got back in contention following the run of losses after the window shut. I get we could have won a couple more of the games in that run rather than having drawn them but thisnis the Championship and overall its clearly something to celebrate (as happened at the time) as is clearly very rare to achieve. That some will use it as a stick to beat the manager is quite telling.

Interesting listening to the Blackmore and Tessem pod in which AB says the start of the game on Sunday was up there with the best home atmospheres he has witnessed. It clearly had a big impact on WBA's fast start and they stayed with the team throughout. Can our fans create similar (following our away fans lead) on Friday and make being at home 2nd leg a big advantage? Or will there be moaning and exasperation as soon as we play the same way we have in every game this season and pass the ball inside our own area? On sky after the game Jobi McAnuff said its often easier being away 2nd leg as the home fans can get on the backs of their team whilst the away side has no pressure. Hopefully our fans can avoid that trap and make it a great night under the SMS lights.

Parsons sounds like a common sense guy in all the interviews I have heard so far. A very underrated trait in football leadership. Good to end the (IMO ridiculous) speculation that a manager who achieved 87 points in his first season, including a club record unbeaten run and who still may achieve promotion, could or should lose his job if potentially a couple of one off playoff games don't go his way.

No, he wasn't in the club video of the players arriving.

Will be an interesting selection. Could either play Mara or Sulemana with Arma in the 352 or add Brooks and Fraser in the 433 but would likely mean either Stephens at LB or THB at RB as am sure that all 3 CBs will be in the line up.

Doesnt look like Adams has travelled.

Hard to disagree but the reality for a club like Saints is that unless the player is exceptional (Shaw Saints level) then the only time they would really be trusted to play regularly is either a.) If we are comfortably midtable in the PL or b.) Financially struggling in the EFL or with no serious prospect of promotion. There are also countless examples of players who have been hyped in the Academy, getting good reviews in the U21s with a clamour here/on social media for them to play more and yet who now are miles down the pyramid and often outside of the EFL/a decent level at all. See: Hesketh, Seager, Jankowitz, Olaigbe, Vokins, Ramsay, Small etc. Stating the obvious but its really hard to make the jump from U21s to first team in a consistent way. SAA looked great in a couple of cameos and then was poor when he got a start (think vs QPR perhaps?). Would be a brave manager to keep starting him and potentially leaving out someone like Fraser, Edozie, Brooks, Sulemana from the matchday squad. I suspect and would hope that next season if we don't go up then SAA, Dibling, Meghoma, Ballard and probably Lawrence will feature more.

Strange post. Every press conference is available as a video on the website at 10.30pm once embargo lifted and most on YT too. Re Adams, clear he will be bench at best.

Sounds like bench at best for Adams which is a massive blow. Imagine Arma up top with Fraser and Brooks either side which probably means will be a back four.

Possibly so. The key for the club is to at least get him tied to his first pro deal so that in the event he then moves we can at least claim a higher level of compensation. If he were to move now its a pittance really for someone who is clearly one of the best players in the country for his age. Tough issue because so few actually make it to the first team, e.g the best of the academy prospects, yet as we have seen with Dibling (initially), Morg and Doyle its so hard to keep your best talents to the point where they actually have any impact at 1st team level. In a way the model is broken and really it is just a cash cow rather than an actual tool to bring players into the first team.

Interesting bit in this article about SAA and Meghoma basically being on Championship first teamer wages. For all the talk of pathways, cash is still king!

No Adams would be a huge miss, especially against a physical side like WBA. No chance Stewart will be starting a game soon so would either be Arma or Mara up top which is a big drop off. RM does have a habit of downplaying injuries and it did seem like CA was genuinely injured rather than coming off as a precaution.

He hasnt been used like that regularly since autumn 2023 really so imagine its highly unlikely.

Significant tactical tweak today and excellent overall performance. McCarthy disnt have to do much and Leeds couldnt handle our incisive passing at times. Will be interesting to see if we use the back 5 vs WBA who we have already beaten twice and who are happy to concede possession. A nice change up to have.

Goals since Moore joined Ipswich: Moore: 7 Che Adams: 9 We didnt need Kieffer Moore.

I'm also in the camp that if we had actually taken more of the huge amount of good chances we create then we could have overcome our goals against tally - especially considering that we have conceded heavily in a few games which skews it a little. Of the frustrating games we have lost or drawn e.g at home to Rotherham, Millwall, Middlesbrough and away to Hudds, Watford, Norwich, Ipswich, Cardiff we should certainly have scored more to put these games to bed. These ones hurt more than the ones we have been well beaten in because we easily did enough to win all 8 of these quite comfortably and yet didnt.

Irony being that, including the OP and many others on here, most of the bigger Martin critics I know are actually older rather than younger.

Make your mind up lads. I thought it was essential to have a manager who is experienced and has won promotion from the Championship and/or managed at PL level? (Rohl definitely done well at Sheff Wed - playing style is similar to what we have totally moved away from though)

Very annoying. Looking v likely it will be Norwich for us, would miles prefer WBA.

https://tbrfootball.com/exclusive-celtic-looking-into-signing-incredible-championship-star-vincent-kompany-is-trying-to-sign/

Yeah losing Adams on a free and not getting promoted would be a less than ideal scenario as would cost to replace him, although I do think Stewart was signed with that in mind. Also considering we will need to replace the loan signings that are key players plus signing a first choice GK which probably wasnt planned before GB's injury. Big summer ahead, with no DoF in place and a rookie CEO.

He isnt a defensive coach.

Cedric available on a free this summer. Knows the club and has nice trainers.

After tonight he will be starting the remaining games of the season. Be interesting to see in what position.