Chez

How are you defining top championship players? If Ramsdale goes, none of the three keepers could be described as the best keeper in the league or indeed one of the best keepers in the league. Right back without KWP. Is Bree or Sugawara going to get in the championship team of the year or more importantly deserve to be in it? I'm not convinced they are top championship players. Bree is solid, but top? Sugawara has a lot to prove. Is Taylor departing? If so, does Manning, Wellington and Larios float many boats? By and large, Manning was slated on here last season. I think he has his positives and negatives. Not sure he's a top championship player. Is he top three? Is he top three at Saints? If Dibling departs, I am not sure we have any right wingers, so another position we are not strong. I think in reality its THB, Bednarek, Downes, Fernandes (he could well depart) and if his confidence returns a second time, Armstrong, but that's a major question mark. It;s not a given he will be one of the best strikers in the league next year.

That's what i dont understand. Promotion utilising a more defensive formation convinced RM that was the way to go and reverting to four at the back didnt seem to ever cross his mind. How Taylor was to fit in to that formation I will never know. It's like the recruitment department and the manager never spoke. Obviously that can't be the case, so what was the plan for Taylor?

As if anyone at the club has said anything of the sort. That said, the valuation seems reasonable. We basically have Grealish II and he went for £100m. Give this lad another one or two years (playing the Prem side - which may or may not happen) and he might be a £100m player too.

He's not a centre forward, so doesn't solve that problem. He did score 19 goals in 55 games for Bodo/Glimt is a good return for a winger. 2 in 16 for Rennes (not many starts for them), so he does seem to know where the net is. As always, can he do it against better oponenrts with less time etc..

I'm not a CoT member, but this one seems obvious after the event. The Austin Allegro is obviously blue. Blue Car was a film from the early 2000s. A character in the film was Mr Auster. Paul Auster is a famous writer who wrote the New York Trilogy and in the second book the character Peter Stillman Jr says: “I am Peter Stillman. That is not my real name. My real name is Peter Rabbit. In the winter I am Mr. White, in the summer I am Mr. Green”. He also wrote The Brooklyn Follies...I expected you have already got there before me, but just in case, Gronbaek roughly translats to green brook. 3-2-1 dustybin.

Sounds promising. He was so highly regarded as a League 1 player, it doesn't surpise me he looks good in the Championship. I thought he might make the two division jump to be honest as he was so experienced, but maybe next season he will shine for us. We have so many CBs though. Juric is going to have to get the right blend.

No idea. The fact he was available on a free and we were the only Prem side that wanted him tells you he's probably a championship level player. Who the hell wamts a fullback without pace. I think Dan Burn is about the only player I have seen in years to do a job and even he got exposed sometimes.

As someone else pointed out, its'not surprising nearly all of those brought did not work out as they were not suited to a possession-based game, however the fact that Juric doesnt seem to fancy them either points to them simply not being up to it.

I seem to have attended many of the the games no one else fancied. This is another that sticks in my mind as I took my Dad, who lived up Norf, didnt really like watching football but came anyway to make me happy. I travelled up from the South Coast to all the Northern games back then and took advantage of his hospitality. He spent the whole game telling me to (and pulling my jacket to make me) sit down and stop swearing at Uriah Rennie. I think even he smiled when Bridger scored. I loved Bridger (I think his brother was a friend of a friend, so he was seen as one of us) and to see him score a late winner (I actually thought we won that game) and do a Micky Channon type celebration (I might be wrong there too) was bloody fantastic - I'm smiling now just thinking about it. Might have been his first goal? Felt like it. I reckon there might have been about 300 there in that upper tier. I enjoyed it, but the Reebock and games in the 2000s weren't a patch on the Burnden Park FA Cup experience.

I went to that game. I think we have discussed this before that Saints fans really used to travel on mass for the FA Cup games. They were seen as somethng a little special. I can't really remember how may we took. It was a pretty big away end in the corner of the ground with a bloody big floodlight pylon right in the middle. I have a feeling it was on a Sunday, but not sure why - was it live on TV? We were in total control and then, we weren't. I hadn't been to too many away games prior to it and hadn't really experienced a noise like it when they got their tails up in the second half. I miss going to games like that. Genuine excitement of the cup. A big following, and of course the terraces...

I guess sometimes moves just don't work out, so moving quickly makes sense for all parties. Considering our current plight, I think this is a pretty decent signing for us. Doesn't mean it will work out, but better than no one, which is what I expected this window.

Equally, they could pass up the option, but come back to us with an offer of £4m...and we then make a loss of £3m. The £10m option counts for shit really unless there is a number of other suitors willing to spend more. Obviously we could turn down the £4m offer, but we would then get a player back we don't want.

Looking forward to seeing him play. Looked great for Glint. Let's see if he can do it in the Prem. Rennes tend to balance their books. But, maybe you are right, they are getting rid of him so they can get someone better in or he simply forced the move despite them only bringing him 6 months ago. Either of your explanations doesn't paint him in a great light though does it? My explanation is that he hasn't really worked out, hence Rennes are happy to get their money back, like they did with Sulemana, while on our side we are bringing him in based on what he did at Glint, not over the last 6 months. Again, similar to Sulemana - judging him on earlier promise and not his more recent performances at Rennes.

Worst for me was Villa on a Monday night, live on Sky, I think in 2002. There certainly were no where near 300 saints fans there. That game only lives in my memory as it absolutely hammered it down on the way home and with eyes closing due to tireness I found myself overtaking a articulated lorry on the A34 and literally could not see a thing through the windscreen due to incredible rain and spray for what seemed like an eternity. Sacred the shit out of me. Those midweek evening games are tough. I do wonder how many fans from the south coast actually travel to them.

Looks a decent footballer. Interesting that he plays both on the wing and in central midfield, with an nice combination of attributes like athleticism, dribbling, shooting and tackling. You can see from his youtube video why Rennes paid €12m for him. There are a lot of goals scoed for Glint. Questions do have to be asked why Rennes are giving up on him after only half a season. Have they made their mind up already that we can't `do it' at their level? That seems strange. If they are right, then he won't be much use at our level either.

I wonder what price this forum settles on as being acceptable? Lavia went for €62m (according to transfermarkt). Not sure anyone had any complaints about that figure. Some were less happy about the final JWP price

We could have insisted, but we obviously blinked first.

West Ham have failed with several striker signings, but they keep trying, keep spending to get it right. Fair play to them. How on earth can they afford £57m though?

How is it that Man City can make us buy THB on promotion but we can't make Sheffield United do the same here? They clearly like him and want him. Why not ask them to put their money where their mouth is? We save some money on wages, sure, but in essence, we are doing them a favour by loaning him to them.

As much as I like KWP, especially when he is playing well, he looks short of a yard of pace. Not sure if it's down to tiredness, he has lost half a yard or never had it. There was a flat out race between him and Williams down the right in the second half and he was well beaten. He couldn't keep up with Ahmed the other night too. He's been a brilliant servant for us and was fantastic last season in the championship, but he is not beyond any criticism.

No you are not, it most certainly was Bree, but the situation Bree and then Bednarek found themselves in was created by Downes. All three should take some blame for that goal.

OK, but loaning him out and agreeing an option doesn't suggest we really want him to be part of the (hopefully) promotion winning side. The player is not going to feel very loved by the current manager.

Could happen, but the decision will be ours again, which is important. Last time we got a significant transfer fee that helped fill the gap in income and allowed us to bring in players like Brooks and Fraser that help get us promoted.

Bit of a shame we couldn't have an obligation to buy on promotion included in the deal. If the manager doesn't want to keep him, it would be good to move him on a quickly as possible. United currently need him to get promoted. Their options are limited in the January window. We hold a decent card there. Next summer, if they are promoted, their options increase and we may end up stuck with him. Perhaps that turns out to be a blessing, but at this moment in time a clean break for all parties seems a good outcome.

So, basically, he's Sulemana mark II. A young talent that was on our radar, but it was Rennes that made the investment only for the player to not really work out immediately. He plays but is only really getting minutes off the bench. We step in with an offer that will get their money back. Looks great playing for Glint (at that level). Lots of nice highlights and goals. Very one footed. Look forward to seeing him.