Chez

We look extremely limited. The only difference today is that we as fans are so much more forgiving when we are playing against a top side like City.

they seem to be after Jesse Marsch.

If, and it's not assured, players have a relegation clause that reduces their wages by a percentage, it is likely that the contract will also include another clause that moderates the amount we can sell them for. No player wants to be tied into a five year contract on half the money they thought they were going to get AND not be able to depart because we can hold out for £50m or whatever. Any agent worth his salt will ensure that doesn't happen. I have no idea which players have contracts with a drop in wages based on relegation (it might be some, it might be all of them), but equally there may be quite a few that have relegation clauses with `lower' than you expect fees - as was the case with Pope.

I know he's a talent, and there have been some crazy prices for players over the last year or so, but keep in my mind that the other Prem sides know exactly what relegation means financially, and that puts buying clubs well and truly in the driving seat. You may recall that last time we were relegated that Lowe did everything possible to paint a picture of sound finances, which helped strengthen his position when negotiating a price for Crouch. However, he admitted afterwards, that we absolutely desperate for those millions and without them we'd have been in absolute dire straights. Since then, several clubs have almost gone to the wall due to carrying monster prem wages in the lower leagues. Chairman can't pull the wool over the eyes over the rival chairman anymore.

Good point. There were quite a few posters suggesting we should follow a more 'pragmatic, keep it tight' approach. It's not working out.

In his first season, they brought him in because they were at (or near) the bottom of the table and he completely turned them around, spending similar money, in that first January transfer window, to what we just did.

Thought he did a good job for us and a shame we could afford to keep him. He created the foundation for Leicester's success too. Currently Bristol City manager, so we'll probably be up against him next season as they are going nowhere.

This is what the buy back clause usually means.

Anyone that thinks there are no financial pressures this summer is deluding themself.

and the new players West Ham brought in too, it seems.

Unless Saints managers now have zero responsibility other than picking the 11, that decision has to be on Ralph.

Two year deal. Contracted until 2025. Marinakis hasn't been afraid to pull the trigger on managers though. They've had 9 since he bought the club in 2017.

What is Ralphball? Is it the 442 formation and hell for leather high press, steal the ball in their defensive third and a couple of quick passes before shooting on sight? We certainly went back to 442, but not sure I've seen much of the high press. A little, but not much.

They've made it sound like he was the `decision maker', but he wasn't. Not a chance in hell a serious buyer that offered more money had to go through an interview process conducted by Semmens to decide if he was the winning bidder. There will have been a vetting process to see who was genuine and who wasn't. After that, the largest (and probably only) bid will have won the day. It wasn't a fucking job interview for Dragon and any discussions will probably have no doubt constituted a job interview for Semmens. Semmens retained his role because SR wanted someone that could help the transition from old to new.

Armstrong's confidence has gone. Drop him down a division and there is no guarantee he will hit the ground running and score goals. He'll have more time and perhaps a few more chances, but unless he gets back into the `I can't miss' frame of mind, that won't be enough.

I often say that 'City are one of those sides that, if things fall the right way, could score ten against a lot of teams'. We are one of those teams.

we're hopeless.

Poor positioning. He was equally poor positional wise for the free kick in the second half which he saved. If the free kick had been anywhere near the corner it would have gone in. He got away with it. To counter that, he wasn't half brave saving at the feet of a West Ham player in the second half. I was impressed by that. I am surprised more hasn't been said by DCC's antics defending the free kick (from which they scored from). You can see him in the second image above, just watching the guy who was right next to him when the free kick was taken, about to celebrate the goal, scored because he had left him totally unmarked and unchallenged. He's a CB FFS. A bloody CB. There is absolutely no desire whatsoever to win the header or even get back into an area where he might win a header. Two days later and I am still fuming about it. I'd like to post "never want to see him start for us ever again", but I always roll my eyes whenever I read posts like that, and perhaps there is a mitigating factor here that I haven't considered?

In League 1, Peterborough's Jonson Clarke-Harris is the leading scorer with 22 (whoever is their scout seems to do a good job finding strikers (maybe sign him!) Then its: Colby Bishop from the skates - 19 Conor Chaplin (ex-skate) at Ipswich - 17 David McGoldrick at Derby - 16

He'll be on £60k a week here. Not sure Hearts can afford £6k a week. So even if his wages are being cut by 50% on relegation, he'd have to play for five years at their place to make the same money as he would in his final year of his contract at Saints. Hibs top earner was on about £5k a week until they gave Chris Mueller £10k a week. He's been a disaster and they wont be paying that kind of wage again, I suspect. So, another five years of work to equate one at our place.

Just looking at the Burnley side from Friday to get an idea about their retention/turnover of players. 12 out of the 18 are new players. Muric (summer signing) Roberts, Harwood-Bellis (loan), Beyer (loan), Maatsen (loan) Cullen (summer signing), Brownhill Manuel (summer signing), Tella (loan), Zaroury (summer signing) Barnes Subs: Cork, Gudmundsson, Twine (summer signing), Peacock-Farrell, Ekdal (summer signing), da Silva (summer signing), Obafemi (loan)

I'd compare us to Sunderland.

We lost £13m after tax in 21/22, and that was with player trading roughly breaking even. In 22/23 we've spent £115m and brought in £4.5m for Romeu and a couple of loan fees, if we are lucky.

Ely is out of contract in the summer, so we won't need to pay anyone to shift him, unless there's been another `McCarthy contract type situation' where we extended his contract ages ago, but the club have chosen not to reveal it?

Literally the only thing they have got right since they got here was signing Lavia. That is it.