Forester

I am available to drive Mara there personally

I have seen the City, Sunderland and Burnley documentaries. This one shows some surprising/controversial stuff, and is I think relevant to us now, ie relegated team having been in Premier League some time, bouncing back and then staring into the gulf between two divisions. Add in similar style of play and it’s spooky! Hopefully a different outcome…..!

I posted this on June 9th and still think it is playing out this way. We won’t know where we are until after window shuts. If you want a glimpse of how end of windows work, watch the superb Burnley documentary on Sky Sports.

Good, if true

You neglected to comment on the transfer fee part!

Not sure my kids would know what a call box phone is, but I remember learning all of this from my dad phoning home from French holiday as a teenager! I actually thought Dixon and Speedie would be good signings! They would have been in the 80s!

I hate to point this out, but do you think it would be helpful either to Baz’s confidence or a future transfer fee when we sell him, if we saw a different quote spun, along the lines of “Saints have decided Bazanu is shit, and need to get a loan in quickly with a view to getting rid of Bazanu”?😂😂😂

Ramsdale as a year long loan is credible and would be a good fit I think. Big character

As I mentioned in post a couple of weeks ago, we won’t really know where we are until September with Euros, season starting a bit later etc. Current thoughts: - Is Bednarek staying? If yes, and assuming we get rid of DCC permanently, then I think we are sorted for centre backs with six including ABK. If all are still here at end of window I think you may see Edwards sent on loan to championship until January. - is KWP staying? Rumours suggest not. If so we obviously need to replace him, and in my opinion sign another full back so that Bree is number four in that department not number three as I would sell or loan out Manning, and loan out Larios and Meghoma. - is Downes signing? Either way, we need to sign two, not one, quality holding midfielders ideally with Downes as one. Charles is not ready for Premier League, and I would loan him to championship. - is O’Riley signing? If so we have enough attacking midfielders along with Aribo, Smallbone and Lallana. - is Adams staying? If so, would sell Mara and sign additional two strikers. If Adams goes, we need three. - is Fraser signing and Kamaldeen staying? If so we have enough wingers. If not, each one needs replacing. We also have a gap that Brooks was filling - we still need to sign a top keeper and McCarthy be number two. Sell Lumley. So still a hell of a lot of activity needed.

Mixed views on this as season ticket holder with family of three tickets, one of which is my elderly dad who needs some help on this stuff. And am influenced by my mate who is a Spurs season ticket holder (family have four tickets) which is a club that has run with this approach for a few years. Trying to be balanced here: - good news is not waiting on Royal Mail for cup tickets being sent out - I also get club saves costs with no mailing, paper and plastic, eco friendly eg etc - the transfer device is potentially useful if my daughter is travelling independently and saves faffing about to hand her card etc - less positive is my mate has had experience of waiting for a couple of tickets for match day to drop into the app and not receiving it until two hours before game, which is pretty stressful! Hopefully our system will be bullet proof…! So people saying “it’s just like going to a gig” is not the same as I go to plenty and they don’t arrive as late as 12 hours before in my experience - also you only realise how all of this is tricky for some elderly or less able fans when you actually experience it So pro’s and cons. Would be way better if for season tickets they simply sent the QR code that works for the whole season through in one go

Baz is a write off for the season, if he is fit for later in season it’s a bonus. Even if he was fit, in my opinion he is not top class needed. So retain McCarthy as number two, sign a top keeper as number one

I disagree. I think we need to sign two more top class full backs, so Manning leaves and Bree becomes number four. KWP able to play both flanks. Loan out Larios and Meghoma

Lallana

Yes some very good signings. Think we also converted Cork’s loan to permanent, which was good, and signed a useless African striker who barely played

I think for a one year deal this is a good signing. And not remotely due to his past links. I imagine he will not be a regular starter, but will be a good change option and brings experience and know how to the squad. If you listen to most managers they stress the importance of this off field element much more than fans recognise. These guys are effectively attending a workplace six or seven days a week, and the culture and environment created is crucial. Given Brighton link I suspect Martin knows him very well.

We are going to need to be patient I feel this summer. A number of factors: - we are two weeks behind most other clubs knowing they are in Premier League - the playing season starts later in August than normal because of Euros - a number of our competitors have serious FFP concerns and therefore comparing their current squads is futile - we have a lot of outbound and inbound Ioans ending - many deals will be on hold until Euros finish I really don’t think we will know where we are, and what we are up against, until end of August. My sense is that other clubs competing in “mini league” at the bottom will likely include Leicester, Ipswich, Brentford, Everton and Forest as a minimum. But probably eleven weeks away from becoming clear

Quite surreal that 24 hours ago we could be writing up what was needed to manage a tighter budget in championship! For my part here is what I would try and do: Retain……Baz, McCarthy, Lis, KWP, Bednarek, THB, Stephens, Aribo, Smallbone, Alcaraz, Edozie, A Armstrong, Adams, Stewart Loan out…..Larios, Meghoma, Charles, Diblin, SAA, Ballard Sell/Release....Lumley, Bree, Manning, DCC, ABK, Lyanco, Perraud, S Armstrong, Kamaldeen, Mara, Tall Paul Loan in….Brooks Buy….Downes, Fraser, new goalkeeper, new right back, new left back, new centre back, two holding midfielders, new ten, two new strikers That is nine new faces as three have been with us this season. I think we signed six when last promoted, Forest and Fulham in recent years have brought in about 20. When you are reminded of the loans out and loans in, there is a lot of work needed. The goalkeepers numbers may look heavy, but I have written off Baz for the season and you need three fit keepers at all times. I see some of the retained players, such as McCarthy, Stephens, Aribo, Adams, Fraser as squad players who bring experience but unlikely to start many.

A very good summary, very much reflects my feelings after a special day

Good day up there, and am satisfied with that result. We have played teams in third and fifth this last week and conceded just one goal. The back 3 really helps, and makes it harder to press us as often an outlet is available. It was noticeable how we ran into more problems playing out when we went back four late on, which I found puzzling. McCarthy has regained the form he had when late on in that season a few years back he helped keep us up under Hughes. Long may it continue. Fingers crossed Adams is fit Friday.

Is anyone else still waiting for tickets to arrive in post?

On train back to London having witnessed second 5-0 thrashing of the season. As others have pointed out, the goals conceded show we are well short of being equipped for promotion. Leicester have put nine goals past us this season (albeit at least took two games to do so!). I have enjoyed the football this season, but we don’t have the right defensive capabilities, and we lack pace and cutting edge against good teams. We may still get lucky in the play offs, although I fear this team will take some lifting. But the level of overhaul in the summer will be huge irrespective of what division we are in. We have six loans returning, five loans in finishing, two senior players out of contract etc. The two Bournemouth loan signings have proved to be hugely disappointing overall. I wouldn’t start Brooks next week

Be good fun to keep it running as long as we can, and good I think in terms of being “in the groove” if we end up in play offs, which remains most likely outcome. However with that Plymouth win, it now means that if we win our remaining games (unlikely, but not impossible as it is six not sixteen), and by virtue of two of them being against Leicester and Leeds, essentially we need each of our rivals to lose just one more of their other games. All this is unlikely but you cannot now say there is no chance. Slim, yes, but no longer ridiculous. What is helping is that 19 or 20 teams have something still to play for, so Plymouth, Millwall, QPR, Brizzle have all enjoyed wins over top four sides recently and who is to say there won’t be more of these results as sides fight for their lives

A good guy, put in an impossible situation with us. In what other profession would you get your first role at the very top. Like our squad last season, some promise but too young to be thrown together at once. Pleased for Selles

Downes and either Charles or Smallbone, with the latter forced to be deeper. But in truth I don’t think the squad this season has been built for the system of two holders. It would need to be addressed in summer window

But, and it may not be helpful to your argument, Sheffield United went up in second place with less than two points per game last season. This season is materially different, it’s just a fact. Detestable or otherwise….