Patches O Houlihan

Do you think our business has been performed by blind scouts this summer? Or last summer? Or last January? There's an argument that the last woeful window we had was January 2023: When yes our transfer business was performed by an ego maniac intent on shooting both his feet off with a double barrelled shotgun

Crouchie's Lawyer a few posts back made a great arguement against this which I agree with: BBD plays best from the left, Arma plays best from the right. Both players can play well together (see Blackburn & last game vs Newcastle) if we play 5-3-2 you'll need to drop one for your new winger, and that would leave one of them AND Archer on the bench. Alternatively we play 4-3-3 with BBD and Arma wide and Archer up the middle (or Stewart, or miraculous deadline day loanee) So where does the winger fit there? We currently have 6 good options for 3 midfield spots, plus Dibling, SAA, Edozie, Sulemana & Larios. Maybe the last 2 or 3 of those might find other homes but either way I think £20m is better spent on a 2024 Pelle than a winger we don't need. Feel free to make your argument that I am wrong

'Southampton has millions to spend on Bijlow' Seems like a good solution for everyone. Great club with a coach who uses the same ball possession principles as Slot, which Bijlow feels comfortable with, and they have enough money to pay a good transfer fee and to meet Bijlow's salary demands. At Feyenoord he is the absolute top earner and (+ to a lesser extent due to the departure of Lopez and Pedersen) a lot of salary is suddenly freed up to continue with 1-3 direct reinforcements (incl. new goalkeeper) and a possible extension of Geertruida. [76 upvotes] Indeed. There is a good chance that he will just stay fit now and everyone will kick themselves later, but Feyenoord cannot continue to take that gamble. Wellenreuther is a very solid keeper who also makes mistakes now and then but is relatively reliable and comfortable with a high line in front of him. I wonder what we will wear behind him. [32 upvotes] I don't really think so. Southampton is my second club that I follow, so I can confirm the things that I say. They need a goalkeeper who is ready to go right away, and preferably someone as a temporary stopgap until Bazunu is fit again. He is the project that Southampton have invested a lot in and the number 1 for the long term. Bijlow's injury history really doesn't fit in with that.[6 upvotes] Well, I still prefer Bijlow as first keeper, but his injuries have become a continuous issue. I honestly think he is better than Wellenreuther, but unfortunately it is probably the best for both parties [25 upvotes] He is, but he also earns a lot more than Wellenreuther and Feyenoord can no longer afford to have him out again, while his salary could have also been used to pay for good field reinforcements. [10 upvotes] Great opportunity for Bijlow. He is a better keeper than Wellenreuther but his salary is increasing, so a departure is logical. Hopefully he will actually become the first keeper there and he will remain injury-free. Also like a nice farewell in De Kuip. Real club man and still successful with multiple titles, cups and Cruijff cups. Will miss him. [6 upvotes] Southampton have blind scouts? [1 upvote] ------------------ I think it may be a mis-interoperation to just describe this discussion as "Southampton have blind scouts?" Only quoting this line is like away fans reading Wade's entertaining pre-match rant and believing all Saints fans hate their city 😉

Watching videos of Victor Hugo just now a thought struck me: Maybe KWP was reticent to commit to Saints because he expected us to have an underwhelming transfer window and effectively be fighting with one hand tied behind our backs for the season. RM seemed more confident that Bednarek would commit to a contract but he may have been worried too. So the question is; does the addition of BBD, Archer, Fernandes, Big Les, Bijlow, and possibly Hugo change their thinking and persuade them to stay? Our new midfield has the potential to be quite handy... and I'm reasonably happy with the defence if Bednarek and KWP stays. Plus it feels like Saints always try to pull a rabbit out of the hat on deadline day and we still have a PL loan available. I guess to sum up I think our odds of staying up have improved a fair bit in the last 10 days, and we did OK at Newcastle with the old squad and newbies not used to our play. Am I being a 'Lego Head loving happy clapper' or is there room for some positivity?

"Chips without mayonnaise is not chips.” ™

Not a fan of Morgan Schneiderlin then?

We both know that if we go down he'll be proving that he can do it on a cold, wet windy morning in Cobham

Bijlow... Russ likes a keeper who can play out

Maybe we can get Captain Jack to put in a good word with Dayenne & Lucy? You know what they say "Two Nuns, are better than Nun"

She appears to be a keen supporter of the Oranje

His stats suggest few goals, and few assists. But you can see how his play would create plenty of chances ie the pass that creates an assist

I don't know about Ugochuckwu, but Fernandes favours left midfield.

So I had a look at his stats for last season: He played 17 games and had 8 clean sheets. Feyenoord lost twice in the games he played. Pretty good! BUT Timon Wellenruther was his deputy when injured. He played 19 games and had 11 clean sheets and there were no league defeats on his watch. Wellenruther seems to have got the nod as the No1 at Feyenoord this season despite Bijlow winning his spot back for the last game of last season. The chap who clearly knows the story posts on here:

The club might have played this quite well. Signing McCathy didn't cost anything; just a wage/signing on fee. He is clearly a good stand in when required, and capable of making saves. If we had recruited a No1 and then gone looking for a No2 there's no way we would have got a 2nd as good as McCarthy. Especially when you consider his experience with the team. Fingers crossed we get a year or two before our new Dutchman picks up an injury 🤞

His Wikipedia page is also a worry concerning injury when you read his club career history. I looked back through the Euro 2024 games. He wore 13 and was sat on the bench for Netherlands throughout the tournament

The Reddit posters have stated that he has broken bones. A wrist in training last year for example as a result of being "too brave" The player has claimed he has tried to adapt his game so that he is at lower risk of injury

Surely De Telegraaf is good enough?

Anybody who watched that and thought - "Yes, that's the guy for us" really needs to question their recruitment credentials! 😁 We have had their pants down good and proper to sell for over £10m.

That's not fair. Sometimes he manages a brisk walk.

https://twitter.com/TimJonesFC/status/1826160985394102420 Nice video showing his touches in one match. Looks to be an upgrade, although there seem to be bigger spaces to pass through in the Primeira Liga than in the PL

https://twitter.com/spena2k10/status/1825798234003935452 Thread on Rui Patrizio by Wolves fans: He was already struggling in his last season with us. What if it is between Patricio and Ramsdale? As a number 1 then Ramsdale. As I know Rui just won't cut it anymore. No wonder we are in massive trouble....He was average when we had him, so imagine now...look forward, not backwards. And even worse with his feet than Sa That's true, but is he worse than Ramsdale? One of the main reasons Rui left because he hated living over here. He couldnt wait to move away, so much so he had already packed and moved out of his house 6 weeks before he actually left the club Been really shaky for Roma. Past his best. became another liability as sa has and his kicking is appalling So not ideal then... I know at the start of the window we felt there weren't many PL side looking for a keeper. This week every club and his dog has been linked with Ramsdale, while there are Spurs fans and Wolves fans discussing Patrizio. (as well as Sergio Rico, Keylor Navas, Tommaso Martinelli, Wojciech Szczęsny, Marvin Schwäbe)

So confident of BBD then! 🍻 😁👍

BBD, Arma, Archer If you said one would score 11, and the other two would score 7 or 8 I don't think that would be a ridiculous suggestion. Which ones do what I couldn't say. BBD scored 6 in half a season at the Blades, while Archer scored 4 in the whole season I think?

But the mean average is 11.5 😉

Is there a player we can afford who you wouldn't be nervous about?