gio1saints

I know the stats from last season as well. I think a good season is if we make playoffs. And IF we do that I’d imagine we’d be favourites. In other words 3rd best.Very Good chance we will but not a guarantee imo. However , to start from the basis that because if the end of last season performance we will roll over opponents this year , is NOT the team talk or fan talk that I think will add to our chances. Treating Watford away like they stole our chance to EPL is a good tool because we will get nothing strolling into matches with a superiority complex. Colchester were not easy and we could have conceded several times. In the championship we cannot give two goals start to every team…

Complacency. Saints were not good enough for automatic last year and start on minus four this year with much stronger new competitor opponents in wolves and West Ham especially. My expectation is another tough long season in which we struggle but make play offs. Then we should be favourites. The sense of injustice that we hope may inspire the players every match is going to be useful but most of all at the end of the season in crunch matches. Inbetween I reckon many teams will use the result v us as a benchmark - and raise their game - they know we could have been in EPL instead of Hull. Not one easy game this year starting with Colchester.

Agreed. It’s an important move, but a good one, for Jay. Being a sub for most of this season in the championship is not as good as playing at San Siro etc versus CL type defenders and of course the many tough Italian defences he might face. He scores and assists there then his value rises a lot more than same in the championship.

I think the main issue Saints may have with their RS offer is that maybe it is fully pricing in that he plays <50% of the time largely coming off the bench . Maybe even as little as 30% if he comes on with 30mins to go for Larin. RS and his advisors want to / do believe he is a 100% player. A championship starter. And priced his contract accordingly. Other Championship clubs may / will know of this discrepancy and the offers he is getting may not be mush better but simply add an extra year to the contract and goal bonuses.

Good tactical adjustments and well spotted. Are you an analyst? This second half adjustment is starting to look like an “ automism “ - but it absolutely benefits from a target man centre forward type in Larins absence. The Championship defences we face may have big CB’s or they may have fast Mobile CB’s - but they rarely have both so if Plan A is not working it’s essential to have Plan B, C etc. With the players we have we have variety- except without Larin that is…

Agree totally. Looking at one of our more predictable patterns of play in the latter part of last season perhaps gives a clue: Whenever we engage in that stupid keep ball game in our own penalty area and the opposition had gone full press and it was getting dicey Tonda used the default option of either Peretz hits ut long central (or lobg diagonal ) OR full back hits it long into the wide channels. In the latter nippy wingers are required. For the former it needs ability to compete aerially and physically for the ball. Latin is the only player we have, currently competent for that role. In his absence, currently, we are constrained to hit it wide from wherever we are. This has even lower chance of success than any of the hitting it long expedients in the scenarios outlined. This suggests to me in absence of Larin Tonda will put either Damian on ( but god please are we really down to this?) or buy another robust CF who can handle himself aerially and physically hold ball up and pass it to one of ours and, oh, can score as well. That’s what we need. Not another small forward.

I’ve a hunch Shea may go to Newcastle now they’ve got rid of another MF. If so I expect a healthy fee seeing as they have unloaded bothGuimares and Tonali for big wheelbarrows of cash. Can’t be shortchanging saints when we know how you price your own MF players…and I’d guess we want £25m plus easy add ons making it £30m in total.

Even though what I’m about to say will trigger the usual hate mail and even though I want Tonda as our Manager and even though I hate everybody dissing him like hypocrites theres one thing has always worried me about this case. Tonda claims he did not know it was not allowed. That’s the bottom line. And he’s stuck to that story. Is Tonda fucking thick as shit ? Or simply normal intelligence but being disingenuous? Which is more likely? Occam’s razor and the fact he is a professional in this area suggests it’s more likely he’s making it up. I’d say at least 90% + of the posters on here knew there’s something off about spying on opponents - at very least double check the rules - and know that, surely, Tonda must also know that. To claim otherwise is either blind loyalty or I’ve also got some magic beans for sale I can see you know your magic beans…. I wish he’d of just fessed up, not have me believe a lie. Damn it though I’m as bad as everyone else. I’m going to suspend my disbelief and sing his name anyway. What has this game got to. Integrity and respect my arse.

I think : £200k fine and 5match touchline ban. Reasons : There’s no direct equivalent precedent and there is no menu list of sanctions. Lots of cases of touchline bans but nothing exactly like this - which importantly included our incredibly costly disqualification from the play off final. It’s not directly relevant that we were disqualified from the most valuable match in world football - but it’s a big punishment sFC have already sucked up - and the world and surely the tribunal will know it. Aggravated by : (1) bullying allegation - unproven but it may come under the list of things that they state can aggravate ( meaning makes it worse and attracts a higher penalty). (2) Lying to tribunal ( I believe proven - could be wrong!) this will certainly aggravate the penalty. (3) Repetition : admitted doing it not once but three times. Mitigated by : (1) Saints Confessing up and quick hands up cooperative approach. (2) No previous convictions for Tonda in UK. (3) Saints previous good reputation as a club. (4) - my suspicion that they know the case has big holes in it that a big protracted and costly legal appeal battle might exploit if they go too far - so they may look for a Goldilocks penalty - not too low not too high to preclude that.

Whatever the fine is it will be peanuts compared to what fee Saints will get when Tonda gets headhunted by a big epl or goes back to Germany to manage Bayern or similar. That’s is what the owner is banking on.

IF Rogers is worth £117M then that’s v helpful in our stance vis Leo, Charles, etc. A new benchmark has been hit, and what with the MF fee that also strengthens perceived provenance value of being ex SFC. Say we were to sell Sam Edozie( who reminded me tonite he can run with the ball )the figure achieved for Rogers potentially just upped Sams value a little I’m sure, certainly Leo’s.

Maths and common sense surely determines that “the devil we know “ - RS - on a free is likely a sensible & smarter bet than on any unknown striker for £9m? which is what yiu get for £9m - potential not medals. Just his ability to blend into the squad and know how we play and his role in it instantly instantly is worth £££££££. He is not a world beater but he’s plenty good enough at this Championship level. If there is a cost effective way to take him back , and surely that’s not brain surgery to work out -SFC should do so.

Very logical but I /we don’t go to matches to improve the gross profit. We go to watch the team and most of all the one player who has got a bit of magic about him. One bit of skill per match is probably enough regardless of score line. I do mnt know how many more matches I will get to see so I’m kind of greedy. I want to see what Leo can do this year. I don’t care what his transfer to those tosses in North London might facilitate in terms of new CM’s etc. Leo is a once in a long time player. A joy to watch at times. Not many of them around but if playing he’s worth the ST / home or away ticket alone irrespective of the other 21 players.

The goodwill TT got for making the Semi was smashed by the sheer pathetic manner of our defeat. Most of us can accept Get beat bravely, get beat by cheats, get beat with bad luck, get beat by better team- but when the single biggest factor is your manager making high quality England players look like a bunch of hopeless amateurs that’s not on. TT subs made it like he tried to win the WC semi final managing a plucky but inferior second division team trying to hold onto a lead vs a proper big club in the FA Cup. That was humiliating to watch. England are not some WR 275 shit team. We had every right to stand up to anyone and give our best. Not adopt that inferiority approach. Not Good enough. He cannot manage Eng again.

Agree with all the sentiments. Agent Tuchel lost us that match. When we took the game to Argentina we were a match for them and deserved our lead. But I’ve never seen such a disastrous management decision by an Eng Manager as what that cxxx Tuchel got up to with those subs and formation changes. England so clueless in defence those last twenty minutes. Ultimately he blinked and Argentina did not. An English Manager would have told team to fight to the death and keep going forward not concede all that space and possession. We could have beaten these. And effibg Spain too if Manager had a spine and some balls. This is on him not the players. SACK HIM

I get it - and maybe Tonda aims for him to compete with Finn - but I still have the feeling it’s a precursor to another attacking player or players leaving. And just hope its not Leo because that’s not strengthening that weakening. IF it means Matsuki I’d also be disappointed. He is one of those drive forward with the ball energetic types saints always love - and he scores. Tom ditto if proving a slow starter - he needs get his skates in early doors… There’s a case to be made it’s Cameron Archer who should feel uneasy but same could be said for Jay and Sam. All those three need start delivering more when they get the chance preseason or it’s loans again. And I forgot BBD ! I think he will go full transfer anyways and maybe Dobbins is the replacement in which case 🥳

I remember the owner saying that and yes it’s very possibly. So you’d have him pinned down as a replacement / understudy to Finnazaz? Interesting and very encouraging the notion we’d spend £8M-£10M this season on essentially a Substitute if thats right. Much more likely, IMO, at that price is he’s a starter replacement for Leo or Tom and layer potentially useful as back up to Finn. We shall see!😃

Left sided attacker. How is he going to start if Leo is here/fit? This early signing massively red flags he’s the replacement not an addition and we are getting him in early before others see the wheelbarrows of money we collecting for Leo (and Charles - and or others ) and up the price….

Anybody driving over to Germany? Am considering it with a one night stay.

Precisely. This Dobbin forward chap looks like he scores goals - AND creates - Leo is I clearly the closest like for like- NOT CA, SE, TF, DD(!) JR, RS(!) or even FA. IF Leo departs Saints for alleged £25m it’s a hefty player trading profit - in just 12 mths. With returns like that it’s arguably a better, less financially risky, more manageable business model to stay in the Championship - and focus on producing “Leo Scienzas “ plus , bonus- get promoted , than any other way of prioritising operations. Buying Championship goalscorer and asset maker Dobbins in from Villa @ £10m and hoping with promotion his value too rockets up to £25m this time next year makes total long term business sense in that context. Supporters don’t want that. Supporters want get promoted play beautifully stay in EPL buy flash players pay big bucks become global giants get Europe get to Finals. Owners want : stop losing money start making money and reduce risk stop making it a rollercoaster turn it into a money making machine.

Don’t need to be a rocket scientist to make a connection between this Dobbin chap and the obvious interest in Leo.

The factors fueling this story might be 1. Lack of ready Money : JWP free or cheap loaned is good business v another £10m bet on an unknown or young potential. 2. The ratio of known quantities we recruit ( like JWP ) v gambles is relevant ( but prob only evident/transparent at close of window). Too many young unknowns = higher risk. 3. The likely departures of THB and SC -the first of whom is THE captain /leader type in our first 11 and the second an excellent back up CM to Downes and Jander. JWP ticks both boxes. Put it all together and yiu got…………………………………,,,Joe Rothwell 🥳

Yes I did not realise was final year for Hackney thanks! That would make a£30m player £18m alright I imagine. As for Charles value in comparison - it’s a guess but I think I the current figure being touted -£23m plus add ins getting it closer to £30m MINUS city sell on % is very close to stake hands. I personally have faith in him / largely due to his knack of getting us late goals probably but also because at International level he always looks one of the better players on the pitch. IF he is keen to try the EPL - like THB might be then there’s probably no point extending his contract but it is certainly an option not to be sniffed at. He’s a known quantity - and a high quality ready to start for us this season player. I guess he will be sold to balance the books up a bit and make cash for new striker though…

If hackneys fee from Boro to Everton is now a benchmark I can see us accepting £23m without hesitation for Charles. As for Mat F- the big fat fee he is now going for is probably a weighting factor in Saints holding out for more from Leeds than currently on offer. That we did not get the free agent over the line plus manager uncertainty is another factor. But the player of the championship season price has been set -£18m - so it’s going to be tough getting more for any other MF player even if he is as good as Charles.

One potentially GOOD consequence of this Germany squad exit that DID NOT INCLUDE JANDER OR QUARSIE is that there may be a rethink back in the German FA about players. This might mean our two might get a full international chance sooner rather than later ( or not at all!) . And that means their future transfer value would go up significantly. It would be sick if they were full internationals playing for Saints! ( oh yeah Q has to up his game somewhat but I hope he gets that chance if we see CB vacancy as is possible)