gio1saints

You’re not taking this Manager thing very seriously are you? If SFC want to save the £20m it’s gonna cost to recruit a new manager and his team then sack them after 12 Championship matches when we have only 5 points and then go steal another manager and his coaches who play in another style and pay a big eff off compensation fee-why not save all that time ( and money) by letting Rusk and Adam lead the team into the Championship. Then, when we only have 5 points from first twelve games playing in the what’s er style you can call what we do ( uber pragmatic?) they can be sacked and some other lot with a wholly new playing philosophy can be brought in. And some will love it and others will hate it. And when it’s clear we’ve missed the playoffs we can sack these as well, and recruit Danny Rohl.

Silva was just being a c&nt. That was not true - we had more shots on target than them in the first half for example. They committed more fouls on us than the other way in first half for example. I know because I had a bet on both outcomes ( needed same thing second half to pull off a 102/1 touch sadly not to be). The only thing more offensive than his comment was his fouling players - and WE were the ones who actually scored first not huffed and puffed like they did first half. So, you can just feck off de Silva. You beat a team bottom of the league struggling in every way managerless and with morale on the floor and yet you feel the need to big yourself up and belittle us after the event? Little, pathetic man.

My thoughts: Stewart could have taken the shot but instead chose to fall over claiming a penalty via a push. Maybe Liverpool or a top team at home gets that penalty but on balance I think he should have trusted himself to shoot-and score..I’m frankly disappointed he decided to fall over. He got his chance- and he chose to fall over. Wrong decision for a winner imo. Someone desperate to make an impact after 2+ years out does not take a rain check on a possible direct shot with good chance of scoring in the penalty area. I was in Northam 41 so had a direct down the pitch view of the challenge. It was at best a harsh maybe penalty but we don’t get those usually… he definitely had the opportunity to shoot and gave it a no thanks. He’s a #9 he’s there to shoot and score ffs! Not happy with his mindset there one little bit. PS. I am not wanting to go OTT on him first start back long injury I know I know and he did run around a bit and it’s early days BUT, Me Stewart you must not act like a weak minded flake if you want to be our #9. Next time shoot, score, scorn the goalie rip off the defenders leg and throw it into the crowd on the way back to the centre spot and take your aclaim. Not roll around whimpering you fell over.. PPS. I 100% saw some of our players ducking out of 50-50 challenges. Unacceptable.

One overwhelmingly obvious point of his recruitment is that we WILL be. Spors will favour athleticism, height, power and pace as the default requirement of SFC players. Whoever is new manager not only MUST comply but ideally is already a believer.

He is too short to play in a Spors team at CB. Or even to be given a chance at that or dcm. Think he will be sold.

Thank you Holmes. Thing is my legs never been so hair free so I’m certainly returning. 😂🦵 My ITK credentials if I even need to say, are no better than average join the dots best guess logic I’m afraid despite my pretty tenuous inside contacts so it’s entirely possible I have made it up or totally misunderstood. At any rate I have a feeling deckchairs are out for Fulham. Great chance to score a goals and do a home win thing. Think Rusk and Adam will be leading a chorus line bow at full time to the Northam. ( that was also in my imagination/dream too in case anybody has misunderstood me). Anyhow just the possibility has left me feeling more 4/10 we will not lose than 10/10we will lose.

Interesting or nothing but my eyebrow briefly raised to hear, apparently, certain people enquiring what it’s like living in Soton.

There is a slight chance we may not lose Aaron entirely. 1. We make him best paid player in the Championship. And keep him at high EPL level salary or simply a one year bonus. Remove any financial reason for him to leave basically. Offer him a £5m bonus if we get promoted and EPL wages. Fuck differentials with rest of squad he’s a top gk. 2. OR a bit more longwinded - He might be offered an extended contract - then allowed to be loaned to Chelsea ( or similar European football playing team) for example in order to satisfy his top level playing and International aspirations for next season. This would mean his family could stay in the South and were we to get promoted at first opportunity he’d be able to come back to us and a part of the world him and family feel most comfortable with. Or sold to Chelsea for massive fee. Don’t see either myself and it’d be clutching at straws but good goalies like him are rare so I’d do pretty much anything to somehow keep him on board. Financially I think point 1. Is arguable. We can spend £12m including wages on a new gk who may or may not be any good - or basically pay what it takes to keep a gk we know will be best in the league from Day One. No brainer for SR imo. IF they can think in that pragmatic way.

If Gavin is not fit for pre season (IF) then I agree with the idea of recruiting a new first choice keeper for next season. IF he is fit then actual pre season should determine if he stays or if he goes. He is young still for a keeper don’t forget. With all due respect to AM -and GB frankly - especially a big “Thank You “ for the play off performances AM and to Gav for his crucial part in the unbeaten run and the fundamental “Russball” approach that got us up - but they have both trousered a lot of money whilst at SFC for not actually doing much goalkeeping last few years. That criticism includes JL who, good bloke that he is, if he cannot displace AM week in week out in training, cannot be good enough either. Im fluid about all of it except the first basic requirement- if /when Aaron goes we need a top quality first team starting new goalie. Not a kid not a reserve not a potential. A straight into the team starter.

He is injured.

yeah I see your (as per usual cynical) pov - maybe RM is airbrushing his history a bit about those recruits that did not happen. Maybe he did go on record at the time saying he loves those he's recruited. The latter if true ( probably 99% certain) is Manager talk 1.01 anyways. Thing is people knew at the time pre and early season he was not getting who he wanted - so I discount its retrospective PR work to make him look good for his next job ( though it does no harm). HE 100% wanted Delap -Who visited training ground and was happy with RM. And if we had Delap all that faffing around pre season with stupid formations without a proper CF - and getting beat every week - would probably not have happened. Maybe history would change. maybe not. So- the transfer fiasco was not his fault basically. He did not solve the stay competitive in the EPL puzzle with what players he had - that's his fault.

My understanding is that Russell really wanted : Liam Delap - Liam was happy but our ceo fucked it up, he wanted o’reilly but our ceo fucked it up, he even wanted Jordan Henderson and was refused. He got what he was allowed to get and they were not his first choice(s). Even the Flynn deal was nearly fucked up. To say the the bad recruitment was on Russell Martin is inaccurate. Guilty in other ways but in that : innocent.

Looks like we will need a new gk for next season or back to AM and JL….. Hoping Gavs injury is not a career threatening one if it’s an ACL …

I hope we get that draw-or better - but think that is pretty much the best we can hope for. West Ham under Potter will be DESPERATE for a big win and we could be the team to give it them. Our management clearly are not just chucking the kids on and going full on attack so it looks like keep it tight game ( yeah like we’ve not been able to do all season bar a match or a half or two..) has to be the limit of our optimism - to be all square going into the last third or so and hope to snatch a winner. Big up to all Saints fans going, keep the volume and humour up! 😁😇

with thanks to Siri and ChatGPT: The ten tallest players in the EFL Championship for the 2024–25 season are: James Beadle (Sheffield Wednesday) at 201 cm, Jake Cooper (Millwall FC) at 199 cm, Conor Hazard (Plymouth Argyle) at 198 cm, Lukas Jensen (Millwall FC) at 198 cm, Illan Meslier (Leeds United) at 198 cm, Harry Souttar (Sheffield United) at 198 cm, Josh Griffiths (West Bromwich Albion) at 197 cm, James Trafford (Burnley FC) at 197 cm, Jacob Zetterström (Derby County) at 197 cm, and Tom Glover (Middlesbrough FC) at 196 cm. At least one of these to get our average height up a bit.

He came out earlier did two great saves and has gone to neck a few beers before kick off whilst the rest do that running stuff

Love seeing Lallana shouting and being a super coach with his whistle in one habd ball under his arm in the other. He is personally training THB in the warm up. I think th.mb should have a word about that hair and thing though. Can’t be good for him. 😁 pS some super reaction saves from our Aaron in warm up. I reckon he’s good for maybe 6-8 saves today at least. pps : gotta laugh in a nice way at lallana. He doesn’t know wether to stretch and kick a ball or a sprint himself, clap the players or whistle/shout at them. He kind of does all of them at same time lol

Of course. Genius! Seeing the obvious before everyone else. IF Lallana can be an assistant I’m sure Crouchie could be Manager, easy, he’s got at least 6-10 inches height advantage. I mean, it’s a no-brainer for Spors. Crouchies agent needs to get going before TP’s money man senses the way the wind is blowing and puts TP up as player manager next season! Things are really on the up in the new Manager front I must say!

Villa are taking this pre match preparation super professionally😎. They will attempt to dismantle us in the first half to kill off the game ( and crowd) and then they will attempt to just hold us at bay to prepare for the PSG match. The longer we can keep it at 0-0 or tight- the better. They will not want to wear out there best players so there’s a sliver of a chance last fifteen if it’s still close. We can pressurise them. Sadly I think they will be well ahead by then but here’s hoping ! Think our starting line up will reflect the above likely way the game plays out so a solid starting 11 team and then if we are still in it to try to win. With attacking subs.

188cm. ✅ but only just and I’d recommend he wear lifts to bring him up to speed. Also don’t get caught shoeless as that would be damning evidence of his just-about qualifying vertical qualifications to be in top football. We’d be ridiculed in the media endlessly I’m sure. My dark horse is Arsene Wenger but I guess he is too experienced too tall and probably does not want to manage a team of players all shorter than him - though he might be motivated at the prospect of managing the first team ever to have the minimum height to be in squad as 191cm ( six foot three or so) if Spors can convince him. And if we fail in the Championship there’s always a chance we could do well in the Turkish Basketball Premier League next season anyway due to the exciting multi club ownership model SR have at present. Yes it’s all looking up!

I happen to understand, from my ITK friend, that Spors has a “ tell”. He tends to sing under his breath and if you are around him for long enough you can actually make out the words as he does it in a very identifiable English-foreign accent : 🎶“IF he is not six-foot-three he is not the man for ME”🎶

You’ve made a strong case for Rohl but I dont think Spors will be fooled by the bouffant hair. I think that even +10cm he comes in at around 183cm - which is still probably a tad too short and Spors will kick him out pretty damn quick for wasting his time.

Danny Rohl is too short. Gary O’Neill is too short. Liam Rosenior is too short. Gareth Southgate is too short but getting closer as is Steve Cooper, who is also too short. If your players have to look down at you for team talks it’s not good body language - or if you have to make them sit down whilst you speak standing up it’s also not ideal. The worst thing is if the new ( tall) skipper accidentally holds your hand and walks you out to the centre circle before match starts cos they’ve confused you with a mascot, such is your diminutive stature. For this reason I think it’s fairly obvious who the new Manager MUST be. Will Still is 190cm+ = tall and obviously and inevitably and justifiably by every important criteria the outstanding new Manager candidate for Spors and Saints.

If MLT was famously able to cheat the pre season weighing scales by leaning against a wall I don’t see the problem with some of our more vertically challenged players using platform shoes and inserts. If it’s good enough for the POTUS after all. Think the games up for Fraser though. Sadly. Even in platforms he only reaches 5ft. The upside is he never bashes his head on the ceiling of the changing rooms though that’s scant consolation I suppose as he considers his future career options.

Saints new pre season fitness testing :