gio1saints

Wellington Jay and Sugawara - such a difference in energy! Much better.

2-2!!!

Penalty saints!

Sesay off. Lads played bloody well. 🙌

Pretty much as expected 1st half. Attack v defence. Brighton look pretty slick. We are just trying to hold a shape. We’ve had a few half chances but nothing that felt like growing pressure. A set piece is probably our best chance second half. Brighton on other hand look like they can pop up a gear whenever they want. pluses - Quarsie if he’s not nobbled.Downs runs effectively in the channel. Sesay- lad did alright. Shea ditto. The rest - meh. Cam at least looks like he’s trying . Ryan Fraser and Adam Armstrong basically ineffective. Ryan manning and Bree got their hands fullvs top forwards. Can’t fault baz for the goal and he did a good save early. We just are not holding possession long enough in their half to be dangerous. Yet another half in which we do not look like scoring and the opposition definitely do. Like all of last year.

I’m disappointed to definitively see that Tyler and Mateus are obviously off. Other than that delighted at no BBD or Joe Aribo. Also Delighted at starts for Downs, Sesay and Quarshie. Out with the old in with the new! It starts here. The result probably a loss - but I’m glad we not playing those that are not committed. We get trounced- SR might need hurry up a bit! We don’t get trounced play alright - start of a new era? Ish? Let’s see….🤞

The absences will be the most painful. Supposedly THB is scheduled to play, you’d hope Flynn also. But if neither are there due to “niggles” and both Mateus and Tyler don’t make it either the portents are not good. Means entertainment value is pinned on young Jay Robinson and maybe Damian Downs to score. I do have hopes/ confidence in one other player though : think Joshua Quarshie will become an instant fan favourite with a few “committed”challenges today and he will go on to win our “Player of the Season”.

Think that’s very close. Have a feeling Still will NOT drop Armstrong for this “ prestige” home friendly however, and he will start, instead of Downs. Robinson will be the fans main interest in which case. I personally would prefer Ronnie and Quarshie as a combo CB pairing as we’ve not seen that yet. And it might spare us the crowd groans when Jacks name is announced. Final score : 0-3. Or 1-3 if forwards get enough service. Which I don’t think they will given our lack of an AM - unless Ryan realises it’s last chance saloon and scores from edge of the box or something mental. Don’t be fooled though. We saw BBD do that last year. It’s an old pros trick - the “once a year highlight reel goal”.

Grok says it was in region if £20m and we apparently want £30m.

Just for once I’d like to see Saints put out a fresh no scar tissue want to win team : GB in goal, Downs and Robinson up top, Quarshie and Edwards at CB’s, Matsuki at #8, Shea and Sanda in the middle and top up the remaining positions with what you got left over from the squad. But the gist is : play these players NOT the ones we already know what they got ( or in many cases NOT got). They get thrashed - SR need to get the chequebook out . No point watching Cameron, Adarma Fraser and BBD being impotent v Brighton over and over again…

When Villa got promoted to the EPL they made Grealish their best paid player at c £125k pw. To reflect his status. Still sold him for a lot to City though the following year- for £100m - But they got promoted and a year in epl out of what was an obvious talent- like Tyler is. That was four /five years ago. It’s a parallel of sorts we might follow. And the prices perhaps too. If we truly believed in the lad. Grealish stats in the champ are comparable to Tyler. These are high stakes. oh and PS look where Villa are now.

Anywhere he goes he will earn more in a year than many do in a lifetime. A multimillionaire before he’s even 21. It does strongly look like he’s being advised to take the big money elsewhere. My question is : I think his current contract is £5k a week? Is that right? No idea what he was offered but surely Saints can do a one year extension at £50k pw or so and a promise to sell next year offers over £40m? Would that be a compromise?

Before I even consider asking that one What do you think the answer might be? You need to think about what JS might say -( he will be there) as you get one chance at a follow up. Am i genuinely asking him for information or am I asking to make a cheap dig at the club Captain in front of a few hundred people? I can almost give you word for word what both Still and Jack might say when I ask “why 3yrs?” so the follow up better be good else I’ve learned nothing.

oops

When you are as young as Tyler it’s hard /impossible to make a poor team good. But when you have the quality Tyler has, and his age, he can make a good team great. And can occasionally show class even in a bad team - but it’s rare and frustrating and not sustainable over full season in a poor team. People are conflating the rubbish team he played him with the player himself. And the position he was told to play and ultimately what he was told to do - and had to do / which was not his best skill set ( defending / tracking back tackling left wingers etc). This new squad should now be told in the championship - give ball to Tyler every chance you get. That’s about as complicated as it gets. Instructions to Tyler : do whatever you feel is good to make goals.

I think that’s a good point. Well spotted @trousers. His regular use of that term has many potential interpretations but in general, given the context, given his detailed body language and my assessment of voice tone pitch volume etc I think in summary it means “ it was bad”. A lot of what he’s seen “ is bad” and certainly must “ improve”. That’s my current analysis. Will let you know more after I interrogate him on the 6th at the do.

And if saints don’t do it presumably you will be one of the first on here complaining that they “ don’t listen” to fans. I agree it’s largely a PR exercise in being seen to listen and being open with supporters. I also agree that nothing said will change playing policy - nor Beer policy😵‍💫. BUT for those that want to get some insight into what our new Manager is really like it’s a great opportunity to ask him a direct question with a follow up. I will go to watch and listen intently to his response (s) and hence to make up my own mind about the measure of the man.

The questions are not pre vetted. But Blackmore does go in a bit too much that’s true. Ive got my ticket. I’m going to think hard on what to ask this time around. We got the Brighton match and possibly some transfers to come in or out between now and then but It will be a direct Q to Will Still I’m sure. And not one in which he can give a vague answer or a yes/no. PS. You lot moaning about what questions will or will not be asked. If you care so much why don’t you turn up and ask your Question? And if you can’t be bothered why bitch about what others have asked? When I go yes I squirm at the beer questions etc but at least those people with their SFC beer interests are participating. It’s like having a pop at the government but you never bothered to vote.

Good summary . I enjoyed reading your analysis and agree with most. Place I differ : I’m in the HODL ( Hold On for Dear Life) category regarding Tyler and Mateus. IF we can balance the books this season without selling either it would be a sign of SR’s true, naked, ambition. I’d admire that whether it worked or not. More than if they got a lot of profit this year on player trading. WRT to our attitude to the two lads I’d say “Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all “ Saints and us fans should give them all the love they can in order to help keep them developing here - not elsewhere. They ARE rare talents. They may go anyway as is likely but we should try EVERYTHING. Think on this : How many obviously destined to be top players have we seen sold off in bits and bobs over the decades as Saints fans? It’s countless numbers of top players…and how many times do we want to have that conversation on the terraces or down the pub or in here with fellow sufferers about “ just imagine if we had kept such and such young players with us for just another year ~ what a team that would have become..” I am a realist and realise it’s not going to happen. But as a Long term Saints fan I’d like to think I’m also a never say die idealist. I want to see a beautiful Saints team play beautiful Southampton football. Just one full season will do before I die. Not endless average or mediocrity or quite goods and total rubbish interspersed with a few good matches and one excellent half per season. And a Cup win or two to make us all feel better. Fuck that. Build and keep a winning team. Saints: Just one season more of TD and MF together please!

Nice and timely history lesson! It was a BAD start. Maybe we should be grateful this time uf it’s simply not quite as bad. People underestimate the acclimatisation that’s required in the league in the squad and in the club.

@Fabrice29 you are wasting your breath attempting to give posters here evidence showing that our last Championship season, far from being a dark period in saints history show was actually a free scoring success the line of which we rarely experience as long term supporters. The narrative is set in people’s minds that we were useless under RM. Because of last year. And nothing will dissuade them. Not even the gazillion goals we scored. And got promoted first time of asking.

Looks like a potential replacement for Kameldeen / SamE. Its frightening how impotent we look in attack - despite all the strikers we have with goals in their past history. BBD, Adarma, RStewart and Cameron have not made any fantastic impression on me in preseason. Nor watching them fail all of last season either. When they get the ball I never sense panic in the opposition. Ive literally only got 30 minutes one goal Damian Down who probably does not give a damn about anything except scoring ( good) Quarsie, Jay R ( and Tyler IF he stays) that I am paying to watch this season atm and hope will not be frightened to shoot and attack. I want those three /four to start and if the others are still around they can support them- from the bench- or by leaving and opening up spaces for other fearless & effective players frankly.

PS This was taken when we beat Everton in November last year - last time I got that happy at SMS probably!

IF he’s the starting CF for Saints - a team likely to be scoring a high amount of goals this year by bookies opinion, then 25/1 is great value. Not if he’s on the bench though. I’d rather see DD starting - and the other forwards are there to support him not other way around. Between him and RS anyway. I don’t want to rely on Cameron or Adam this season as the main scorers.

We have a potentially similar situation with Tyler. When he gets the ball he looks a “ fuori classe ” as they say in Italy but he’s not matured yet into the dominant player he “ might” become. I hope he will be our Jack Grealish and really shine this season and next before leaving g for that mega bucks move. He’s at least 1 season off being really worth £50m+ though imo. Right now he’s a punt at £25-£30m or so I’d guess - which I’d hope we say NO to of course.