gio1saints

It would be a bold statement starting Casper instead of Flynn or Shea. Ditto starting Jelert instead of Manning and Scienza instead of Jay or Ryan. Of the newbies only Mads Fellows and Azaz are nailed on starters - for me. I think Fraser will start and be replaced last 30 by Jay whilst sane with Scienza for Azaz and Charles/Flynn for Caspar same time. if we need goals the other subs are going to be attackers but if it’s an easy win Jelert may get a run out for Manning or Mads..

I like the idea of having a bona fide dcm. We sometimes appear lightweight in middle of the park because we use a “ player” who can “defend” ( Flynn/ Will for example) there instead of a “defender” who can “play”. ( like perhaps Ronnie ). Now we have more specialist attackers/players up front the chance to install specialist dcm arises. We don’t need quite as many multitaskers.

Ive never seen Flynn Downes nor Shea Charles do what Caspar did to Jelert. I thought fuck! When I saw that. Shea is 6ft 2/3 so I give him benefit of the doubt cos for his size he’s a very good dribbler - and he has that athleticism and physical presence also. I’d say Flynn is more at risk than Shea purely because of Sheas size - even if Flynn is a little dynamo and best expert ball recycler in the league. Flynn never does one on ones. Thats not his game. His game is harassing off the ball and passing passing passing between defence and attackers ( though rather too often for some it’s from defence to him then back to defence ..) Add in that Shea has previously been used to playing the quarterback holding MF in any case (Flynns job) - it means someone like Caspar may have opportunity to do exactly what he showed in training higher up the pitch - and Shea takes up Flynn role. Random thought but I reckon Ronnie Edward’s can do the DCM job as well in extremis. He has the ball skills.

Yes I think the evidence tends to show Jay should stay in the final third - and especially penalty area itself. His job instructions ought to be to find space to receive ball in or around penalty area and then make something happen. Thats it. The rest of the team instructions ought to be- if there’s a chance of a pass to Jay in or around penalty area - even if he’s surrounded- give him the ball. Bit extreme perhaps but young lad like that given simple instructions like that I think he’d get it - we should not try fill his head up with 101 tactical subtleties. Thats for others who do not possesses that X factor to create something out of nothing/ the team watercarriers. ( aka the team domestiques) Essential though they are as well let’s not forget!

Agree and that’s a key point over number of games he may play this year. I hope that Saints can learn from Sam Edozie. He is /was a talent. Was scoring early doors of the season. Making problems for every Championship defender. Not as eye catching as Jay but all the same he was the best we had 1 on 1. But he got injured and his confidence never really returned. Career gone on hold it seems after such promise. Championship defenders are going to be both frightened at being made a fool of by Jay and licking their lips at the prospect of laying one on the slight looking kid. Jay needs to be super fit and ready to avoid getting hit. When fit he’s normally able to duck and weave and twist and flick his way out of trouble. Once he’s obviously tiring I suspect Still will be hooking him off fast just to minimise chances of him getting caught by a late one.

Oh, my vote is for Dibling atm. When Jay gets better it will be for Him though and hopefully that won’t take too long seeing as Tyler is already getting splinters on the bench at Everton. But then again this may be considered Jays “senior development year “ so Will may try to “ protect “ him ( means drop him and play Leo or Fraser more but pretend it’s for his own good to stop an 18 year young man getting tired playing a whole 90 minutes in a whole fucking week ) so we may not see the Full Jay. Unless of course there are injuries. But Half Jay is still going to be worth watching I’d say. Certainly better than watching Tyler watching his new mates play football from three rows back on the team bench like he does atm . Or it could be two rows back u can’t tell it’s quite far from being on the pitch anyways.

You’re not taking this forum as seriously as you used to @Holmes_and_Watson. Why can’t you be banal - or seriously banal - or both, instead of, err, whimsy.😁. People are getting confused. Others frightened. It really won’t do.

Jay is away with England atm -so in the practice and training matches between now and pompey it will be Ryan Fraser and Leo Scienza on that left hand side. Which means Will should be able to have a good look at Scienza in particular to see if he can do the job he wants of him at LW. I think I’d not find it surprising - but disappointing - if Jay was dropped for this home match though in favour of old hand Fraser. Jay scores v Pompey he’s set for life and probably knows it. So if he’s given the chance I think he’s totally going for it. And I reckon he will score. Who wouldn’t go mental if Jay scored?

With neither Mads nor Jelert in the Danish squad and Ryan Manning away with Ireland plus Bree andTaylor gone plusWelington injured there will be lots of time for Will to practise a flat back four with those two newbies as the full backs ahead of pompey..

I think the key factor in the back 5 back 4 debate is that we now have better full backs and wingers. The upgrade in quality from before to now is massive. It means we can play a higher quality back four than previously available - and with higher quality attackers than previously available. Having better defensive full backs in particular allows us to imbue our new and better offensive wingers/attackers with more licence to do what they are best at-attack and score. We don’t have to keep telling them about defensive responsibilities shit so much. I Expect to see a back four v Pompey accordingly.

He looks like he can play defensive midfield. But he won’t get the chance now we have back up. That’s what squad depth is for. But if he does not play by jan expect he will be sold or loaned.

I think he will realise that eventually. Prepare for some extra sucky fluff piece on Leo from him in near future…

If you put what the Constantin guy was basically saying into the context of Scienza’s career trajectory it makes passable sense. But he’s still a cu&t for trying to piss on our new player before he’s even kicked a ball. So I hear what you said mate now fark off. 😤 In effect, the obvious snide dissing aside, he’s said Scienza is on a mission. Mission of Impatient to score and impatient to achieve. Impatient to rise up to the highest level he can. One can infer he has frustrated coaches due to that drive and strong self belief that he has aka EGO? The German Coaches mates of the reporter who have moaned about him no doubt wanted to help him become a good pro- but I don’t know- maybe they are not used to that type of player & such attitudes? Without getting too stereotypical about it I would not be too bothered hearing how a Brazilian winger/#10 who loves to score dribble shoot do tricks plays futsal and no doubt had the crap repeatedly kicked out of him doing so in Sweden and Germany lower leagues does not particularly find defending fun! It’s hardly breaking news - But it might be coming from a reporter in a country that is renowned for prioritising discipline. I expect that from my Brazilian wingers - and its Wills job to give him freedom to score the fuck out of every game - if he can. As for not liking being on the bench….Good! Thats an attribute not a problem. Saints need players who do not want to sit on benches but who want to score and show what they can do- and most of all have the balls to put there hands up and go for it if and when they get the chance. So that guy and the idiot from the BBC can go do one. And Adam you should not have retweeted that pile of shit either so black mark to you as well - youve got off on wrong foot with Leo - and me(😂) and need sort yerself out!😁

@Farmer Saint are the Capology figures with the (40% off or of?) reduced salary relegation clause included? Either way yup it’s mental. Do you have any ideas on the salaries of the incoming newbies yet?

Leo Scienza first interview for Saints delighted me. He has charisma, intelligence, poise. And talks in an heartfelt way. And most of all a big smile! I can almost guarantee he is going to become a massive fan favourite if that approach translates onto the pitch. A late arriver player who until recently been in lower leagues realises it’s Xmas because he joined Saints is a romantic story I’m sure not just our media will pick up on. He’s going to be a star.

Worried that palace might go for THB now they’ve sold Guehi…

Who got injured 6 mins into his debut you mean and missed first two months but then played in 23 matches plus very well for Brighton against us the other day? THAT Matt I’ Reilly? Hardly missed an entire season did he😂

Plus there’s the problem of having five strikers potentially vying for just one place if we have Azaz and Fellows playing ( and Scienza?) As it is it looks like Armstrong Stewart & Downs are on the bench - recruit another forward and that’s four strikers out of the nine subs. IF ( and I do not expect it- if these forwards misfire they will get rotated and we will get a better one in Jan) another one comes in surely someone must go out on loan or get sold - my guess would be the one in his final year ( RS) to at least get a fee out of it.

I notice Matt O’Reilly is off to Marseille on loan. I always had an idea he’d move this window. Shame we cannot afford him ( nor would he drop a league and muss CL football!) but great player and I guess we have Azaz in that kind of role now- though he can play false #9 ( like he did v us in preseason). Think there were some scoffing when I mentioned his name before but my hunch he was moving was correct.

Incorrect. Your definition of “rivals “ and mine may differ - you may count only Ipswich and Foxes maybe Leeds as such - but I think it’s more logical to consider every Championship team a rival. You get same number of points for a win or draw whoever it is. We went clear of several other teams who could have stopped us getting a play off berth if we had derailed and started losing more. That’s what the unbeaten run helped us deliver - an opportunity to go up via play offs. Not get mugged off finishing 7th or something. Easy mistake to make though @trousers on a forum where the notion that a record unbeaten run must be mocked not applauded seems to gain credence with every halfwit who repeats it (not you of course!)😂

That was before he made the comment about scoring. 🙂. Are you suggesting to drop Manning for relatively unknown quantity Jellert - for the Derby match?? I think the three UK based newbies make fair sense - but not Jellert right off the bat imo. It’s a high pressure match for players who have been around the block a little. Im not sure, for example, that Jay should start that one either. Better as a last half hour sub and let Fellows Azaz Fraser and co do their thing. They have dealt with derbies before.

I’m not quite sure Ryan is quite ready to be dropped after those two goals. Ditto Cameron. Will Still has already said if you want to stay in the team you have to score. Can’t see him dropping Manning after two excellent strikes then so Jellert will probably be bench for Portsmouth IMO.

My challenge for Will is to put as many of the good new players we have into their known best positions - the positions in which they have done so well they they have come to Saints attention and we bought them. Id be wary of attempting to “ convert” these new players to play other positions or ways of playing. They are joining a team that fell well short last year. So, instead of asking the new ones to play like the players they are replacing I hope Will creates a structure in which the new players can flourish immediately. How? By engineering it so they play in the same way - in the same spaces - or near as damn it - as they did for Brentford, Boro, WBA, etc. THAT is his biggest job imo. Don’t try to fix the new players - play them in their best positions and focus on fixing the old ones to adapt accordingly. And if the old ones don’t or cannot adapt. Move them on.

Just for you @benjii a Huey is a spew and a spew is, well, a kind of vomiting. Most Cockerels know that and those that cotton like.

Open yer minces me old mucks. You acting half a brick ain’t yer?