gio1saints

I get what you are saying but have you ever been in a sports man management position like RM? How do you think Stephens would feel if his manager described him like you did? Players love managers who make them feel good. They will run through walls for such managers. His job is to make his players 5% 10% better than they actually are just through motivation and man management skills. JS “ may” be average to you or even objectively true but when he walks out on the pitch I’m one saints fan that wants him to feel like superman. - and do his best to live up to his billing. That’s what RM is up to.

My feeling is that Ipswich are the more vulnerable of the top two. Due to this leagues physical attrition on squads and experience. I think probability they can repeat their first 52 points from 22 matches form is low. Bookies agree- they think they will finish on 92 points from 46 games.( spread is actually 91-93) In other words Ipswich are predicted to get only 40 points from the next 24 matches. That still, just, sees them auto promoted ahead of Leeds then us according to bookies. That being the case it suggests bookies feel we need 51 points from last 24 matches for automatic ( 51 + 42= 93) which is just a tad more more than our current average ppg. The equivalent of beating not drawing with Rotherham and Watford.

Shhhhhhh! I shouldn’t have even posted it here in public. Pretend you didn’t read it and maybe nobody will catch on until it’s too late. 😎

IF we do bring in a loan player I’d hope we use the old “ reduced section” at the supermarket technique. It’s no good getting a Sainsbury’s own brand cottage pie reduced from £6 down to £3 - it’s still a Sainsbury’s own brand cottage pie. On the other hand if it’s a fine piece of well aged Fillet steak reduced from £10 down to £5 then it’s worth a punt. ie I’d rather we loaned a top top player proven class, bizarrely out of favour at his club desperately needs to play speaks English, intelligent, technically excellent , great passer, fit, scores goals and flexible positionally but just needs games ……..than take a chance on buying another possible striker and them not being all that. They don’t need to be a #9 but they must have a goalscoring pedigree. They don’t need be Usain Bolt but they must be comfortable in possession and quick thinking. Lastly they cannot be a primma Donna. They must be humble and prepared to sacrifice for the team. If they come from the EPl it’s doubly important they show humility - but also why they are an EPL player. If they can teach something to teammates even better. There you go, I’ve written the blueprint. Just need hope his club can pay most or all his wages because we for sure cannot and would not afford them.

Gosh. Would never have that that possible ( if it’s who I think). Ermm, Would he be well received though?

PB football IS our #1 strength and individual flair ie what you might call “ playing to your strengths” is a subset of that. They are not either or. Criticism of how long the style can take to turn into anything remotely dangerous looking is entirely valid. But fact is, Saints play this PB style against every team. Some teams are better against it, especially those with a very low line defence or who’ve Sussed out how to press us better. Some ( too many!) games our finishing is lousy. Some games we don’t do PB as well as we can. Or a mixture. But it’s not an either or conscious choice. We are not either playing to our strengths OR reverting to PB football. For me we seem to be getting better at it. Faster at it. So much so that we don’t even recognise it as PB football. But like all great magic tricks that’s an illusion and an example of misdirection. It is the Saints team collective united in this PB style that is the true playing to our strengths.

FWIW Having Sulemana back ( I’m assuming his injury keeps him out of African Nations) , having Jack Stephens back and having RStewart back is like adding three powerful, exciting new signings. NONE of them have l done much for saints on the pitch this season so all three fit and adding to the squad is a massive boost. ALL three when fit are very likely automatic starters/ bench.

I don’t think Saints will be splashing any cash this window either. I don’t think we need another wide player or AM because they are already in the building. I don’t think we need another CF because he is already in the building albeit injured. I don’t think we need another CB as they are already in the building. Ditto CM. Ditto GK. The only possibly actionable vulnerability is at FB where we are one short. This is where we may be forced to put a kid in ( unlikely) or play a CB out of position ( Holgate) but even this is tenuous. I think we only spend or get in a loan if there’s an outgoing. If that’s Che then we may see an interesting incoming in his position that’s all.

Absolutely right. It’s vital and healthy to have reservations and debate criticism even when we seem to be doing well, especially when we seem to be doing well. Having spent five decades + as a Saints supporter my feelings on match day are 100% apprehensive and often fairly pessimistic. But I cannot remember 14 unbeaten in a row (though I know it was probably last time we were in this league). And @Dark Munster you’ve got an extremely valid point - but, honestly, I don’t care which league it’s done in. That’s not the point, for me anyway. Saints, the team Ive supported all my life, just don’t do this. Ever (almost). I may never see it again (especially if we go up) so I’m trying my best to enjoy it. It’s kind of a little promise I gave to all my friends and family after I survived a Big C attack. Enjoy today more, worry less about tomorrow. And Saints have given me 14 good reasons to do so- long may that run continue!

Wow. 14 games unbeaten not applauded but rather begrudged and termed “Propaganda football”. Years of being rubbish and yet when we go 14 unbeaten - joyless criticism damned by faint praise. That’s a hell of a luxury. Saints are delivering a once in decades run of unbeaten results. Our Average points per game on this run is ridiculous. Instead of insisting on changes we should be insisting on more of the same!

KWP first easily. AA second. Flynn third. Honourable mentions : Baz most improved player, THB solid solid, Stu best season for ages.

I’m not his agent or anything! I meant His goal scoring credentials from when we bought him I forgot to say - see below - which were highly impressive. That he played in a really bad EPL team under multi managers who all needed instant results last year is not his fault and all of about 45 minutes this year is not proper to judge him on either. Just saying if he was available now I reckon we’d be interested. Not trying to say he IS Thierry Henry either but he could be given the chance , that’s all, sorry to have offended so many of you by my trying to give a different take on Sekou than the current “ he’s had his chances at age 21” that seems prevalent atm. We are not going down and automatic looks v v hard- this is surely best time to test him out? https://www.tournoimauricerevello.com/en/smartphone/festival/detail_actualite.php?id=5273

If there was a 21 year old French u21 international with his goal scoring credentials and potential available on a loan from any big club we’d be delighted to snap him up and give him some minutes. Im glad he got on instead of Che. He got his goal and got us a penalty in his 15 minute cameo plus missed a good chance. Ok against ten men but I dont care - he still did what he was supposed to do- have an impact. If we want him to grow and add value to the team - and to SR bank balance, he needs minutes. You cannot pay big money for him atm but if he scores ten goals between now and end of season I bet there will be very big money offers for him..the next Thierry Henry perhaps…

I know what you mean about the older ones being the worst. Refereed a City of Soton vets league match a few weeks back and it was a horrible experience. Nasty niggly trying to cheat all over the park like it was their livelihood instead of amateur football. Did a Soton U18’s match on the next day (Sunday) and the players and staff couldn’t have been nicer.

And we get Bella Kotchap back in the summer ( or more likely we get a big fee for him) which could well end up funding the THB permanent move and possibly part of getting Mason here on a perm also. IF BK stays fit he is a £30m player. I think the THB fee is set at c£20m ( I think!) and best guess is Mason might be c £10m from Everton so it could be a net neutral centre back thing in the summer for Saints if we are up with Jack, Mason, Jan and THB as our EPL centre backs ( with Shea as back up). Seems sound enough to me.

We go up,Flynn joins, Flynn starts every week. We go up, Flynn leaves, Flynn warms the bench at West Ham or somewhere else. As long as the wage money offered is decent I’d like to think we could convince Flynn to join Saints if we got promoted. And he is as integral to this team now as JWP ever was imo.

Oh I did not realise that. Could that contract be activated day before he becomes free agent then as a workaround? If he’s sent out on loan it means we basically save his wages but lose out on any kind of fee apart from a one off loan fee I guess? Balancing the books says whatever we save in his wages and get as a fee we will probably spend on his replacement. I doubt Danny Ings is on same money as a Che Adams though - probably double or treble I’d guess.

This season Jan does seem ( to me anyway) to be the leader of the defence. He is the one who takes the first ball from Gav more often than not and determines the play from there. He’s often got ball possession on half way line and deciding what’s going to happen and his interplay with Flynn in particular is v good. THB seems to be a brilliant foil. They have developed a very good telepathic understanding of how to back each other up - which earlier in season was absent and it shows in more clean sheets. That understanding is worth milliseconds of thought and movement and has undoubtedly saved us goals already this season from where we were earlier. That all says to me JS can only start in the FA cup or if there is injury or suspensions or poor form in training - for now. And if he does I suspect it would be THB to give way. As for Mason - if Everton want him back I’m ok with that as I actually trust in Shea as a back up option also. Incidentally how is Salisu getting on?

Bernardo. First time I’ve heard him called that. Love it! ❤️

Apologies to England fans ( that’s me too though I’ve split loyalties of Italian parents!) but this is what Charlie was trying to do : https://youtu.be/gXFWmpB-cPQ?si=BSQ_Rw5OxMBEFNGm Im withDman on this. You got to be allowed to dream, to dare. Charlie’s dared and it did not work but the mark of the man is how he responds to that setback. This season I’ve seen Kamaldeen shrink on the pitch after a few mistakes. Charlie has lost his head a few times also.Even Sam got wooden legs at times. All three thrive on confidence. Of the three I think Charlie is the strongest mentally, KS the most talented and Sam the most prepared to work harder to get better. Any of those three fit and confident are / will be a handful in championship- and EPL so I’m all for letting them dare to try stuff. The rest of the team, especially older heads, must be intelligent enough to recognise raw talent and adapt accordingly.

Common sense says SR try to get at least a Million for Che in this window on a six month loan deal with right to buy for, say £5m-7m. Whether he would go to any the bottom three I doubt but there may be takers in bottom half. If that happens then a Danny Ings loan incoming might be cost neutral but might just get the temperature up in training and uptick in forwards taking chances! I have got a sneaky suspicion that won’t happen though and our new Scottish striker is already here and starts playing again in January maybe alongside Mara in the FA cup v Walsall. ( £10 tickets btw! Well done saints!)

Even though we seem to have have a striker sized hole in our squad right now I can see SR holding out to fill it until and if Che leaves. Besides, the argument goes, we have a top striker supposedly nearing fitness again which is essentially a new signing for us. Oh, and Mara looks like he can score as well. The fixture list looks fairly kind until mid Jan anyways so it may be manageable without. Dont forget the downside of new loan striker- current striker disaffected ruin ( especially those injured) and also having to learn the system. Both not fixed overnight. Interesting dilemma though!

Larios had another setback just as he was reintegrating into training. Not okayed for over a year now and won’t be back until late Jan earliest I understand. Source club website and online snippets.

Exactly. Effective teams can be boring to watch. Italy won two World Cups with super pragmatic teams beating “ better” teams en route. If a style is effective here in the Championship - which it clearly is - carry on. After years of being neither exciting and rather easy to beat I’ll take a season of boringly predictable pragmatic grind em down and stay unbeaten football. We are the Mark Selby of this League. Next season, if we go up, we assess what style will give us most chance of staying up - and play that way. Long ball possession hybrid who cares as long as it’s effective. Players have learned ( almost) this current difficult style, it’s taken a great deal of intelligence, courage and technical proficiency - they can learn another variation, if required.

Wow I’m splitting my sides with laughter. That’s a cracker. You have a terrific sense of humour.