gio1saints

One of the issues in Northam is that many people stand - but not all. I can understand those people who paid for a seat but not being able to watch because of people standing in front of them being aggrieved . I can also see the bind saints are in by not enforcing the No standing rule in Northam. We basically all stand in a seated area not designed for “ safe standing”. It is potentially unsafe ( so is anything though..) but IF saints are going to allow standing then at the very least it should be designed fit ( and safe) for purpose. WRT to relocating away fans to a corner instead of behind goals - well if RM and players feel it disadvantages them playing towards noisy away support I can understand Saints wanting to use every 1% of advantage, real or imagined, possible also to back him. Arguments about the positive impact of a SMS KOP etc are largely all about showbiz imo. It might look nice and I don’t know wether it makes SMS more or less suitable as a concert venue but it’s not got strong footballing justification imo. What interests me, from a social perspective, is if there is a big price difference. Our working class/ middle class support was always more vocal than the posh seats brigade. If safe standing is priced properly it would probably be filled by our traditionally noisiest fans every match - which should make atmosphere volume louder if nothing else .

⚪️ Callum O’Hare: Burnley and Southampton monitoring #pusb playmaker who is out of contract in June and yet to sign deal offered. Leicester also monitoring as are La Liga clubs. Not impossible clubs move for him in Jan but summer feels best for him

https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-winner-named-in-southampton-and-leeds-united-race-to-sign-manuel-benson-as-agreement-reached/ This is the link if anyone interested.

Just seen this on the site. Who bid £5,005 for Charlie’s match worn shirt?😳

Thank you West End Saint for your research. I found that way of looking at it interesting and encouraging. I been doing stuff like that since I was a kid….how many points we can get from XYZ matches, how many will ( usually relegation) rivals get from there matches…then adjusting it for being more or less lucky or optimistic. Just harmless fun. Never lose your positive curiosity about the “ what might happen!” 😇

Yup, agree. Pre injury at Saints I personally thought he looked the real deal. Recall Frannie describing him as such. In a bad team dont forget. He’s got the right characteristics. But very very unlikely I’d guess.

What he could continue to do with is plenty of positive encouragement and support from Saints fans on his journey back to fitness. I think for the most part that’s what he’s getting from most fans plus first class rehab with Saints medical team.

Do you think there was any purchase price suggested when the loan first happened? I know there’s no obligation to buy at a set price like THB (well, not one that’s been made public anyway). NB he cost WHU €10.65m and transfermkt value him currently at €8m. At either of those prices he is a must-buy imo.

I think Sheaf Saint was referring to Ipswich recent form versus ours. We seemed to have caught up a lot of points on them lately. Which would put pressure on them. It’s stating the obvious that any relegated team does not go straight up it’s a problem. I dont think RM is going to use that in one of his pre match pep talks put it that way. Repeating it on here is like something out of Dads Army -“if we don’t go up first time of asking we’re all doomed I tell ye, doomed!” 😂😂😂😂

Sully link training https://x.com/southamptonfc/status/1749807923151471089?s=46&t=l5Q4mkKSxz5qdVtggXqogw

Liel Abada mentioned for saints. ( Daily record and on X) 5ft 6 Israeli winger/forward plays for Celtic. Been injured but just back. sScottish pfa young player of the year 2022 (wiki). Possibly available to buy or loan - supposedly due to the pro Palestine stance of Celtic fans and him being conflicted by it. Think it’s probably rubbish and a bad excuse for both the pro or club to want to unload a player for - but 99% of rumours are rubbish - so make your own mind up.

I’m booked in to attend. 6pm 25th. Lots of differing views on this forum as you’d expect. And I am finding myself agreeing with arguments on both sides! As a Northam ST holder I’m glad at least I’ve got opportunity to hear the rationale in person before decision is made.

@hypochondriacWhy are you calling me @notnowcato boyfriend? And then throwing out allegations of bigotry at him? That’s a very strange comment. Oh, and @wild-saintyou said you cannot be arsed to read my post and ask for it in bullet points - so I obliged - and you’re welcome btw.

Thanks @notnowcatobut I’m happy to oblige. - I think Che is best served staying at saints until the summer. - I think it’s also in saints best interests that happens. - IF we go up Che can take his £££ best choice - but from the footballing perspective our style seems to suit him much better than the way we played last time in EPL. PS. I know some / many of my posts read more like articles than quick points. Apologies if that means they are too long for busy people wanting a condensed pov. 😇

Also noticed that our stats from then are not the usual obviously superior to opponents we been used to. I wasn’t at match but it seems we were not at our fluid best. Can anyone who went confirm (or deny) that? And/Or wa. It simply the absence of Flynn? Point I’m getting to is might it be an opportunity for RM to change formation up a bit and surprise Watford?

Was looking at the formations for the 9/12 match and saw Aribo (and Shea) started. Adds weight to why RM has said Rothwell will start- and probably in exactly that RM position too.

Please do not “Oh dear” me because that kind of passive aggressive comment is simply childish. And I don't think you are a child. “Surely” was used in the rhetorical sense. It was not meant as definitive or definitely. And I explain that in my posts elsewhere as you can see ( but ignore) If I posted “96 points is definitely going to be enough to get automatic and here are ten years stats to prove it “ - that’s obviously easy to dismantle as an argument - without incidentally personally abusing me in the process - But I did not so I’m not getting your indignation. How many points do YOU think will be enough for automatic. And why? 😁

Getting “ pelters” for my posting stuff like the above says more about the pelters than about me. A reasonable discussion about how many points might be needed for automatic using some historical info for context attacked and sneered at for “ using logic” like it’s a swear word. 😂

Getting what you call a “pelting” from the likes of you and the couple of other obvious trolls is somewhat of an occupational hazard here. FWIW I was not referring to you or the obvious trolls in the post above. There IS a Luddite faction on here that any time you use stats or data or even modern football jargon will just use it as excuse to vent personal abuse on the poster. Just try it - say “ “ Expected goals” or even a prediction of how many points we might finish on, God forbid- by looking at what’s happened in the past as a guide - and somebody will come on to attack the poster not the post. Just like you.

Quite like that way of looking at it. A goalscoring winger would take the pressure off. If I remember correctly a common criticism of Che last year was that he rarely scored one on ones. Has the unerring ability to shoot straight at the keeper in those situations. This year he’s scored a few tap ins and had to manufacture a goal or two but in those split second situations he didn’t seem to have the coolness required to slot ball away. Similar to Adam as well which is why when early doors this season I saw him dink the ball over and past keeper for a few goals it was both surprising and a massive delight! He can do it! And seems to have moved on from there.

If RF does not start for the good reason you stated do you not think Amo is the more likely replacement rather than Dibling? I think it’s nailed on that Lumley, Rothwell, Holgate, Stephens, Meg and Shea will all start. At least six changes therefore to usual starting line up and possibly more of RM fancies giving Tyler and Mara starts also. I think six is enough. More than that cannot see value in it.

So. Suppose when you go buy your new house you don’t check what it last sold for and what neighbours sold for in order to come to a better understanding of what the par price is? Only mathematicians take the view that history is irrelevant. They have the most exacting standards for fact verification of any discipline. For most normal humans historical facts are not the bible- but they do offer at least SOME idea of what has happened previously. And on sites like these that can be entertaining Of course this year is exceptional blah blah blah last year irrelevant I get it. But if you don’t know your history then……

It is remarkable how many points Leicester have got compared to above. Record breaking. And the historical data for getting promoted from this league also makes for interesting reading. For example Pompey are in the top ten most points to get out of this league ( I think with 92) and for me that’s an interesting secondary target for Saints in back of my mind😂😇. Though be prewarned - by posting “ statistical data” on here guaranteed some misery guts will pipe up with “ those stats are BS and only tell you what happened then - not what is going to happen now”. They failed History at school as well btw. 🤭.

The alternative to selling Che for c. £5m and the #9 sized gap that creates in our squad at the business end of the season is a “new deal” that Che might get or ask from Saints. It can come in a variety of forms : For example : 6mths, 1 year , 2year + extension deal, on an augmented salary , and including a re-signing on loyalty bonus or specific other benefits. Such as a “get promoted to EPL” £1m bonus. All plausible. His agent can ask Saints for that now - and i would be surprised if it’s not already happening - or Saints can suggest it to his agent - and the closer to automatic we get the more likely it is we will - and Che might accept - or more likely still his agent will see what other clubs have to say first and say “ I’ll get back to you” . Acceptance would temporarily end the speculation in this window and enable RM to plan last 19 games knowing his settled strike force. Which is a big plus of high value. £5m worth? EPL promotion worth? It’s a guess but I think overall most of us would say “yes” and prefer that in particular given he’s started scoring again. The most likely scenario (for me anyway) is that Che prefers to stay until end of season, on his current salary - or augmented for 6 months - and enjoys a promotion campaign with Saints not a relegation battle for a bottom six EPL club he’s just joined for the money. He would then be free to accept whatever offers are put on the table in the Summer including any new deal offer from Saints. His positioning would be strong as a strike force leader of a team that got promoted scoring loads of goals not passing saints on the way down if he joins a relegation bound team. IF Che stays until end of season AND Saints get promoted then it’s decision time. His stock would be higher imo. A 2 year extension deal, on EPL salary and a re-signing on loyalty bonus might all be on the table for him from Saints. No question. At Championship level he is very very good player. At Premiership level he’s arguably going to be better suited playing for saints in our current style than playing for others in a different style. But His level in other styles is not top top striker imo - from our own experiences in the epl with him and his international form - but rather , at best, a mid table EPL teams striker. If we go up I certainly would want an upgrade. And to keep Che anyways. Whether that is RS or another new striker I don’t know.

Che is pretty much a known quality - and quantity. We’ve seen what he can - and cannot, do. Even in a rubbish EPL team he failed to particularly shine - players like Ings etc still showed class playing in our rubbish team. At Champship level he looks very good. I think he’s found his level. Next season in the EPL a new #9 with higher ceiling please. Next season in the championship Che is an excellent choice.