gio1saints

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?

Both him and KWP played very well indeed. I like him playing with their #10 Paqueta who is a top top and very intelligent footballer will bring him along for sure. Mattie is a star player basically and destined to play for his country in big matches my belief.

He’s been a right cheeky toy! Getting the old Nicks and pulling a Huey like that. I reckon his troubles got into a right eight over all this!

What rumours?

It’s a good point. But strikers who can come good straight away in our league cost £20m plus in this market. £130m in the EPL! We recruited defenders and midfielders and wingers at great prices. I reckon the opportunity to bring in a proper ready forward can only be realised once BBD is gone ✅Edozie is gone Aribo is gone. AND more controversial - one from Archer Armstrong and Stewart gone too. Don’t see us buying Downs to loan him out. Can see a surprise leaver in the front line though. But if not they are probably plenty good enough anyways over the season. It’s a squad game not just best 11 and ours is probably the best as it is

That’s a good argument but - please hear this - By your own brand of logic - and to be consistent - in all the games we won or drew other than with Leeds you must also feel that his tactics DID work - because we got promoted right? The Job was not done just in the final match but also in every win/draw that enabled us to get to the Final. All the win/drawmatches count - or none of them count - as Martins tactical success. You cannot have him failing for 42 matches succeeding in just 3 - you know put it that way it’s obviously not so. So maybe without realising it, you have shown yourself to be someone with a deeper more holistic understanding of football than most! 😃

Calling someone a coward online from the safety of your computer desk miles away…😉Irony is lost on you.

Get your point totally valid. My explanation of why three CB’s is that Still worked out rather quickly our full backs cannot defend. They all fancy themselves as wingbacks. On the other hand we have 4/5 CB’s who know what there job is. Defend . Fairly easy decision to play 3 of them when the rest of the squad is still in transit I’d say. He may/ will change after the window IF we get a better defensive left back - though if Manning keeps scoring could be hard…

Fair point. I’d think he’d point to fuck ups by his keeper and other players who know better like Aaron words in partial defence but they are not running as hard as they should period or executing either. One theory is he’s not got the dressing room, unlike at SFC, and they are not all bought in. When he got us up they all knew we needed to change. But Rangers players may think they are top top and apart from Celtic it’s easy. What they really need - yes just my personal opinion as ever - is a root and branch clear out of that entitled attitude. RM is a good leader for that but as I said a long whiles back I don’t think he will be there long enough. Out before Xmas my exact words. But would be a shame. Scottish football is so incestuous it needs a major attitude upgrade!

I understand fully. I’ve an alternate viewpoint though. Decades of issue not ideological politics in UK and elsewhere has fostered a massive MEH everywhere Using your political issue based example Russell Martin is arguably the equivalent of Tony Benn - compared to Starner and Baddenoch. Those latter two will say anything to get a vote. And change opinion next day. And change again the next time it’s convenient. Russell says what he thinks. Don’t like it don’t like him- fine. Like him or hate there’s no trickery though - unlike the others. Who you going to trust?

It’s always been this. Witch burnings always well attended. Public hangings ditto. Roman emperors games. We may not admit it ( well apart from a bunch of keyboard hardjobs here) but we revel in others suffering sometimes. We all do it. With Russell I only feel compassion. Everybody and his dog hates him for his beliefs. He’s not a murderer or child molester. I’f everyone hates him because of what he believes in count me out. If anything I’m on his side every time if that’s the issue.

Do you have any beliefs that are non negotiable ? My personal view is that people are increasingly disenchanted by conviction-less ideas - and leaders. Politics great example. Black or white not endless shades if grey. FWIW I dont care so much about the football side of the discussion on Russell now he’s not our Manager. Now, this thread is more about human nature. I think it’s about the thirst for blood or revenge and is simply human nature. We are all ultimately flawed. Russell included. But he’s not grey and that’s at least one ✅ I give him.

Good Luck Russell. I hope the Universe gives you what you deserve today. Maybe you need to finally crash and burn today. Your Buddhist inspired footballing beliefs are either out of date or ahead of their time. Either way they are not working today - again. Most people criticising you have not the faintest clue about your character and personal approach to life, football and the universe. But if football catches up with your thinking - or vice versa - or you find the genius of being able to flexibly adapt to the circumstances - then I’m certain you will overcome. Just don’t be mediocre like 99.9% of your critics. Return from battle with your shield - or on it. The Spartan approach is still laudable in my eyes even if so many nowadays think it’s a principle to be mocked.

Who was our best winger then? BBD? Adam Armstrong ? Ross Stewart ?Still picked up a young Jay Robinson and he looks great - Still picked him and kept him. Evidence of learning. You appear to be on a one eyed mission to point out every flaw or mistake made by the manager and team. Shifting a load of players out and replacing them - and motivating them and showing them it does not have to be as shit as last year - especially from the 2nd worst team in EPL history - that’s a piece of cake right? That just works well from Day one and just gets better doesn’t it. In reality we appear to have assembled almost the right make up of squad give or take the known leavers and a couple joiners. Right now your attacks on him seem excessive.

McKenna best manager in the universe McKenna that we all wish we had here? Mckenna next manager of Man Utd? Surely not mans a genius. 😁 Sometimes temporary results and performances can obscure truths - highly respected goalie Johanssen gifting WBA victory yesterday and McKenna still can’t buy a win. It’s temporary. Both are still very good - as is Still and most his team - patience! .😂😇

Appears to have learned nothing is a bit harsh. Do you not think losing our FOUR best players : Ramsdale, Dibling, Fernandes and KWP plus arguably our best CB in Jan Bednarek, best winger in Kameldeen and most obvious target man in TP would have given him plenty homework in recent weeks? Every few days he’s had to cobble together a team- and tactics - accordingly to whoever he’s got available( or wants to be available, or who hasn’t developed a niggle..) It’s more fire fighting than squad development at this point. You are prepared to give him low marks for the performances delivered from that ill fitting jigsaw of a squad. Fair enough I agree. Think the cobbled together teams could have done better. Could have done worse too. But to infer he’s learned nothing is a stretch. I think he’s already learned plenty about what his players can and cannot do / and who he can rely on. One example is who he has excluded from match day squads (like BBD !) who he realises wants to give 100% (Ryan Fraser) - and how to elicit it - Who has recognised he must give immediate starting opportunity to (Jay and Mads) and who he should drop (like Armstrong ) to see if it works. Lastly for the first time as a Saints manager in recent history - he’s publicly said to our not scoring forwards that, essentially, if they want to play as a forward next week they must score or they will be replaced. The instant response to Archer hearing that was he scored yesterday. I’d say he taught Cam a good lesson myself. Some of that he learned some he already had. But the bloke is certainly not standing still learning nowt. Sorry for the pun! 😇