gio1saints

Thank you MLG - if he’s only on £28k I’m sure he’s not queuing up at the food banks and it’s still a big wedge towards Finns salary.

Yeah that two goals in 38 matches from our alleged best finisher does rather stand out a bit. Lovely man - perhaps too nice - but I’m sure we can do better.

I disagree. Adam looks like a hungry Squirrel. Damian looks like a cuddly Panda and Ross looks like a lost giraffe. Don’t know where you get your rabbits from. FWIW Cameron is more of a cheeky chipmunk in my eyes - oh- and BBD looks like a giant stuffed toy.

Occams razor time @trousers Cameron is always Cameron. But the players who are meant to provide for him are many and changeable. What is more likely - that multiple professional standard footballers ( I’m talking dozens of players from our defence and midfield through to fellow attackers) cannot find Cameron with a pass or that he is at fault? The most likely explanation is the one you should make your favourite.

Ah ok. He has a 2028 ending contract and is on reputed £40k per week. Does well there and we can still sell him good price in 2026 - or retain for the EPL. His wages pays for Azaz for a start! I’m still pro letting him ( and BBD) leave.

It’s not madness to sell Cameron. It’s absolutely the best time. He has gone missing so many matches and been invisible for so long in matches - then scores a beauty. I hope PSV watched that goal and thought he looks like a £15m player. I’m taking the money because since he’s been at Saints he has NOT looked that player week in week out. Once every ten or fifteen matches perhaps he scores or does a run that comes to it but, frankly, he’s not been threatening and if that goal v Norwich means we get a decent fee I’m in!

Not heresy. I don’t think we will start that way - still the 3cb route for this probably and only Mads for certain should start - but I can see Will giving the two championship based newbies a run out whatever formation used. Wee Man and Jay might be told to give it full gas up and down and then expect Azaz and Fellows to come on for last thirty as an example.

Alternatively and in addition it’s a wild guess but maybe our new German scouting guy Tim Lederer might know him. Just a random thought. 😁

I guess we have our answer : Jander. That’s didn’t take long did it😉

IF Finn Azaz signs it heralds further signings / transfers and likely formation changes. Why? His best position is as a #10. Saints would be nuts to play him in any other position apart from that - in which he’s proven, objectively, one of most effective in this division last two years. We don’t currently play with a specialist #10 like that. There’s clear knock on implications, especially formations. Just one for now- it’s not uncommon for teams that play a specialist #10 to also have a “minder” #6 . That certainly could be Flynn ( has the engine but not the physicality) or Shea (is that a waste?) or it could be a new role for Sesay that he didn’t know he was born to play! But none are probably as good in that role straight away as a certain ex player of ours just left Barcelona to join Girona I think 😉.

FWIW - for the Championship this is a marquee signing signal of intent “we want automatic “ type of signing. Boro selling him to us - from his stats - I regard as an admission from them and him that we are > than them regarding promotion prospects. Bad for them good for us.

Who does he displace? He is obviously a starter. Other regular starters if here and fit , on current form (imo) : Bazunu, Stephens, THB, Mads, Fernandes, Charles, Downes, Fraser Robinson, and now Azaz. That makes ten. Room for a centre forward basically - Archer presumably or a big guy? or does he cushion the blow of losing Fernandes and becomes a genuine #10 for us??

No apologies required but here’s a very very useful stat 😉that really puts into perspective Gavin Bazunu. There’s been 96 goals conceded in the Championship this season so far ( according to wiki) . Guess how many Gavin has let in?If you were thinking 25 or 30 of those you’d be wrong! Yup, get this, he has only conceded FOUR! Out of 96 in the league! That’s an amazing statistic. Good job Baz! 🤣 NB Another useful FACT /STAT : Nobody scores with a header versus Gavin this season - nobody - he is invincible when it comes to headers. That’s quite some stat eh?

No I think you are not. I Like you and most of your posts and posting style but this is crass. If genuine you’d wait until there was a statistically useful sample - not 3 matches. Or anything from two years ago. You 100% know that. You also know with 99% certainty what those who can be bothered to be activated by your dog whistle will say. So what’s the real purpose? Do you really expect people to have encyclopaedic knowledge of every championship goalkeepers performance in the last three matches or are you really just having a bit of fun activating Gavin haters into a froth for your amusement ? What’s more likely? If you want to find a new way to have a go at a player who was not even playing last night ( why??) I know you can do better than this fake poll effort.

Shameless dog whistling. 🙁. After 3 matches you disingenuously ask who is his better in the league. Come on you can do better - why not try : “Calling all Gavin Bazunu haters here is a thread you can vent your spleen on.”

Yes fully agree we were not good first half and it was v Norwich reserves - so our squad > their squad. Was not intending to over praise but certainly first time I’ve seen certain things ( the swarming press, less gap to forwards etc) under Will Still. Its less than a week since playing at home to Stoke with same 3cb approach the tactic of launching sixty yard balls to Adam Armstrong up by himself against big centre backs or just blindly sending cross after cross into the box was Plan A,B and C. Last nights 2nd half performance showed evidence of quick learning and adaptation by Still- and its execution in a revised, better game plan.

First match under Still that I’ve seen an effective high press being used. We pressed in numbers and in ways I’d not seen since Ralph and Poch times. We need to be fit for it - but second half we were constantly swarming them in possession time and time again. Looked much faster stronger and fitter than Norwich reserves. The whole team seemed to revel in bullying Norwich out of possession. Another thing I noticed was the obvious reduction in the gap between our forwards and rest of the team. MUCH closer to Stewart and Archer and consequently even if the balls to them we’re not won cleanly there was somebody close at hand to mop up or regain possession - or basically stop Norwich doing whatever they wanted. Hope that was a blueprint for rest of season.

I thought Mads looked premiership class tonight. He will start every match if he is fit from now on, ironically he might be dropped for the next round as a rest to let Bree have a kick about if fit but he’s 100% a league starter. Bloke looks like he knows what he’s doing and improves us both defensively and offensively. And he’s got quite some engine on him.

He took his chance.✅ I love it when a player gets a chance and takes it by scoring a fantastic goal immediately. Nothing says “pick me” and “ how’s this for impact” like taking the ball on the turn running ten yards and smashing it into the net. WP son. 🙌

My three word match summary : Norwich. ARE. Shit.

Yes I think so. His age and profile don’t fit what we generally take on board. I feel ( like most) that he is way more likely to be influential than Charlie Taylor who has not worked - or Rothwell or perhaps even Ryan Fraser. All about same age. But he’s expensive old and no resale. I don’t think SR can get over that bit in their heads. Yet.

Josh Brownhill would only come to Saints as a last resort. If £45k pw at Burnley is inadequate….God knows what he wants paying ….In any case im certain some lower/mid EPL clubs will have him down as a late in window option before he even deigns to consider us. Arguably He is worth it with his track record and free agent status - but he does not feel like an SR kind of recruit to me.

Reasons to be cheerful, part 1: 1. If those six all leave and we get only the one very good attacking player incoming it’s a result in my book. 2. If 3 or 4 leave but we pick up two decent attackers that’s a good result too. 3. If only two or three leave but we pick up three decent attacking players that’s a good result also. Bad or indifferent results : 4. If only one or two leave and we only recruit one or two of our third / fourth choice type players and a desperate late loan. Knowing Saints I’d say option four is most likely, but being optimistic I’m hoping for option two on the basis that SR will not push the boat out if players have not been unloaded but if 3/4 are definitely out then they’d feel ok bringing in a couple transfers/ top loans .

You’d think so - but not being left footed didn’t stop KWP playing there. Not ideal obviously though. Ryan Fraser may be tasked in that emergency. Saving the £30k pw of Taylor’s wages is quite some incentive for someone who is currently not even making squads…

How many of the starting eleven we have are good enough to be going for automatic promotion then?