Holmes_and_Watson

Beat me to putting up the baby shark video. 🙂

I vote for for Convict Colony whose modesty and selfless lack of self promotion is a credit to...[sees post above]... never mind...

When a like button isn't enough. 🙂 When we've really clicked this season, he's been a part of it. Always on the move, creating passing options, covering, supporting. As the season went on, he supported the attacks more. That also meant picking up different duties, supporting further up. Chuffed with his success this season. Martin must have been thrilled to have him in the squad once he'd seen him in training.

Friends Provident St Mary's Expansion has a nice ring to it. 🙂

Are we really? Or riley? or reilly? He has had a good season, and Celtic were expecting interest. Lots of attributes we like.

Disappointed there wasn't a holiday from Rishi to celebrate our promotion. 🙂

There are any number of clubs, where owners come in, make mistakes and it goes from bad to worse. In your case it seems that it was a combination of making some errors while also trying to fix things they didn't know about. Had we not gone up, there would still have been progress in a number of areas. As it is, you can use us an an example of the support you'll get to fix what went wrong last season.

Thanks very much for the update. Like Doctoroncall, interesting to see the different approaches. There's an opinion that styles could be standardised to get the best out of the recruitment parameters, interchangeability across clubs, and forward planning. But that doesn't necessarily suits all leagues, or the majority of players at our clubs. There's also advantages to having a range of skills available for development. Too much focus brings in weakness. Aligning players at different levels with clubs also at different levels is tough too. SR will want success across the group, not one club being used as a training ground for the others. Getting the best pathways for all involved is quite a challenge.

Hour

As part of the same group, we can share the good times, and support each other through the tough times. You kindly posted some of the reflections from SR on your season, and there's no shortage of plans in place for you. We've yet to really see the benefits of the group, so early days there. But plenty of areas could benefit us all. New York Saint's post has that nice pre season sense of optimism about it. Lots of challenges, and we've seen plenty of errors. But, and supported by Dragon's interview, willing to face them and learn from them over the long term. I don't think I've seen any criticism of his investment. Criticism focused on how it was spent. Dragon nicely downplays his football knowledge. Yet, pinpoints us getting carried away on any single batch of players, or overly depending on a single source of recruitment. He seems outwardly okay about his funds.

I've seen only a couple of appearances from him this season. He seemed fine. I was going to say that I'd therefore leave assessment to others. But not the ones who said his legs had gone, when our whole side was jaded when he was last here. Same for the others. Not seen much of Ings recently only from the bench, and even less from Lallana. If they are genuinely the best fit our recruitment team can find to help us stay up, then fine. I'd be a bit surprised if that was the case. If Barca are their usual selves, they will be doing a combination of paying big stars loads. While also pushing their previous group of big stars out the door through any means possible, and playing on the loyalty of others to pay them as little as possible. Like you say, I could easily see him wanting to be in Spain for the rest of his career.

His coaching will consist of getting players to agitate for moves away from the club, and build up their stamina to ... last an hour tops on the pitch. He's honest at least. Be nearer home, focus on his family and his coaching. On the plus side, we'd have someone with experience at the bestest club in the world under the bestest manager ever. Getting players to join big clubs actually suits the SR model. Free, and hopefully not going to be on Walcott wages. He provides an example of a career to aspire to (But then, so would a poster of Pele, and it wouldn't moan about not being put on the best wall).

Without a resale value, we'd have to fall back on his technical ability, experience at bigger clubs and love for ours. Tough one. 🙂 I was hoping someone would give him a call and ask who we could be looking at at Barca. Their cash problems can't have gone anywhere.

Not surprised these positions keep going. They've put a petition to keep it around, at the top right. 🙂

Would you trust a celebrating, drunk Adam Armstrong to get your car unlocked? 🙂

SR's transfer record. Players who have got decent minutes/ made an impact Manning, Downes, THB, Fraser, Brooks, Rothwell - those goals, Baz - not fully, Lavia, Aribo, Edozie - not fully, Alcaraz - not fully, Bree -eventually, when called upon Still to work out / didn't work out Charles - still young, Stewart - injury, Lumley - back up, Holgate, ABK, Mara, DCC, Larios - injury, Orsic, Ounacho, Sulemana, AMN Grey areas in there. Some players were bought for different systems (SR at fault for that though), others have development to do. This summer we need replacements for Alex, Downes, Brooks, Fraser, Che and Stu and one more body in midfield. With his injury record, Stewart can't be Che's replacement. Lavia, Downes, THB and Fraser have been excellent. Lavia (like Livramento and Broja on loan to us), poster kids of what SR are looking for. That's going to be difficult to get right so quickly with developing players. So, there's hope. As long as Rasmus is kept clear, and they don't believe their own PR. Getting them all right seems like a big ask for them, as they look for that sell on value and want to keep that wage bill low.

Player Of The Season: Adam Armstrong. His work rate drove the standards of others. His goals took us up, and he was involved in so many of our best moves. Underwhelming Achievement Award (Worst POTS): Any of the wantaways that we punted towards the end of the summer window. Best Signing Of The Season: Downes. Our MVP who needed to be there if we were going to win. We depended on his fitness. Worst Signing Of The Season: Stewart, by default due to injury. Best Match: Play off final or games where we utterly dominated with RussBall like Swansea away. Worst Match: Leicester. Humbling. Sunderland when Mowbray took RussBall apart. Season Rating: 8. Anything more would be automatic promotion or storming the league. Every club stumbled. We dipped away at the end. Had we not gone up, it would have dropped to a high 4. Results based business. Russ Rating: 8. Turned the spirit of the place around through departing players, and implementing a new system. Could have been backed more by SR with clear gaps in central midfield, right side of attack and up front. When it clicked, RussBall was lovely to watch. When it didn't, we struggled to find solutions. Russ found them when it mattered most to get us over the line. Would be higher, but he's developing and we watched him try and find solutions to his system's shortcomings in our squad. SR Rating: 7 for this season. We're paying for that dreadful January window and the managerial appointments. Stuck to their guns/ took a heck of a risk to bring in a learning, if rising, manager. And then we had an identity back, and got over the line in the end. Cracking loan signings on the whole, although mixed actual signings. Player Shoutout: Will Smallbone. He's been asked to cover a load of roles this season, and it's been great to watch him develop in them all. Your one hope for the remainder of the season/next season: Staying up next season. SR having a transfer window that gives us a chance to do so. Two hopes there.

Glad you both still enjoyed, despite the giant blue circle getting in the way. 🙂

The more destabilised other clubs are, whether through managerial changes or breaching PRS, the better for us.

Definitely an option. Another plus for Fraser. KWP on the other side suits that too.

I agree with much of that. He made a difference when he joined us. That didn't keep going, but came back in and made a difference at the end too. With another half dozen gaps requiring first team options, a zero fee, reasonable wage SR can live with, would be ideal. Our attack stands at:- AA, Stewart, Mara, Sule, Edozie, SAA, Ounacho, (Aribo) He's getting a lot of minutes in that group. We can then focus attention elsewhere. Edit: Forgot to mention the experience, personality and work ethic to the squad too. Not to be underestimated.

I'd be surprised to see McCarthy here. The club have been keen to shift him off the wage bill for a couple of seasons. If offering anything, it would be on reduced terms. McCarthy may not accept that, and could well find himself as back up at a club willing to pay him more.

Another excellent bit of business if we could get him in. Newcastle will be keen to offload to meet PRS. Fraser will have a fair idea of the wage, and seemed keen to be here.