Holmes_and_Watson

Monarch

Flash

Based on an exhaustive 2 minute look at the league table at the start of the season, and considering the general financial clout/ overall squad depths of the clubs involved, I thought that a good season for us would be 14th. I clearly was leaving myself space for "excellent" and "superb" seasons, that would take us higher. 🙂 Having a slightly gloomier outlook just makes it all the better to see us perform as we did before that minor blip last season (if not better). 🙂

Slip

My dad (A Norwich fan) was in hospital for tests today. So, I did ask if he was sure I should come round and watch this one with him. We were pretty (very) comfortable. They did have some plans to beat the press we use, but we were pretty secure in dealing with them. Lots of dominance. It looked as though we had other gears to move up to, should we have needed to match any Norwich intensity. But there wasn't really any of that from them. So we had efforts on their goal, but maybe didn't look as though we were really going to score a hatful. We went to a back three, when 1-0 up. My normal gut reaction to that is "uh-oh". But they know what they're doing, so I get that less and less these days. Had Norwich commited more, we were ready to pick them off. Adams had yet another great game. He takes up great positions, looking for Broja to get the ball across to him. Broja's form may seem to have dropped a little. but he's young and offers a heck of a lot already, considering the development that's to come. Stu is clearly encouraged to take as many shots as possible. I might have thought there was a better option for the odd one, but it's something well worth continuing with. it forces our opponents to set up to counter it, offering other options. JWP, Romeu and KWP immense yet again. Nice to see Long get another cameo. He was taking up good spaces, committing their defenders from the second he came on. To be able to have such a steady performance, as part of our excellent run, shows just what a good team we have here.

Floppy

Ralph has said he's leaving at the end of his contract with us. I read that as saying he's comitted to us until the end of the contract. From the club's perspective, unless there's a scenario where we look doomed in the next couple of years, then we'll commit to the same. They've stuck by him through a torrid run of results already, so no real reason we'd part company with him. After that, who knows. He may retire. He may find a new challenge. He may be part of picking a successor or not. He may even extend his stay with us. He might join a "bigger" club at that time. But I can't see him dumping the project he has so much input into, to rejoin a guy he felt out with over strategic decisions last time.

Oh, that was harsh. 😀 From what I picked up in Ralph's recent praise of Forster, was that he was a solid traditional sort of keepr. Reading behind that, is that he's keen to upgrade to a super, modern agile sweeper-keeper. I hope our scouting dept can deliver all of that for him. It will be a heck of a 'keeper, whoever he is, for our price range. I'd be perfectly happy seeing Forster in the team for the forseeable. But he'll certaily want to weigh up his options after some difficlut times here. By that time, we may well have moved on.

Is the new ownership better than the majority of the in game takeovers you'd get if you had the pre winter update?

They were 99 red balloons, and today's events triggered painful memories of them. I shall read a Commando comic in your honour.

Group

Slaughterhouse

Airstrike

Airport

And more enjoyable, as we're so far removed from it. 😃

Mad

I was just going to ask at what level are the team wholly professional. If Saints plan to do it at Championship, that's (hopefully) not far away. But big decisions for players. Hopefully, our position in the Premier League allow for enough funds to make that call an easier one, for those who want to go professional.

Very keen on that. Well with our owners saying that there will be a network of clubs, how do the partnerships work in terms of schools/ academies there? Are their examples of successful career paths of players across a network of clubs, for example?

Gum

Stump

Community

Treasure

Oh no! You're not catching me out with your....optimism. No sir! I shall continue to expect nothing, and be delighted with our performances.

Chart 🙂

Oh thanks TWar! I missed that. I now want to know how Salisu can develop his long throws to be like a new Rory Delap (but Delap for other teams. I don't remember it working that well for us)