Holmes_and_Watson

I get a bit gloomy on our chances when I see experienced players replaced with less experienced players. But at least the club has a strategy of buying youth talent on the verge of regular first team appearances. Which is better than just random youth talent, or squad fillers. We're clearly not shopping in the same places as other teams at the moment, so I can only hope it's enough. I remind myself I'm gloomy nearly every season, and we've stayed up this far. 🙂 Still want someone to win the ball in midfield though...

Desperately lacking a Long so they can play their traditional 4-3-3. C'Mon Barca, there's 90mins left!

If only Small had decided to go for that first day of training, and he'd have been told he was in their plans. Lucky us. He's still more likely to play regularly for us though, if he's any good.

Checking Over Land and Sea's spiffy contracts thread... and he was in his last season. Having been offered to Blackburn, and being dropped regulraly enough, I guess he wasn't going to sign. So a deadline day deal for whatever we could get. Can only hope for a sell on %. A Buy back is what Chelsea do for their feeder clubs, like....oh.... 🙂 Real were only minutes away from offering that £180m they had buring a hole in their pocket as well...

Both probably true.

You're training by yourself and will have to apologise for mouthing off. = clearing the air.

I was hoping for some competition for Romeu. Were the club not rummaging around in the French market for late/last day deals?

SaintsWeb news understands that Jim White will be on talksport for the last hour of the transfer window. Crook also offering opinions as well as twitter rumours there too, throughput the day. So it should be safe elsewhere.

Took the proof being in the pudding a bit too literally?

... Wilshere

Kitman Mark Forbes seems most likely to organise a clean sheet.

Had we transfer pennies to spend, I doubt he'd be given the title. But someone out of the experience that's left gets the spin. Did well last week and hope it continues.

Despite the results, at least we know Lawrie Mac would never get us relegated, after what seemed a decent start to the season. Oh...🙂

Armstrong and Occam in swap deal shocker! 🙂

I was going to say I'd like to go to that shop, but maybe a different aisle. But I'd have ended up coming out with those players too. Even knowing how it turned out, I'd go into that shop and probably still come out with them. 🙂

Tripped across something on Reed and Wilson today:- Towards the end of the book Football Hackers, the author is summing up. He talks about the crises that often formed part of data revolutions in clubs, resulting in the rise of your Klopps, and, in fincanially stricken clubs, opening the doors for the likes of Matthew Benham. There's a bit on Southampton under the opening sentence "But it is easy to be led astray from successful paths..." On Saints, some of the big data analysts "are impressed by their managerial strategy." The analysts told the author that "When we visted them, Sporting Director Les Reed had a folder on his desk which read 'Champions League Ready' - it was their strategy for the year 2020. That was in 2015. They were planning 5 years ahead." The author continues "But things didn't go according to plan in Southampton, Their coaching appointments stopped working out, some of their transfers backfired and when Les Reed was sacked in November 2018, the Champions League was a mere afterthought for a Saints team battling relegation." When I read it, I was reminded of all the other offices that had appeared as backdrops in the book, as the author visted various coaches. Some had big TVs on the wall, lots had a laptop, with one combining it with binders of notes. One had his personality profile on the wall as all the players had theirs done, and one had a nice view of their stadium. But all of it was day to day stuff of what they were working on, rather than a shiny binder selling a future. But perhaps it was wasn't a boast that Reed just liked to have on his desk when he knew visitors would be arriving. Perhaps he shared some of what was in it with the analysts, and my first thought was a harsh one. I've not checked to see if analysts careers have nose dived, as a result of flicking through it. (cheap shot, but couldn't resist, and to be fair the binder was there in Koeman's tenure.) On Wilson, the radio had someone from Rangers commercial side on, following their Euro progression. He mentioned "Ross" and "football transformation" in the same sentence. They seem really pleased with the work being done by him.

Or taking a flying lunge at the manager's door.

I'd imagine a fair bit of the glossy spin on this approach will be to sell it to parents of kids. Even as we groan at the new names for old terms. Seeing that there will be a defined development path with performance indicators, will remove some of that randomness of hoping their kid's talent rises above the others in a wider group. Of course, clubs worth their salt will be guiding individuals anyway. Lots of this should be old hat. But this systemises it, removes gaps where/ if the academy wasn't performing this way. One pitfall is that this new approach isn't flexible to change, and becomes outdated, with the regime unwilling to change, resulting in many of the same issues as before. But the people there should know that.

Hate to necro a thread since I'm not long here, but.... David Connonlly is doing co-commentary tonight. Before the game, the Harry Kane stroy came up, along with gentleman's agreements. Connolly said he had such an agreement with Saints. That a new contract was on the table for him, as he dealt with his dying mother and he needn't worry about it. Then he had an (other) knee injury and that agreement vanished. Instead he was released.

Barcelona wonderkid joins Saints! Xavi Jr stated that, although the Hoof it up to the Big Man approach of The Gaffer was reknowned, it was the work under Sgt Major Shouty that he was looking forward to most. I was watching clips of old England and Scotland qualification runs at the Euros and, despite lots of nostalgia for the times, things look good for the current squad.

In the old days:- Game Coach: Normal training Individual Development Coach: Staying on after training to practice a few things, like free kicks. 🙂 Done well, and there's no reason to think it won't be, there are loads of positives in having developing players shown individual care, attention and defined goals, in progressing all their skills. Not only will it make them feel far better supported, it will develop standards that should see even those who don't make it here have careers in the game and show prospective talents that their development lies here.

Can't really have asked for a more positive set of young signings. Arguably, it sort of fills in the gaps that were supposed to be filled by our own Academy (assuming everything had gone really well there). Hopefully it will be a case of all of them stepping naturally up into first team football, from clubs where their pathway was blocked, rather than being thrown into the deep end. And that they'll be the core of a Premier team, rather than something with echoes of the Lowe era. Focus on the half full glass...focus on the half full glass...they are insane signings...insane...

Well, that would improve the goalkeeping, but would we still need some extra depth up front? 🙂 I picked up FM21 on the eve of the Euros. I'd read that there wouldn't be much transfer activity due to Covid. Then Real Madrid came in for McCarthy. I just stared at the screen, wondering just how much influence MLG has managed to get there over the years. Then I bit their virtual arms off.

Saints are wary of older payment methods after they got stung from the Britannia Player Club, forgetting to tick the "no thanks" box at the front of the catalogue, and ending up paying full price for Carlillo.

Seeing Tino in the starting line up, certainly shows players at other clubs there's a clear pathway into first team premier league football. Looking forward to seeing how this line up gets on.