Luke SkyWalker-Peters

Charles contract is up June 2027, but we have an option to extend a year. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/25691250.southampton-fc-option-extend-shea-charles-contract/

Good result today for us. City's minds will be almost entirely on the PL now. Given that they also have one less day of rest/preparation compared to us due to their wednesday night match, I'm starting to convince myself that we are going to shock them and win it.

I like Ballard but: a) The club gave him multiple loans after his injury and he struggled. It was best for his career to move on permanently. b) When Archer was his age he was getting a goal or assist almost every game in the Championship. As Archer has struggled with physicality in the systems we have played, why do people think an objectively slower and weaker Ballard would have had enormous success? On Matsuki: He seems to be the first real positive of our multi-club model. We have seemingly signed him for almost nothing and would have been completely unable to do so before SR. He looks like a manager's favourite type of player. Works hard for the team, good at everything, can play multiple positions and scores goals.

I did some looking last night as he is clearly much better than other fans were telling us and looked on highlights. He is about to turn 31 in 2 days, but has never had a serious injury according to Transfermarkt (they seem to have a data error that thinks he has been injured since he left Feyenoord when he actually came here). Nothing to suggest he will have any issues that slow him down prematurely. On the contrary, he has been healthy yet playing very few minutes since the 20/21 season in Turkey. He hasn't played 2,000 minutes in a season since then. He has only played over 3,000 minutes in a season a couple of times in his career, which is the minimum you'd expect for a starter (equivalent of 33 full matches). All the data on him would suggest that he isn't going to physically decline for a while - no previous major injuries and not many minutes in his legs for his age. I doubt this is the fittest he has been, as he was getting good minutes for Mallorca just a couple of years ago, but this very well could be the first time he has played in a side that knows how to use his skillset properly. It isn't uncommon for Spanish teams to not know how to play with a target man properly. He also has quality creative players around him here. Similarly as Archer was a goal machine for Boro in the Champ a couple of seasons ago, but has struggled with us, some strikers just need the right system to flourish. Tonda and the rest of the team might just be getting the best out of him in a way that other teams in less physical leagues couldn't. Assuming the reported *option for him is cheap, I'd sign him, but on the condition that we would still need another no.9 next season whilst retaining Stewart (I'm not considering Archer a 9 for Tonda). 3 strikers is a lot, but Stewart is unreliable due to his injury history. If we get promoted, at worst he has proven to be a hardworking, physical player that could give our team a much needed outlet if we are hanging onto a result. If we stay in the Champ, he has demonstrated that he can play as a complete no.9 at this level. * According to Transfermarkt, Mallorca bought him for £6.5m (their site uses Euros). Teams getting rid of players will usually be happy to take just over the amortised purchase cost that is remaining. He signed a 5 year contract and has 2 years left, at the end of the season. So, (£6.5/5)x2 = £2.6m. My guess would be that the option for him is around £3m.

Good to see Millwall drop points tonight. 3rd/4th for home advantage for the playoff 2nd leg is what we should be aiming for, and tonight is a good step in the right direction for that. It would also be good to have playoffs secured before the season ends so that we can rest players and give the FA Cup a good go. An Ipswich implosion that makes a battle for 2nd possible seems incredibly unlikely, but weirder things have happened in the Championship.

Middlesbrough are in poor form at the moment, regardless of who they're playing. They haven't won in their last 5 and have been playing like a mid-table side since mid February. If both teams stay on their respective trajectories, then we will overtake them.

Opta giving us a 3.28% chance of finishing 2nd in their predicted table. https://theanalyst.com/competition/english-championship/table Regardless, if Ipswich don't beat Norwich and we beat Derby this weekend then I am going to fully believe it's possible.

We definitely won't be near PSR. We have done very well selling academy players the last few years, who go down on the books as pure profit as the cost of running the academy isn't included (JWP, Tella, Dibling... SAA and Meghoma probably too even though they technically included small fees). We spent loads last season, but this was partly because we only signed two players for fees (Charles and Stewart) when we went down, so the likes of THB and Downes required large fees just to keep some of the squad. I'm fairly certain the club made a decent profit that year, with large sales and barely spending, although with outstanding debt I bet they would have done some accounting magic to avoid paying tax. We made excellent sales again this summer, which obviously aren't included in these dates. I think we look strong for the future. We still have plenty of players on the books that will get good fees that we are yet to sell. Ramsdale, Sugawara, BBD, Smallbone, Downs and Bazunu should all get decent money if we need/want to sell. Importantly, if we do go up the squad doesn't need massive investment like last time when half the squad was loan players. SR had a shocking time when they arrived and signed some poor players for far too much in their first season. We have felt the ramifications of that, but, with a couple of exceptions, I think that they have bought and sold players well since then. Promotion in the next couple of seasons is obviously essential, but I don't think there is anything for us to otherwise be worried about.

Good results for us so far today. A Hull loss to Cov would make it great. I think Ipswich being 2nd and out of the playoffs is ideal. We are currently 9 points off 3rd with 2 games in hand, so I feel that 3rd and 4th are both very much in play if we keep our recent form going. It would be good to get that home playoff advantage; I felt it was a real factor in getting past West Brom two years ago.

He had a horrific injury and the club did everything they could to get him into the first team, but he struggled on loan at both Blackpool and Cambridge after the injury. There comes a point where letting a player go so that they can develop properly is what is best for them. Another season on the fringes of the team and going out on multiple loans wouldn't have helped him at all. Evidently the club and Dom made the right decision. I do wonder whether he would have been more involved had he not torn his patella at Reading. That was a horrific injury and he is honestly lucky that his recovery has gone so well. It would be great to have him back. I always believed he could be a top championship or decent premier league player. Not an elite athlete or technical player, but has enough about him and that rare goal instinct. Always seems seems to be in the right place at the right time and has the quality and composure to score.

Edozie is a strange situation as I recall Alfie House on TSP suggesting that he had numerous offers, presumably in Belgium, and that he was just taking his time to make his decision whilst seeing if a better offer came. I had a glance at his instagram account and in his most recent post it looked as though he had packed-up everything in his house to move out. The place looked empty! Whilst I do think Edozie is a good player for this level and would be a welcome addition, I am concerned that he will now block Robinson's opportunities. I feel Robinson has shown real promise and potential and is the one academy player that we should be ensuring gets substantial minutes this season despite inevitable dips in form. If we invest minutes in him this season, we could have a real player in 12 months time. Robinson was already going to have enough competition as is with Scienza, plus others like Fraser and Adarma who can do a job there, so I'm just concerned at the crowded situation at LW now. I think Aribo is a very welcome addition as we are a bit short at CM. He has been a reliable starter the last couple of seasons and is a very good player for this level. His versatility and experience will be very useful in a season we are hoping to win the league. I'd be happy to let him play-out his final year of his contract and let him go with our best wishes at the end of the season.

Congratulations to Jay for his first senior goal today. He took it well and it's good to have a bit of an aerial threat from a winger. I thought he looked very threatening in what will probably be our toughest league game of the year on paper. Hopefully he continues on this trajectory as he certainly seems to have the makings of a Premier League player. And I must say that it is very exciting to finally have a young player come through that we have on the books long-term.

There is a big difference between being shy, introverted or feeling homesick at 15/16 to age 19/20. Tyler is dealing with the spotlight that has been on him well. I cannot see a situation where he isn't playing in a top 5 European league next season. I do think he might believe he is better off at a club where he is valued, but can't see him dropping down to the Champ when we almost certainly go. Unfortunately, that just means it's more likely that he could end-up at a Bournemouth or Brighton instead of a Man Utd.

From starting?? He's 36 and was injured. Not excactly a surprise he can't start every week. Very normal for a 36 year old attacking player in the Premier League. Especially when, as I said, he missed most of preseason. Otherwise you are just risking injury. Rest one game or risk losing him for months.

To be fair, Lallana likely needs a rest given his age and the fact he missed most of the preseason. Moving Dibling is indefensible.

Would be great if he had a German international defender to bring into this squad. Ideally one that is physically dominant and can play with the ball too. Hyphenated name always a plus. Martin needs to get over his issues with ABK because we need him desperately.

I agree. Obviously the system has stifled the likes of Sulemana, Alcaraz and Edozie as the tempo is too slow for them to take advantage of unorganised defences. The wingers especially beat their man and then are faced with the rest of the team sat in the penalty area in a deep block. BBD is suffering from this too and currently looks worse than he did for Sheffield Utd, as he isn't getting the chance to cut inside and have shots on goal. Not utilising Meghoma, Dibling and Amo-Ameyaw enough last year was also very frustrating. Meghoma especially was showing after Christmas in the FA Cup matches that he was far better than Manning and deserving of 1st team minutes, but Martin wasn't interested and now Meghoma has (quite rightly for his career) gone - despite being better than almost all of our current depth options. Dibling and SAA probably should have had some minutes when everyone else was underperforming, but that is less of an issue as they're still here. He isn't the youth development manager that he repeatedly says he is. He doesn't give them minutes to develop. He would rather buy older players to potentially block academy player's minutes. He specifically bought Shea Charles but refused to use him despite Smallbone playing terribly at DM. He has got rid of (or tried to get rid of) Sulemana, Alcaraz and Edozie instead of improving them. He keeps hooking THB despite Stephens playing worse and consistently putting other players in the shit with his passes. Hopefully the young players here show improvement under him this season.

I feel that if there hasn't been any improvement after the Ipswich game that he'll be gone. That nice 9 days before playing Bournemouth seems ideal for a manager change. But obviously we will need to have had results in the league for him to still be with us after the international break a couple of weeks later. I could see the club giving Lallana a go while they search for a manager. He ticks all the boxes of players likely to have instant success as a manager: played central midfield, played at the top level for a top club, played under numerous great managers with differing styles, is an intelligent player that didn't rely on physical ability or pure technique, been a captain etc... I could see him possibly replicating that Arteta, Xavi, Alonso transition straight to management, or possibly not. Would be a good time for him to give it a go while Klopp is taking a sabbatical, as he could have someone to mentor him in an official or unofficial capacity. I'm almost certain the club would have Potter as their no.1 choice though, he is proven at delivering a possession style in the Premier League. On Martin himself, I like him but am yet to be impressed. I think he underperformed in the league last year with what was the second best squad in the Championship in my opinion. He is so rigid in his style that it is to the detriment of players we already had that did not suit it. I feel like more players have regressed under him than improved. Some looked better because we dropped a level. It seems like a real struggle for players to play his system. He asks them to do too much and its unsurprising that they are making mistakes. There is nothing wrong with passing out the back, or possession systems, but possession managers make it easier for their players to find passes. Martin does not seem to do this. Everyone finds it extremely hard to get out of our own half. No easy passes that then move us up the pitch quickly. And then when we do move up the pitch, we do it so slowly that our attacking players find it difficult to create good chances as they are facing a structured defence. I absolutely feel that he deserves a chance and I hope things drastically improve. However, I cannot fathom who decided he should get a contract extension after finishing 4th in the Championship and I hope the club keep a fairly short leash on him like they did with Nathan Jones. We have a genuine chance to stay up, we should not tie ourselves to Martin if he's a sinking anchor.

I'm willing to give Martin a bit of slack as most of our business was done very late, but any mitigation goes out the window after the international break. I think he somewhat underperformed with the squad he had last year to finish 4th, so although I like him as a person he doesn't have much credit in the bank with me. If we are going to pass it out, we need to be better drilled and slicker than we have been so far. I don't think Stephens and Bednarek are good enough with the ball at this level to have this kind of responsibility. Martin needs to show us his much revered man-management skills and get ABK onboard, he is a level above the other CBs. I'm hoping that we come back from the break with ABK, Ugochukwu, Fernandes, Archer, Cornet, Dibling and, if you'll let me dream, Stewart integrated into the squad more and playing Martinball as he draws it up. When it works, it is good fun and if he is a good coach I believe he can get those players, along with Ramsdale, KWP, Suga, THB, Downes and BBD playing good possession football. For me, judging Martin starts now, I hope he can deliver. But, I suspect Sport Republic will have Graham Potter on speed dial if things are not looking better by October.

It's frustrating that we are conceding these sloppy goals, but it's not like we're getting battered because of it. We have conceded 3 goals in 3 games. I think with the right players and manager we could play this way, hard to see if we have both based on the team today. I think that goal was very much on Stephens. Can't be passing it back to a CB that has 2 players on him. I do wonder whether it is so drilled into them by Martin that consequently the players aren't being diligent enough to see if the pass is on. Fundamentally, I'm going to reserve judgement of Martin in the Premier League for when he has a team of Premier League players playing. I am not in the slightest bit surprised that lineup is losing away to Brentford, whoever the manager was. I hope to see a 433 with Archer, Cornet, Fernandes, Ugochukwu and possibly Bella-Kotchap in, and with Adarma, Aribo, Stephens, Smallbone and possibly Bednarek out. That is then a team that I could see possibly surviving and will judge him if he is incapable with those players. The team today is just not at the required level. The current scoreline is no surprise.

I'm not sure why some posters think Cornet will play LWB? He has played most of his career (and his best seasons of his career) at RW... a position we have been trying to fill all summer since Tella/Brooks left. We have been linked to half the left-footed attacking players in Europe for this reason.

https://twitter.com/ExWHUEmployee/status/1829457790210883927 The best West Ham source: "There has been a late move by a couple of clubs including Palace apparently but he looks set to join Southampton at this stage. He has also said his goodbyes this morning" Edit: How do you embed the tweet?

Assuming Ramsdale passes his medical, I think our current best XI is: Ramsdale Suga THB ABK KWP Downes Big Les Fernandes AA Archer BBD Assuming Martin wants to play his favoured 433 at some point. Not sure whether it would be Downes or Ugochukwu playing DM, but personally I'd like to see Big Les running into the box to get onto some crosses. I hope that this is the side we are building towards, with Bednarek in for ABK if he goes. I think Dibling, SAA and Lallana will all be best utilised as subs to come on when we need a goal for now, with some starts if their form demands it. I'm assuming the lineup vs Brentford will be fairly similar to Forest. I'm expecting a far bigger change for the Utd game after the international break.

It's just how they are used in their system. They are both right footed wingers, but both fairly good with both feet. Fellows usually plays on the right wing to whip crosses in with his dominant foot, but has played on the left cutting in as Edozie usually does. Martin doesn't like to use wingers in this manner and usually has them cutting in. At the moment if Fellows was to whip crosses in there won't be anyone there with the way we are set up (and the way Martin usually plays). But doing more with it than Fellows does, which is my point. Imagine how frustrating you'll find Fellows when Edozie was the far more productive player last season.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the competitive starting debuts. It seems like it will be a complete change to the Premier League side to give squad players a chance: https://twitter.com/SaintsExtra/status/1828550115487031669 I think the only reason we will play 3 at the back is if we want to put ABK in the shop window after his injuries + failed medical. Larios doesn't look match sharp yet from his U21 appearances, I'm not sure that he will play with Manning and Taylor both needing minutes. Lumley Bree Edwards Woods Taylor Ugochukwu Dibling Fernandes SAA Edozie Archer