CSA96

Is... everything okay at home?

That will be the hunger strike tactic he’s using to force his dream move to Everton

Steven Davis representing Saints in Sky’s pundit lineup for the game

It is out of town, but I remember seeing the proposals and believe the new stadium would be built pretty much opposite Oxford Parkway station and there'd also be the ability to utilise park and ride access, so that helps too

On the topic of his tactics... he was quite open in discussing tactical flexibility in the written part of today's press conference on his early season tactics and swapping 4-2-3-1 for 3-4-3 and 3-5-2... It's been 100 per cent down to personnel. I think to play certain systems, like a four, you need certain profiles of players that we're not quite there on yet. And with wingers... with Tyler not being available, we've not got any out and out wingers. We've got a lot of inside forwards and players of that profile. So it's more a question of managing this month - with the transfer window still open - by being pragmatic, by being adaptable where we can be but also getting the best out of the players that we've got and ultimately, winning games. We just felt that for the last two games that it was what we needed to do and what needed to happen. But I think I've always said it, I'm not fixed on one shape or one formation or whatever it looks like. For me it's just about getting the best out of the players that we have available to us and that we can use moving forward. Ipswich play a back four for example, it's a proper 4-2-3-1 and so we need probably different profiles of players to play against that and to upset them. That's what we'll do, but we won't always adapt to everyone because we do want our own style and way of playing but there's a level of pragmatism and adaptability that we need to show to pick up points and that's what I'll do.

Will Still was quite open about in the embargoed section of the press conference re: his recent tactical decisions and moving away from 4-2-3-1... for now on his early season tactics and swapping 4-2-3-1 for 3-4-3 and 3-5-2... It's been 100 per cent down to personnel. I think to play certain systems, like a four, you need certain profiles of players that we're not quite there on yet. And with wingers... with Tyler not being available, we've not got any out and out wingers. We've got a lot of inside forwards and players of that profile. So it's more a question of managing this month - with the transfer window still open - by being pragmatic, by being adaptable where we can be but also getting the best out of the players that we've got and ultimately, winning games. We just felt that for the last two games that it was what we needed to do and what needed to happen. But I think I've always said it, I'm not fixed on one shape or one formation or whatever it looks like. For me it's just about getting the best out of the players that we have available to us and that we can use moving forward. Ipswich play a back four for example, it's a proper 4-2-3-1 and so we need probably different profiles of players to play against that and to upset them. That's what we'll do, but we won't always adapt to everyone because we do want our own style and way of playing but there's a level of pragmatism and adaptability that we need to show to pick up points and that's what I'll do.

I don't think WS wants to play the five at the back, really. He said in preseason he wants to play with a four and for most of preseason, we did. We had some joy with a five late in preseason - and to be fair, we looked better for it - so he's sticking with it His tactics are more focused on use of wide areas to generate overloads and give the opportunities for balls into the box. Right now, given we have no wingers of serious threat, he's leaning on the wingbacks more and shoving more bodies towards the box instead by including more than one striker I also think preseason and these first couple of games have suggested that while he likes what Sugawara and Welington can offer going forward, he doesn't much trust them defensively and so in a flat four he prefers Bree (or Edwards) and Manning I think it might be the case that coming out of the international break, we see the 4-2-3-1 become the default formation, with some new signings taking roles in the three behind the striker. It might even happen sooner, and I would be tempted to just get straight to the 4-2-3-1 and use Fraser and Robinson wide for now but I wouldn't be surprised to see him keep it as it is for another game or two Some might say he is sending a message about the lack of quality from wide areas in the final third...

Yeah, when I saw this latest run of updates I was feeling major Gakpo vibes from it

I knew that article wouldn't be worth a wank after it opened with the line 'According to Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe'

£40m of pure PSR profit for Aston Villa. Could they come in for Dibling now? Know they've scouted him a lot

Fair enough, think it's not difficult to understand the excitement around the prospect of signing him. We desperately need a 10 who can give us goals and assists, he is that sort of player. I would strongly contest against the idea that we don't need a player like him Not only that, it looks like we might, for once, just be going for the known quantity, the more expensive option and someone who already has a track record in our division and would see us trying to take a promotion rival's best player in the process. I'm not surprised people are excited about it I haven't watched tonnes of him but he has impressed me plenty. Reading through the Coventry forums also reinforces that for me, given they are talking about kicking off if he is sold and that they think it would be a disastrous end to the window and kill their season almost immediately Tactically, I have the perception that he plays far closer to the strikers than a midfielder like Fernandes (or anyone else we have, frankly) - but I'll need to take a closer look

Genuine question: What would it take to impress you if a 24yo attacking midfielder - with 10 goals and 13 assists in our division last season, for a team that didn’t even get promoted - can’t impress you?

Does it? If he woke up this morning and felt queasy then it's totally fair for WS to say 'see how you are later' and then after getting to the ground RS has reported feeling shitty still and he's pulled him out of the side, seems fair enough to me? The group and BBD would've known that Plan B was that he would step in if RS wasn't able to make it They obviously both wanted him to play and take the opportunity, so I just feel disappointed for Ross tbh

Guessing he felt okay to play before he went out and warmed up and then his sickness returned. Been mentioned that he was ill in the past 48hrs but wanted to play

Ross Stewart out with sickness, has been ill during the week. Brereton Diaz to start

On the morning of the Wrexham game he posted a photo of himself participating in a 'Park Run' type running group who were going along a road in Dusseldorf. That's all I've seen of him, that and a couple of videos of him with a German PT. Don't think he's even been in the country for a good while

Opening offer in £20m range

Lol that's a 'yeah sure, we'll agree to the buy clause because we've got no intention of ever activating it' if ever I've seen one

We had 10 shots on goal tbf, we did get a hatful of openings