Gloucester Saint

There were loads of them, about PSR and how this summer would be better because Rasmus’s Jan 2023 splurge was still on the cycle. Still a month to go but it’s hardly promising nor the change that was promised.

You know exactly what I was saying - he wasn’t a 20 goal superstar but Che did what his team and their team needed. How many honest pros have SR signed who actually did their basic job? Anyway, anyone who thought Russell Martin was doing a fine job at PL level shouldn’t be giving stick out to other posters frankly.

I’m not the one who spent the whole of last summer saying ‘the strategy is to sign top Championship players for next season as the club know they’re going down’. Funnily enough, they’re the ones Still seems keenest to move on….

Not touched a drop Farmer. What I’m saying is he hasn’t scored 20 goals but for a top flight team looking to be mid-lower table and stay clear of trouble he’s helped them do that comfortably. What would we give for that? More than Archer or BBD could do last season and I think he’s a far better footballer than either of those two, although Archer might be ok if we use him properly with earlier passes. In summary, I rate him higher than our current strikers at any level.

We can’t use Ramsdale next season so he might as well be as a supporter. He won’t be coming back. Fernandes will go, along with KWP the only two players to give a shit last season. Dibling - the club can smell the pure PSR ‘profit’. Yuck at what football has become and yuck at SR.

Jaidi, Hammond, Chaplow - excellent professionals and a cut above the league were in at the time we signed them. That’s what this summer should’ve been about. Instead, more gambles/clever shit leading to errors and a failure leader given three more years of reward. SR will never learn, sooner they sell up the better.

Point is, it’s a well known risk and he’d cost us 12 points or so during the regular season before he did his Achilles. If they’re as determined to finish top 2 as they say they are, why take a stupid risk that? From a business perspective, it doesn’t make sense. Get your spine right and if you want to gamble/risk, do it in the wide areas with a funky loan or two.

Fernandes all day long but he’ll be gone soon, probably on loan as well knowing this shower of owners. KWP we didnt have the option but he is my favourite player of the last few years and most professional at the club by a mile. Again, Che’s performance in Serie A whilst Batistuta hammers the arse off anything SR have bought in at much bigger cost.

It’s pointless. I can only assume the financial position must be pretty grim because Ramsdale, Fernandes and Dibling were supposed to be the ‘they only go for top price’ players. And then the club capitulates as it always has post-2017 despite all the PR guff it spews out. Then again, when has anything SR said been remotely true? Can’t stand them, bullshit merchants, outdoing even Les Reed.

If it’s the judgement of Sports Republic/Saints since 2017 vs the judgement of our fanbase, I’ll go with our fanbase every single time. We’ve been proven right. Romeo Lavia signing is the only successful thing they’ve done in the context of the club’s history and they even messed that up moving Romeu on. Don’t trust them one iota.

PL level he was OK. I didn’t say good but not that bad either. Champ level he was very good though. All of last season’s strikers didn’t manage a Che-type 8 PL goals and as many assists between them remember. Good season in Serie A as well. We’ve obviously had the likes of Pelle, Rickie, Beattie, Marian over the last 25 years which is why Che isn’t rated but he is like Shearer compared with the garbage SR bought. And no KWP this season, was a huge factor offensively for us in 23/24.

Better manager on paper, don’t quite agree that’s a stronger squad than 2023 though unless Downs proves to be as good as Che at holding up and bagging 15-18 goals (the finish was very nice v Espanyol so maybe…). AA still there but not sure he’s in the same frame of mind.

No way would we have kept a clean sheet at Wembley - McCarthy was hardly Gordon Banks but he looked it by comparison.

One of many these days but in the pre-internet/teletext days and early internet they were more prominent and just as unreliable.

‘Tis Newsnow, ‘nuff said. Spouting bollocks rumours for 30 years, only difference being these days you don’t need to ring an expensive phone number or internet dial up to access it.

May not be and as we move into August and neither of those two moves come off, his agent may cast around.

Gvir is a vile piece of humanity.

Linked with West Ham and Everton last I saw.

Les Reed and Ross Wilson are political football figures, I doubt very much their ability to really watch a player over an extended period of time. Look at the successful Koeman signings, they were clearly Ronald’s. Close friend of mine scouted for Tony Pulis and he would go there and watch the player, not even the match as a whole, he would focus on the player Pulis wanted him to watch and he would want a detailed report on all of the active moments, off ball behaviours and interactions with other players. The player would be watched over an extended period. Shields found Lavia and got a new job off the back of it but he doesn’t convince me - Baz, Edozie and Larios were never PL players in a million years and it was obvious immediately. Gavin chucked into a struggling side at that age and key position was harsh. He’d have needed to be a goalkeeping Luke Littler or Wayne Rooney. Tim Flowers struggled in Division 1 post-Shilton hence John Burridge came in a for a season, and Tim was very talented as a youngster. But Nicholl knew football clubs and knew player psychology. Wilcox and Paul Mitchell - they were more thorough and questioning of what the club would tell them.

He will have experienced a lot colder than Stoke playing in that league!

That will be a coup if that transfer comes off.

There’s others as well, basically there’s probably 50-100 keepers in our price range who be a huge improvement. Those two are only with us because literally no other club wants them. Celtic wanted Alex allegedly after Wembley and if so he should have gone, last season killed what was left in him as a keeper. Gavin only had Standard come in because his City academy coach was there, and he was apparently shocked at how bad he was. This was early 2025, one decent 45 minutes in a pre-season doesn’t wipe away two years of very unreliable displays.

If you’re suggesting buying a different first choice keeper, or loaning at a push, then I’m all ears. There are other keepers than Johannsson available of course who are better than those two already at the club. Not a high bar, or any bar admittedly.

Sticking with Gavin (statistically the worst in PL and Champ by a mile) and Alex (a year older than last time and struggled badly last year) - if Dragan wants to destroy what’s left of his investment/pull off his mask and reveal Milan Mandaric this is the way to do it.

Stoke lower mid Champ - £15k per week Saints - £20k per week, chunky promotion bonus to clear your mortgage, PL back/compete for place £30k per week. If he’s got a family, not really a choice if the clubs agree a fee and Saints get their act together for the first time in several years in a key position.