Gloucester Saint

Plenty of options on this list other than Darling who has already joined Norwich (we were linked as were Rangers but was always going to work with Manning) and the promoted clubs players https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/all-24-efl-championship-clubs-best-centre-back-ranked-from-best-to-worst/

It’s not the actual heat I mind, it’s the humidity. Not at Singapore levels I admit, but it ain’t pleasant to be out and about in. Give me spring and autumn over summer any day.

I’d actually laugh if the club did that and he let a couple of soft ones to give the skates their first league win at SMS. Agent Gavin indeed. Given the volume of keeper links though this summer, I doubt even they’ll be that stupid this time.

It’s what comes next if they can pull this stunt. Echo puff pieces about how well Bazunu and BBD are training, new contract for Smallbone, McCarthy, more ‘good lads’.

🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️

Plus Lallana was allegedly paid £45k p/w last year to so similar and it certainly wasn’t based on playing contribution. Now he’s part of coaching set-up. If Will Still is happy about that, good for them both. But Adam is supposed to be that voice of experience. Why does Stephens need to be for the next year 3 years as well? At least Lallana was a top player. How many non-playing voices of experience do we need? And a Jack still could’ve done that under contract next season.

Adequate doesn’t get you automatic promotion which is supposedly what Still has been set to aim for. Wood is not an adequate Champ CB either - have a watch of this. If the club had paid attention, Martin wouldn’t have been allowed to sign him. And Quashie hasn’t played a minute in the Championship, Kayi Sanda barely a couple of promising PL sub cameos. Edwards has 18 months experience and a good half-season loan at QPR but he will 100% need experience - high quality experience for this level - if Jan and THB leave. Unless the club are repeating the 08/09 experiment. Brum, Ipswich et al won’t be relying on a u23 back line like the above and that’s the minimum bar for Southampton Football Club.

The impression the Stephens contract leaves is that they’ve learned nothing from three years of chronic mistakes from SR and further back to summer 2017 by Reed, Wilson and then Semmens. That’s why there’s a strong reaction against. It’s much bigger than Jack Stephens per se. It’s mistrust and unease fully warranted by eight mostly shit years and under-performance. Hence Brighton and Bournemouth are the major figures now on the South Coast. Great work SR.

Going by their track record 2017 to present, what the club’s hierarchy thinks doesn’t amount to a hill of beans when it comes to football. Two pathetic relegations, 9-0 x2, Pellegrino and Carrillo, Nathan Jones, £22m on Sulemana, last summer, Martin’s crazy tactics, Forster’s extension and McCarthy’s, both on huge wages - list goes on. They’ll get some respect when they earn some back with our fans who have seen decades more top flight, and even second tier football, than they have. Right now, I’d trust our fans’ judgement overall far more than theirs.

Albert can barely get it off the square in red ball but smashing it everywhere in white ball. Cartwright good knock tonight. Not a happy return for Mason Crane.

All of which could’ve been relevant without the need for 3 more years (2 plus the remaining 1) as he was still under contract. Do you genuinely think a 31 year old who ‘is not really as bad as some think’, only played 200 games for us in decade and been loaned out three times is a priority for a contract to 2028?

Reminds me of a joke after his arrest in LA: Q: What’s the difference between a microwave and George Michael? A: The microwave stops when you open the door

Latest from Manchester Crown Court https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgn8dz3l0lo I thought Farage, Tommy Robinson and people on here said that they would never go to trial, two-tier justice etc etc?

It has, I think the disappointment has come from a glimpse of genuine change with the impressive fees recovered for Sulemana and Onachu, and then it feels to people like it’s one foot back in the double relegation, 12 points, red cards, 0-9 past. I can’t speak for a whole forum but I’m just paraphrasing what I’ve read. Hopefully Jack’s on a modest wage and he switches more into coaching under Still next season after promotion in 25/26 and it proves a storm in a teacup. The next couple of incomings need to impress though and strengthen the first XI. Ramsdale, Fernandes, Dibling - any of those go, they need properly replacing with the best quality that will come to the Champ, even if it’s on loan.

He had to delete his SM profiles because of the sheer volume of ‘feedback’ after the Chelsea hairpull and latest red card. Don’t agree with that FWIW, the abuse, too much of it online and it’s only a sport, but a lot of fans were furious and it’s rare that a player has to do that.

How much of Southampton Football Club have you watched 2017-present? In particular 2022 onwards? I think even the most happy clappies would hard pressed to have any confidence in SFC’s leadership thinking anything through properly.

Which he could’ve just as easily have done next season under his existing contract. Birmingham, Ipswich and Wrexham weren’t knocking our door down offering him a £60k p/w contract until 2028, there was nothing to compete with. Maybe an extra year as a fringe player for emergencies in the PL or Champ squad whilst he did his badges. But there is no football or business case for a 3 year contract. If the club were proud of it, don’t sneak it in with a striker signing. Tinge of McCarthy’s whopping contract extension under Semmens which the club were so reticent about they didn’t even announce it, so at least they did with this one.

Everyone lost a yard of pace or two last season under Martin’s ‘no running, all ball possession work’ walking pre-season. Even peak Sadio Mane would have looked like Micky Quinn. In a professional set-up, the sharpness will return hopefully for KWP.

This time around they knew it full well it was going to piss off the fanbase hence they snuck it out just after Downs signing. Known in the politics news world as the distraction strategy (see Lynton Crosby). Look, if Dragan wants to play 18 holes with Jack Stephens and MLT at Stoneham when he visits, personally that’s up to them but I don’t see why it needed a 2 year extension to the one year Jack had left. Because there’s no logical football rationale - he was under contract already next season, the experience argument is a total red herring. It’s Southampton Football Club, not a social club. Need a Rod Bransgrove figure to professionalise it like happened with Hampshire cricket.

He had a year left so he’d have played in the Champ anyway this coming season. An extra year on fringe wages to do his badges and transition to coaching if he didn’t want to drop down the leagues = no problems with that at all. But that isn’t what the club has done is it?

With the club paying 90% of the wages we didn’t need to pay.

It’s not zero risk on a three year contract for a player turning 32 in January who is fresh off a horrific season even by the dreadful standards around him. Depends how much the weekly wages are to the extent of the risk. 32 year olds don’t tend to suddenly become top quality, bar Chris Marsden in tandem with Wayne Bridge.

Multi-year deal had to be the way with that Union. Thought Streeting would’ve had more sense. The only aspect I agree with him on is that the public won’t stand for it and they’re in for a shock. In their young and naive minds they have the same halo as the senior consultants - but that has to be earned. At least the RMT know the public doesn’t like them.

Ain’t that the truth

In most businesses, there would be a learning cycle where you learn and adapt from those mistakes or you go bust. Seemingly rarely applies to football clubs, disorganisation, complacency and insularity are the order of the day for most. You’ve only got to look at the mess the last two weeks are of the transfer window, no excuse for that much dysfunction when you’ve had from May to start of August.