Gloucester Saint

Superb debut by Tilak, hope he gets his hundred tomorrow. Making his point that he’s not just a white ball player and putting pressure on India’s new Test number three. Dawson 67 no and half-century for Middleton as well. Very good day today, need to follow it up tomorrow and build a good lead so not too many to chase batting last.

The only one where I thought ‘good signing’ was Harry Darling to Norwich but never thought ‘wish we’d signed him instead’. More that for a good centre back at this level on a free it was good business but he knows Liam Manning their new manager well.

Still a very good player even at 37, ran the game in a home win v Spurs. Can see why he had the career he had as a player.

Essex have got a few too many, brilliant yet again from Abbott. Batting line up looks deep right down to ten but top and middle order have got to show up this time as batting last will be tricky v Harmer and mustn’t concede a first innings deficit under any circumstances.

Tranmere FA Cup replay *shudders* Interesting that was his last professional game, and only two games on loan at Stockport on loan late 90s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Gibbens

Glad it wasn’t just me. Crap product too. Another of mine is when adults refer to midweek as ‘School Nights’. If you’re a parent of school-age kids, possible more excusable.

David Speedie and Stuart Ripley - two Blackburn players who clearly did not want to be at SFC. David Lee - Branfoot’s first signing which foretold the horrors to come Wesley Hoedt - how clueless/on the sauce does a DoF and Head of Recruitment have to be to believe a Lazio squad player is worth £17m, £30m in today’s money? Very is the answer, ponderous, reluctant to attack the ball, poor distribution. Fulham away was one of the worst top flight displays by a Saints footballer. Mario Lemina - if Hoedt was a £1.7m player where the Chuckle Bros put the wrong decimal on the cheque, Mario ability-wise was the real deal. Could have played for any club in the world. Attitude-wise, as bad as we’ve had - more 3 points for passing red lights than he ever won on the pitch. Let Wolves down abysmally too after they supported him through bereavement - captain crap for them. Nigel Quashie - the one player supporters at both ends of the M27 can agree on. Lovren and VVD - striking muppets, although the latter is a class player, Dejan so so as Toby showed the next season by comparison. Kenwyne Jones - another striking shit, and we got a better player in exchange in Stern John. Good athlete but couldn’t trap a bag of cement and controlled it as far as he kicked it. Allegedly caused loads of trouble at Stoke. Carlton Palmer - another with zero first touch. Very effective first season but fell out with people not least MLT and ended up training alone. ABK - a small budget Wesley Hoedt mixed with some Kenwyne Jones. Gavin Bazunu - nothing against him personally, I just felt anything aimed at his goal went in. His wretched spell at Standard underscored this in capital bold.

Don’t forget Jumpin’ Jacks

Aribo is going 100%, one year left, high earner and wants out. Will go to Galatasaray, Beskitas or Rangers if he’s willing to drop some wages even post-relegation cut. Smallbone probably a nominal fee or loan out, but depends on Still’s formation. If he uses three in the middle keep as a squad option. Also only a year left.

Agree it was worse than Holgate at Sunderland. Perhaps not Jankewitz though… Worst for any club was an Aussie goalkeeper for Norwich at home to Colchester - 1-7 opening day, was at a Norwich fan’s stag do. One game and out. Bryan Gunn signed him and he was a top goalkeeper as well.

Wheal has been in decent form so presume injured. Stoneman was a cheap and not cheerful signing to blunt the new ball. Barker - a 38 year old out for a year isn’t going to transform the season. Orr surely has to come in and Albert out to play in the Hampshire leagues or perhaps loaned to Devon or Berkshire to get bat on ball in minor counties. Nowhere near first class standard this season so far annd can’t see him doing better on loan in D2 unless half a batting line up somewhere has broken their fingers. Eddie Jack only if the pitch looks like a Bunsen. Stick with Currie and Prest as need to bring younger players with ability through.

Very risky not only internationally but domestically for his coalition. The isolationist faction, and it is a large faction, won’t support this and if Iran or more like it’s proxies start attacking US facilities and citizens, he’s heading straight down the road of George W Bush.

Got better but that debut v Palace….his namesake the famous playwright would have been more solid that day. Works for the FAI now.

Richard Chaplow’s first Saints spell was on loan as was Jack Cork’s as someone else mentioned.

Ronnie Ekelund for sheer quality. Richard Wright a useful short-term loan. Plenty of successful loans which haven’t translated quite as well after then joining on a longer-term basis - Saganowski, THB and Downes (in the PL), Fraser, Rasiak.

Reform’s King of DOGE is not keen on picking up dog 💩 it seems. And I suspect more personnel blow-ups in the future. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c991epp257lo

several comments on there that it was a staged fart incident - made me laugh either way!

No idea whether Naga Munchetty is guilty of bullying or not but does enjoy a good old fart on BBC Breakfast

Nicer temperature in the Brecon Beacons yesterday, drier and 25 degrees. Lovely. Not so pleasant here in Glos though, very humid and airless.

Taylor? Play him at LWB, that type of player gets you promotions and on a small sample size he looked better than Manning who is ok as back up. Larios will be a wage-write off loan to the Spanish lower leagues. Taylor shouldn’t be judged on seeing through two bullshit football managers, 300 PL appearances. ABK will get a Bundesliga club as long as we keep the fee under 5m Euros, get him off the books. Fraser - agree with you there, but could be a useful impact player like last time if Still can get him fit and focused again.

I’ve seen several posters on here say Joe is one of the top earners at the club and whilst one wanting to re-open the facile debate about the merits of AI sites estimating player wages, there’s enough circumstantial evidence that he’s on £60k or so p/w, maybe more pre-relegation cut. He’d just scored in a European final which might account for some of it. He’s off anyway, year left on his contract, Galatasary or Beskitas I reckon. Rangers fans would love him back, and so would Martin I suspect, but he’d need to lower his wage expectations.

He was never going to be a signing we turned for a profit in his late 20s, like Carrillo was signed to dig a manager out of the crap by going route one. And just like with Pellegrino, Jones got the sack shortly afterwards. Pure stupidity for the same top flight club to make the same costly mistake twice in just 5 years. If true, Spores has made the best out of a bad lot there. Good luck to Paul Onachu though, gave his best and there are few Saints players who can hold their head up and say the same over the last 3-4 seasons. Whereas Sulemana will go for a similar fee and should’ve been a Mane type transfer. Lacks some of Sadio’s football brain let alone someone incredibly mature like Matty Fernandes, but can’t help feeling that the Southern League standard of coaching over the last 3 seasons at the club has not helped Kamaldeen at all. Sad, as not that long ago the club regularly improved players with raw attributes.

That is horrific. That looks like a JD Wetherspoons carpet or a hotel which hasn’t seen a renovation in 30 years.

🤞 for all parties sake that’s accurate. Allegedly personal terms were already agreed although might have been from one of those clickbait sites. Should’ve happened last summer but they pushed it to the wire and Saints understandably wouldn’t give him away for next to free when he’s already scored goals on loan.

He was finished 3-4 years ago and even Danny Ings has better knees. Hope nepotism isn’t keeping him on a contract. Grateful for his part in the cup wins and contribution overall but not sure he’d get in another county squad.