Gloucester Saint

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.

Junior doctors are greedy sods - it’s always been the case that they start on decent wages but sharp increases as they establish themselves. If the country wasn’t obsessed with immigration, I’d replace them with better practitioners and attitudes from elsewhere, going by the so-so vs outstanding care my family members have received over the years. Our culture is not built on caring. BMA are up there with the RMT for the most self-serving union who don’t give a toss about the people who fund them.

For another 12 months at most on top of what he had left I could have seen the purpose of. But what is doing most people’s head in is it being until 2028. There’s neither a football or business rationale to it.

There’s been a lot of those from Reed, Semmens and SR over the last 8 years, rarely any of them progressive.

It has to be from Spors and probably Dragan, probably happened over 18 holes at Stoneham.

You are right though Chez, they’ve done it now so we just have to cross our fingers that it turns out ok. The club have put a lot of pressure on themselves though, the next couple of incomings need to be impressive XI starters and any key players going require high quality replacements for this level be it permanent or on loan. No more scope for ‘projects’ having put themselves on a yellow card.

It’s a pity as some credit had finally been built up a bit with the Sulemana and Onachu sales. Impressive work there repairing Rasmus’s disasters. It’s taken any shine off Downs signing, feel a bit sorry for him. Spors and his team need the best window since 2014 and 2015 now to restore some faith.

It’s nothing against Jack, although his behaviour on the pitch was totally unacceptable last season even when there were so many others stinking the place out, people are reacting to a piss poor business decision based on football logic. Year extension, fair enough. Three, seriously Spors?

☝️ and moreover he wouldn’t be good enough for the Championship by 2028 either, not even sure he would be by 2026 let alone a first choice and skipper.

Bear that in mind and refer back next time the club says ‘we have no money.

Hope not

He didn’t need to be given a 3 year deal though at his age and level of ability. An extra year I could’ve lived with but three is the same drunken common sense which influenced Forster’s mammoth extension, Carrillo, and Nathan Jones.

And that’s before Stephens is shoehorned in.

Astonishing that he ever thought that was acceptable in the first place at work https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cewgz0qw77lo Even more astonishing Shine/Banjay and BBC production and other managers thought it was alright.