Oisin

Signing Lascelles would be far too sensible and pragmatic for SR. No resale value, just a disciplined, experienced leader at the heart of a defence. Exactly as we’ve never had since Fonte left. I’d love us to be one of those interested but would be surprised if we are

I have to disagree - this squad has been crying out for a proper number 9 for years. We need to loan someone in if we can’t find a permanent option. Experience tells us Ross will get injured very soon and likely be out for the season … which will leave us without any number 9 and trying to make ArmA work in that role again. We can cope elsewhere but not up front. It’s not so much the goals but the whole pattern of play, as evidenced on Wednesday evening.

It’s proved that saints find it difficult to do this … I think there’s one or two other clubs that have successfully obtained the services of a half-decent striker in the last 5 years. Congratulations for helping to confirm and demonstrate that saints are especially inept in this.

This would be a fair point, if it wasn’t for the fact that we’ve now used this rationale (or variation of) to justify our inability to sign a competent striker for 10 transfer windows.

Sorry, but from what I’ve seen of our right back options I’d be picking Bree. In a back 4. I’m no fan and I’d let him go this summer but he can at least defend which is more than Jelert can do, and Roerslev has been p1ss poor. And of course, Fellows is a winger, not a full back. Our options are really poor but he’s the pick of the bunch in my view.

If only it was just our weekends … we get a midweek booster jab too!

They need to go and I think whichever of us are stupid enough to go on Wednesday need to spend 90 minutes telling them that very loudly and incessantly. Seeing as I have a season ticket and have already paid I’ll follow my own advice - think it’s almost a duty. Feel at least 20 years too old to be behaving this pathetically but it needs to happen. It has to get toxic for SR. They are utterly toxic and need it back at them. And b0llocks to anyone who says it’s unfair on the players. There’s only 2 or 3 of the likely starting 11 that don’t deserve our ire for their dreadful attitude anyway.

Assuming he’s an option I’d keep Ramsdale. Of the current 1st team squad I’d keep Quarshie, Charles, Bragg, Jander, Fellows, Leo and Robinson. And Williams if we count him as 1st team squad. The rest I couldn’t care less about. To my thinking that leaves us with 4 full backs, 3 centre backs, 2 keepers, a winger and 4 forwards to find. And that’s after SR have spent well over 100 million. What a shambolic waste of time, money and effort

If there is genuine interest in ArmA I’d cash in. This whole club needs a reset, we need rid of the core group from the last couple of seasons and quite frankly we need a proper number 9. He is clearly of a good ability for this level, one of the few places on the pitch we have a genuine quality player for this league (not that we deploy him correctly). But we’re not going up and in order to facilitate the reset I’d be open to seeing him go.

There is no right answer … they’re all crap. I’ve decided to go for Wood and Quarshie because of being young enough that they can improve and my interpretation of attitudes; I don’t like THB’s basically. THB is probably just about the best but I’m so done with weak, entitled losers that I’d rather put up with someone slightly worse. Happy to be disagreed with though, it’s not as if Wood and Quarshie deserve a place themselves to be honest

I hope we don’t lose … if only because we’ve gone 4 at the back and I would hate for it to go wrong and spend another 18 months with a back 5

It’s comments like this that reinforce everyone’s opinion of you as being a) tedious and b) an idiot with zero footballing intelligence. We currently employee a 1 striker formation (and for starters, maybe we shouldn’t given our win ratio ever since we moved from 2 strikers under Ralph), but having just loaned out the utterly useless attempt at a number 9, currently have 1. And he is fit less than 5% of the time. ArmA and Archer are not strikers suited to a single striker formation. Every single person except you and, alarmingly, the coaching staff (or is it SR hierarchy?) who pick the team recognise this. We don’t have a fit number 9. Of course we need one. As we have for the best part of 10 transfer windows. Your comment is fatuous. And pedantic. Rather like you and everything you write here.

The players will now be customer success partners … Dont worry, the ability to succeed doesn’t matter in the slightest

Stewart is fit for about 30 minutes every 3 months. I wouldn’t waste those 30 minutes on a cup tie at Doncaster. I’d swap in Robinson for probably Scienza and may as well give Archer the striker spot for a laugh, but otherwise that team makes sense to me. Alas, it has one too few centre backs for SR … I mean the manager

Even if I were to agree with the above optimistic assessment, the point you seem to be missing is that every decision SR make is a bad one. If we do replace Bazunu, are you actually and genuinely confident it’ll be for a better player? Cos I’m not. They’ve had 4 years to resolve the same issues - keeper, defensive leader, striker, manager, coaches, players with character. We’ve actually regressed with all aspects of the footballing operation, spunking millions on failed players and managers in the process. With less Money to spend, against clubs with higher budgets next season (which we’re not competing against this year), less of a budget and total ineptitude in every decision making position in the club, it stands to reason we’ll be in a worse position next year to this. And we’re currently closer to relegation than promotion. We’re a shambles, and all the evidence points to us getting worse, not better.

I wasn’t at the final game at the dell so missed what would undoubtedly have been my favourite moment. So as it is I’m going for Liverpool 4-1 as favourite game, play-off final for favourite experience/atmosphere and as a small boy, Steve Moran’s late equaliser against Leicester in a 2-2. I was hooked!!

Thanks - some good saves low down, as well as the flashier high dives. Also saw him actually catch a couple of saves which is refreshing. The only thing the video showed nothing of which would be good to know is dealing with crosses and corners, I.e. does he clearly people out of the way and command his area. Would be useful to know that.

Lots of strong arguments about whether we want a cf and I’m firmly in the yes please camp. It was my choice as priority. Don’t have to agree but my reasoning is that we currently only have one I’d happily rely on. And he’s not a line-leading cf which I personally prefer. Fair play to ArmA and Eckert, we’re making it work spectacularly as it is, but we’re one injury from having no strikers. I say no strikers … people keep saying we have 4. Downs is dreadful and might improve but he’d need the recovery levels of Lazarus to be useful at any stage this season. Ross is fit 2% of the time. Forget him. Archer is an interesting one, I want him to do well and think he’s not been given enough of a chance, but he’s basically not scored for two years and is clearly low on confidence. I basically can’t trust to rely on him if it’s needed, much as I want to. Stats from 2+ years ago are not helpful or particularly relevant. I also think the ability to change the dynamics of the attack is an important tactical weapon, both for helping see out games when sitting deep, or for helping break down stubborn defences when our plan A fails. Under Eckert we haven’t had that second scenario yet, but I’m pretty sure we will at some point. Not that it mattered but against Leicester Fellows created half a dozen great chances with crosses into the box but we had no one to convert them. A proper number 9 would have done. There are games when this would have cost us. So because we only have one striker we can rely on (what if he gets injured?) and to provide the tactical flexibility of changing things with a line-leading number 9, I’d very much like us to invest here. FWIW I think our other weaknesses are gk (but I don’t think the club do), lack of a defensive rb (what’s happening with those we have?), a leader at the back (but we have 5 cbs so doubt we’ll strengthen here), a lb who can stop a cross, and a sub number 10 (so I don’t have to see Aribo again). Most worrying aside from and ArmA injury would be one to Scienza, but at least we have options to change tactics etc. We clearly can’t find someone of his quality to be a sub just in case. But with a proper number 9 they’d have plenty of game time as well as providing a back up plan should an injury occur, cos IMHO none of Ross, Downs or Archer can fulfill that role reliably.

I probably shouldn’t be surprised but some of the comments on here are remarkably negative and unfair. Words like “horrific” and “shambolic”. Seriously, what are people expecting? Yes, the second half performances need to improve. But there’s such a thing as context. He’s 32, he’s come into a squad of mentally fragile players, low on confidence, with no real leader on the pitch, no strong leader at the back, a (choose your own adjective) keeper, no right back, no number 9 and no transfer window to change the squad … and returned 6 wins out of 7, 21 goals, some hugely entertaining, exciting and attacking football (best I’ve seen in about a decade) and 4 of the last 5 games have essentially been won within 40 minutes. The first half performances are 11 out of 10. And in the context he’s doing an outstanding job. Can he do some things better? Yes. Do I think some of his subs could be better? Yes. Are we overly reliant on Scienza and in need of a formula to play effectively without him? Yes. Do I think a 32 year old has the capacity (and is indeed likely) to learn to get better in these areas? Yes. Are words like “shambolic” and “horrific” reasonable and fair in any way? No. Could any of us reasonably expect any better so far? No. Some of you need to get a grip on reality and a sense of perspective. This is as good as it gets - if you want better, it ain’t ever gonna happen so go find another hobby or die miserable.

I don’t think I’m getting carried away to be fair - we have one of the best squads in this division, finally playing to somewhere near their potential, full of confidence, at home to a well organised and competent side with players at a good but on average lesser standard than ours, who just got smacked 4-0 (at an average Sheffield United) so are presumably not full of confidence. It should be a routine comfortable home win. Of course, with well over 40 years of saints’ very special “scar tissue” I am very aware we are capable of cocking it up. But it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be 3 points comfortably won.

Are they going to have it presented by a giant and midget, include a new “anthem” no one will recall, give a new peace prize to Farage, spend 25 minutes sucking him off, get it drawn by people who are thick and/or can’t pronounce anything and close it out with a performance of the birdie song. cos if not I’m not bothering to watch

Should be a routine comfortable win. No need to change anything in the starting 11, just swap Aribo for Wellington on the bench and I’ll be happy.

That was quite possibly the worst piece of TV ever.

I used to get excited about the draw. Right now I feel lost, confused, let down and quite ill. Not surprised but still … it’s utterly depressing

Pretty fair assessment overall. I’d like us to go to the loan market for a striker rather than spend at this stage - would hope come January there’s one or two good quality forwards itching for some game time. Squad is far too bloated to justify any more, much as I’d like a better GK and a real leader at the back.