VectisSaint

5. Currently 30 seniors (over 21s) as far as I can see. We may be able to leave Sam McQueen out for the fist half of the season given he is rumoured to be out injured. Still leaves at least 4. McCarthy, Yoshida, Vestegaard, Stephens, Long, Ings, Austin, Elyounoussi, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Lemina, Bertrand, Redmond, Hojbjerg, Gunn, Bednarek, Sims, Lewis, Forster, Barnes, Djenepo, Adams, Cedric, Boufal, Carrillo, Hoedt, McQueen, Reed, Hesketh. Possible I've missed a youngster who was u21 last season but has now "graduated", but can't think of anyone.

But you have highlighted the issue. We can't find CBs any more, so why do you think we can find one now. On top of that we are not working with what we had, Hoedt is back (for good or bad) and we have Klarer. Ralph working with our bunch of CBs has to be an improvement on what Hughes managed. Ralph didn't have the opportunity to really work with them tactically when he came in, now he has a full preseason with the full set. I think the possibility of finding someone markedly better than what we have is slim and it looks like Ralph/the club are thinking the same. I don't think its the best thing to do, but its the pragmatic approach.

Swap out Carlsberg for Heineken. The stuff brewed in the UK is just ****, may be brewed to the same recipe as in Bangalore but its still not the same stuff. Every foreign beer made popular here gets changed when they brew it in the UK. Its never the same and is just ****. Why don't we actually promote beer/ale rather than lager. As someone else mentioned, Ringwood Brewery would be an excellent choice.

Is he trying to trim the wage bill? He's trying to trim the size of the squad, which in the end comes out as the same thing, but I don't really think he is doing it for financial reasons, he's doing it for fottball/squad management reasons, 30 senior players is obviously too many, he stated last season he wanted a squad of about 20/21 ish, and of course the club has to work within the rules of the PL, where 25 is the max that can be registered, no club usually ends up with 4 or 5 players not registered, it would be crass stupidity. Think its likely that we are trying to ship out fringe players like Barnes, Reed, etc to trim the squad size, they won't make huge difference to the wage bill. Personally I think Ralph has opted to go with what he has at CB, with the addition of Klarer. The chance of actually getting someone who is better is small, and our track record of getting good CBs over the last year or two has not been good, so why would anyone think another new one woulf fare any better. Work with what you have and who you know and coach them to be better organised, fitter and concentrated, it is probably as good as a new player.

No sign of Ward-Prowse in Dublin, or Stephens for that matter. Danny Rohl remains conspicuous by his absence. I note that some of last season's loanees now appear on the OS, Cedric, Hoedt, Boufal and Reed specifically. Hoedt even shown in a 2019/20 shirt. No sign of Carrillo, Chas and Mario both still there.

So he's going to turn Boufal around by 2 weekly video links. Hmm. Not much of a plan. If he had any chance of making Boufal a team player he need to work with him intensively and for some time. It isn't going to happen. I'd be very happy if it did. We made a huge mistake with Boufal, to appease Puel, our scouting went out the window. Boufal will be playing in Spain or France next season I'm sure where his skills and style will have some chance of a modicum of success.

First things first, if they were even in the same continent it might help. Ralph cannot work his magic on a player via video link. Clearly there is no intent to try to do so, if there was they would have taken Boufal to Macau (unless there were visa problems getting him into PRC, its not easy). Even Ralph with his God like status can see that it is unlikely that he can change Boufal's play into something akin to a team player, when so many others have tried and failed. We need to realise, as I think Ralph has, that Boufal is a very talented and skilful football player, with a style that makes him unsuited to a team game, where he might succeed in a slower moving league (though even that is debateable as he hardly ripped up La Liga last season). I will be shocked if Boufal is still at Saints in 2 weeks time.

Is he a new player?

That's why I said 'if not in full' ?

Well no, actually it hasn't. They have simply paid (a proportion of) his wages in advance, which actually costs us more than if we had paid the same proportion over a 12 month period (due to interest).

Basically the same as last year, shuts before the PL starts as it always should have done. The problem is that other countries have not followed suit, or their season starts later so transfer business still carries on in terms of out goings abroad. Which means for us trying to shift players before bringing new ones in has been made more difficult.

Some of his wages off the wage bill by the sound of it. Looks like we have paid him off at least in part if not in full.

He's only a liability if the coach sets up his defence at corners by asking Cedric to do that job. Our useless past coaches were to blame not Cedric.

Talented, Mr Ripley.

Other than the fact that his former club was RB Leipzig, his Bio showed nothing on Wayback Machine, ever. It was last archived there on 12 July.

Nothing positive to say then.

I think you're underestimating the problem, I think we are actually 6 over at the moment (31 over 21s).

In a different season there may have been a case to be made for this. But Boufal is not back yet, I don’t know but I suspect he will not be back next week either. Preseason is done, the team will be concentrating on playing the first game, transfer window will be shutting in about a week (from his return). He doesn't have the luxury of a full preseason, decisions based on the reality.

Six really, looks like Christopher Klarer is in the reckoning. Really won't be surprised if we don't sign a new CB. Would much prefer we strengthen midfield further.

Why? Ralph has seen him play and can see why he will never be a team player, and why he has no end product. He is a very skilful footballer, but has a basic faulty trait that means he does not link up with other players. Ralph has presumably reckoned he cannot change Boufal's style, in the same way none of his other coaches have and requested he be transferred out. Don't think it's an attitude problem, though its possible, just a realisation that he does not have the tools to fit into Ralph's team.

Koeman left because he fell out with Les. Everton just happened to be the right place at the right time. Worked out well didn't it.

Maybe things have moved on during the week, a week is a long time in football. Maybe he wasn't fully fit. Who knows and frankly who cares.

Our youngsters will probably be facing Matt and Joseph Mills as well as Lloyd James. Quite the little reunion

Marcus Barnes hasn't even been mentioned, takes up a squad place so guessing he is due to be shipped out as well.

His loan at Blackburn was ended early because of a serious ankle injury.