VectisSaint

Assuming you mean the P word and not Skates, it's because it's not really their name, the word was used as a nickname for the town years before that football club was ever formed. Also, the the thread was about proper football clubs not care in the community tin pot clubs.

It's not a "non-issue" though is it (as others have said)? The persoanl reasons why Danny has left is not the issue and frankly is none of our business. But, he was appointed by Ralph last year on a 2.5 year contract, and was generally lauded as being a very important component in our survival and success after his arrival. Now he has gone (and has been gone for some time, it seems like he has not been around since the end of last season, certainly not since pre-season started) and has effectively been replaced by Craig Fleming, or at least Fleming has been promoted into the first team coaching group. It seems on the face of it Fleming's promotion was actually done because of Rohl's departure. Unless there is something that we don't want to make public about Rohl's departure, given his importance and his closeness to Ralph it would at least be nice for the Club to announce he has left and wish him well for the future. Oh, and update the OS.

You describe Boufal very accurately there. Yet lots are clamouring for him to be involved, and that Ralph can work his magic. On some days Lemina was nothing like this, but the inconsistency was worrying. Basically though he doesn't want to be here, and that's that. Best thing is to get shot. Shame, because he is actually a very good player, when he can be arsed.

Ah, bless. Hope he was tucked up early in bed to recover from the rigours of the long haul flight from the Netherlands.

Also, Stephens had missed most of Dublin, seemed to have arrived in Dublin for the last day only, so the injury was more likely picked up at Steplewood or during the Brentford or Preston game. Still, nice of the Echo to try and give some information. Would be nice to know what is happening with McQueen, and also what has become of Danny Rohl (probably not injured). Apparently missing our Assistant Manager for the entirety of pre-season seems a little unfortunate, given how important he was to Ralph last season. Still has 2 years on his contract.

This is a joke, right?

Any ideas when McQueen will be back, I thought it was in the new year.

Was always good defensively, easily the best out of the three AMs we had at the time (Redmond and Tadic). It's going the other way that has been the issue, not his individual skills, but his ability to make things for his teammates after opening up a defence. Also often his defensive abilities are often brought to the fore because he has given the ball away.

Hopefully Bednarek on the right rather than the left.

Stephens same as Romeu, was missing from Dublin until yesterday, reappeared along with JWP

Thanks, hadn't realised he was so young. By the way Home Grown players is not an issue, about 17 of the senior players are home grown, 8 is the requirement for naming a 25 man squad, so we would have to move 9 home grown senior players out before it comes into the calculation, which isn't going to happen.

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.