Crouchie's Lawyer

Stay away from my Church then you dirty perv

FFS so yet again it will be a left field, unknown (to the majority), yes man manager who doesn't know the league. Pellegrino or Juric type. Total Saints Podcast joked it would be a German 2nd Division manager and it looks like that's what we will end up with. Is it really too much to ask for a manager who has managed in England before? Someone who may actually know this league and have a vague idea of how to perform reasonably well in it. Not someone who needs time to learn the league or climatise to England. Relegation to League 1 would be a disaster. This is not the time to dick around with further experiments. We have taken too many gambles as a club over the past 4-5 years, the majority of which have not paid off resulting in our current predicament. When will they ever fucking learn?! They try to make decisions like this to appear clever and ahead of the curve but they have pretty much always backfired and this is why SR are pretty unanimously hated by us fans yet they continue to do the same...

Not once have I suggested we will not be a selling club. I get where we are on the food chain of the footballing world. My point is that every signing seems to be a moneyball type signing with the aim of making a profit from that player. At no point are we signing a 30 year old because it doesn't fit with the model of being able to turn a profit on them in 1-3 years time and this is the issue. We could be, and in my opinion, are, turning our back on what the club NEEDS to follow this strategy which is simply not working. You ask what viable alternative we could follow. I think I made it relatively clear in my original post as have a couple of others in the replies, we should be focussing on building a better team without the onus on signing a player purely for profit purposes. This will likely result in the team becoming better and moving up the league, potentially to the point where we become promoted back to the Premier League where our buying power will be stronger and our attractiveness to younger kids joining the academy will grow too thus increasing our chances of unearthing the next talent we can flog for a profit. You'd also argue playing in the first team would mean a lot more to a kid who has come up through the academy than some player signing from abroad who is looking at us as his meal ticket to the hallowed ground of the Premier League. Therefore, that kid coming up through the ranks is likely to care more too. You can still sell players. I'm not ruling out selling players but a shift in focus to sign what the team actually needs rather than what the moneyball men think will turn a profit is the issue here. We'll never know but who did we overlook to bring in as our number 9 this season just because the chances of a resale value on them were slim over taking a punt on Downs? I've already named 2 players who have been performing at this level and who would be an ideal fit for the style Still wants to play. I'm sure when you cast your net further than then Prem and Championship there would have been a fair number of players who would have fit that bill who would have performed far better for the team than Downs has thus far but were ignored as they didn't represent a chance to make a profit. We have Scienza and Jander who even this early on look like they will be cash cows for the club, add to that Charles and likely Robinson. We do not need every player in every position to be someone who the club can turn a profit on. Experienced heads is what the team are lacking at the moment and that's because our strategy is too heavily focussed on profit making.

I know we have always been seen to be a selling club but historically that is more from bringing players through the youth set up and selling for big profit, such as Theo, AOC, Shaw, Bale etc. In recent years, certainly since Sports Republic have come in, the focus on our recruitment seems to be solely focussed on buying players to shift on after 1-2 years for a hefty profit, like Lavia and Fernandes. Do we think that this approach is really working as a club overall? The plus side is that it seems to see us top of the league... the net spend league... most years but the club has been in a steady decline since this seems to have been our main transfer business focus and there becomes a point where the team fall so far that the big money sales just won't happen, either because we are so far down (how much lower level Championship teams or dare it go that far, League 1 teams have sold players for £20m +?) or because the players who are any decent just kick up so much of a stink that they force our hand into selling them for a price we would otherwise not be prepared to accept if they down tools and/or refuse to sign extensions? Furthermore, the type of player you will be able to sign will lessen as the club is no longer deemed an attractive proposition as a pathway to playing in the Prem? It's unlikely we will permanently sign a player who wants to play in the Prem in January now given it currently doesn't look likely that we will make it back at this first attempt. I know there would have been a lot of uproar had we signed a Keiffer Moore or a McBurnie type player in the summer but in hindsight, those two players are perhaps what the squad is desperately missing, a focal point up top. A role Stewart had appeared to have got to grasp with before his latest injury leaving us with nobody able to do that job now which Still's system is pretty reliant on. Instead the powers that be tried to play clever bollocks by signing yet another young player with potential who could perhaps perform well for 1-2 seasons and be sold for a huge profit down the line. This player trading system we have with respects to our transfer policy is, what I feel, killing the club. Yes, I know we need to sell players to survive financially but invest more in the youth and bring players through like we used to which we can flog on for profit. However, when it comes to the main squad, invest in what the squad actually needs, regardless of age or ability to make a profit. That's what will drive us up the league and get us into a position where we are deemed more attractive to better players including youth players who we can then poach of other clubs showing them there is a pathway, if they are good enough. There should be a balance between experience and potential yet at the moment we are filling our squad with potential to make millions (when a lot of the time it is not panning out that way) and I suspect, players who are just looking at us in the same way we are looking at them, as a stepping stone. This could be the core reason for our weak mentality as a club. They do not have anyt loyalty to us, they do not care about us as invariably, we do not seem to care much for them as a player but as 'stock' we can turn a profit on. I think this is the main reason for our demise.

Hmmm. You could also make a case for Manager choice. I'm firmly in the "it would be mad to sack Still this early on" camp but Spors was the one who appointed him when others were possibly available. I'm thinking Steve Cooper, a manager who has a decent pedigree at this level and knows the Championship and how to get out of it, like the back of his hand. It may not have been the sexy, cool, outside of the box thinking appointment but if we are likely to be a yo-yo club going forward, he is a decent manager. Therefore you could argue that is a mistake. Downs you have covered which I agree, looks like a bad signing but it's still very early on for him too. Downs may end up being a good signing down the line by the time he has adjusted to life in England, has grown up a little and has gained a bit of confidence or we try to play to his strengths (which seems to be a bit like Archer/Arma with balls in behind rather than as a target man. His height is perhaps a bit of a red herring to how he likes to play as he doesn't appear overly physical. The blame with regard to Downs where Spors is concerned is that he seemingly felt Downs was all we needed on top of what we have so either he has misidentified what Downs strengths are and thought he would also be another Ross Stewart type target player with the added benefit of a bit of pace too or he was gambling on Stewart staying fit for the whole season with Downs being a 'one for the future' back up who would make cameo appearances. I personally think he got the Downs appointment wrong which is a terrible mistake for a position so important in this league. You cannot also gamble on relying on a player who has been out injured for the majority of his stay with us just because he managed to stay fit from the last few games of last season and through preseason as a Championship season is a very long season and guess what, all our fears concerning RS have come to light with his most recent injury leaving us without that focal point up top Still's system really relies upon. I'd also go as far as overlooking the physical side of the Championship. A team can carry a few players who you'd consider flair players who have no physicality but in the championship and Prem you also need Physical athletes who will shrug players off with their strength and out muscle them. Sunderland have shown that with some of their signings and they seem to be doing ok so far (already meeting our abysmal points tally from last year this early on in the season!). Scienza, Azaz, Jander, Fellows, Jelert and Mads are not the physical athletes a team need, neither are the returning Charles or Edwards. Arma and Archer are not that type either and neither is Manning and Wellington. You possibly could argue a case for Harwood Bellis but even still, I wouldn't call him physically dominating, he often gets shoved off the ball. Wood is probably the closest thing to it. We need a strong spine with the flair/lighter players complimenting this. A Wanyama or a Romeo in the middle, a Chris Wood type unit up top and a Virgil, Guehi, Konate or Ake type player at the back. Not to be one for slating lack of height, arguably one of the best players to have played football over the past 20 years is vertically challenged for a footballer (Messi) but you cannot have a team full of players that size. In what most would consider our players in and around our best 11 currently, we have Arma, Archer, Edwards, Manning, Wellington and Frazer who are all small players. Fine if the rest of the team were filled with absolute units over 6 foot 3 in height but built like brick shithouses but (ignoring Quarshie and Downs who is 6 foot 4) our biggest players seem to be THB, Charles and Wood who are all 6 foot 2 inches. I think it could also be considered a gamble or oversight to rely upon Bazunu and McCarthy for the season. Bringing in the Norwich reject keeper as a third choice, glorified training mannequin instead of setting our aims higher was a mistake. I suspect the excuse given will be that we let Ramsdale go out on loan and there was a chance if we go up next year that he would want to stay and be our number 1 then, which is fair enough. Trying to sell the dream of being Saints number 1 keeper this season only to potentially lose your place next season to a new signing would be a tough one to do but we didn't have to sign someone permanent, we could have loaned a keeper to challenge for the number 1 spot this year. If we sell Ramsdale next year then look at signing a better number 1 then, if Ramsdale stays then our keeper issue is resolved but the stop gap is filled in the meantime with a keeper which would likely be better than McCarthy and Bazunu. To end this essay of a post, for me, the main issue with the club at the moment is we seem to be putting making a profit from player trading above buying players who we actually need for the here and now to progress the team and success of the club. I get we are not a top 4 team in England and effectively everyone else is therefore classed as a selling team and due to FFP and sustainability, we do need to turn a profit on players but our sole focus of recruitment should not be on this trying to profit from player sales basis. There needs to be a balance between getting what the team need and bringing in a few 'potential for profit' players.

I'm not saying he was at fault but that kind of mis hit happens all over the pitch and it part of the game. Just unfortunate it has happened there but still doesn't excuse the fact that Macca should have come out to close the player down and make the goal smaller for the player who was clean through

Whilst Wood didn't get a clean touch on it, why didn't Macca come out to the player? I'd say he was more at fault there than Wood. Had he been a yard or two closer to the player he would have saved that. If the player then tried to take it around him it would have given the two defenders who had nearly got back to him tie to recover too

I would love for the club to go out and try and sign Taiwo Awoniyi on loan from Forest in January. He is the physical profile we need up top and isn't getting much game time at Forest. Annoyingly with Forest sacking big Ange at the weekend, this could change though as a new manager may see him as being worthy to be involved more but if he doesn't feature much/at all prior to January, it could be a possibility. He may not have been prolific last season at Forest (25 appearances and 1 goal) but I'd imagine the majority of those 25 appearances were as sub with Wood holding down their main number 9 spot last year given the form he was in. Dropping down a division could unleash a beast of a player especially with the right players around him.

I personally think Downs will come good. He can clearly finish looking at his goal in pre season. I know he has missed a couple of 'sitters' but every striker has that in them. He was just unfortunate that two came in quick succession right at the start of his career with us. The first "assist" miss for Stephens goal was a ball which was drilled in so not the easiest and it still went in anyway so I am not bothered about that one. The other one was worse but if you have been watching him, he is making some good runs along the defensive line which have just been ignored. I've seem him do that 3-4 times and been yelling at the TV to play the ball through the defensive line for his run but they never did. Better players behind him who will make that kind of pass could play to his strengths. He made a decent pass to BBDonkey on Tuesday night too which should have been an assist if it arrived to anyone else too. He has only played a handful of games and is in a new team, new system and getting acclimatised to new surroundings. I'll reserve judgement of him until the end of the season but looking at those runs he has been making, I do think he will come good with better service. Yes, I'd love a new number 9 who is a beast and hits the ground running but you either pay an arm and a leg for those and they would normally be in the Prem anyway or you risk it with someone who has done it abroad in the hope they do it here (Tall Paul anyone). I don't see us trying for a new number 9 unless BBD and Arma both go. Even then that would leave us with Archer, Loch Ness Drogba and Downs who could all play there so a fourth could be deemed overkill.

I thought this whole Spertsyan thing had been put to bed as it came out he had signed a new contract with them which his agent wasn't even aware of amongst all of this he's coming/he's not malarky? Didn't that Armenian news guy say he is no longer reporting on it as it is seemingly over where a new contract has been signed? All a bit weird. Wouldn't surprise me if by continually reporting a possible transfer and saying the player is keen to join has been viewed as 'unsettling' their star player and the Russian president didn't like that so has hushed him with threat.?

The stoke attack is what I was hoping Saint would look like this season. Fast, skillfull, direct and strong. we’re still stuck with slow moving build up play

Mads Roerslev been with Brentford for the last 6 years playing 121 times for them between 2019 and 2025. Plays as a right wing back or right winger. Played for Brentford when they got promoted and has played for them at times in the prem too. More recently (last season) been on loan at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Looks like he only made 7 appearances for them last season though. They had an option to buy but did not take this up. 26 years old, made his senior debut for Denmark last November. Signed a 4 year deal, no mention of fee. Looks like he has played on average around 20 times for Brentford over the last few years, mainly due to injuries to their preferred right backs but has seemingly done well enough to be offered contract extensions along the way. I believe they probably deem him surplus to requirements with the players they now have playing there hence the loan to Wolfsburg. Imagine this is an upgrade on Bree/Sugawara which will likely see one of those moved out. My guess would be Sugawara given the earlier post about him possibly being one of those to leave. Stands at 6 foot tall so a fairly decent height although not a beast, certainly not an Arma or Weeman

Saint Lambden has been quite for the last couple of days? 👀 he was pretty confident we had the Armenian transfer wrapped up reading his previous posts. Would be keen to hear what his understanding is on things now it appears to be stalling and other clubs names (Leeds, Porto, Lens etc) have been mentioned as being interested. As it's been said already, I think the club are holding out for a bidding war to get more money. If the player is that respectful of the club whilst he may be happy with Saints terms, he may want the club to get as much for him as they can which will also inevitably end up benefitting him with bigger wages from a bigger team playing on a bigger stage and I'm sure his Agent is whispering in his ear too knowing they will get a bigger cut if a bigger fish comes into play. Sadly this is the way the transfer market works. He may be our #1 option but he could be option #3 or #4 for some bigger teams and if they don't get their top choices, they may turn to him so it benefits both the club and him for things to drag out. Obviously doesn't help us so all we can do is sit and hope that it pans out whilst hopefully working on other options in the background in case he ends up going elsewhere so we can pull the trigger quickly on our back up options.

BBD is truly shite

Anyone know where to look on Saintsplayer for this one?