The Kraken

He’s only got a year left on his contract. Given that, £10m is a very decent price for a Championship midfielder, especially if the club feel they can use that money to bring in someone they prefer. There has been some noise around Smallbone but some of it could be his agent playing the media to negotiate a new contract.

That’s my point, I don’t think his starting position is very good considering it’s pretty obvious a cross is coming in, once the cross is hit Bazunu is obviously struggling and scrambling to get in position. In any case it’s a moot point as there’s various other players who are much more culpable for that goal than Bazunu, just a horror show all round and the lack of marking is simply atrocious, unforgivable. Look how much space the striker has from the moment the cross is hit, it’s pathetic defending.

I wouldn’t say Norwich’s goals were excellent. Goal two was an absolute thumping strike but all four could have been prevented, our whole team’s defending as a unit was risible. As for Bazunu, as I said above I think he has no chance with goals 2-4 but goal 1, I’d be critical of his positioning. Crap defending to let Norwich get down the channel so easily then be allowed easily again to get the cross in, and Bednarek was totally hopeless doing his job. But look where the ball has come from and where it’s being headed from, imo a keeper has got to be dominating his 6 yard box, that was a floated cross. Just piss poor from gk, defenders and midfielders.

Just watched the highlights. Bloody hell, our lot really need to learn how to defend as a team. Goal 1, so easy to allow the cross in then minimal defending, the lad just nods it in at the back post. Number 2, all three of our central midfielders just allow them to play straight through us, hot knife through butter. Goal 3, appalling defending from a corner, free header from 8 yards out. Goal 4, hapless defending from Manning just gifting the striker a clean shot. All 4 goals were entirely avoidable, it’s not just the defenders that were culpable, we just don’t look very good at defending as a team. Hopefully we can get the Downes signing over the line and Shea Charles can get up to speed and give the midfield a bit of solidity, we look extremely porous based on that showing. Also, I’m absolutely no fan of Bazunu, I think he’s absolutely terrible, but I wouldn’t be blaming him for any of those goals. He wasn’t positioned all that great for the first one, but aside from that he couldn’t do much about the others.

I asked my West Ham supporting pal about him, he said: “I rate him. Not an exciting player but a very consistent one. I was surprised he didn’t get picked ahead of Soucek towards the end of the season but I think Moyes was just hoping Souey would chip in with the occasional headed goal”.

Stu from Romsey wore a Ben Sherman shirt to Derby away after someone called Paul Allen dared him to. Wonder what happened to him…..

Lad 😎

You seem to be a very angry man.

I bought a Mars bar at the snack kiosk, i found my seat in the stand then rested the chocolate on my head as my pockets were full. Next thing I knew the whole crowd were chanting at me about it. Banter.

Also we saw it with our own eyes when Saints were in league one, Pardew got sacked and Dean Wilkins took the reins until Nigel came in. At the start of October we had lost 4 games, drawn 3, and we were in 17th position. It took a monumental second half of the season but it was done, in the end we were 5 points clear of third place. No ideal but very daft to say it’s almost certain we can’t go up after a stumbling start.

Weren’t you the fella who just a week or so ago got really angry with people being negative and said “If you do not want to get behind the players piss off to the Pompey forum”. How that positive mindset has drizzled away so quickly. So sad.

What’s done is done. Take the positives I guess, there aren’t many. I think Lyanco was already in last chance saloon and (my speculation only) he’s probably gone even further down the standings, wouldn’t be surprised if Charles is for now the de facto number 3 CB (not good but we are where we are). Personally (and unfortunately) I don’t think expect to see ABK in a saints shirt again, very much hope that’s wrong. But if not we obviously need to sign someone decent, as a 19 year old is unlikely to be a viable solution when it comes to it, and Lyanco certainly isn’t, I actually agree with Martin giving lots of the team a run out. Just that 11 changes was too many IMO. As I said, play Stephens and Smallbone, it gives the whole team a better balance and sets us up better, and you can learn a bit about the whole shape rather than that complete mess. Meh, we’re out of the cup which is good and the rest of august is going to be turbulent. At least the manager has a better idea of who he wants in and out long term, up to Wilcox and co now.

It’s obviously a risk. So is getting humped by League 2 opposition, then the manager admitting that there wasn’t enough on the pitch to get his ideas across and get us playing how he wants us to play. The good thing is that he’s seen how shite some of the second string are. But when the manager admits he got it wrong with the team selection, I’m just surprised to see such a reaction to the suggestion from posters on here that the first XI wasn’t right.

And there’s the difference I guess, I don’t see it as a risk. Stephens was in the bench; it’s only fair to think that if Perraud or Lyanco got injured early then Stephens would replace them. In fact, Stephens was the only defender on our bench, the manager would’ve factored that in. Then we get to Alcaraz, an absolute jewel, and he came on at 59 minutes. So that’s a risk too, one Martin was happy to take. I don’t buy this risk argument, not to the degree we went to. And as Martin said, he made a mistake on selecting that line up, so I’m just going along with what he said. If he’d come out and said “terrible performance but I stand by the side I picked” then fair enough, but he absolutely did not say that.

Personally I’d have added just one or two senior players. Stephens at CB, Smallbone at CM. That then allows Perraud and Armstrong to,play in more natural positions. Martin said he didn’t want to, fair enough, but this is a league where we’re gonna be playing Saturday-midweek-Saturday, so there’s going to be some risks at some point. Martin has also said in his interview that in hindsight it wasn’t a good decision to go with what he did, so I don’t thinks it unfair to speculate on what he could/should have done. Perraud at centre back after zero pre season games is a shocker. They may be ‘logical’ decisions, and in the end, who gives a fuck about going out in this cup? But it doesn’t mean themtewm selected was right, or that the small potential for injury should override the need to get players bedded in and teaching a new system to their peers.

The madder one has got hold of the Charlie Wayman account again. Buckle in.

Oh, that idea was struck well before that. Dan Seaborne as the front sweeper was a thing mooted on here once upon a time. I dare say it dates back even further than that.

It’s a difficult one to price in. Lavia and Tino have got years of their careers ahead of them, plus they’re on a low wage. JWP hits 29 soon, not old at all but it’s a consideration. Plus rumours were he was on 100k a week and May / may not have had a relegation clause, so wages become a factor for a lot of clubs in his market, even if he did take a dip. There clearly weren’t a lot of PL clubs taking a nibble so we might have taken a bit of a haircut compared to what was hoped for. But, in the end, not a bad deal IMO. As you say, £35M maybe about a par score, so we perhaps dipped under but still a good amount of cash in.

Some other clubs do/have actually sold replica kits with no sponsor on at all. I remember Celtic definitely used to do it (and charged more for it than the sponsored one 🤪). I haven’t bought a shirt for years but I consistently think that 99.99% of all kits with a sponsor would look better without one.

Usually after ten years’ service I think, or used to be. JWP made his debut in 2011, signed his first proper contract 2012, so he’d have been due. I guess not much call for them these days and players tend to do them for charity as they’re already rich enough unlike back in the day when it was needed as a guaranteed retirement fund.

Exactly.some wallies even asking why he’d choose West Ham over Saints. So wonderfully naive and rose-spectacled. JWP was going to be off as soon as we went down, exactly the same as Lavia. Russell Martin said he thought he’d be off soon after getting here, and like you say he also said our squad is too big and we need to get rid of a few before there’s any more incomings. All this has been out there for weeks; the club knew it and most fans knew it too. But it seems as if there were more shonky B&B merchants in the woodwork than I first thought.

Agreed. From listening to the interview though, it’s not lack of ability or impact that has done for them. Martin is angry because they didn’t do what he’s asked them to do. Which tells you everything you need to know about the attitude. Mara was ineffective but Martin at least gave him some credit for giving a go, he just didn’t get going, Martin said he’ll learn from it (though tbf he called him out on not doing what he was told). Same for Adams and Stu Armstrong, Martin seemed to make a case from them. The others (and I’m guessing they are AMc, Bree, Lyanco, Perraud, Djenepo) I think he’s decided that if the club can get shot, they’re done. Sounds like Wilcox has got a busy three weeks ahead.

Lee Chapman is in the Tory party? He's fallen hard since his Leeds United and Lesley Ash days. Lee Anderson (or 30p Lee to give him his sobriquet) on the other hand is a monumental fuckwit.

I don’t disagree! As I say, I’d like two but I think we’ll get one. Hope I’m wrong.

Ok ta. Though Armstrong especially would be surprising.