saintant

We are just not a creative side at the moment and that's why I still think we need to bring in at least one more midfielder who can knit everything together and unlock defences - often one player can make a massive difference to a side and I think the right one could transform us.

Can he do it consistently though? He strikes me as a young kid who still has much to learn. In patches he looks unplayable but we need to see it more regularly and maybe he's not ready yet. I hope he stays and has a stand-out season but will those two things happen?

None of those are creative or able to dribble forward to open up space I'm afraid. We need an Eyal Berkovic type who can unlock defences and cause some panic ( and I get we can't afford anyone of his level which is why I said 'type'). Fernandes is a very good young player but I don't see him as being creative enough.

About that 3 year contract - was there a cooling off period? Gotta hope so 🙂

Will Still is surely no fool - he would be absolutely mad to put at risk the major opportunity he's been given to prove himself by picking Jack Stephens as anything other than a rarely used substitute. He must have seen more than enough to realise the guy is a complete liability and will cost goals left, right and centre. I'm hoping he's smarter than that.

By being vocal does that mean he yells, 'Shit, I fucked up again' on a very regular basis.

Is that Jack Stephens? Alfie describes him as the Club Captain and he looks more like Charlie Taylor.

I wonder if he'll get a transfer but be loaned back to us for a season.

Most of them when compared to ours.

It's not only interest from this country.

Rangers haven't and will not offer £10m for him - they cannot pay that kind of money and want him on loan.

Probably until the Wrexham game 🙂

Agree, would be a good signing for us.

Lots of interest from big clubs for this guy so wont be coming here.

Very good player but far bigger clubs than us are interested in signing him.

He did very well in the popularity contest with us last season - results, not so much 🙂

I predict he Still Will be here at Christmas.

Yeah, I know but I'm impatient for news. It seems not even those within the legendary CoT are privy to any current rumours so we don't even have their quirky clues to try to crack.

Thought I'd bump this as it's a week old and no sign of the start of 'extremely busy few weeks with comings and goings.' I appreciate lots may well be happening behind the scenes.

Not all her fault - as is the norm in the modern game, just before the goal, the German player tried a hopeful pass which was never on when she should have lashed the ball into row Z.

I think defensively we will be ok (although goalkeeper remains a potential issue) and the real heavy lifting for the recruitment guys needs to be on midfield and attack. We are crying out for a dominant, powerful, ball carrying, creative midfield player to orchestrate play. Then we probably need a pair of quick wide players who can beat a man and deliver crosses plus they should weigh in with a few goals - not confident in what we have in this department although JR has potential. For the main striker role we are relying on Stewart who may or may not keep fit and do a job and the raw new recruit Downs so that's a gamble. Will Still has to be given the tools to do the job and, if he is, I think we are in for an exciting season. However, there are so many decisions to be made on who goes and who stays so lots to ponder for Still, Spors and the recruitment team. Time we got the big decisions right and started the rebuild. Not sure we'll be good enough for automatic promotion but Will is ambitious and I'm certain that will be his dream. For now patience is needed and I'm as bad as anyone on that score so desperate for news on outgoings and incomings.

That's fair enough and understandable. He did look more like a goalkeeper today though but maybe I'm clutching at very thin straws.

I'm far from his biggest fan but Bazunu made some big saves in today's friendly. Maybe the new goalkeeping coach has improved him. Obviously it's only 45 minutes of one game and we need to see how he performs in rest of pre season.

Good to know.

Agree with you. FFP is a complete joke full of loop holes which the rich clubs are able to use to their advantage. It's driving a bigger wedge between the Championship teams and those in the Premier League. As we have witnessed it is certainly making it ever harder for the 3 promoted teams to get any sort of foothold. FFP is ruining football.