Convict Colony

The best thing about pre-season starting is that i dont have to endure our players posing on social media on their holidays or training clips. If they want to win me over post their fitness test assessment and ranking in the squad when they do that down solent. I want to know whose the fittest and whose the fattest.

Should extend the thread title to...have been shit

How does this monitoring work then ? is it the same as me saying i am monitoring the situation of Margot Robbie ? Sounds like we are stalkers.

Romeu and Romeo 🤪

ok am putting my song to use for him in here from transfer thread - the first 3 bit lisa maffa sings- just re-word.

interesting pick up, he has a proper turkish name though, seems to of come from another club in the league who were mid table last year, am sure there is more to the story. Assume SR picked him out as a coach who wants to play like us etc etc.

Plus ralph has a specific request to work with younger players so not sure that this experience angle aligns with his philosophy. Am excited and interested in all of these signings - lots to prove, will listen and will bust a gut to make it along with talent.

This dude is all over the youth team players

can i be the first to suggest a song

You know delap has been injured for a lot of this season - foster has been playing differing formations in each game so has been picking based on that. Tottenham lad looks like he is currently in possession of shirt and is performing so fairplay. I wouldnt read too much into age group performances otherwise we should be creaming ourselves about lyanco as he came 2nd best player in the toulon tournament.

Good to see he is already used to wearing a sportbet.io. shirt

I give up, it's like sports republic are working against it. Isnt this Sofia the one Pardew left recently.

Anyone who dives consistently

Supersaintos

What did we pay for him 12 mil ? Across a 5 yr deal I'd guess. He's been here 1 year so the book value would be 9.6m if we sold him now.

Just read it's end June and our first game is in austra v Klagenfurt whose son hassehutl's son plays for 😂

Hahahaha this made me chuckle cos it's bloody true, give yourself a cool sounding name and your in.

Hahahaha I've just slagged the championship off in another thread so it may not be obscure but let's call it a 90s premier League quality.

This year the world cup is our leveller with the big clubs, they will lose most of their squad who will play and not get much rest. Ours either been too young or too shit to go can rest and really attack the Dec/Jan fixtures. Fortunately our budget precludes us buying world cup ready players so I reckon buy all these Austrians who based on my 1min of internet research look mustard. So I'd like us to buy 2 players to play on the left and right attacking positions as starters, 1 CM to develop who goes forward and 1 striker who has scored more than 10 goals a season for a few seasons not from the championship.

Wouldnt be a surprise to see Simeu go out to the Turkish gang i think, maybe a nice step up from L2 - not sure what the quality is like but given they were in the top league last year would guess bottom championship ?

When does our pre-season begin again ?

uh oh, wait until MLG reads this

Sensible transfers - Tifosi Football - Athletic https://theathletic.com/3382831/2022/06/27/southampton-transfers-christoph-baumgartner/ Every transfer window, we create a video series for the Tifo Football YouTube channel called Sensible Transfers. In that series, we analyse the problem areas within teams, and suggest solutions in the form of incoming players. It’s a fantasy, but a fun one. Today, it’s Southampton… As you’d expect from a team who conceded way too many goals last season, Southampton have moved early to strengthen the base of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s 4-2-2-2. Gavin Bazunu has joined from Manchester City, Mateusz Lis will provide further goalkeeping depth, and centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap has been signed from the Bundesliga’s Bochum. Together, those three account for more than £20million and without a major sale, that’s likely a big chunk of the summer budget spent already. Well spent, perhaps, but gone nonetheless and Hasenhuttl still needs to broaden his attacking options. Particularly behind the forward line, where he needs some variation among and improvement upon his wide No 10s. All of his existing players have virtues, but they each have their flaws too. Mohamed Elyounoussi’s decision making often isn’t the best, Stuart Armstrong now has physical limitations impacting his availability, and Nathan Redmond’s tangible output isn’t what it could be. Moussa Djenepo is certainly gifted, but whether he’s really suited to Hasenhuttl is another question. In the past, the Austrian has spoken of Djenepo’s instinctive style of play and how, at times, that’s made it difficult to evolve him into the kind of component that would really suit this side. With just one year left on his contract, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Djenepo wasn’t part of this conversation come September. But the real problem to address is area, rather than player specific: whatever combination is used, the band of two behind the forwards lack goals, but are also short on craft, guile and — above all — speed. The addition of a player who could offer a threat closer to the touchline as well as in-field, while also bringing more menace to Hasenhuttl’s “red zone”, would feel like a big step forward. Hoffenheim’s Christoph Baumgartner is our pick. He’s 22, an Austrian international, and fits the description above near-perfectly. He spent last season playing behind the forward line in a 3-4-1-2, so any move would involve a change in system and role, but he has a deep suitability to Hasenhuttl’s style of play. Using smarterscout data, which gives players a rating from 0-99, relating to either how often they do a given action compared with others playing in their position (such as the ball recoveries and interceptions), or how effective they are (such as how well they progress the ball upfield) we can look at Baumgartner’s quality in each metric. He presses extremely well, he was averaging 7.20 attacking third pressures per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga last season, and he’s certainly a good enough athlete to be of great value in attacking transitions. He’s excellent when it comes to disrupting opposition moves (83, as shown in the chart below) and defending with intensity (60) which will only prove valuable to Hasenhuttl’s Southampton. But he’s not a brawny type; he’s an elegant player. He’s an upright dribbler, ranking above average on the carries he initiates (60), who seems to glide with the ball, but who beats defenders with little bursts of acceleration. Actually, despite only being 5ft 10in, he runs with a long stride and seems to push away from opponents very easily; it’s that deceptive speed that players sometimes have. And, perhaps surprisingly, he rates well in aerial duels (red bars above), with a rating of 95. More importantly, he’s also versatile enough to provide that threat in a range of attacking positions. And that’s what Southampton need. The seven goals he scored last season also speak to a finishing ability and shot volume (90) that they could with, too. Conveniently, he also possesses a battery of creative abilities which – we will not mark him out as a traditional No.10, he’s by no means a scheming playmaker – make him suited to the more dynamic version of the position that exists at Southampton. He does so many things well and should be available for within the region of £20m

Install a frame, some glass and maybe a blind

What are the hookers like in Southampton, what can they offer Rooney ?