hypochondriac

May not actually be the worst thing in the world given our strength in midfield. It's defenders and attackers I really want to see us linked to.

No but it may well have impacted the price if he'd broken his leg or something.

Looks like a cheap gamble. At least it's a new link to a player.

Posters on here need to realise that it is not normal practice for a relegated team to lose this volume of their best players in one window. Some people are making comments suggesting that it's just what happens to a team when you go down. Some players will leave of course but I don't think anythibg like this has been done before outside of asset stripping or administration.

OK so potentially: Tino ABK KWP Sulemana JWP Lavia Tella Adams All gone or going with no replacements as yet. That's essentially every single one of our best players. No wonder Martin has been bigging up both Armstrongs and Stephens so much - they're going to be the only ones left! I think every saints fans is realistic about having to sell players but as I said at the start of the summer, losing this amount of players in one window is unprecedented and certainly not having replaced any of them yet is concerning. I just can't see how we are going to fashion a team to compete for the league with what's left and a bunch of new players who haven't had a preseason.

Or we didn't want to risk an injury given the vast sums involved?

Yep. When the club have been selling players they've also said its a fair price which will allow us to use the money to strengthen. They have to hurry up and do it if they don't want to give the impression that they don't really know what they're doing.

I've previously said we seemingly didn't have financial pressure to sell (and to be fair that may still be the case given that we've waited for bigger fees for our player.) Like others though I did expect us to have made more signings by now and if we do get to the end of the window without sufficient strengthening on what we have currently then that position will have to be questioned for sure.

I don't think anyone wasn't aware it woukd be a roller coaster of a window and I acknowledged that there was two weeks left. I did expect more than two players in at this point though given the outgoings and rumoured outgoings. I remember well last summer when loads gave the window a 9 or a 10 rating and tried to claim that we'd addressed the lack of a striker by bringing in Mara. We do tend to talk a good game not necessarily backed up by actions. Let's hope so.

So no Adams, likely no Grimes or Edwards, Lavia gone, ABK likely gone, JWP gone, kwp likely going, all the dross still here and no incoming as yet. Two weeks to go of course but my confidence in success this year is diminishing.

Exactly. There really isn't a need to concoct some story. We coukd just say that negotiations are ongoing or not mention it at all. The manager knows Downes and probably spoke to him ages ago. It seems very unlikely to me that he would agree things and then back out. It may just be a loan anyway so doesn't really cost him anything.

If it's coming out of both ends I wouldn't be keen on seeing anyone.

Well we have no idea do we and if he does sign it's irrelevant anyway. This only becomes a problem if he doesn't end up signing so for now I'm happy to wait and trust what Martin says - he's been pretty open thus far.

And if we don't the club are a pathetic and run like a seaside bnb not a professional football club.

Deeply cynical that any of these things are ever written directly by the player. Having said that, I do think he has behaved well during all of this and I wish him well and hope he is as good as we all believe him to be.

If poch stays the he will definitely be given a chance. Whether they stick with him remains to be seen.

Yep. We have had quote a number of strikers who do loads of stuff really well apart from scoring goals.

Indeed!

Yes it's hilarious when that's a criticism. I wouldn't care if he literally did nothing all game but was a supreme finisher and scored a few goals.

I've got no idea and neither do you. I have had terrible food poisoning though and I was in no position to do anything. Either he comes and no drama or he doesn't and Martin and Wilcox look like idiots. Let's see if he signs next week.

No one outside of those two. He was rubbish there in the last game.

What else is new?

He's pushing Stuart Armstrong at CM though which no one really wants.

Good to hear Martin talking more seriously about incoming now and saying that he wants one more in for midfield after Downes. Should make us very strong in the middle.

Martin pushing the same story of illness this morning. He's going to look incredibly silly when it turns out it was all a lie.