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Seems the loan is doing what it was intended for, and we'll be getting back a better player than when he left.

Good to see. England under 19s? Wa surprised to see he was still 19, seems he's been on the scene about 4 years! Looks like he has only scored one goal on his loan, however, hopefully this will bring a few more as he gains more minutes.

So all the people who said "there will be some news in the international break 😜" "watch this space" etc were the attention grabbers we all thought they were after all?

I think the main thing with my point is that when he was signed he'd never played senior football, so not really a surprise he didn't do much. He's now gained a bit of experience and is gaining more on loan, and once we have a new manager playing more to his strengths, he could be a good asset. In the premier league he's only made 5 starts, and was then never used by Selles, so I wouldn't write him off just yet.

Do we not think that in a more attacking team that Edozie would be pretty good? He's unpredictable, gets hacked down a lot leading to free kicks (or penalties) but it always feels is playing a bit within himself as his natural talent is breaking forward with the ball, whilst his coaching is to slowly pass, pass, pass. Not the finished article, but in a team with a different set up (see also Sulemana and Archer?) he could be quite effective.

Sadly, one of his main attributes is his pace, so as we very rarely utilise that, would be a bit wasted in our team, unless say we do something radical like try to counter teams or play on the break (or just get it forward a bit quicker).

Shoehorn will be delighted! So, we’re now going into the next matches without Ramsdale or Bednarek?! Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse. Hopefully it means a complete change of system

I enjoyed watching us win games in the Premier League for many years, when we used to actually attack teams. We didn't win all the time, but at least we looked like we tried to win, not knocking it around to prove a point (and await the inevitable).

I hope Welington is the best left back in the world.

An awful result (lost 3-1). Wealdstone even had 4 trialists playing...!

The fact that this thread has reached 254 pages (maybe a record?!) in less than 18 months probably tells us that most people are continually baffled with whatever he's doing. I doubt we'd get thousands of posts if he was regularly just choosing logical teams, not shoehorning in random lower ability players, or setting us up in a regular way which seems best placed to win us matches.

Needs to go but please not another clever mid table “play the right way” appointment from the championship who “could do better with better players”

Russ is probably on the phone to Carsley asking why Captain Jack hasn't been selected.

Sugawara's fairly good at crossing isnt he? Or at least getting to the edge of the box and getting a ball in. Noting he has decreased doing this since he's been trained into our ways...

Any actual working streams?

Scored a decent goal in his first(?) match in preseason, and has since had any good attributes rapidly coached out of him. I thought he'd be pretty good for us considering how he did in a terrible Sheffield United team, but like a good few others, has gone rapidly downhill after adapting to the Saints way...

What's pretty embarassing is that Edozie (although his end product was sometimes a bit suspect) has been loaned out but I'd say is better and offers more than any of Cornet, Sulemana, Fraser, Brereton-Diaz and Manning (did he play left wing?). Really a weak point in a team full of weak points.

Exactly. We have signed multiple players who are good at this (see also SAA and potentially the now ditched Edozie) and then coached them to play slow and sideways, and probably getting told off if they ever dare take someone on or use a bit of skill to beat someone (rather than pass it 10 yards to an opposing player).

and potentially Edwards and (Russ's least favourite), the direct, pacey attacking hopeful, Sam Amo-Ameyaw (unless he's injured?)

Dont know why Taylor is suddenly out of favour, has looked pretty decent whenever he's played. Certainly not the worst player!

Rest of the premier league is praying that Pep has learnt that losing every game is fine and the ultimate aim of football is just possession and “the (mysterious) plan”

If a new manager comes in, surely Wood will go out on loan. Hasn't looked anywhere near good enough, and would much rather have Edwards on the bench in case of emergencies. Problem is whether anyone will take him! If we get rid of him and ABK, that's at least two centre backs who are likely to never play either way, but taking up a decent chunk of salary.

Especially when it's for one of our best players

He'll only turn things around if he actually changes the way we play, which he kind of did, for a half (which we were the better team) on Saturday. The issue is, he's repeatedly said he won't change how he sets us up, and as soon as we fall back into his style, we concede tonnes of goals, and any good the team have done is quickly wiped out. If he wont change the way we play, and we stick with him, the same thing will happen against Everton and Wolves (and Man City) and we'll be rock bottom and even further from hope. At the moment we're 3 points from safety, when we're suddenly 9 points from safety, any prospective manager looks at things a very different way.

One of our few players with genuine strength (just as he's so much bigger than everyone else)! He'll make things happen, a Onuachu / Archer partnership could be interesting.