goodymatt

Great detective work Trousers, thanks.

Local game for me this one (19 miles from home). I’ll be watching in the home end with my mate on his season tickets. Become a bit of a tradition to sit together for our games but frustratingly a midweek fixture, which spoils the drinking element. Could be a long evening, given the current form of both sides. Hoping I need to sit on my hands but not expecting that to be an issue. I’m going 3-1 United. Dibling to score for us against a potential future employer. Also off to Forest on Sunday, I’m a sucker for punishment this week! Up the Saints 😇

Must be up there with our lowest attendance at St Mary’s for a competitive game. Did read the other day someone concerned we might not beat an 8k figure we had for an early cup round game previously - can’t find who that would have been against (any stattos on here that can answer?). Even on our way down the leagues we were 15k minimum. Shows the mood of the fanbase at present.

Attendance was 12,120. 600 of those being Swans.

Think I would keep Manning unless Welington is seen as first choice too. Welington has played for the u21s vs Fulham so hopefully not far away from being available to the first team.

£7m for KWP is a steal, even with only 6 months left.

Looks like Burnley have enquired about loaning Manning only.

Leicester closing in on Woyo Coulibaly from Parma. Surely that ends their KWP interest? Although I expect them to be joining us in the championship so I don’t see why he’d have left us to go there anyway? I’d imagine a few PL clubs would be interested in him as a free agent, can’t see him signing a new contract. If we had survived this season, he might have been convinced.

We paid an unnamed consultant recently and that appears to have made zero improvement. Very strange that we haven’t replaced this role. It’s been a glaring issue all season. We desperately need an experienced director of football.

If you’re a top championship player for example, do you hold out for the summer in the hope that a newly promoted PL team will take you. Full season is a bigger shop window and likely higher wages for longer. Or do you move now knowing you are 100% going to be back in the championship in August. It’s a hard sell! I’d personally sell/loan anyone we can that isn’t in our plans to reduce our wage bill as much as possible. Recall Charles from his loan to give us much needed competition in a position we need more numbers. Cornet appears to be going back to WHU so we have one domestic loan plus international loan options. That has to be the way we look to improve the starting 11 and give players a window with no ties to next season. Plan for next season, reduce wage bill, avoid lowest ever points total.

The West Ham game is an example of how 3 at the back can work to create chances. If Tall Paul or Fernandes were able to finish their dinner we would have won that game comfortably. That as Juric keeps saying is the way forward. It is difficult to judge Juric in this impossible situation. Players aren’t good enough. Players have accepted relegation. Mentality is fragile and fans have turned. At this moment I don’t have doubts about Juric’s credibility but more about how the second half of the season will likely render his position untenable. Brave to take the job but if there is a rumoured get out clause at the end of the season, he might be keen to take it.

Sky reporting Leicester interest in KWP, surely not?!

What gives you this impression? Alfie House mentioned on the Total Saints Pod that he thought the 6 month break clause didn’t exist. Sky and Athletic reported there is one. Guess we will find out in the summer!

Jurić sacked by Roma the day after the Wolves game, I wonder if we started to sound him out or if as the press suggested, this was a reactive appointment from the Spurs game. Either way I’m encouraged by his appointment.

Merry Christmas and up the Saints!

Assume he’s two footed?

I’m getting good vibes from this guy, giving me false hope 😂

We tried to buy this guy in multiple windows over a 3 year period. Ipswich offered bigger wages, so he chose them. Getting Ed Sheeran on a Zoom call was not the difference.

Finally Paul coming on

Having not brought Onuachu on yet I’m confused. Are the Besiktas rumours true and we are protecting him from injury?

Ramsdale is back!

On the face of it this is a decent appointment. This guys strengths appear to cover our most evident weaknesses over the season to date. He has top flight experience and although his stock has fallen post Roma, there were mitigating circumstances and perhaps that is why he’s now interested having seemingly rejected us in 2022. Some pundits have questioned this direction as a move away from possession football but it’s a clear change to a style that could have us punching above our weight rather than self destructing and only looking good in the middle third of the pitch. Remains to be seen what our squad is capable of and if it can play this style effectively having been built for possession football in the last few windows but my expectation is that we will get more points playing this way (not a high bar). Relegation is all but confirmed but let’s give the remaining games a good go and see if we can build some positive momentum.