Saint Matty 76

ABK is an absolute no brainer to reintegrate for me if his heads in it, and I feel with him attending Wembley that it probably is. We'd do very well to find better than him in our price range, and with a good PL year he's immediately a £40/50m player. THB, ABK, Bednarek, Stephens + one new signing feels like a good core of CB's for me. Lawrence to try and break through, or one more year out on loan? Alcaraz is difficult. He was, for me, the standout positive of the second half of last season, but he was really disappointing in the Championship. Doesn't seem to fit the Martin style of football due to somewhat questionable passing. A good player but not one who is right for this system? Sell (if we get a good fee) and reinvest candidate, but I'd be happy to see him involved. I can't say I've ever rated Perraud. Better than what we have? Yes. At the level I'd want? Probably not. I'd understand bringing him back and using him to fill a gap if we feel like there's bigger priorities this Summer. It wouldn't be devastating for him to return, and it certainly wouldn't be devastating for us to receive ~£10m and go elsewhere. TLDR; I'd be disappointed to lose ABK. Alcaraz/Perraud not particularly fussed either way.

Absolutely fucking not! But it truly cannot get much worse.

This is where we need to stop being so "romantic" as a club. Thank you very much for stepping up when it mattered, McCarthy. However, you've been more than appropriately compensated for that throughout your contract here and it's time to part ways with fond memories. We have to get a better goalkeeper now, and we're legitimately fortunate that Bazunu is injured otherwise we'd have unfathomably given him another shot in this league. Ramsdale and Ortega are two ambitious (and remarkably unlikely) names of keepers available this Summer. If Ramsdale ends up going to Newcastle, could we get Pope? Di Gregorio was statistically the most impressive keeper this season, so that's a name I wouldn't be surprised to see a link for. Although based on Bazunu, I think SR stop caring about statistics when it's in relation to a Goalkeeper. I was impressed by Max O'Leary at Bristol City, for a more realistic name. Brentford & Brighton (the two other similarly ran clubs) pulled their Goalkeepers from Freiburg and Anderlecht last Summer however, so I'm sure we'll end up with a name we've not heard before.

I'd take Broja on a really favourable loan deal, but nothing else. He doesn't look to be the same player we had, but maybe he can get back there with a serious run of games. It'd need to be something like a buy option/obligation if he plays a certain number of games etc.

I think people care a little too much about this one. He's not going to be on a big wage, he's not going to play 30 games and he's more than likely going to be a dressing room figure than an intended on the pitch difference maker. I think his biggest playing role will be coming on in the late stages of games to calm the game down and keep some control of the ball. If he ends up doing anything more than that it's probably because he's excelled. Hopefully he can make a real positive impact on Dibling, Amo-Ameyaw etc as well. Another good figure in the dressing room with plenty of top level experience, fine with me.

Would definitely like to think our scouts could do better than this current version of Ings. However, I'd quickly get on board if he is where we landed. Wouldn't cost a lot and we never got close to replacing his level of finishing.

Just seen that since the 2014/15 season, we're actually £8m in profit on transfers. The only current top flight team who are in profit during this timeframe. The next lowest-spending team who've been in the Prem throughout this period is Brentford at -£35m, followed by Brighton at -£69m and then also promoted Leicester at -£133m. This obviously goes all the way up to Man Utd, Man City & Chelsea, who all have net spend figures exceeding £1billion in this 10 year timeframe. Chelsea have actually spent £2.35billion on outgoings during this spell, which is hilarious. Would like to think we have a pretty reasonable budget for this season. SR went quite heavy in their first year, which we recuperated most of last season after the relegation.

Fraser seems like a popular guy, and I think it's easy to underestimate the importance on good characters in the squad. Something we really lacked last season by the sounds of things. Seems to be Lumley's kicker too. I'm almost certain he's not the answer on the pitch for a Premier League team, but he put in a brilliant shift yesterday. As long as he takes a huge pay cut (which I can only imagine he will have to) I'd be okay with him as a squad player.

Ronnie Edwards be happy to be described as big for the first time though!

I'm definitely not, nah. There'll be way more squad players added, but only wrote the ones where I think we'd have the need for an immediate starter.

It isn't easy to overhaul the entire squad this Summer, so you'd think that if we're/they're willing that it'd be beneficial for us to get ABK and Alcaraz back involved with the squad. Potentially Perraud too? Definitely better than Manning but maybe we'd prefer to sell and reinvest. I think we'll get THB (obviously), Downes and Fraser permanently from this years loan squad. Question marks about KWP and perhaps Stu, who I think may sign an extension. I think Smallbone will definitely get the chance to be a starter next season, but I'd hope we bring in at least two central midfielders. Sulemana and Mara likely to go, who'd need replaced and improved upon. Onuachu and Lyanco to come back from loan and be swiftly moved back on (permanently, hopefully). GK: NEW, Bazunu, Lumley LB: NEW, Manning, Meghoma, Larios CB: Bella-Kotchap, Bednarek, Lawrence CB: Harwood-Bellis, Stephens RB: Walker-Peters, Bree DM: Downes, Charles CM: Smallbone, Aribo CM: NEW, Alcaraz, Stu(?) LW: NEW, Edozie, Sulemana, Dibling ST: NEW, Stewart, Mara, Ballard RW: A. Armstrong, Fraser, Amo-Ameyaw I think there's a decent skeleton there already, but we'll need to nail a couple of signings to have any hope. Goalkeeper and Striker obviously the scariest two.

There's no issue with people having criticised him throughout the season. He made plenty of mistakes but thankfully learned from them in the end and set us up absolutely brilliantly when it mattered. However, what there is an issue with is the select few oddballs on here who had it in their mind from the off that it wasn't going to work out and spouting absolute shite whenever a result didn't go our way throughout the season. Some of the personal attacks on the bloke were fucking bizarre to say the least. Anyway, onto a huge summer for RM and I pray he doesn't fall into the trap of being a players manager in regards to loyalty. There's players who've played a good part who shouldn't be in the squad next year.

Just a brilliant player. I think him and THB can very comfortably slot in as top league players, we just need to sure up the defence & midfield around them both. Fingers crossed we can get it locked in for anything around £15m~.

Fine by me if I'm being honest. We've done about as well as I'd have expected this year. I think it's easy to underplay the difficulty of the squad turnover (whilst the season had started) and also having to switch the mentality of a squad of losers into becoming the front-footed, take the game to the opposition side that we've tried (not always succeeded) to become. If we go up, it'll be terrifying, no doubt. I'll quite comfortably say that I personally don't think he'd last a season in the Prem but he'd deserve the opportunity, and you never know. If we stay down, we'll get a bit worse but the league will also get significantly worse having lost the only three teams better than us. Of course you have the three coming back down but I think we'd all agree that's quite a downgrade, apart from perhaps Burnley who've just lost their manager as well. I still think we'd be the 1st/2nd most desirable landing spot for loanees, and as we've seen that is arguably the most important factor in getting promotion. Long story short - be scared about RM in the Prem but that's a future problem should we make it. Give him one more shot if we stay down rather than tearing everything up and having to go through transitional problems yet again.

Some nice words in here. Let's hope we do it.

https://x.com/southamptonfc/status/1793643294725218622?s=46&t=zqoTDFufzjaUhLGQS1gPAg 🤞

Glad it wasn't just me. I was worried I'd just skipped through stuff in the panic buying the tickets but it truly didn't seem to be listed anywhere else. Hopefully it won't be an issue, would seem a little odd to me to have the "family stand" in the lower tier.

Do we think it's safe to assume the entire lower tier would be standing? The website screwing us out of an hour on Sunday meant we couldn't get behind the goal so we're in Block 140. A little worried as our website states that's the "family area", but I'd assume you wouldn't get lower tier tickets to sit down right? Or is that wishful thinking?

Quality if you’ve just wasted your money like that. Realistically though, you’re either an idiot or a Pompey fan here for a wind up!

Got booted twice so could only get Block 140. Doesn’t class itself as safe standing I don’t believe, but fingers crossed it will be anyway!

I'm glad McCarthy is going to go out in a positive light, rather than having sat around doing nothing and picking up a monster wage until his contract ran out. He did a lot of good for the club, and has stepped in well when it mattered, but we have to get better next year.

Just joking of course, no reason to fight tonight. 😉

No wonder you’re such a big Bazunu fan if you’re watching games like that!

Flynn Downes by the way, some fucking player

Honestly gutted about the pitch invasion, properly killed my excitement. Bunch of weirdos Can’t wait for next week. Russ you got it spot on and I hope plenty of idiots on here will eat their words COYR