Badger

Strange, but Caleta-Car's been linked around numerous clubs for two or three seasons without anyone taking the plunge. Have to wonder why. Same for the Hungarian CB Szalai. at the start of the window I'd have been pleased in signing either but it seems we might have hit on a decent CB pairing although we still need other options.

We might be down to Trevor Senior soon, he's been on there since about 1983 and no one has crossed him off yet.

An emotional return to Everton is my guess. No doubt they'll light ba few blue flares to welcome him.

Nailed on to score on Saturday then. Nice one Semmens & Co, can’t wait to find out who we’ve got lined up.

He was also in regular contact with his PA to check his diary for any interviews to tell the media he was “relaxed” about it. And probably polishing his head for the cameras. Whilst all this meaningless non/transfer activity takes place Toby Steele is working on the next phase of the more critical strategy, persecuting and driving out home fans.

Given the cost of Gakpo, others chasing him, and the late stage of the window it would perhaps be more sensible for us to cut out a few links in the chain and go for Karlsson ourselves.

Someone mentioned this Croatian striker the other week , Dion Drena Beljo, but I suspect work permit could be an issue.

And perhaps for a few previous transfer threads as well I shouldn't wonder.

A fly on the wall documentary about our kit selection might have been revealing. Perhaps next season the club should simply sponsor 'Sewing Bee' to see what unconventional but imaginative and random designs they can come up with (may be a tribute to the flock wallpaper designs in 1970's Southampton pubs).

Would come as no surprise if we don't bring a striker in and are then left with an old script of "we tried, but were thwarted late in the window and couldn't rescue it with the time left...". Will then be interesting to see by comparison how Brighton and others fare in the last few days remaining.

We might have been serious until we were told the price. If Ramos is available and leaves Benfica this window he's more likely to end up at Wolves.

Who takes credit for the overpriced wine bar and cushioned seats ? Might also add the abomination of the two away kits. There does seem a disconnect between those running the club and what fans want, and the traditions of the club/it’s fans.

Despite the praise he’s received over the last couple of years (some of it stemming from the fact he wasn’t Ralph Krueger) you have to wonder about some of the decision making at the club. On occasion Semmens seems to morph into Tim Nice But Dim* ”I knew a Chelsea/Manchester United, or was it City, fan once. Bloody nice fellow. Let’s give them 300 more tickets”. (*congrats to whoever it was that came up with that comparison a few years ago can’t recall who it was)

But look around him, most of the others are on a family day out, no one in that picture is going to take a swing at the Utd fan. Perhaps our placid supporters enable this problem, do you think it would happen at West Ham or Newcastle? It’s one thing having a sensible supporter base it’s another being walked over to the point away fans can openly take the piss. Good question, Grounds for a letter to Toby Steele or Semmens.

The stewarding is poor. Its easier for our stewards to control our generally passive fan base than it is to deal with away fans or turf out some cunt in a Utd shirt.

Hoping it is, but doubt it unfortunately. He’s 25 so suspect out scouts are looking at a younger player. Hjolund looked good but we either missed out or missed him completely.

Better than either change strip.

Kalajdnic would satisfy that criteria, but are we even at the races for him? (Probably no bad thing if we’re not as it will save me some embarrassment when I overlook my auto text naming him Kalashnikov as it wants to)

Isn’t that what we do though ?

Kalajdnic , or possibly Hjolund, would have been the better options. Both affordable it would seem and Hjolund fitting our young policy.

We clearly dodged a bullet there then. As far as I can recall Les’s Black Box for recruitment has only brought us a few traffic offences over the last 10 years. The hand bag thieves were before his time. We’re obviously not recruiting at the top end of the criminality potential market No ambition…

Doesn’t appear to be a lot of joined up thinking in that strategy, or it hasn’t been worded very well. “No bid has been sent for Ramos and the club don’t want to put all their eggs in one basket. They still admire him greatly but they don’t know if a deal is able to happen.” It certainly won’t happen if they don’t put a bid in. We either want him or we don’t’, in which case move on.

Exactly, we've got plenty of shit to shovel out of the club, and mediocre players before we lose Stuart Armstrong. I'd be livid if he goes and we still have to rely on the empty shirts like Redmond and Elyonoussi lingering for another year without better recruitment.

That's a good observation, and typifies the workload and ground he covered. His work often went unnoticed though, especially from those outside the club, because he did it in a fairly tireless way without the histrionics you see now. Also I think appearance, people saw a balding, and fairly chunky bloke going about his work, and it didn't look athletic etc. I suspect the Opta stats for him though if they were available might have told a different story in ground covered etc At the time he signed for us I was living in the north east and friendly with a Middlesbrough ST holder who told me that the season before he left, Armstrong had been their LB, LM, and LW, dominating that side of the pitch for them. Naturally they were sorry to see him go, but I recall his return with Saints to Ayresome Park in January 1982 (game we went top of the table from) and he received a good reception from Boro fans. Same Boro fan also said that the 'word' from those close to the club was that 'Spike' was joining Sunderland with fees and contracts agreed. Then it was announced he was joining Saints, suggestion that it he wanted a really new start for him and his family. We'll never know if it was Lawrie's silver tongue that persuaded him to uproot and come south or for personal reasons. Just glad he did really, and we had the pleasure of seeing him in that team with Channon, Ball, KK and all.

Therein lies the problem though. Well, that and some we can't even give away.