Badger

This image has come to stick with you a bit hasn’t it ? Not the first time I’ve seen it mentioned.

As in Javi de ?

Seriously have to question the management of the club at times and the direction they are going in, whether that’s Semmens, Crocker , and more recently SR for it continuing.

.. plus experience and track record

Sort of signing that has our hallmarks over it, especially with Shields involvement. Would be another act of stupidity though if only bringing in yet another inexperienced striker in the hope he makes the grade.

If RH is to move into an ‘upstairs role’ I suspect it would be with the wider SR group rather than SFC. Issue being of course that SR have yet to expand the group to warrant this role.

My understanding of the management was that Semmens is the CEO for the running of the club. Matt Crocker is the football person, though not a DOF as far as I’m aware. The appointment of Joe Shields appears positive, although we continue with our policy of mainly kindergarten recruitment. This something for SR to address.

Not without the Brentford recruitment team though.

No.

We’ve only had all summer to address this, or explore the option of someone such as Gakpo. Three weeks of the window left, and one poor performance and heavy defeat later, we’re still scratching around.

If the player wanted to join Utd he’d get his way, as he has done on leaving Stoke and West Ham. He’s not known for letting things like a contract getting in the way.

Clearly Man Utd aren’t convinced by Kaladjnic being the player for them. Yesterday won’t have helped us persuading him or anyone else of quality to come to us.

Interesting and decent option there CC, but out of interest, any idea why it didn’t work out at Dortmund? I got the impression a fall out with DOF, but not sure. Another name from the Bundesliga someone put forward last season was Svennson at Mainz. But of course he’s currently in employment so will need SR to change the club’s usual practice.

I’ve supported Ralph but am surprised he’s still in post. He looked broken and disinterested during the lap around the pitch at the end of last season. I think it’s now a matter of when rather than if he goes. Was hoping the change of backroom staff might change our fortunes but clearly not. I don’t think Selles was an RH selection and the others appear to be more ‘rearranging deckchairs’. Don’t think Selles has had the impact as a defensive coach that’s for sure. I don’t blame RH for the recruitment policy. But tactics and selection are at his door. Leaving Adams out not bringing him on for AA is bizarre. Have to wonder if we don’t win against Leeds whether Ralph will match or better Sturrocks three games at the start of 2004/5.

On the topic of Frank, I’ve often said we should consider him if we brought Brentford’s recruitment team. This has been much of his success.

Exactly. Have been saying this for a couple of years. Put a Fonte, or a Monkou in at CB and watch Salisu, or AKB reach their potential. Shove them next to our current shower of shit, and they’ll take to the field as quivering wrecks. GK position is also one that worries me, and the effects of playing behind our current standard of back four.

I’ve held the view for a while that our recruitment policy is flawed. Initially we blamed Les, Ross Wilson and Gao, all of whom are culpable to some degree. Although Rasmus and Sports Republic start with a clean slate and Rasmus’s reputation enhanced by his involvement at Brentford, I fear this summer has been poor and will cost us. We don’t sign players to improve the current team but see them as additions to an investment portfolio. We’ve been crying out for an organiser in the back four for years. But our last two CB signings have been unproven Salisu and AKB. Three if adding Simeu. Around the time we signed Salisu, Lille signed Botman for less than we paid. Botman has played two full seasons before being sold on. Think we know which has been the better signing. Bournemouth linked with Seniso at Feyenoord, c£12-16m. A player to go straight in and make a difference. Most improve their team we tend to add to the squad.

In the dark days of Branfoot, we had MLT, Dodd and a few who gave a shit. We also had Monkou in the centre of defence. Flowers in goal. There were some positives to cling on to.

This is the most galling thing above the result as it offers little to be confident about over the next few months. Not sure the "full squad" is anything to write home about, striker wise we're threadbare ( not even down to the "bare bones" as another manager used to say). To start the season seeing the names Stephens, Valery, Bednarek, Djenepo involved is a piss poor reflection of recruitment policy. We simply don't recruit to enhance the starting eleven, just a collection of talented youngsters who might shine individually enough to sell on. Relegation in the process clearly doesn't register with the board. Rasmus and SR come into this it seems with good reputation and ambition it seems. Wonder if the know how steep the challenge ahead is. Wasn't it one recruit, Ruben Selles, plus a couple of internal promotions, Fleming being one. Promotion of the internal coaches worked well before with Gray and Wigley I recall. At least as a positive this season, thanks to the dreadful kits some cretin has signed us up to, you'd be forgiven for thinking it doersn't look like Saints looking woeful.

Don't think we'll need to wait until mid October to be honest.

Thought you might have had a valid point here, but having looked on Wikipedia : 4th August 2021 - Ings - signed for Villa 31st August 2021 - Cucurella signed for Brighton. The wider point of us being pretty cash strapped is a fair one, but for an additional £1m, you'd have hoped we'd have found a way round it with sell on clauses or whatever.

From the outside looking in, over the last few seasons they do seem to make more signings to strengthen the team in ‘the here and now’ than us. Most of ours, Aribo aside, are ‘ones for the future’ , although it appears we got the judgement on Cucurella wrong.

Story is Saints had but refused to pay the asking price.

I only saw Pied appear briefly for us, didn’t look bad but I thought he was badly injured soon after joining. By the time he regained fitness I think Puel may have left. Memory of him is probably tarnished by the Puel connection but in his brief cameo he didn’t appear to be another Pulis shall we say.

Brighton obviously had a good run on the recruitment front (perhaps under the Ashworth influence) and are now seeing the benefits when cashing in, although also had some questionable signings such as Nivea.