Badger

Lyanco is the clear cut winner of this years 'David Prutton Award'

Think we're all on board in how drastic the surgery is needed and positions required, that is just about all of them. The challenge for the club is identifying who to bring in as an upgrade over what we've got, and making it happen. As you suggest depends on which pot we're looking in and how much £ we have. Some (most) of your suggestions are probably outside of our means (Hope, Henderson), and the CB's , Worrall I think was mentioned at £10-12m last summer, so likely to be best part of £20m this, if Forest don't come up. Having identified the player, sad truth is, we're not a particularly attractive option for the calibre of player we're likely to be looking at, and many will see us as a back up option holding out for a West Ham, Villa, or whoever. I don't know how high Ralph's stock is in Germany or Austria to make us attractive to players there, not that it's a market we've been active in during RH's time.

Problem with that is the timing. Ideally we should be shifting the deadwood as soon as we can, and bringing players in, not allowing a new manager a month to assess how poor the squad is for a month, then desperately looking around to see who is still available to bring in.

Don't think the blame for Lyanco making a balls up of heading it back can be pinned on John Moss.

Agree with you, and there's also the simple matter of getting the signings right. Underlined today by the recollection that they signed Maddison when we'd also agreed terms with Norwich. I think we signed Elynoussi that summer instead.

Won't there be a few people above breathing down Semmens neck now, and scrutinising the decision making rather than leaving him to it as it was with Gao ? Just a thought.

Hope she enjoys the gruel. Probably a regular feature if supporting Saints governs the mood and menu. Glad he's properly settled in now. That's the problem with our defence (KWP aside) all capable of costly clusterfucks. Exactly, no leadership or direction. At least tht has been the case with Gao. Just hope Sports Republic and Rasmus can demonstrate something better, and over the next three months not as a long term 'pyramid' project of numerous teams around Europe or the Globe,

haven't seen a great deal of him since the West Ham game though either.

Remember the Coventry match.

I would have liked two up front, and no Elynoussi in the starting line up. The defence is pick two out of three and hope they manage to limit the mistakes. Can see our midfield being overrun and bypassed quite easily looking at both line ups.

Is Broja injured ?

Don't mind Stephens remaining as a squad player. Otherwise agree with your list, but would also add Elynoussi and Tella to be cast off if possible.

All very true David, and I'm sure most Saints fans at the start of the season would have said the prime objective was staying up. Having achieved this, the current 'negativity' come not from the failure to win a trophy but the collapse since February. At that point we were in the QF's of the Cup (although the draw next day tempered the hopes) and with a continued run of form possibly challenging for a Top 10 finish (good achievement for us and our squad), possibly even a European place (though unlikely). Since then though the players have essentially just gone through the motions. No wonder fans are frustrated, and pissed off. I'm not jumping on the 'Ralph out' bandwagon, that seems an 'easy fix' to many, but our problems lie deeper, re poor investment and recruitment over several years catching up with us. Overalll, you sense a lack of direction from the top. That is not to say RH is without blame for tactics, motivation, substitutions, and most of all selections ( No Romeu v Liverpool, Tella, Diallo both piss poor, and more bizarrely Smallbone v Watford). Difficult to defend that. You've got a decade on me following Saints (I started late 1960's), and with the exception of the Lawrie years we've flirted with relegation fights on and off. Nothing new, but in the past you felt players were committed to the cause rather than probably just viewing their summer move. Like you I hope for Cup runs, and another success. But I've gone from wondering if I'll ever see one again in my lifetime to questioning if those running the club give a monkeys about it providing as long as we tread water in the top flight.

Nice touch, and credit to the PFC Women's team. Perhaps PFC will let our Women's team parade their trophy around Fratton Park for the first home game next season as well.

Agree with you on that, ridiculous to be touting this bloke after a single year at Celtic, and with Gerrard leaving Rangers this season not sure it was such a two horse race as some years.

Not a prerequisite for a football forum though is it ?

Not sure that was the case to be honest. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/10/monaco-sack-niko-kovac-unforced-error-ligue-1 Seems to have done a good job, improved players but struggled with the European fixtures etc as many of our teams do after qualification. Also appears to have ended with a bit of a fall out judging from the comments - or lack of - when he left Monaco.

A pint of what though ? This could add or detract from the credibility of the rumour. If it was a pint of meths then I'd be inclined to discount it as fanciful nonsense. Especially if the meths drinker wasn't wearing socks, and displayed 'blue' or bloodshot ankles.

Rumoured first signing is Mason Greenwood.

Well known in the Bristol area : https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/emersons-green-man-who-sexually-6895401

Increasingly how I feel about it. Hope there will be some inspiation or investment from the new owners to rekindle interest for next season, although not holding my breath. Yes, have to ask why ? Just the players, or lack of motivation from above?

Dialo & Tella seemed to do nothing other than lose possesion and fall over. Shouldn't have started either, and I expected to see Romeu at HT. Elynoussi is another empty shirt.

Thought Ralph looked totally dejected during that lap.

Tractor watching ?

You posted that yesterday morning and on reading it I thought if I knew that to be the starting line up, I don't think I can be bothered going, but doubt it will be. Congrats on your exclusive, and the team lived up to expectation.