Saint Fan CaM

6 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

Great post.  To be fair, I would swap BBD, SE and BK in part-exchange for Gary Onion.

That guys got hidden layers in his game.

Matchday 15

1 hour ago, goodymatt said:

 

With his heart condition a factor, he’ll need his agent to revise his salary demands otherwise he’ll go next year for free, but be lucky to get a job outside of the lower leagues. His reputation as they say will precede him. 

4 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

Except when we score after a move in which everyone on our team pretty much touches the ball from goalie to back of the opposition net…🥰

I can remember some brilliant goals that made me swell with pride but then again I’d rather a flash of brilliance than a season of mediocrity or as my great friend once said “ better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep”. 🤣

I remember watching our last Championship season opening match at Highbury (a SW supporting friend had a spare ticket in the home stand) and saying to my mate that I couldn’t understand why the SW manager was not getting his team to press us harder…we were bossing the ball (of course). Then as the season wore on it became obvious that more and more oppo managers were figuring out how to combat RM’s possession biased system - the risks increased and our weaknesses were exposed. That’s the problem with RM - he puts his players in proverbial straight-jackets.

4 minutes ago, revolution saint said:

Todays calculated risk on signing the players we need (before getting rid of the driftwood), are as likely as not to be tomorrows driftwood.  That's exactly how you end up with a bloated squad.

Don't get me wrong, in an ideal world I'd be shifting on far more players than we have so I understand your point but I don't think saying fuck it, lets just sign some more players and hope we manage to shift the others out eventually is the answer.

Buying talent prior to sales is possible, but only for those clubs that have a large budget and are an attractive pull to top players (promise of trophies etc) - risk is minimal. We have neither of those attributes sadly, even when in the PL, although it becomes marginally easier. That’s not to say a clear-out is not required or indeed possible - after last seasons debacle it’s imperative.

8 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

We scored 91 goals in our promotion year - the year of the most turgid football of the last 65 years for some fans. But yeah he’s a bad Manager. 

Nobody is saying he’s a bad Manager. He gives the best cuddles.

Football style however is as boring as [insert expletive of choice here].

1 hour ago, Marsdinho said:

One definitley exists

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorgeles_Nene

 

That lad looks class and just what we need. Way out of SR’s budget I suspect and he looks like he’d be more likely to get into a PL side.

On 21/07/2025 at 13:22, SuperSAINT said:

 

Fantastic. Next stop Goztepe.

Takes an analyst to know an analyst you could say. 😉

In terms of squad size and wages, we could afford to lose Wood or Stephens, Manning and BBD and bring in a Tadic type player (assuming one exists and is willing to come here). It’s not rocket science - is it?

5 hours ago, Chez said:

I can't get my head around Fraser playing in the middle. He has spent his whole career going up and down the line, making runs on the shoulder of the full back and then went found, doing it simple, i.e. getting it, dribbling in straight lines and crossing it. 

I was got by auto-correct 😉 - meant to say Archer rather than Fraser actually. AA - BBD - Archer…one has to be shipped out and the other two never being on the pitch at the same time. I actually don’t think it matters a jot which one goes.

Don’t disagree with your point on Fraser, but I think Still might be panicking a bit with the lack of genuine creativity on offer in the squad and Fraser is one of not many that can get around defenders, shoot or pass. Basically he’s looking for options which are quickly diminishing.

42 minutes ago, gurru991 said:

I would be highly suspicious if you were wishing for anything else.

Not saying it will happen but can you imagine your embarrassment if Leicester get a points deduction & still finish above you

Have a nice day !!

Oh we’re starting to prepare for that eventuality already, don’t you worry. Mid-table beckons for Saints this season unless a surgeon’s knife is taken to the squad.

Not looking too promising is it? This equates to mid-table mediocrity with the players at Still’s disposal. In AA, BBD and Fraser we have players that are too slow, with no footballing brain - they’re poachers…opportunists. Having all three on the pitch at one time means we’re missing at least two creative, skilful players. The squad is still a dogs dinner.

9 minutes ago, trousers said:

Just the one full back....?

Strange given Suga and Bree both waiting to be used. Perhaps he wants to see what Edward’s can do at FB if needed? 🤔

1 hour ago, SaintLondon said:

Linked with some lad from Gremio, 19 years old and made one senior appearance, sounds about right.. Alysson Edward

 

Dibling replacement being lined up?  Plays like him - lots tricks, fails to see an obvious pass, no end product. 😉

2 hours ago, Harry_SFC said:

From that picture you either pass it back to the keeper to punt upfield or just do it yourself. Clearly no team mate free so don't fuck around with it. 

Stephens doesn’t think that fast and has no inherent footballing brain to instinctively know what the least riskiest play should be. In his own mind he has all the time in the World to choose his pass. He’s as thick as…

4 hours ago, Forester said:

Can I just check, as this argument is presented as an unanswerable headline, that you are aware of extent of revenue drop and FFP rules?

So before you are tempted to say “yes, but if we get promoted it doesn’t matter”, wind the clock forward one year when we have been promoted (we hope).  What do you then want to happen?

The answer should be massively more investment in quality than that which happened last year when we went up.  But every pound we spend now, or pound we don’t raise through sales now, will constrain what we can do in a year’s time.  That was part of the problem last time in that we had racked up ludicrous bills on total shite over the prior season.

So it isn’t quite as simple and myopic as the argument you put forward.

Talk about simple! I didn’t say don’t sell players, but it’s certainly a recipe for continual decline if you keep selling your best players and replace them with inferior quality. If you don’t believe that is the reason we’ve just witnessed the worst season in the history of this club (and indeed almost the entire history of the PL), to find ourselves relegated with a bloated squad, then you my friend are not just myopic - you’re blind! By the way, we’ve been successful before without incurring the wrath of FFP (and so have plenty of other ‘smaller’ improving clubs).

20 hours ago, MarkSFC said:

As long as we get 100m+ for them all I wont care.

See, I just don’t get this logic…in my mind it’s utterly bonkers, even if it were possible to raise that much from three mediocre PL level players, which I don’t think we would. I mean what benefit do you think supporters will get from that? Even if £100m were raised, how much would be spent on new players - 20%, 50%…it’s never been 100%?

We should be doing everything possible to keep hold of our best players and replacing the weaker players with better. It’s how a team advances, improves, stops the endless roundabout of managers, wins competitions, etc…etc.

12 hours ago, for_heaven's_Saint said:

That’s 27 before any signings too. Didn’t Spors/Solak say we also want an attacking midfielder before any sales?

Personally I think that’s our biggest priority now, if Fernandes goes that leaves us with Matsuki and Fraser to play in the number 10 position, which is pretty poor. 

There’s Aribo too that could do the #10 role.

Take out Wright, Bednarek, ABK, Lawrence, Sesay, BBD, Fraser, Dipepa, Ballard = 9 = 27 man squad to go. Easy. Personally I’d take Fraser instead of Manning or possibly Taylor, but I doubt that’s going to happen.

20 hours ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

I would like to give Edozie a go - low risk. I also think Aribo was not used to his strengths last season and has a shot on him  - he’s much more aligned to a no.10 than a CB FFS!

I’d add to that list Bazunu, McCarthy, Manning and Wood, but I doubt any of those will go any when soon.

10 hours ago, pimpin4rizeal said:

Gerard pretty much echoing what I what I was saying here .. I think number ten is his best position too but he’s got such a versatile skillset he can be used in a load of positions , some of his dribbling is even a  bit winger like .. we haven’t really seen much of a him as a traditional ten but that versatility is surely worth keeping him around for 

Exactly what I previously said - he can shoot (hit the crossbar with a lovely strike in the Gills game), pick out a pass and I think Stills will value those attributes.

2 hours ago, gio1saints said:

Classic English putting people down attitude very prevalent here unfortunately. 
I don’t know what’s better - conceding 60 goals and getting promoted or conceding 60 and not getting promoted. Better still going on a record unbeaten run and promoted or not going on a record breaking run and not promoted? 

The glass for many Saints fans seems often to be half empty. Instead of being so God- awful miserable and looking for scapegoats most or all the time you do know you can choose NOT to look on the dark side for once? Choose NOT to revel in the cynicism like pigs in shit? 

Amazing things can start to happen. You become more grateful for ever smaller things in life. You can become  happier and at ease, less restless and permanent-angry. Saints results even player performances don’t even matter so much after a while - you enjoy a sense of community with no expectations. 
You can decide now : This season I will enjoy watching the team! Just repeat five times daily morning and night and should all be fixed in a month or two. 

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”… 🤭😉

27 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Aribo 

Bednarek 

Maybe Edozie 

BBD 

Taylor 

Are the ones I wouldn't be sad about losing and I hope we get done. 

I would like to give Edozie a go - low risk. I also think Aribo was not used to his strengths last season and has a shot on him  - he’s much more aligned to a no.10 than a CB FFS!

I’d add to that list Bazunu, McCarthy, Manning and Wood, but I doubt any of those will go any when soon.

On 11/07/2025 at 14:13, trousers said:

Yep, if there are players in the team that aren't pulling their weight (as per most of the team last season) then the captain should be giving them an on-the-pitch bollocking. I don't recall seeing any such admonishing from Stephens last season....?

Isn’t he Club Captain rather than Team Captain? I thought there was a difference but I may be wrong. Generally I would argue there are too many quiet ‘nice boys’ on the team and not enough with a vocal ‘scrapper’ mentality. It’s the one useful attribute Stephens brings - poor otherwise.

2 hours ago, CSA96 said:

Ryan Manning:

"The gaffer has given us the freedom to attack. He's told the boys who want to cross to cross it. The boys who want to dribble can dribble. The boys who want to score need to shoot. He's given everyone a licence to express themselves."

"This year, the timing and quality of our crosses, having bodies arriving in the box at the right time, will make the difference in winning a game."

My word, makes you realise how poor team management has been. As far as Manning is concerned I hope Still is saying…

”The boys that want to defend can get back to defend. Yes Manning, that means you”!