Saint Fan CaM

Morgan Guilavogui spent the 2024/25 season on loan at St. Pauli from Lens before making the move a permanent transfer this summer. However, the Guinean forward won’t actually play for the Bundesliga club again… Guilavogui joined Pauli ahead of their Bundesliga return in 2024 on a season-long loan from Lens in France, having previously played for Paris FC, hometown club Toulon and also in the Saint-Étienne youth academy. The forward went on to impress for Alexander Blessin’s side, scoring six goals and providing two assists in 25 league appearances as the top-flight new boys ensured another year in the big time. Only a two-month layoff for an ankle injury prevented him from contributing more. * Lens decided to activate the buy-back option from St.Pauli…I wonder why? Probably because good old SR/Spors had £42m burning a hole in the proverbial collective pocket and they fancied some of that. To be fair, while he’s not prolific, he’s not afraid to shoot and does score some nice goals, plus he does appear to have some pace about him *

Welcome to Saints…go straight to Goztepe or Valenciennes ? 🙄😉🤣

Who? Mmm, don’t like to judge early but it’s looking like another SR Special…

Played well by all accounts. Think he deserves at least a consistent place on the bench, if not shoehorning into the starting 11.

2-1 Saints. There - I’ve said it.

Think Reed would be a good option, however I’m not sure that’s where the club see a need - reckon we’ll either see a decent winger or two, OR just as likely, some squad filler type signings as has been the case in the past.

I think you’re forgetting how (relatively) short a time Markus was in control (sadly). Had he lived, I don’t believe he would have put the brakes on Cortese as Kat did. She clearly felt she had little or no control…was not friends with Cortese in the same way Markus was…and felt she needed to reign in control of her inheritance. Cortese knew that the impetus gained would quickly be lost in the shadow of the big hitters in the Prem and the club needed Markus’ investment for another 3-5 years to really establish the club at the top in a self-sustainable way.

Who said “football is results business”? It wasn’t Cortese - but he understood what that meant and how a small provincial club could potentially grow into something more. Markus trusted him as a friend to run the club with his money - good enough for me.

The guy had a vision for the club - in conjunction with Markus - and knew how to deliver it. He got results and provided a brief glimpse of how a small (by comparison) club could grow to challenge the elites. Four seasons of complete joy for supporters. [sighs]

You’re absolutely correct - the trajectory of squad quality is downwards, but that’s been the case for at least 4-5 years now. In reality since Kat sold off her shares to Gao and allowed a sub-standard group of individuals to tear apart her Fathers legacy. What’s gone is gone and while there’s always a chance of renewal and re-growth, I don’t believe we’ve seen the worst of SR’s incompetence yet. Spors had a hard enough job sorting out the terrible contract legacies, but to then also persuade decent players to come to a club in decline…we’ll, it’s a massive task.

They’ll want him until his medical results and psychological tests come through, then they’ll back off quicker than a rat up a drain pipe. Unless we’re incredibly lucky or we pay someone to take him, he’s going to stink out the place until his contract runs down. Another masterclass from SR in how to recruit a shite player/individual.

Good luck to him - he was a Saint. Now he’s not, so the only thing on my mind is whether the funds will be invested wisely to increase the overall quality of the 1st team. If Spors signs someone for the future now I think we’ll all give up!

That’s not exactly how I would see it - why couldn’t Moody play U21 games AND be a backup to the 2 senior keepers? That would appear to be a win-win for all concerned and kept the squad tight.

This is a tricky one. Do I think Bazunu is a great keeper - no, but clearly those at the club think he's good enough. Given that and we don’t want to clog up the squad with unproven players, a loan of a keeper that is as good as McCarthy seems a sensible choice. Do I think there are more important positions to sort out? Damn right I do. Raising the overall quality profile of the squad needs to be done in attacking midfield and striker positions. If Spors can do that then the GK position means less. If he can’t then we’re still going to end up an inconsistent mid-table club.

My concern is that there’s little to separate Still’s tactics at the moment with anything we saw last season or indeed the season before that. Slow ponderous football with a team set-up to deliver exactly that. Flat lines of players in the final third - strikers too distant from other team members - no creative passes to break defensive lines….the list goes on. Then there’s the insistence to show-horn 3 CB’s into the starting line-up, including the ever-asleep Stephens. Is there someone telling our Managers how to select a team and play in a certain way - are their hands tied? Probably not, but you’d be forgiven for thinking so.

Maybe - he didn’t play the full season of course and I feel certain his stats were tainted by the kamikaze passing around in defence that RM insisted upon. He’s certainly not a great keeper, but then he’s also not worthless either.

Don’t agree with the ‘he’s shit’ or indeed the ‘he’s sufficient’ opinions. Bazunu is a mid-low table quality keeper playing for a mid-table team. And irrespective of release clauses, why would Johansen come here if he doesn’t want to? He’s better off playing for a club that looks like it has a shot at promotion.

More movement than any of our strikers in front of goal.

Yeah ok…my bad. Note to self - don’t drink heavily during a game then try posting rationally on a forum. 😬

Yep, you’re right, I’m wrong. Point still stands - Reed (and Sims) better than what we have now. Well good for you numb nuts. 🙄

Makes me laugh this - Reed is (or was) a cut above the current dross we’ve seen in the squad. Think back to his lung busting run and superb pass to assist Long’s winning goal against Liverpool. It’s another example of how successive seasons have seen a significant drop in squad quality and fans forgetting how past players were actually better than they were thought of at the time. It’s the old case of be careful what you wish for I guess.

There may be a case to be had that Downes and Charles struggle because they’re being asked to do too much in midfield because of the coaches insistence in using every fucking CB on our books in every game. Go back four - play a three or even four in midfield with either one dropping deep if the other plays forward to protect the CB’s - problem solved.

You’re have thought Still would be using all the also ran players in this. What we can be sure of is Cap’n Jack will be there or thereabouts. Its going to be another defeat let’s face it.

The concern now in my mind is not necessarily in specific player positions (although there are glaring deficiencies in quality across the squad), but in the pathway to transform the squad. The turnaround is not going to happen in this window that’s clear and it’s probably not going to happen in the next window either. In the meantime Still has to contend with delivering to high expectations with a poor quality squad and so my biggest fear is that he will be the scapegoat when results leave us mid-table nearing Christmas. And then SR / Spors are suckered into another managerial change to cover up self-inflicted longer term problems. Remember - when we think about quality we’re not talking about PL level players necessarily, but players that are suited to playing at the top of their game in this league. Is your supermarket plastic bag a quality bag? Yes it is, if it gets your shopping to the car and then excels if it gets it from the car into the house. We’re talking about players that are able to gel and play under the manager of the moment, delivering the basics well and consistently. Look at Stoke if you want an example of this in action - the footballing equivalent of a supermarket plastic bag! By the same token our squad is not fit for purpose!

Thanks. Doesn’t make me feel good about it, but surely there are some at the club that can’t see the fucking wood for the trees!