david in sweden

No problems. The cleaning staffs have everything under control at SMS and Staplewood. After the mass exit of the Board and other staff members, they are the only people who know where the toilets are.

We must hold out for the best deals available. We are not selling " Championship players ", (as all of these made their reputations playing in the Prem). As a club, Saints may be in the Championship, but richer clubs who are willing to pay big money for our best talents know they are buying quality players, and we are fortunate we have a few more who will eventually exit, as Leeds and Leicester don't have quite so " saleable names" to bargain with. Well over 100 million has been spent in the last year or so, but some of those deals were likely on " part-payments" spread over 1-2 years.... or even longer. We may still owe money to some " previous clubs " based on the original deals, or those with % " sell-on clauses " when we first bought them. (e.g. Lavia) Even if we pass the 100 million figure in player sales this summer, we will still have debts and may not end up ... as "rich" as many people may think. Hopefully, we will be more careful in the market when buying in "new names" given the projected reduction in income in the next year or so.

you mean S.N.A.F.U ?

Perhaps ..? maybe Russell Martin is waiting until his Swans contract goes out on the 30th .... Swansea's intransigence may cost them dearly " at the end of the day " .. month.. or even end of the season. They also have to find ...a new manager, and new names to replace those experienced players they have lost.

one such report going the rounds is that ... 45 million MIGHT be too much for Arsenal to pay (haha) If they are going to have to pay 100 million for Rice, then 50 million would seem like a "steal " for Lavia. He's too good "not to sign" and someone will have to put their money up front - sooner of later.

" the man says " actually ...i posted that before the announcement was made......

I thought that this thread had something to do with Saints,(?) and not over-rated, overpaid imports coming into the top tier. Taking a long look at what maybe left of our Prem. squad, I'd guess that we'll be lucky to see even a handful of those who played out the final games of last season to still be with the club come August. Aside from those obvious talents who are already being bandied about for moves, our squad will be devoid of many names that we have been used to over the past 2-3 seasons. Hopefully we will see some of the Academy graduates getting substantial game time, but many of us will repeatedly be uttering to our selves.. ." WHO ?" ... when the new signings start to appear and berating their faults before they have even kicked a ball. The reality is that we are unlikely to get any new players who have any substantial experience of Prem. level football, but a plethora of Championship / lower league signings in order to help guide us through the minefield of 46 games + various Cup games that Championship sides have to contend with every season. Having spent the last 11 seasons in " the toughest League in the footballing World " , relegation means we have to come to terms a different brand of football, sometimes playing on surfaces that may be more " agricultural " and against opponents with "other skills". It will be a " game-changer " of a different sort for many of us to view, and learn to live with but regardless of that I hope to see some arrivals with experience of scoring goals - at any level - will be a real challenge, as when looking at last season's Championship table we can see that champions Burnley scored over 80 league goals, as did MIddlesboro'.... (but who failed to get promotion). In many ways this will be one of the most significant transfer windows for Saints in the last decade ....let's hope we get it right.

No... .not immediate promotion, but the idea that our " relatively-new " ownership, and our soon-to-be new manager (and his staff) might want to look back into Saints' long history and learn / remember / that many fans.... and old fogey's like me (first game January 1959 ) have long memories and recall that .....we used to play in red and white striped shirts .... (albeit with / without adverts) . I'm sort of OK with a " change kit" in different patterns.. (after all we won the FA Cup in blue and gold..) but it would be a nice gesture to get a supplier who has some feeling for a little sentiment, and turn the clock back and pay homage to the club's history and give us a decent version of the " red and white ", that many past generations still lovingly remember. One can only hope that those " now-departed director's " didn't approve some form of multi-coloured harlequin patterned kit for next season before they finally left office . To my mind, our tradition doesn't lay in those few trophies we have collected over several decades, or the occasional promotion, but in the hearts of the fans - young and old - who have shown some appreciation for our heritage. So......to whoever the new " responsible person " at Sports Republic is .. please give us back " our Red and White ".

..but not his fault , I think?

I tend to agree (John B.) He was handed different roles by 3 different managers and always did as he was asked. I'm sure we will see him succeed with whichever new club he joins, but quite simply I don't think he had a chance to use his talents. He is still are regular in the Norway squad , which isn't a bad squad anyway. Good Luck Moi, hope you find a club that pleases you.

Nice fella' . Was a good player (when fit) before he started racking up injuries, and is now past 30 his Prem. days are numbered. What we need .... is the type of player he used to be (pre covid) . No longer capable of a 90 minute game every week, which will be vital after Prowsey's departure . Our midfield hasn't been the same since Davis and Romeu departed. We need to totally re-think the midfield line-up and introduce them to each other before the season starts for real.

I thought it was published that Prowsey was someone who didn't have a relegation salary cut in his contract.

Mmmm ..so it will be interesting to see just how keen they are to retain him, as they may also lose several key "over age " players. One things for certain - even one season in the Prem. will give them enormous income so they can't expect to survive by buying Prem. quality players for a mere 12-15 million. Our own recent history proves that. Looking at those teams who struggled alongside us - and were still relegated - they will need to spend big to have a chance of survival.

Comments about Nathan Tella cropping up again. Admittedly, he is still under contract to us until 2025?, but given his great loan-season with Burnley it would seem logical that Saints might want to keep him, BUT as he was the mainstay / top scorer in the Burnley attack ..they will surely want to sign him permanently. BUT... every player has a price and although Burnley are not recognised as big spenders, we might demand a starting price... around 20 million.? and they must know that - once back up in the Prem. - they will need to spend big and do everything possible to stay there. We have had bitter experience of " top-scoring Championship strikers" who didn't make it in the Prem. e.g. (Che Adams and Adam Armstrong) and there is no guarantee that Tella would replicate that form again up in the Prem, BUT with a view to OUR new manager's purchases, Tella might not be on OUR starting team sheet all the time, and he was only an occasional starter when Ralph was his manager a year ago. Tella has obviously found friends and fans at Burnley, and might want to stay there, as a Prem. contract with them would be greater than the " U21-type" contract that he currently has with Saints ... (yes, I know he's 22 now )... but he's hardly on BIG money at present. Burnley will surely take a chance and make a big offer - if Saints are willing to let him go. For our part.. it's stick or twist ?. I don't see his value increasingly greater than it might (possibly) be at present, if so .. make sure we get a sell-on clause in the deal. My vote is : Let him go - if he wants to.... Get a good fee ... Take their money and run.

Good points CB. Alcaraz and Sulemana are still quite young and hadn't played anywhere near Prem. level before, but still looked good. IF.....they were to move to a top end side now, they would be spending a lot of time on the bench, whereas ...... IF.....they are as good as we think, they will excel at Championship level and their value would increase enormously in one /two years and we'd still have them on long contracts, and their potential " sell valuation " plus a sell-on clause would be huge. Those clubs looking to buy them "cheap" should know that even after our " summer sales" we won't be short of finances and won't be forced to " panic sell " anyone. Relegation may still be a bitter pill for many, but it's a great chance to build a good squad, and get back up to the Prem. in 1-2 years ?... and still have a "young side" that will continue to improve.

Looking at that list and those who have jumped ship already, it seems that it wasn't only " the team on the pitch" that wasn't producing results. Admittedly, there were some good / loyal individuals in there, but clearly there must have been some bad decision-making along the way......... either that...... or, a lot of "bad luck". As for " the new buys " (SR), No-one can say they weren't afraid to put their money where their mouth was, but they should have been more " hands on " and leaving it to " the Board " to agree 100+ million in transfer fees was a mistake they won't make a second time.

I have always maintained that a keeper is only as good as the defence in front of him. Looking back.....to when .. Peter Shilton was with Saints ..for 6 seasons ?...we had some diabolical defeats whilst he was still regular no.1 for England, Pickford was keeper for Sunderland (? ) in the season they were relegated ..yet after moving to Everton he became England's no.1 Bazunu wasn't solely responsible for all the goals we conceded, but using 8 different CB partnerships didn't help either, and then we had 13 defeats by a one goal margin - which suggests that a few more goals from the strikers might have made a real difference.

Other games. Have just followed the SPL play-off Ross County v. Partick Thistle. Having lost the away leg 0-2 , Ross County conceded again and were then 0-3 down after 50 mins. Great fightback to 3-3 - in 91st minute - and in resulting penalty shoot out, JOSH SIMS (was 87th minute sub.) SCORED the deciding penalty and Ross County will now retain their place in the SPL next season. Always like to follow former players and would many admit that Josh was unlucky not to get regular game time when he was with us, and always DAJFU when given the opportunity. Many will remember his great assist to Shane Long when we beat Liverpool at Anfield in League Cup SF some years back.

Interesting stats. Only a very few at the top end of these charts get between 35K and 50K /week. The average is well under 30K. Swansea's highest paid player is Oliver Ntcham 27K /week , and both Joe Allen and Kyle Naughton are well into their thirties and get around 20k /week. Players like the rumoured signings who might move with Russel Martin; Matt Grimes and Joel PIroe ....get just around 12,000 /week. They surely wouldn't object to a wage hike to 15-20K /week - if they move when Martin eventually arrives.

a lot of people have forgotten that one, or weren't around to know about it, and many didn't study history at school. Prior to bankruptcy 2009, Saints were under the control of lawyers who had to balance the books to retain financial stability. Dyer was not the only good player we " lost " just because we would get money in on the deal. I think Surman (?) was also forcibly sold. The 400k, (for Dyer) was way below his real value, and Swansea got very good deal, as there were no other bidders at the time. In other circumstances, we would have got much more, as he was worth two or three times more than that paltry sum. His subsequent move to Leicester proved invaluable to them when they were on the rise to become Premier League winners.

I don't know MLG well enough to express an opinion on that?.. but I might refer to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary that states; WATCHWORD .... a word , or phrase that expresses a belief, or attitude, or explains what something should be in a particular situation," (Don't mind me, I taught English to foreigners for 30 years), but In case we've forgotten, my post was in agreement with those who had earlier, written on the subject of - those fans who go into panic mode after what they see as delays in signing new players - as soon as possible, (which incidentally this year is not permitted until 14th June), and in our case may be a lot longer given present managerial discussions. Experience over several decades has shown that the fee and payments terms between club and players, special terms, relegation clauses signing-on payments and agents fees are just the top of the iceberg when faced with the player's requests, or demands. Some historical deals that didn't make it included some of the following reasons; the wife doesn't like the area, was too far from London, no "night life " in So'ton (some people might agree on that one), not the right sort of school for the children, no " free taxis " , (which was important for those who don't have a driving licence, or worse - are already banned for previous driving misdemeanors). At the end of the day , getting a signature on the bottom of the page is a major success after negotiating the minefield of problems. A lot of patience is required - on all sides.

Would agree about Will Smallbone, but Adams ?..nhaaa. (not sure). The real truth is ...with one year left on their contracts, we must look to get some real recompense for them, otherwise they can walk away for NOTHING next summer. Looking at the top 6 (and aside from Stephens) there was a fair bit of investment there that we wouldn't be able to recoup next year.

I'm in full agreement with those of you (above) who share my watchword, that is ........" patience is a virtue ". For decades past - after the end of every season (good or bad) - there is a little group of fanatical types who demand that we buy our ALL our targeted players by July 2nd......or else ...(not sure what the specific threats are) but they usually threaten the Board that they will .... burn their season tickets, or demonstrate outside St. Mary's stadium and /or hang protest banners under the bridges on the Winchester by-pass to ensure they frighten away any potential new signings. (Good job there are gun laws in Britain). They will be in for a shock this time around, as we are about to lose at least half of the first team squad, we have no manager in place at present, and the NEW Board was only convened last week, and doesn't understand anything that has happened, and wonders why we will suddenly be playing in a lower league after they spent so much money on players who weren't allowed to play. Most of the old Board have already left, or have one foot out of the door, and the only person who knows where the toilets are at Staplewood..... is the cleaner. Armageddon is next week. Reminds me of Private Jones in Dad's Army, (no NOT that one ) ...who ran around screaming... " Don't panic, Don't panic " The result will be S.N.A.F.U... ...(1) we won't get the players we really wanted .... (2) Key players will get injured in pre-season and .....(3) we will start the season with a string of poor results ....and then they will really have something to shout about. Be patient.. Enjoy the summer, and don't think about any of this .... until after 5th August.

.... talking of perspective ..the majority of players in the 1960's were shorter and 5'6 or 5'7 was a normal height, very few were over 6 foot. Ron was quite tall for that era, but looking at some old pictures, he can clearly be seen jumping head and shoulders above defenders, and of course you are correct about Paine's incredible crossing ability. In the famous England v. N.I. game in 1962 (?) at Wembley, (England won 8-3) with Paine scoring a hat-trick ...and then providing 4 assists. Ted Bates said (in interview) that TP could . ." see a train before it came out of the tunnel. "....... such was his excellent anticipation. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Badger's reminder above ..about John Sydenham (who was just 5'6" in his socks) was also correct. He was a great partner for TP. Sydie's best ever game (?) was surely supplying the crosses / assists when Ron Davies scored 4 goals at Old Trafford (1970) There are some scratchy old b/w highlights to prove it - somewhere on YOU TUBE.

Finding a new manager is akin to buying a lottery ticket in the vain hope that you will win the Jackpot next week. Do you sign someone well-known, but who has tried and failed with other top clubs, or an unknown who says all the right things in interview?. At any given point in time there aren't a long queue of former managers .." stood in line at the Job Centre " who failed to get the best vacancies. Every club needs a quick fix when your side is bleeding points every week, but those panic managerial appointments seldom work. The point that many of us seem to have missed is that it's all about " chemistry" . Will the right man be able to motivate the players to follow his methods. Part of this / last season's problems was the squad was expected to change tactical formations at the drop of a hat and it simply didn't work. Buying in a cartload of talented teenagers who were used to U21 football and throwing them into the toughest league in the World clearly didn't work. Ralph's 4-2-2-2 suddenly gave way to Nathan Jones alternative aggressive style, (where even some of our established players seemed a bit lost), and then came Selles, who only chose from the players he'd come to know in the previous 6 months, and most of those expensive January buys simply became part of a group of " spares " who trained along with everyone else during the week, and were maybe lucky enough to get a place on the bench. What " another manager " may /may not have done is pure conjecture, but having signed the vastly-experienced Orsic, and "tall Paul" (who'd netted 75 goals in the last 2 years with the best club in Belgium), and not accommodating them into the side is beyond belief when clearly Plan B wasn't working. WHEN.. the next manager takes his place and looks at the squad he has left - after the anticipated "culling " of the dead wood and the departure of our best talents - must be someone who can communicate with young men more used to spending their free time playing FIFA 23, and who may forget that " the Championship" - may also be ...the " second-toughest league in the World " and very difficult to get out of , even in a couple of seasons.