Saint_lambden

There's certainly a lot of hysteria about. Just a reminder that after the same amount of games last season, Burnley had just one more point than us. We've a more solid foundation now, helped by playing a more consistent X1 each week, so I think our biggest concern moving forward will be if we're clinical enough to finish games off. We're creating plenty, but need Adams to get out of his funk and start scoring or hope Ross Stewart can hit the ground running. We'll be in and around the play-offs, but probably not good enough/street smart enough to go up this season.

I suspect there will be rotation, but I'd be keeping the back 4 the same at least and maybe just bring in Adams for Alcaraz to give the latter a rest as he looked knackered towards the end on Tuesday. Then again, we've got the international break after this which Charly won't be a part of so he can recover after that. Maybe Edozie or Fraser in for Sully too as I don't think he's ready to start 3 games in a week yet but best not to tinker too much. Their away record at this level is laughably bad (haven't won in the last 20) but shouldn't take anything for granted in the Championship.

Best squad depth in the league now. Over to the manager and the players to deliver.

Pretty high as he's injured for a couple of weeks.

Suspect it'll be KWP to Arsenal.

Belgian media reporting that we're competing with Atletico Madrid for Tajon Buchanan. Plays for Brugge currently, winger.

No chance we keep Che and sign Stewart.

Seen Stewart live a couple of times and he's excellent at holding the ball up/back to goal in general and 9 times out of 10 if you give him a sniff in the box, he'll score. Sunderland were hoping to play him in a behind closed doors friendly during the international break so he's really not far away from being fit again. Of course it's a risk but at £5-8m it's surely worth it and gives us more options at the top end (assuming Che stays), allowing Adam Armstrong to play in that slightly deeper role he's been thriving in. He's excellent in the air too which will prove important in both boxes. Worth mentioning that our 'new' Head of Recruitment is Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray's brother so that should help in getting a deal done.

He's back in training this week.

It was Friday I was told so looks like old news now.

Only snippet I've had is that we're very interested in 'a greek forward who plays in the dutch league', which I've deduced to be Tasos Douvikas as Pavlidis who plays for AZ would be well out of our reach. Douvikas scored 19 last season and can play off the wing or through the middle. No idea if we've bid but sounds like one to keep an eye on.

"Sign some experience!".... "No not that experience!"

Swap deals get rumoured all the time but are incredibly rare in football with how complicated deals tend to be nowadays.

Couldn't even save the date for it.

Would it really though? After a poor season by his standards in the Premier League, he's now playing Championship football and at 28 has no re-sale value to West Ham. I'd say it's about fair, although of course it would have been nice to get more. If a significant chunk of that (if not all) is upfront - which is sounds like it is now compared to the previous deal they put on the table - it'll help us buy our replacement targets sooner.

That missed header/handball on the line at their place early in the season got them wanting more.

On Lavia, it's a tough balance now between trying to get as much money as possible from the deal and concluding it quickly (hopefully by the end of the week) so that we can use those funds to go after our own transfer targets nailed down before we get too deep in to August. Martin's comments last week that we have targets who are willing to wait suggests that we will be going in for them as soon as we let two or three go. Hopefully we've done much of the ground work on those incomings so that we don't spend weeks negotiating on a fee with their respective clubs and personal terms. I suspect we'll accept the latest bid on the table give or take some minor adjustments and move on.

They're just on the wind up. There's one or two on there whose only contribution is to tell people where they should sit in the stadium, what they should wear and sing etc and where they should come from. They're just fishing for bites so I'm not sure why people are nibbling. Nobody genuinely gives a toss where our fans are from and currently live.

Expecting nothing from this which will mean we need at least 4 points from the Brentford/Spurs home double.

On Marsch, I think whoever followed Bielsa at Leeds was on a hiding to nothing because he was so idolised. He did keep them up though despite them falling like a stone and getting carved apart every week when he arrived. Performance wise whenever I've seen them this season I've been fairly impressed and they've dominated plenty of games, but just haven't been clinical (case in point the match v Man Utd yesterday). They lost Raphinha in the summer who pretty much kept them up single-handedly last season so they were never going to pull up any trees this time around. Tactically it makes sense - he gets his teams playing aggressive and in a four at the back which is everything we've been crying out for - and he's (apparently) a good man manager which is the opposite of everything we've been told about Jones and particularly Hassenhuttl. The accent would grind I'm sure but he's clearly made an effort to cut out the Americanisms since arriving in England so the Ted Lasso comparisons are just lazy. We could do a lot worse, basically.

I don’t think it’s a lack of desire for the large part, they’re just a bunch of losers because that’s all the core of this group have done for 4 years. Any form of adversity in a game and they crumble because the mentality is so weak.

Wouldn't piss on the bloke if he was on fire in front of me. Lost a 70/30 header with one of their strikers today and turned around to start blaming someone else, something he's done his whole career. Scored more own goals than I've had hot dinners. Bringing him back from his loan was a microcosm of the last 4 years - accepting mediocrity and the lowest possible standards.

They're likely to go 4-4-2 again as it worked so well last weekend so I'd match them up and put big Paul up top with Adams. ------------------------------Baz------------------------- --KWP (if fit)--------DCC-----------Salisu------Perraud-- --Edozie------------Lavia-----------JWP------Sulemana-- --------------------Big Paul---------Adams--------------- In to 'em, fuck 'em up etc. 0-1 loss, Jones sacked, too late for replacement to save it.

Listening to the recording, you can certainly tell Semmens is pissed off at the situation based on a couple of his answers. One on Jones' comments at the weekend and the other about first teamers in the B team. It's clear as day to anyone that Ankersen is the one keeping Jones here and his stubbornness and unwillingness to admit mistakes will relegate us.

Is it being 'hosted' by Blackmore/Solent again or is some club stooge doing it?