Lighthouse

I really wouldn’t have expected much more, given that we’re up against clearly superior players in almost every single game. Even in the games where we’ve played relatively well, our attacking players wasted chances to win and our defensive players made costly errors which lead to us leaking goals. There’s no strategy that can compensate for that.

We failed so badly because we got promoted to the Premier League and signed a bunch of mid-table Championship players, there really isn’t much more to it than that. There is no strategy on Earth that’s going to make these players competent at this level.

I probably wouldn’t be calling other people boring if I was sat in a pub and yet still having an argument with a stranger on an internet message board.

Interesting that you’d post that now and not after beating Real Madrid twice in the space of a week. They’re second and in the CL semifinals, he’s going nowhere.

I’m fairly sure I’ve seen the phrase ‘Russball’ used to describe about thirty different teams and managers this season. It seems to mean any passage of play involving a period of sustained possession. At some point we’re all going to have to admit that such a thing was not invented by, nor is it exclusive to, Russell Martin and that lots of managers like to pass the ball and retain possession.

Different team, manager and league next season, there’s no reason to think we can’t be decent. Sheff Utd fans probably said the same as you a year ago, they ended up doing the double over Wednesday this season.

Nobody is really going into the playoffs with any kind of form. Between the four of them, their last three games have been W2 D2 L8. Sunderland also have five straight defeats. Can’t see much beyond a comfortable win for the Blades.

I’m starting to think our team isn’t very good.

Given his age, I’d have thought he’d be more in the £40m-ish category and I don’t think we’d turn that down. The team will need restructuring for the Championship and having five £15m players would be a better balance than having two worth a combined £70m.

Loads of people say this but United beat us comfortably 2-0 earlier that season, with Fonte and Virgil both playing. That said, we’d all rather have him than Stephens.

What is it specifically that you want them to say?

If the Blades don’t win the playoffs, and I can’t see it not being them, then whoever does is going to get an absolute walloping next season. As bad as this season’s promoted teams have been, we (and Leeds) were in a sub-league above the likes of WBA and Norwich last year.

Probably why we’re spending a reasonable amount of time and money researching it.

I didn’t say it helped us but if he performs well in the IPL then he should more than hold his own against the likes of Middlesex and Glamorgan.

Even after the expected departures, we’ll still have one of the better Championship squads, compared to everyone else in that league. With some decent player recruitment we should be in the playoffs as a minimum, with the right man in charge.

Gaaaaah, I haven’t got to that part yet! 😡😡

The vast majority of managers in the Championship and below would want to come to Saints and manage the squad we are likely to have next season. That isn't going to be an issue.

Farke would probably do a decent enough job but I’d be curious to see if Rohl had a higher ceiling, personally. As it happens, I don’t think the former willing be sacked by Leeds, so it’s rather a moot point.

And was defeated by so-called ‘Russball’ on all three occasions when he faced it.

I’ve no idea what you even think those sentences mean.

You mean like we did in the first 14 minutes at home to Spurs?

I don't need to, I wrote it.

Why would you make up something like that? We spent over £10m each on Stewart and Charles last time, we'll clearly have the budget to bring in a handful of decent Championship players. If we sell AR, MF, THB and FD it'll be for significant money. Dibling could still fetch a decent price, even after a poor second half of the season.

I believe he's only contracted until 2026, so there seems little harm in letting him stick around to see if he might just get fit enough to score a few next year.