Saint86

Last time we played 4-2-3-1 consistently in the championship, AA was the top player in the league for combined goals and assists. This isn't aimed at you, but the "doesn't fit the system" argument is just not true.... unless of course we're reverting back to a 5-2-2-1.

Well, we'll see I guess... that is the great adventure that is being a Southampton fan (especially under SR) 🙄🫣. At least the last 3 matches we've broadly adopted a square pegs, square holes approach to matches... So you'd like to think we haven't just sold AA (who can play RW), to replace him with this guy who is a blatant target man that we'll then play on the wing instead.... So hoping we see more of the same re players playing in their actual positions and at least with peretz at the back we seem far more solid.

A summary of our business... I guess ultimately we've done good work to thin the squad/wage bill, and have strengthened in the GK department (which truthfully is probably worth more than AA's goals Vs Stewart/cerin's for the rest of the season). Presumably now we will see edozie reintegrated as an option on the wing (which is badly needed), and I guess we all hope that either Stewart can stay fit and firing for 19 more games this season, or that Cerin does...

I've calmed. Plus sides, he is a big physical centre forward that will provide competition/depth for that role. His highlights reals do show there is a player in there who can be a menace and finish in and around the box, and that he'll get in the right positions - we've just got to get him firing and confident somehow. He is going to have Azaz, Fellows, and Scienza feeding him and playing off him - and they are 3 very good players for this level. So he should occupy defences and he will get service (i am prepared to accept that i may be reaching here).... But ultimately, he'll want to do well to get into the world cup team for Canada, a lot of championship defences are pretty damn poor, and this guy is joining with absolutely no expectation other than for him to be shit - so he can't really disappoint at least (silver lining).

Azaz is a very good creator in midfield. I think in a 4-2-3-1 he'll start to get more of the ball in the positions we need him to, and with the likes of Scienza, fellows, (edozie?) and JayRob running off him (the latter 2 as subs) it should hopefully open up more chances for us. How refreshing is it to finally see us playing the correct formation (pretty much) for our players?!?! What that chart really highlights is just how good Tom Fellows is frankly - he's the saints player in the bottom right and it shows how good he is at beating his man and getting in effective crosses, from positions where most players do not manage it (and he's played RB/RWB most of the season).

Armstrong clearly wasn't one of the bad eggs imo. He came out a number of times to lambast standards and lack of effort, ran his socks off every game, looked pissed off over the bad run of form, and was stand in Captain for Stephens. Smells like a tactical PR leak tbh. Also, if he did get involved in a dressing room row over the shit period of results we've just been on, then fair play to him - or is it okay for the fans to tear into SR's poor performances and their tactical inflexibility, but not okay for the players to say it isn't good enough? Personally I'm sad to see him go, even if he isn't quite good enough for the prem (which ultimately isn't his fault, and may have been partly due to lacking quality around him). He has been fantastic for us in the champ and gave us all very fond memories from Wembley with a very well taken and important goal. Very uncertain as to how we will replace his goals and assists going forward, and if we don't go up then we've directly strengthened one of the main promotion contenders next season for a bargain price.

Don Cortese could put a good word in for us / a well placed horse's head.

I'm not happy about the AA out / donkey in transfer, but apart from that, I can't grumble about the players out. We are very light up top though.

We can only hope.

Clubs being interested in him doesn't mean anything to saints. This is what Gemini came up with when asked the unbiased question of "whether Larin is good enough for saints". Doesn't sound like his match fitness / sharpness is up to much either tbh. Who knows. Maybe fellows, scienza, and azaz will feed the donkey... Tbh I am more concerned that we have no cover for those 3 than the main striker. At least AA could have filled in on the wing - looks like are only plan for that is to rehabilitate edozie, which we're only doing because no one else wants him and we basically can't give him away 🤣

Immediately a better option that Larin... Although he's have that by default by not being (called) Larin.

No thread on Larin yet - which says it all. Archer and AA out, and this joke in as the only replacement, SR really are fishing for flack form the fans. Shocking bit of business.

In fairness to them. The likes of AA, Aribo, Bazunu, Macca, Edozie, Edwards, BBD, Archer are not "the family jewles". Scienza, Fellows, THB, Charles, Jander, and Azaz are - and we seem to be keeping them at least. So with the departures, it does allow a better restructuring in the summer and a chance to more efficiently allocate money where its most needed. Unfortunately we'll also be on our last year of parachute payments and facing a far harder championship next season.

No Chez, there are 19 games left.

This is a nonsense take imo. Its not remotely obvious that we can't go up this season, and the money we spent was proportional for the sales made. We are still only 7 points of the playoffs with 16games to go, and we have so far massively underachieved - we've finally switched to a back 4 and have 7points out of 9 including tricky away games at fratton and stoke. We have hands down one of the best squads in the league (before SR seemingly gut it on transfer deadline day). And the only saving grace is that we finally seem to have a quality keeper in to help at the back. But what we seem to be intent on doing here (Archer, AA, Aribo, Edozie) all leaving with a bang average 30year old journeyman striker coming in (who even RVP couldn't get firing in a weaker league) is promotion suicide. Everyone can see we need to strengthen ideally, but to weaken ourselves and remove essentially all attacking depth is mental. If this really is the direction we're taking then its SR panicking and pulling the plug on a promotion push and trying to grab as much money as possible this window - Which would be a gross error, as if we do get ourselves into the playoffs, we'd be favourites to get through them. Its that or they actually think we the squad is good enough to get promoted even if we sell every other striker and leave ourselves with only Scienza and Fellows as competent attackers with reliable fitness. And on top of that, if we aren't going to get promoted, the entire fanbase would be livid at selling AA to wolves in the summer for £7M - he'll be once again one of the very top goal and assist players in the league this season. We are not replacing that for £7M this window, so may as well keep him, let him play for his move in the summer, and maybe get a promotion out of it. As for Blackmore's post - Downs or BBD coming back in from their loans? FML, really?! If only there was a league 1 top scorer who loved southampton and who we had a buy back clause for... Better yet, if only we hadn't sold him to make way for the likes of Downs, BBD, Archer, Stewart, and now this failed journeyman to get some minutes.