Saint86

That was the badge 50 yearas ago...

Agreed, and yes £93M (essentially every year in the champ you deduct £22M off the £105M allowable 3-year loss for the premier league). I haven't deep dived in to specifics on wages. Fully acknowledge that we made that profit through extensive transfer sales - but sales are only part of the picture - and we did cut a huge amount of the wage bill (especially if we didn't have a lot of / key relegation clauses. From Gemini (so I've not checked this) but our wages in 22/23 were £107M. For 23/24 it was "around £50M". Our revenue in 23/24 was £85M - down from £145.5M (so a 60M saving required). Ignoring the outstanding debts (for which we know the interest payments were significant, and the has now been restructured), the wage to turnover restructure wasn't far off what was required. Just looking at player changes across the seasons: Notable exits (i.e., off the wage bill) between the previous prem relegation season and this summer: Alcaraz Mara Lyanco DCC Perraud Stu Armstrong Che Adams Lavia Livramento JWP Tella Djenpo Orsic ABK (i assume he will be off or loaned again next season - i.e. not on our books). Onuachu - ditto Diallo Walcott Caballero Salisu Elyounnoissi Notable replacements in that time (and lets make the assumption that this lot will be on collectively far lower wages / have relegation wage clauses): THB (starter) Downes (starter) Fraser (😐) Ramsdale (key player obviously) - Added this season - Assume of all of them he's probably on a fair packet but will surely have relegation wage (and likely release) clauses. Archer (champ starter) - Added this season Fernandes (key player) - Added this season BBD (😐) - Added this season Suga (probably a good champ player?) - Added this season Edwards / woods / Sanda (Suspect one of these will be a starter) - Added this season - assume all on comparatively very low wages anyawy Taylor (😐) - Added this season Wellington (good squad player as a minimum for the champ) - Added this season Manning - starter Stewart (😐) - calling him a squad player and lets see if he can manager to stay fit ey? So i think its clear that that "firesale" resulted in a serious amount of wages that have been cut, especially if even a small number didn't have relegation clauses, and its left us with the basis for a competitive championship promotion team. And this probably isn't an exercise we need to repeat (at least not significantly). Especially when you consider the players that are likely to leave this summer that overlapped the the previous championship season (ignoring Fernandes/dibbling/Ramsdale). Onuachu - played no part and was on loan, expect him to go this summer. Sulemana - essentially played no part, expect him to go this summer (wage saving) ABK - played no part and was on loan, expect him to go this summer. Macca/Lumley - both can go for all i care, with a replacement coming in (surely on less than macca). Bednarek - Has he already been replaced? Eitherway, will be wage saving. KWP - must be one of our highest earners - Needs to be replaced but will be a significant wage saving Aribo - Rumoured to be one of our highest earners - Needs to be replaced but will be a significant wage saving. Brooks - "available" wages from within that £50M champ budget Rothwell - "available" wages from within that £50M champ budget All in, i really don't think we're in a bad spot and certainly should be able to improve on the team we had in the 23/24 promotion season 😊

Whilst i agree, we have to be in far better place this window than after the previous relegation. Wage wise, all players should have relegation clauses in their contracts (allegedly not the case previously), and on top of that, a lot of our main squad earners will be the same as the last season in the championship - THB, Downes, Aribo, Armstrong, Charles, Manning, Bree, Sulemana (to be sold), Stewart, Edozie, Baz, Bednarek (to be sold), KWP (will leave), Onuachu (to be sold), smallbone, Taylor (assume will leave), Fraser (probably stuck with him), Dibbling (low wages or high fee if sold), ABK (should leave). I'm aware some of those were also loaned out previously. We're pretty much got the last promotion winning side already on the books without such a major financial shock and requirement to shift players, plus there will be young players coming through that we can use to supplement it, and there will be loan options again i suspect (i.e., minimal transfer costs for some positions). Ramsdale and Fernandes are the two bigger money additions since last time around - personally i would love to see the club keep both of them. I think we're also sat fairly pretty under PSR as well - Are allowable 3-year loss under PSR will be £61M at the end of the coming 25/26 season. We turned a profit last year, and you would like to think we may have turned a small profit (or at least not accrued a huge loss) this season just gone. PSR 3-year window: 25/26 - TBC 24/25 - unknown (but prem broadcast money available) 23-24 - £5.7M profit ------------------------ 22-23 - £87M loss The major point here, is that we shouldn't have to sell to balance the "PSR" books this time around (i.e., to counter that £87M loss in SR's first season) to avoid sanctions. Also, just for reference: Parachute payments 25/26 - we receive 55% of the premier league's equal share broadcast revenue (circa £48M). 26/27 - we receive 45% of the equal share. 27/28 - crucially we won't receive a 3rd year of parachute payments as we were only in the league for 1 season. As above, you would like to think that most of the players have relegation wage clauses of circa 50% (or similar) this time around, and fundamentally, most of our core squad next year are the squad from the previous championship promotion season - which all in will mitigate the need to do so much forced/rushed transfer dealing. I would like to think we're in a much stronger position to go for promotion this time around, but equally i think it will be very tough league - expecting Ipswich to bounce unless they lose McKenna. Sheffield united should be very strong as they've already had any relegation shocks and have Wilde (for now), and Birmingham have a very strong squad assembled in league 1 without the same PSR rules.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2025/06/12/sheffield-united-sack-chris-wilder-new-owners/ Fantastic news imo.

I think he'd be a great signing. Surprised we could land him in the championship. He'd be a proper CF for us tbh - he got a good mixture of strength and control, his movement and link play are pretty solid, and his finishing is decent. Would be a good fit for the way Will Still's sides have played. But i am sceptical we would be an attractive enough move for him, let alone if we can afford him. Think he'd make a very tidy partnership with Armstrong playing in and around him.

Judging by the fact the same account is saying we've made a 30m euro offer, and then references a post saying it will take 20m euros... It doesn't seem the most reliable link i've come across 😅

Happy with Spors so far. He's clearly been given the remit to direct significant change within the recruitment of the club (which was badly needed) - and since he's been in he's ticked every milestone i'd have set him (scouting setup rebuilt and structured seemingly quite well, took his time on what looks a good manager hire, and made what looks a decent young signing). In summary - finally looks like SR (Solak now lets be honest), have put power in the hands of proper footballing people.

Flipping that - he's very versatile for championship level - which may well suit Still's more adaptable footballing philosophy. Agree otherwise though - big wages, average at prem level, and he isn't getting any younger either. Feels a sensible time to sell IMO.

Joking aside, he'll do well there and suits them for where they are at (they shouldn't have got promoted really - and its an achievement for Jones and his (pretty dire) football/tactics. The fans love him, they don't have much money, and at this level his football is effective - They should be favourites to come 24th, but i suspect he'll keep them in the mix and wouldn't be surprised if he kept them up. He was still an awful manager for saints, and his PR side is shocking for any club that has the media exposure of being in and around the top of the championship and premier league.

If this was true, Saints' wouldn't have sacked Martin - the key figure in implementing that strategy and signing the players 😅

Charles was one of the best CMs in the league last season. We aren't putting a very competent and promising CB in CDM to replace him.

Yes - and tbf that point was said a lot on here as well. I was listening to the Second Tier podcast from a couple of weeks ago. They were raving about Ipswich, and saying how their business last summer was specifically geared to replace their league 1 players with a championship dream team for this season - on the basis that they would get relegated and need to go again. In some ways (and i don't think its by design), our business has worked out like that - Edozie, Charles, Edwards, THB, Downes all look to be quality players for this season coming. We still have Armstrong who was the best attacker in the champ last time out (and who can certainly play high energy pressing football - Hassenhuttle signed him at the end of the day). And tbh, i personally think players like Bree and Manning and smallbone are good enough to be the weaker starting 11 / squad players in our side (and we will blatantly strengthen in general vs all of the above as starting 11... If we somehow keep Ramsdale and one of dibling/fernandes i think we'll be sorted for automatics personally.

Looks monstrous, albeit in the French league - seems to win basically any cross, through ball, or loose ball that comes near him.

High press. Onuachu. 46 game season. I'll have what you're smoking 😜

There has always been a pecking order in football and that will always be the case. Even liverpool get picked apart by Real Madrid etc. But I struggle to see a world in which the owners/board, backroom staff, and players of VAFC don't want it to do the best it can!! It helps VAFC, it helps the wider group, and if there is a situation where we have all 3 clubs in the top flight of their respective leagues it would mean a lot of quality things have happened.

Whenever anyone asks this question, this is my immediate thought. Very special.

Edwards, THB, and Quarshie - we're going to be great next year 🤩

How do RoI players get on at rangers?

I get the loss of "fan affinity" for the side, but then equally, is it any different to having some random owner come in that has no affinity to the club? At least you're getting an established club/ownership group in those examples - people with resources, ambition, and know how. Strasbourg were taken over in June 2023 after finishing 15th in Ligue 1. Prior to that they were generally a lower mid table club in Ligue 1 over a fair few seasons, and then before that they spent most of 2006 to 2017 in the 2nd and 3rd divisions. Since the takeover they've had 2 seasons, both of which yielded and improvement in league position - finishing on the 15th place of 2023, and they've just qualified for Europe this season. Seems a bit strong to write a letter over the #Senseless recruitment... Maybe they want to try out Sports Republic's recruitment for 2022-24 ffs. As an aside, if we've just loaned SAA to chelsea for sod all money and he comes good i'll be doubly annoyed. HCDAJFU!

Stockport to get promoted from League 1 this season i reckon, would give them an outside shot at being champions without the mega millions of Brum and Wrexham. Only question is whether luton decide to spend or not.

Sorry but statistical data is objective, or at worst and honest attempt at being as objective as its possible to be. Its the interpretation of data that is subjective. But is there a parallel universe i'm missing where data lies but a random scout's interpretation of a players finishing (insert other attribute) is entirely objective and factual - as opposed to not being remotely subjective based on that scout's own limited experience 😂? Also, what do you mean, "done from a video signal" - are we meant to be banning scouts from using video analysis now?! I really don't know why this is so hard for some people to accept/understand - if clubs want to look at a given player in a given league, then stats like xG (and conversion rates) can give them a broad overview of players that perform well at finishing criteria (as an example). It could similarly be progressive passing, interceptions, heading stats, ball carrying etc etc etc. Its not like they then don't go out and marry that up with traditional scouting work on identified players - it just lets them cast a wider net with less resources. At the end of the day, whoever reviews video footage, writes match reports, and/or reviews the data puts their own subjective stamp on it - you just have to hope they're suitably qualified to do that and to know why they're using those tools in the first instance.

I agree. Red and White shirts with dark blue/navy shorts/socks/detailing is what i want to see us in for a bit. We just look like sunderland/stoke/brentford/sheffield the rest of the time. We have a legitimate basis to use a unique colouring in the football league.

Alcaraz didn't suit our system, but that was Martin's fault frankly. He was one of our most talented and dangerous players, but Martin was too inflexible to be able to utilise him. As an aside, just imagined Le Tissier being coached by Martin, and i think its safe to say he wouldn't have become the legend he was from the bench and being told to pass the ball backwards all the time.

What?!?! Its pretty much what you're describing - a tool to review how someone like Haaland's (and assumed better finisher for your example) has a higher xG conversion rate in comparison to another player in the same league, i.e. vs someone like Shane Long (and assumed poorer finisher in this example). That's all it is, a metric to showcase how well strikers get themselves into goalscoring chances in matches under a given manager / tactical setup, and then how well they convert those chances vs similar players. I daresay that clubs have access to more detailed data, such as xGs and conversion rates in different areas of the pitch / different feet, heading etc. In the same as they'll have their own way to measure "progressive passing", and then highlight who can do it successfully. Is xG the be all and end all? Obviously not - as with all stats, it comes down to how the user makes use of the data. But frankly anyone who just decides to ignore the available data is either a superbly intuitive scout, or is just being foolish imo.

The issue for me is that saints have been too volatile lately. What level players are we trying to sign for? One minute we're championship looking young potential players, the next minute we're after players with experience who can battle to help us avoid the drop - and who is identifying and signing these players (huge change at recruitment and management level). The business model would have made more sense had we been an established premier league side looking to recruit players that can become top half prem players and push us into european contention, similarly we would be able to send out our own promising kids to the other leagues for experience. As it is, our kids are being poached by the established clubs and/or we seemingly don't trust them to risk them in promotion / relegation battles, and on top of that, Ankerson and Kraft dismantled our existing recruitment structure - the same one that got in players like KWP, Tino, and Lavia. Sports Republic have shat in their own bed so far, multiple times. People are enthusiastic about Spors because he's so far made all the right moves re repairing the damage that SR have previously done to us - i.e., restoring our scouting and recruitment teams to something resembling the norm for a club of our size. If only it had been done sooner rather than us spending hundreds of millions thinking we had some novel football geniuses at the helm who could reinvent football recruitment with a teds talk