Saint86

Wellington is a liability defensively. Shocking. What the fuck was that through ball pass back. Just clear it FFS. Also, Stephens has already done one 2 armed push on the back of a striker off the ball in the box. Penalty waiting to happen.

Agree with on BBD. He's best played through the middle - all his best highlights from his earlier career are where he is played like that. He is not a wide player.

Can't-shoot-itis?

Are we playing Fraser as right wing back in a 5? Or is someone like Stephens / Quarshie playing RB in a 4? I am confused. If we wanted a proper right back or right wing back we'd use bree or suga?

Can only assume the club expected Fernandes and Dibling to leave, and therefore be flush with cash to go shopping. I was more concerned a few weeks ago when that seemed to be likely and there was limited rumours in the press. In fairness to Spors as well, if anyone thought we were going to get relegated (losing the prem related revenue streams) and be flush with cash to go on a shopping spree without some major sales, then i don't think its fair to blame Spors/Solak for fans' lack of critical thinking skills... 😅 As it is, we've shifted Ramsdales, Sulemana, Onuachu, Bednarek, SAA out for a combination of a transfer fee and removal of their wages. Simialrly, KWP, Lumley, Lallana, Ugochukwu, Gronbaek are all off the wage bill compared to last season. There is potential for Edozie, Smallbone, and Aribo to also be heading for the exits. Not to mention to infamous ABK... (dare we dream?) Against that, we've gained Charles (superb little player at this level), Edwards (promising young CB and competent at this level), Downs (promising squad player), and Quarshie (looks decent imo - and crucially lets us play a high line) so far. Crucially - we've kept what i would say is an important spine of the team in THB, Downes, and seemingly Fernandes. If we stopped here for "transfers" then frankly i would be delighted with the summer - we would have a very strong championship squad, will have kept our best players for a push on the prem, and will likely still dip into the loan market. Siting here now, it doesn't seem as unlikely that we somehow keep both Dibling and Fernandes. But if we do sell either of them, we can at least now see that we are being linked with some good calibre replacements. Equally though, its possible that the funds raised from selling the squad players (purple above) will be the sales that release the funds to sign the likes of Spertsyan (although unlikely) and we keep dibling and fernandes and strengthen. And even if we don't keep, who won't actually be happy if we do sell dibling and go out and buy Spertsyan and someone else like Rudoni and Scienza for example? And again - we still have the loan market to dip into. As it stands - i think we're on the cusp of a very good window. A lot of deadwood cleared out (a few more to go mind), a strong squad for the champ with a good core of young players that can develop and hopefully get us promoted and go on to mount a successful relegation defence next season.

Yes, its all being played out openly in the press which is a giant "come and get me" plea. If no team he wants more than Saints moves for him then he's ours, but otherwise i feel like we're being strung along. If anything, maybe we need to issue an ultimately and move onto other targets. The reality is he's far too good for our level. I never even considered we could get someone like him in the champ - and that alone makes me suspicious. It may be that we're being used as bait for bigger fish, and it maybe that if they don't come in for him that we'll land him - but equally he could just settle for a bumper new contract... Fingers crossed we get him at any rate.

Watching the west brom vs wrexham game. In fairness to Fellows, he's got enough about him that he'd step up if put in a better side. Could be a decent option for us if the price is reasonable.

Leeds are not staying up. The only way any of them make it will be if wolves/brentford implode (may happen), or if west ham/everton etc drop into the mix (unlikely imo). Originally i thought burnley had the best chance of the 3 - on the basis that they'd stay in games and give themselves a chance. But they've lost their keeper and don't look as solid. So if any of them stay up, i think it will be Sunderland atm.

The EFL - "You must be confused sir. We don't know anything about any potential overspending at Leicester, and certainly nothing that would require punishment."

I would actually quite enjoy a retro football manager game - with the league structures, finances, and wages etc. from back in the day - crucially before it became the rigged big business shitshow that it is now.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday evening funnily enough.... so i guess we either beat Ipswich and the dream is real... Or the fact that all their fans think they'll lose and we think we'll win and get promoted means "same old same old" will set in... and we'll lose (As you say) 😄

Ipswich fans all predicting they'll lose....

He was more of an inside forward? i.e., Playing on the right channel and running towards goal to attack the box/goal directly? as opposed to hugging the touchline and being focussed on taking on the opposition LB and getting in behind / to the byline for crosses back across goal etc. Don't get me wrong, i think he can do that job again and be useful, but i suspect if we play him like that under Still we'll do it with 5 at the back and the two wing backs providing width (more like a 5-2-2-1) than we will a 4-2-3-1 (which was what Saintant was discussing) with Armstrong as an out and out winger - we just don't have the wingers atm, and we aren't really being linked to them (with the exception of that brief rumour about Fellows). Personally, i would much prefer us to be playing as a 4-2-3-1 with out and out wingers. Our strongest area of the team is central midfield (downes, charles, fernandes). And it would allow us to field a solid enough back 4 with lots of depth. Based on transfer strategy though, we seem to be ditching wide attackers, stockpiling CBs and stockpiling central attacking players / inside forwards - that suggests to me that the main tactic is likely to be 5 at the back - or that we'll see it a lot this season anyway.

We only have 2 wingers in the squad pretty much (JayRob and Fraser), BBD and Amrstrong are not proper wingers, Edozie and Sulemana are being pushed out / sold, and Dibling is as well by the looks of things. We've not been linked with any out and out wingers (even Spertsyan and Rudoni are predominantly central players). Obviously things could change, but we don't look to be prioritising wingers. We look like we're targeting attacking versatility with the names linked (i.e. players that can play wing but prefer CAM), but i don't know if i'd expect to see us routinely lining up with proper wide men as it stands - which is odd to me as i was expecting Still to play with wingers when he joined.

Then they'll just fiddle a swap deal down the line or something and we'll get stitched up...

Incorrect.

😂 Also, surely the mighty blue few weren't leaving when their team was only a goal behind 🫣

Think there is genuinely something in this. Bazunu and Stephen's are currently off the menu... Our fanbase needs someone to have a go at - so up steps downs 😫

His movement, hold down play, and passing / lay offs are the bits that impressed me before we signed him. He's best with attacking players around him for support.

As requested 😅. A good old embarrassing cup upset is a delightful way tor revisit this thread after last season 😆

Just use my eyes rather than adopting the logic of some of our more toxic fans of blaming young players.

The Wrexham chance he was fouled 🫠

Just watched a highlight clip of the Wrexham winner. Downs is clearly/blatantly pushed over with an arm in his back for manning's cross. Doesn't get picked up on / complained about because we score anyway, but don't be too hard on the lad. Also, by Phill "cry me a river" Parkinson's logic, that is a penalty and a straight red for the Wrexham player? Right?!

Portsmouth lolololol 😂

Watched the pens on Sky, fair play to Bromley. Morale must be suffering at Ipswich coming off of last season. If we can somehow get a win out of them it may start a mini crisis at the start of the season.