Saint86

He won't blame himself. Far rather just disrespect and generally name call anyone who agrees with his own viewpoints. 😅

Not sure if misreading this, but how can you even imply Che hasn't progressed? He's a good player for us and has developed a lot since he's been here. But yes, armstrong looks a player. On paper he ticks all the boxes you could want when making a signing from the championship. Obviously you never really know until they get to play a run of games. But I am very excited by the link to him.

Love it 🤣

Yeah because the club would never talk utter bullcrap until season ticket deadline day to con fans. Also, wait, we signed vestergard for £22.5m?!?!? According to trasnfermarket he is our record signing 😅 with Ings and Carillo just south of £20m.

Yeah exactly. Those fans have misjudged him imo - as proven by him signing for a superior squad. Do i think Perraud will be an upgrade for us, hopefully yes.

I hadn't realised Leicester missed champions league. Brilliant 😆 But yes, a top 5 team in europe wanting Bertrand 100% invalidates my point 🙄

"Not good enough" for some saints fans - signs a 3 year deal (effectively) with a champions league team. 🤣

Come now, you're being disingenuous, its "the land of dugouts and floodlights".

Personally think those are horrific.... what are you guys on? 😅 Or is that the point? Maybe they'll grow on me i guess...

Not sure I agree with that. Tella would be a starting CAM i hope next year (over redmond/djenpo/walcott), with Stu being the other. Adam Armstrong would be signed to play up front with Che or Ings, with obafemi possibly still being here as another option. With our finances, we don't sign a player like Adam Armstrong (with his goal scoring record) and then play him out of position... (or at least i bloody hope not!) Also, i think its very unlikely that we end the transfer window with both vest and ings - happy to be wrong.

I always assumed that was Obafemi's role? I think if we buy Armstrong, it is to replace Ings. I am fairly comfortable with the prospect of Armstrong and Che upfront, with Obafemi as a pace option.

We'll sell ings i think - There is no other legitimate reason we'd be sniffing around Armstrong otherwise (not with our finances). Personally, i'll be happy with that trade off as I think Armstrong is a great prospect and younger. Vestergard is also seemingly off as well? (based on the total absence of any noise re a contract extension and him entering his final year) - although given that, you'd hope we're signing 2 wing/full backs and a CB as a minimum.

Agreed.

I don't think many of the current issues are on Gao, he let's the club get on with running itself by and large. The issues like with the awful transfer policy that saw us destroy our team, saddle us with debts, and sign players like lemina, hoedt, Ely, carillo, etc. For tens of millions and on long contracts. Not only that, but offering long high wage contracts to players like forster, and appointing awful managers like puel and mope. As far as I am concerned, gao's tenureship got rid of the cancer that was Les Reed, Krueger etc, and has somehow kept us in the prem. We were an utter train wreck of a club in recent seasons thanks to that cabal of utter morons. And being relatively stable in the prem is no small achievement. There are worse things. Expecting a rich billionaire to come in, buy a struggling debt laden Premier league team, and poor tens of millions of their own money into it, just isn't realistic. I'm the grand scheme of things, there are far far far worse owners than Gao out there!

When is black joining?

Any word on the away kit? I was looking at the store and noticed this on the infant / baby page: https://www.southamptonfc.com/store/clothing/baby-infant/saints-away-kit-babygrow/c-1/c-266/p-1592 Fairly sure there was no yellow / blue kit babygrow there for last season 🤔

You'd need all of those signings to pay off immediately or be staring at relegation.

He'd be a steal at £15m and I'd bite their hand off for a player of his level for that much. Sod the contract situation.... If he is available for £15m we should just pay it and run before someone else comes in! There aren't many players like him in that price bracket, miss him and who else are we signing.

Don't forget Smallbone who Ralph has mentioned in numerous pressers as someone he's missing!

If anything he is too tall - which will impact negatively on his balance and agility. Fortunately our forum's black spot experts have already demonstrated 5'10 is the required height for top class full backs.

Seriously poor decision. We have Macca and Forster who are a similar standard and certainly not much better than Gunn - both of which are getting on and will need replacing.

BLM is significantly divisive. And people behaving like this is point in case.

She isn't a nice bit of work lets be honest 🤷‍♂️, but then she's also not unique in that regard when it comes to extreme political activists. Who knows, maybe she'll be lucky enough to make a fully recovery, adjust her outlook to become less angry and intolerant. What was a good gesture was all the clubs etc boycotting social media to make a point about social networks harbouring racists. That wasn't politically aligned, it was stronger communal action by the football community, and its didn't draw any negative fan pressures. Funny that. Like it or not, the issue here is BLM UK perceived messaging in football, and by attachment, kneeling down and raising a fist. That and people's inability to have a respectful conversation with those of a different outlook rather than insulting each other.

I agree. But to add to the recruitment at older ages part - this doesn't change the fact that a given 12year old player would have been recruited into a poorer youth setup re coaching quality, facilities, and youth player quality/ability wise. There is no way an 12year old coached at a poorer level for the first few years has the same chance of reaching an equivalent level as one who gets top quality coaching since the get go. This is where we have been coming from in all reality. And yes, the club don't openly say that, but there have been signs that they know it an acknowledge it for a few years now. Not least by the way we have been picking up older players that don't make the grade elsewhere. I think the fans have to be realistic about this. It simply isn't a reasonable expectation that a club that went through administration and time spent in league 1 and the championship is going to keep churning out youth players with the same success we had previously. But it is the club ethos to develop young players, and hopefully that is where we get back to.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hpaOEA-4l0-37iiJjt3DXpgkTel6VGOU/view Ranks in the lowest 10% of full backs (from the big 5 leagues) with regards to attackers dribbling past him. Quality. Although he is good at dispossessing players during a pressing action and comes top 6% for tackles per game. I guess this is fine provided we are always attacking and pressing the opposition and he never has a skilful winger running at him in a defensive position..... ^_^ Weakest 8% of full backs for aerial duels - no surprise there. Dribble success rate in the bottom 35%, but does gets a lot of crosses in Reading that, he's basically a winger with a some semblance of defensive play ^_^ Almost like a good valery 🤪