Saint86

Now that was absolutely unforgiveable by Flynn Downes. Just shocking.

Mate, put the agenda aside. Smallbone can't be goalside of him without playing him onside. Its on Suga for being yards off it positionally and not pushing up straight away.

Not really, thats all on the defender that didn't step up and played them all onside... Unless you think we should be trying to play an offside line by being goalside of the otherwise offside attacker... 🫠

Nah, no where near those levels. Love and light 😂

That sounds like a great way to damage your gears... Normally you go across (left or right) and then down (or up) to get into reverse 😬. Love and light 😘

No, he has a reputation for ruffling the feathers / upsetting mentally soft players fair enough, but this is all about a Flynn Downes attitude problem. He was reluctant to joint Saints as part of the JWP deal in the first place, he dragged his feet about joining after the play off win and over the summer, he's been a sicknote multiple times since he's been here, and now he's having a sulk... most likely because his best mate russ is gone and we turned down a move to Ipswich... And trying to dress that last point up as being on the manager is pretty silly as well - Players don't typically down tools and refuse to play because of a short term personality clash - it would damage their reputation in the game horrendously and be incredibly unprofessional to both the club as a whole as well as his team mates. And if indeed there is a serious personality clash and Juric doesn't like Downes, he'd have been out the door in January given the interest. "Jurić is a very “say it how it is” character within the changing room which has led to fallouts in the past with players who don’t respond well to this message, but it’s also the same characteristics that have developed players and really got the best out of them". The simple reality is a Downes is an uncommitted soft player who needs his ol mate Russ giving him a foot massage and whispering sweet nothings in his ear to feel like playing. If he can't sort this attitude out then we need to get rid ASAP this summer. And as above, i would imagine his standing in the dressing room is in a pretty terminal state right now regardless.

This post is wasted on the Skate thread. Gloucester Saints for DoF i say!

Wait a minute, we're operating from the viewpoint that we have 11 premier league standard players? Let alone in midfield, and let alone when Downes is sulking? 😄😅

Looks to have just scored the winner for Everton vs palace. But not good enough for saints 😂😂😂

More like the team that should have started now. But wasted 50min etc.

Any working streams?

Ramsdale KWP THB Bednarek Wellington Lesley Fernandes Dibling Gronbaek Sulemana Onuachu Slight tweak by pushing Fernandes into central midfield with Les still acting as the anchor. But that is personally what i would go with.

A couple of heavy metal football / metallica references in today's presser. At least he's likeable / makes a few jokes rather than spending mot of the time getting angry at the fan base, and/or being overly smug condensing.

I'd have him back in a heartbeat - waltzes into our side. Let alone in the champ. If he isn't getting game time at Spam under the new manager he will surely leave, and surely we'd be in the conversation in that case - would all come down to cost. But if there is a chance he's available this summer and interested in a return, and we then ignore it, then we really are run by donkeys imo.

I predict a tonking. I predict a tonking!!!! What do we reckon, 0-5? or do we think we'll score?

The championship net spent trophy won't win itself!

Agree with all of that. Fans didn't even boo at full time but the players absolutely deserve it for that shower of shit. They flattered to devieve today, and didn't really try/care. Almost like they're on holiday and waiting for the exits. Any other fanbase with give them both barrels and then some, but we just clap along like we're conditioned to it now. Eitherway we were outclassed by a championship team who had more shots on goal and a higher xG than us despite coming to park the bus. We won't be as strong as this next season, so it should be setting off serious alarm bells throughout the club and the fanbase. Question marks starting to appear over juric as well.

Between him and Charles, we've got a couple of very good championship players coming into the side in the summer.

I absolutely would not sell him to a championship rival. Scotland or Europe fair enough, but can you imagine him holing our promotion chance next year - either through significant goals and assists for another team, or more directly by sinking us in a game or 2.

I think we were circling the drain regardless, but ultimately that relegation led directly to the championship administration, then to League 1 minus 10... So i doubt we'd have had Leiherr's buyout and the Don in charge, no Lambert, Fonte, Nigel et al, no back to back promotions, no poch, not EFL tophy win, no 2014 buy and sell under Koeman, and probably no Europe and league cup final. So really, it all worked out for the best, and in footballing terms it shows that sometimes you really do have to hit bottom to come back stronger. Just a shame that we lost our way once Marcus passed and then under successive owners with poor investment - and more recently with investment but poor recruitment. But does give me faith that we'll come again.

Yup. Just like i remember everyone saying at the time how costly it was, and just like i think back to it even now sometimes when we let a late goal in. Not quite the same, but i also remember Doucoure's last minute hand ball equaliser for Watford.

Indeed, i know we're not ones to talk at the moment, but when was the last time QPR watched a competitive Premier league Hoops side at Loftus road? 😅

So... are you saying this is a bad game to take my 6 year old to? ^_^ I reckon Burnley will rotate because for them its all about finishing top 2. We won't rotate much because we need to actually get some confidence in the side, and we'll score 2 or 3 against them. Probably the most nailed on saints win for the rest of the season. Have i jinxed it enough? Ideal world, i look forward to an updated graphic that shows Games 32 | GA 13 on sunday morning 😆

I think this is overly pessimistic on a couple of fronts. CB wise: Personally, its unlikely that we chose to shift both THB and Bednarek in the summer. On THB especially, he's almost certainly got a relegation wage clause in his contract, and we've only just signed him this year (i.e., has a long contract remaining). If he does go we'll be able to set the price and presumably sell him for a profit (or chose not to) - and that money can be reinvested. I personally also think that Woods, Edwards, and one of THB/Benarek is a very solid set of CBs for the league. Plus we've got the somewhat hyped french youngster on the books as well (Sanda). Suga is certainly good enough for the champ given his pedigree. Wellington looks like he'd certainly not be out of place in the worst case. Plus we have Manning as LB on the books who is more than proven at championship level having already been in a promotion winning side. CM: Charles and Downes... if there is a better CM pair in the champ next season i'll be somewhat surprised. Not clear Aribo will be off - He's rumoured to be on high wages and would likely command a small fee (which can be reinvested). Smallbone is a good squad player for a promotion side as a minimum. At times he was very good for us last year as well, albeit in a different system. Attackers: Firstly, i think its very unlikely that we shift all of Lallana, Fernandes, and Dibling this summer. I think its even more unlikely that we shift all 3 of them and don't strengthen the attacking midfield significantly. We'll retain at least 2 of Armstrong, Archer, Onuachu, Edozie, Sulemana. All of which will be very good players at championship level. Whatever we sell here will be replaced with players of at least a similar standard imo (except maybe Sulemana). Don't forget, we have the loch ness drogba (rumoured to exist although sited very sporadically).... In all seriousness, i wonder if we can even give him away at this point. Loans: The club will certainly make use of the loan market again - which was particularly well used last season imo - And groanbaek and Lesley haven't been bad acquisitions this year either. At championship level, as a promotion chasing side, and with our facilities - we have surely got to be one of the most desirable places for the bigger clubs to send a promising u21 player next season. Edit - i've written off BBD - i don't think we'll see him in a saints shirt again due to the rumoured promotion clause in his loan, but if we do then he's a proven player at championship level.

Woah woah woah there woodsaint, hold your horses. We've done some excellent business for the group - signed a couple of really promising youngsters don't you know? Plus we've bunged our struggling french sister club 5Million smackeroos to get them climbing up the table. Its all coming together, you've just got to think long term!!!