Saint86

Had to check this. He played 14min for spam in the first game of the season. Hadn't realised that. Shame as he could do a job for us truth be told.

JWP recalled from Forest - do we have a loan spot free still?

Harsh narrative imo. He cost relative peanuts, is a polish international, and has been here for many years now - he's put in some good seasons in that time under ralph / martin (i.e., promotion) that make up for the fee. Surely the real reason you're directing your ire at him is because we've spent tens of millions on defensive players since and its all been pissed away (i.e., bednarek is still the best we've got 🤣) - but that isn't bednarek's fault.

I don't know, that isn't up to me - but we don't need people like that putting their own negative spin on things for a wider audience. Rumour spreading like that finds its way into wider circulation over time. I also find it hard to believe you're okay with this particular example given you're usual exacting standards.

Charlie Wyat sounds liike a right bell end has to be said. Literally twisted what Juric said to an entirely different meaning just to create a very negative angle and get some bites. Need to lose people like this from around the club tbh.

That was also my reading 😅

The January window is obviously something of a damp squid, but it has made me wonder about next season. Does anyone have a feel for what our wages to turnover ratio is this season? I've seen it reported that the club has sorted out any serious financial concerns re wages and that we've got headroom for next season. I'd like to think that most of our players have relegation clauses re wages as well. The squad is currently too large regardless and i think everyone will agree it needs thinning, but you'd like to think that even with pretty major cuts to the playing squad we can still can put together a very solid side for the championship next year. My assumed list of retained players As a minimum i think we'll be looking at something like the following being retained: GK - Bazunu, Macca, Lumley CBS - Two of THB/Bednarek/Stephens, then Woods and Edwards, Sanda potentially. Full backs - Suga, Bree, Manning, Wellington, Larios CM - Downes, Smallbone, Shea Charles Wingers/Attacking mids - Fraser, Edozie, SAA, Lallana i'd guess. Strikers - Arma and Stewart (I'd like to see us sell him but it isn't going to happen is it 😅😂). We also potentially have a couple of the Goztepe players to come in - Juan and Matsuki. Likely exits/sales I think we'll likely see most of the following moved on / hitting the exit door. I've tried to put indicative numbers against each of them - i'm sure people will have differing views on these but i've given a rounded down figure at end of this post. Ramsale (£25M), BBD (7M), Archer (£15M) , Onuachu (£7M), Dibling (£50M), Fernandes (£20M), Sulemana (£10-15M), Aribo (£5M), ABK (5M), Taylor (£1M). What will be required Looking at the squad from a championship perspective, I think i'd want to see 1-2 good quality additions in the attacking mids/winger positions (rather than quantity), as well as a good quality striker, possibly an improvement at FB/WB as well. I feel that would see us being very competitive for the automatic spots. Loans (with / without options to buy should aid this as well). And where i say "quality" in the above, these need to be players with the ability/potential to improve / step up into the prem and continue to improve and develop. Similar to what the likes of lallana, Morgan, Puncheon, Jose, Rickie did for us previously - i.e. the recruitment team need to actually going out and identify and buy good quality younger players with an ability level near to a Fernandes (who we signed for 15M euros) this summer. In terms of looking beyond promotion and building a team that can not only get promotion but survive - this should also be supplemented by strengthening the positions that are currently not good enough for the prem as it stands - i.e., we should be looking for a player who can become a prem standard CM, an upgrade at CB, and someone who will become a prem standard keeper (assuming ramsdale does leave that is). You'd like to think we'd have a healthy wedge available - The sales outlined above should bring in circa £130-£140M at the end of the day, hopefully wages are in good order, and we've secured parachute payments. It may also require Solak to dip his hands in his pockets a bit to make sure we land on our feet and don't waste what is going to be one of our last chances to get recruitment right.

This basically.

He's a far better manager than Nathan Jones for starters, and with greater experience and pedigree. As for the squad.... Its dire quality wise and full of bloat, it absolutely needs dismantling and rebuilding by the end of the summer. If juric is going to be our manager next season and doesn't fancy the likes of Archer then so be it. Its not his fault that he's not good enough for us in the prem, he's isn't contributing to our season currently, and i've got no issue under those circumstances loaning him out if it means more money which we can use to get players we actually want in in the summer or when a new DoF is involved.

Bit harsh on stu, he's 32, knows the club, and always did a good job for us when he was fit. You could see his passion in the game where it all went wrong and he was giving his all, almost scored, and how upset he was when he went off injured. If he hadn't left this summer, the fans would have been happy he stayed.

Snap their hands off for that. He gets champ experience in a promotion side, might help leeds get out of the division (a good thing), and we save his wages (maybe a small fee as well). Win win all around.

Should get him back on a 2 year contract given we'll be playing in the champ again next season... He was one of our best players last year (in and around injuries). I guess it depends what we do with Lallana.

Hah, whilst funny, it was 1-1 when he went off injured...

Justin Bijlow came off injured (again) tonight. Honestly astounded we didn't sign him 😄

I for one would be interested to see how he gets on without suicidal defences playing in front of him. He's had two seasons with saints - one being the absolute car crash relegation from the prem (and when he was very inexperienced himself), and the other being Martin's transition and then total adoption of propaganda football.

Good post MLG!

This has been the case all along - although he was worn down by the end, certainly not helped by the time he worked under SR and the total train wreck they made of recruitment and the coaching side of things, plus the flack he had to face with the fans because of it.

I think that Solak is in control now and the influence of Rasmus and Kraft (obviously) has been seriously reduced. Solak made the decison to buy us under Ralph - and the more we've abandoned that style of play the worse we've been. I like Juric and i think he's got what it takes, but i have a reservation over whether his reputation / relationship with the fans will be too badly damaged by the summer... Imagine if we don't win another game... okay its not his squad, he didn't preside over the summer window etc. But are we happy if he gets less points the Martin for example? He could very much find himself on a sticky wicket with some of the fans by the summer - and that is no way to start a promotion campaign.

I was quite happily reading my way through Turkish and SOGs relationship drama and the hoover reviews without batting an eyelid.... until you provided a timely snap back to reality there Erwin! 🤣😂.

Doesn't include agents fees so i doubt very much that we've turned a proft. Also doesn't include costs associated with manager changes or other behind the scenes staff. Reality is that we're both hamstrung by new PSR rules (and so can't really compare to the likes of forest etc.), and by that covid loan. Like it or not, promotion was probably more important for the long term financial stability of the club more than it was about having to stay up - hence some of the buys like Woods/Edwards and preparing for another year in the champ. We've also had/have a bloated squad full of bad / inappropriate buys that has to be reset - likely at a loss (the likes of mara, abk, onuachu, bazunu etc).

I really do think we're going to go down with the record low points total - to the point where i have absolutely no doubts about it at the moment. I don't think we'll win another game all season - or if we do, it won't be until later on when other teams are essentially on holiday with nothing to play for. We simply don't score enough, our defence has more holes in that Henry's bucket, and the rest of the league is currently so even that everyone is up for 3 points vs dreadful little Southampton. Its actually got to the point where teams have to beat us because it would be embarrassing for them otherwise... As far as our squad is concerned, the belief and passion has gone, they look like they're essentially going through the motions each game - they'll have a go at attacking, but are ultimately waiting to concede or have a bad ref call against them, before their heads drop and we get beat. They've also got nothing to play for as relegation is assured. The grim fact is that most of them have already embarrassed themselves and terminally damaged their careers in so far as their premier league credentials are concerned - and they know it - and i also don't think there are enough leaders in that squad to make them seriously play for pride. Its a bloated squad with too many journeymen and a few ego players that just want out (and you can't even blame them). There are 2-3 you could say that actually genuinely seem to care and are appalled at what's happening. THB one of the most notable. Grim times. The club has had worse seasons off the pitch - but as far as on the pitch stuff goes, this season is unlikely to ever be topped. At least in the seasons to come we can remind future saints fans that things can always be worse ey?

A scar that many will never recover from? Come on mate behave with the hyperbole. This club almost went bust 15years ago, we had "save our saints buckets" all over the city, players' contracts were running out in the summer, and we were starting on - 10points. If it happens, it happens, but it would take a special level of victimhood to wear it as "a scar" that the club will never recover from. I think it much more likely that the club and fans would bounce back from it with a determination to not let it happen again and turn it into something good - that is much more in keeping with the club. See response to the 9-0 Leicester game, the response to league 1 - 10points, the response to the last relegation and our support last year and selling out season tickets this year. Saints never do anything by half measures - and that includes relegation from the top flight - we don't go down in 18th or 19th, we go down rooted to the bottom 😂🤣. A little less feeling sorry for ourselves please. Let's just get the season done and start looking bad building for the future and get some optimism and determination back into the club. It's also one of our strengths and weakness as a fanbase that we never over react to anything (good or bad). We stuffed Sunderland 8-0 and had Sunderland fans walking back to the station telling us off for being shit fans and not celebrating enough 😂🤣. We stood by ralph after that 9-0 vs Leicester etc. But similarly we don't demand enough from the team and players which differentiates us from larger clubs.

Not acceptable for the players to just drop their heads every time it starts to go against them. It's just disgusting and hugely disrespectful to the club and players. 3 games in a row now where they tekoarioy give up and concede goals in quick succession - fans need to start really getting on them, it just isn't acceptable.

Ah yes, you are right re his contract. Signed it Feb 23 through till 2026 initially. The kid is still only 18 turning 19, he will physically continue to develop and he's played half a season of senior football. It surely goes without question that he'll play more minutes for us in the championship than he will in the premier league for a more established side - That gives him the perfect opportunity to hone his skills and develop his physicality vs senior players. A year developing and building confidence, likely winning promotion will do wonders for a 19/20year olds development compared to squad minutes in the prem. Although he may equally get a tasty move abroad instead. Its all likely quite academic - if he won't sign a new contract he'll be sold this summer like as not. And if the club is in turmoil on and off the pitch he's far less likely to stick around.

Its almost like MLG only read the the first sentence of Gio's post before trying to criticise him. Totally missing the fact that Gio had gone on to mention Lesley, and that in fact MLG is basically just agreeing with Gio#s sentiments. Bit of a woopsie moment really 😰.