Saint86

I have wondered about this. A few things were said in one of Martin's press conferences/interviews that implied some players would be encouraged to move.

We're basically morphing into a 2022/23 Swansea level and style team...

Bit of a car crash let's be honest. We're gutting the team with the season already started and when we seemingly don't even need the cash. Board's words start to ring very hollow if Tino, lavia, JWP, sulemana, and presumably kwp/Adams all leave. We've not done anywhere near the right kind of business to offset that, and it's going to rip the heart out of the playing squad and any hopes for promotion. Sets the scene of every man for himself and the dross that lost to gillingham being left behind.

What config?

I don't know but its totally unacceptable. League 2 away ffs.

This is absolutely shocking from Martin i'm afraid.

Not with the bench we've got its not. Aribo, Onuachu, Edozie... hardly going to cut it playing martinball vs a lower league team. Onuachu would get on the end of some crosses, long balls etc but we don't play that way. Alcaraz probably come on to get kicked off the pitch.

Kids class, best nipper since the ox, theo, bale etc.

Just seen our subs bench... 😄

He wasn't excellent. He has minimal end product and no strength. He's excellent at beating a few men and getting towards the danger area. But what comes from it is far from excellent atm. Lots of potential though.

Well at least one of the comments above implies someone is watching it live.

Another fact, he's still only 28...

I agree with you and think thats the plan tbh. The pricing and overall strategy this summer has always felt like it was geared towards raising funds by selling lavia and clearing the bloat... Very notable that JWP didn't make a big deal of his standing ovation vs AZ Alkmar (when the opportunity was afforded) and he was played vs Wednesday, whilst Lavia has look half interested all preseason and was rested - similary pricing of the two set JWP as expensive and Lavia as a more tempting price relative to him. We're not going to be far off the midfield of JWP, Alcaraz, one of Charles/smallbone, and then tella/sulemana all starting games - which is filth for this level. Not to mention Stu, Edozi, Djenpo, and A-A) as subs. Its a better set of midfielders and wingers than we had for most of last season... If we keep ABK, Bednarek, and Stephens at the back (plus i guess lyanco at this point), and KWP, Perraud, Manning and Larios/Bree, the reality is its a very tidy side.... Do need to address the attack i feel. Can't see Adams staying with his contract situation, I can't see AA working with teams sitting deep against us (although that won't be every game), and Onuachu surely has to be loaned out if hes not in the manager's plans?

Yes. its actually almost ludicrous that a championship team can lose a player like Tino and it not detrimentally impact the starting 11. But for me its always been the case that KWP is the better player. Sadly i can't see us keeping him, and that will be a big loss - on his day he has been a cracking player for us and he's got a lot left in the tank as well. I would love the club to somehow tie him down to a new contract.

Thanking you kindly 🙂

Right. For those of us who no longer live in catchment for bbc radio solent... is there a way to listen to the match commentary for free? (i ask since they've seemingly now introduced charging for the bbc licence fee paid for commentary...). Or are there going to be streams? Thanks in advance

No, we probably want to sell lavia and being cup tied will have a small impact on his value i guess.

Agreed. Yes, a nice send off message from the club as well... certainly different from what others have had over the years 😄

I don't quite know how you're saying that, perhaps its a misunderstanding Manji? What i meant, is that we are many millions of pounds worse off on the revenue front due to a relegation and reduced TV deals - all of which came about through the awful management of the club last season. We might be able to ride it better than Leicester/Leeds (a silver lining of the recruitment strategy that relegated us - plus SR backing financially) - but no amount of positivity over the coming season should excuse last season's shit fest. And it sounds like you are falling into the trap of just blanking out that that we are fundamentally far weaker financially than we would otherwise have been? Like it or not, we are having to sell players and/or are at risk of selling some of our other best players, whilst equally we are a lot less attractive a proposition for own or for target players. Long term its a dent in our ability to effectively recruit and retain players, and ultimately therefore our competitiveness - which obviously gets worse the longer we're in the 2nd tier.

Hence the new set piece coach surely (or at least i hope that's on his list!) 😆

Yes, regardless of any positivity this season. Its important to remember that the fact we're in the championship, suffering financial pain, and losing players like lavia and tino, not to mention possible departures of JWP, KWP, Sulemana, Alcaraz, Tella etc, is nothing but an utter shitfest. I know we had a lot of injuries last year and late business throughout the season, but really is a trainwreck that we went down. Our starting 11 on friday (if lavia had played) would have been stronger than half of last season's....

If not, easy enough to get yourself on discord or similar, screenshare, and watch the game together. If sky and BT haven't cottoned on to that i reckon you're safe...

They're going to get relegated at this rate. European football, no Rice, no Lanzini, Antonio and Ings another year older, Scamartist out the door... And now they're signing Maguire with no other business in sight? Self harm central for their prem chances... (i know they're going to sign players, but currently it has all the hallmarks that they're about to engage panic stations, and commence a run of bad buys and wasted Rice monies.)

Will love it when he stays and leads us to promotion 😎

I don't think he will be going to West Ham, and certainly not for less than we want. We've sold Tino, we're selling Lavia, the pressure will be entirely on West Ham on this one and we'll be pulling their pants down if we do sell him. Its also entirely irrelevant whether people think £35M is a good price for west ham... We aren't desperate to sell so it comes down to how desperate they are for him (by all accounts they aren't) and whether we're happy with what we can milk them for re making a sale attractive to us. I personally think he'll still be here come the end of the window. I suspect he's done a bit of a mental juggle and decided that there is little point joining a club like Fulham vs staying until at least January with saints and potentially taking us up, probably a similar equation for West Ham tbh as they are not in a great place and have the demands of Europe as well (although they would be far more attractive than Fulham re prestige and opportunity). He will still be on a decent wage with saints, if we're on for promotion he knows he's got a good chance of returning to whatever he was on previously, and he has his rumoured highest earner clause. As a few footballing people have said, he might also enjoy winning week in and out and fancy his own "promotion moment" like Lambert and co before him. He is a Southampton man through and through, and his stated aim 2 years ago was for his son to see him lifting a trophy for saints. However, if a club like Spurs comes knocking he'll be very keen to take it obviously. There was an interesting comment that came out of the club that implied we may need to encourage people out of the club for the club's benefit, but i can't believe that was JWP related as opposed to numerous others. But who knows i guess. There is also no way he is making the euro's squad lets be honest. Philips played about 8min last season and still went ahead of him. He'll be behind the likes of Gallagher as well this year. His time in an England shirt is sadly finished barring a move to a top 7 side.