UpweySaint

I hope so. I don’t like Armstrong as a 9, Mara needs a loan or to be sold, Stewart is an unknown quantity. I also like the option of two up up which has suited Che in the past. I guess a lot depends on who we can shift and how much budget we need for elsewhere.

I agree for the most part. I’m happy with Che staying on the proviso it’s him plus one - I’m keen to see what Stewart can do when fit too but it’s a risk to rely on him too heavily. I don’t mind Bazunu but get the opposing views. Macca is okay but a loan with an option would be good to see if we can get a genuine no1 for this season as a minimum. Delap I like. The price is high considering his goal return and he is raw but £15mil seems to be the going rate for potential these days. Ings? I don’t know about attitude (some have really slated this) but he knows where the goal is and I could see him doing well in our system - his movement, link up and finishing are assets and we don’t really rely on pace which he lacks. I quite like a lot of our recruitment so far. We’re being sensible and pragmatic. I honestly don’t know if it will be enough but you can see the logic whether we beat the drop or not. KWP or a top class replacement feels essential to both systems we have used. I’m not wholly convinced Aarons is the answer but he has the right profile and arguably hasn’t yet met his potential.

Hate to say it but Ipswich are doing (on paper) some good business - the four players they have signed/are hoping to wrap up are all players I would have been happy for us to sign though as others have said our previous mistakes are haunting us. if Ornstein is right that we had a bid accepted for Delap then hopefully it shows we have a few quid tucked down the sofa for a striker. Hutchinson, Delap, Philogene and Greaves for somewhere around £75mil is a big outlay without any transfer fees in but fair play to them - they are well backed and have PSR room. On a side note their no1 from last season has turned down a new deal so I expect they may also need to spend a few quid to get a proper replacement in. We are still a well coached side and it’s early in the window so we’ll see but at the moment I’m struggling to see three teams I am confident we can finish ahead of. Ideal world we can shift the likes of ABK, Sulemana and Onuachu for a few quid and add a bit more quality in the squad in key positions. I like Charly but if he doesn’t fit our set up and we could see a good return from him I can see him being moved on.

Twins finally in bed and sleeping and I've missed us going one up! Any decent streams appreciated please, talksport alone is anxiety inducing.

After some advice please. Coming up to the game from Dorset and expect to be in not long before kick off (first antenatal class in the morning). Any sensible parking suggestions where I'm likely to get a space and be able to get over to the stadium in under 20 mins? Getting away afterwards isn't a major concern.

Well balanced post. Yesterday was a fiasco but the wider context is important and the short termism of some, while not surprising, is disappointing.

Plenty of suggestion that we actively tried to do so with Roberts and the Villa lad strongly linked. Either way our wide options should arguably be plenty good enough for us to challenge at this level.

An ex saint in the 18s and 19s too in Max Alleyne and Jimmy Jay Morgan. Seems to suggest we're developing promising talent again.

Fair based on the dross Everton served up today but the squad/toxicity he has inherited would have been tricky for any manager to do much with. FWIW I think they'll come down this year along with Luton and Sheff Utd though if they keep above the dotted line it will largely be because the likes of Wolves have fucked up or Fulham fall apart without Mitro up top. 17th would be a good season for them, much like us they've been circling for a good few years and are weighed down by a cycle of woeful recruitment and muddled squad building.

To an extent yes, if we're not the most physical we will always be vulnerable at set pieces. That being said with some organisation and intelligence we could be better than we are even with the limitations of the squad. Christ, we couldn't really be much worse!

I would suggest the merits of the line up would be better judged after the Norwich game. If we get a decent result the dross we served up midweek will feel marginally more justified. That being said are woeful ability to defend set pieces is such a frustration - at least we've recognised the issue and got a dedicated set piece coach in with a good reputation. The poor showing does illustrate the importance of keeping our best XI fit and firing this season. For such a big squad we are lacking in depth/quality for key positions. Until we've got past Sept and have time to bed in whatever new recruits we end up with things could be rocky. Provided we're still in touch towards the top of the table by Oct I personally would be happy. All the same fair play to Gillingham. It sounds like they had a game plan, worked hard and executed well. They've had a few tough years so good to see them on the up.

Early doors but this looks okay so far: https://cdn.sportcast.fun/embed77/?event=stack.html&link=1&domain=&force=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sportcast.fun%2Fnginx.php%3Fid%3D35&ask=1691179200&lgt=3

Such a bizarre one. Early days I was convinced we had another VVD on our hand, he was an absolute ball magnet. No clue what actually went on behind the scenes but all the conjecture seems to be indicative of a player who couldn't get his head right to reach his clear potential in his time with us. I do wonder if we'll ever get the full story of what went on for him. Hopefully we've included a sell on and he reaches his potential at Monaco.

I was planning on cancelling mine, when I went to do so I got a fixed £9.99 for a full year rather than £7.99 a month offer to keep my subscription. If you're a monthly subscriber worth seeing if you can get it cheaper.

Fair point. He's probably been tarnished a bit. Most of the team he was parachuted in to last season looked utter w*nk so deserves a fair crack next season, have to admit I found myself nodding along with the Bree is rubbish stuff. He's not as exciting as Tino but we are where we are as a club.

I've had some joy following the fb link without needing to log in: https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/video/live-goeztepe-vs-saints?fbclid=IwAR3z2qaDXuCLfXPYJuhos43wA__3a9ko9F1xuEhfF9QJu6ONCnX0qFihrko

Best of luck to him. It will be interesting to see how he sets them up considering they'll be one of the 'bigger' teams in that League and he'll have a preseason to bed in his ideas/influence recruitment.

I could be wrong but I think City have a 20% sell on clause so £40mil now would in effect be £32mil to us. Unless we're convinced his value would depreciate or he'd be disruptive if he didn't get a move I can't see any value in us selling this summer unless there is an offer that we're not convinced we could get next summer. He is too good for the championship but that doesn't change that we are (hopefully) in the driving seat to some extent due to the length of contract. Personally I would want to see any fee match or exceed the £50mil hail mary Chelsea threw our way before he'd even proved he could be consistent over a full season.

I get this but he is likely to hold value next year and is unlikely to be worth less than £32m to any interested party. Therefore for us, presuming we play hard ball, there is no incentive to sell now and weaken the squad unless there is an offer that exceeds that. I've seen £45m mooted as a value and given market rates/his high ceiling I don't think that's bad value for any club buying a player who could be a key part of their midfield for the next decade.

Selles is on a fixed term contract so it's not unreasonable for us to be exploring options for when that contract ends. A bit of transparency wouldn't hurt though if he is as in the dark as he is claiming. We could argue he is 'interviewing' for the permanent post while an an interim position but he has clearly not done enough to warrant the permanent post.

Really sound post. I think most saints fan are familiar with, and broadly supportive of, the supposed model but as you say the execution is key. We've made too many poor decisions both in the years preceding SR and in their time. We've obviously made one too many big mistakes in quick succession and it has really caught up with us evidenced by the dross we've served up most weeks on the pitch and the state of the squad/staff off it. While I'm not expecting us to walk the championship (losing is a hard habit to break) next season could be good fun if we get more of the big calls right.

Christ this is painful to watch. Not the first f*cking clue what the plan is here and I don't think the players do either. We're in miracle territory for the last 30.

Very very unlikely. Willing to admit I'm clutching at straws - I think I have been for most of the season to be honest! 😆 Lavia has everything about him to be world class. In the spirit of frantic straw clutching he is only 19 and has had one season of men's football. A second in a well coached (don't laugh), familiar side in a decent standard of competition (even ignoring Rasmus bullsh*t metrics) could be better for his development than a season potentially bench warming. Really depends on development pathways etc - the counter argument is somebody like Foden who has benefitted from a gradual introduction into a top side.

Something like, we agree to City activating their clause early with agreement for a 1 year loan? We lost out on being able to hold a bidding war but we keep Lavia for one more season. I think he's already too good for the championship but would have to start as a squad player at best in the type of sides who realistically would be going for him (top five/six clubs). I anticipate there is a valid question about what could be better for development - consistent games in the championship or training with top quality players and coaches with hit and miss game time.

It doesn't by itself, as you say big part of the reason we've come up short. Our best teams have had a blend of both and clear, coherent leadership which we've sorely lacked. I don't agree we need 5-6 but it depends what's left next year. A midfield of Prowse, Alcarez and Lavia is good enough. We should be able to put together a decent CB partnership from the bunch we have - they're internationals and with the right coaching should be able good enough for the championship. Baz has been thrown in to the deep end and in a proper side with a settled defence you would hope he might fare better but accept we could improve. Up front - the right striker would do wonders. We went big on tall Paul and I'm still not sure why. You may disagree but I fancy Adams to get goals in the championship but much prefer him in a two. I hope Ballard get's a chance to show if he's got enough next year. Probably a bit of an idealist w@nker but in lieu of competing for trophies which seems an ever distant prospect one of the few things that gives me a bit of joy being a saints fan is when we bring decent talent through the academy. Spreadsheet manager or not I just want to see somebody with a coherent plan and as you say ideally a big of experience! Ralph before the 9-0's scared the life out of him, Poch (probably loved a spreadsheet), Koeman (probably only had one to tally up the golf scores), Adkins ... Even Puel I sort of got it - didn't always like it but you knew what his plan was on the pitch. With the late stage Ralph, Nathan 'I don't recognise myself in this team' Jones and Selles I rarely have a clue what our plan is in games. I mean, Aribo starting today - why? Where did we see the goals coming from?