Ross Stewart

[Lord Duckhunter]

For a bloke who has been out so long I don’t think we could ask for much more from him. Whilst he was incredibly rusty & off the pace, but a couple of times (particularly when he got in behind them and slipped up) his movement was excellent. He made some runs that a proper centre forward would make, something we’ve lacked all season. IF and it’s an incredibly big IF, he can get himself fully match fit & remain so, he looks like he could be an asset next season. 
 

To criticise him for yesterday is pretty fucking ridiculous really…..

Edited April 27 by Lord Duckhunter

[spyinthesky]

I've said this previously but the Sunderland fans really rated him whilst he was playing in the Championship.

IF and its a big 'IF' he can get fit and avoid injury, he could be decent for us next season.

That said we do need someone better than BBD, Arma and Archer.

[S-Clarke]

I didn't remember him too much yesterday, but he wasn't terrible. The bar is very, very, very, very low though.

I'd like to say he needs a big pre-season to get fit, but the chances of him staying fit throughout are likely slim to none.

People seem to be incorrectly assuming he's a star Championship forward who tore it up for Sunderland though, but that's not really the case. His real impact came in L1 when they came up, he only played 13 (albeit fruitful) games in the Championship for them, so in my eyes he's not what I'd class as a proven Championship striker by any means. The club certainly need to go all out and buy a proper striker in the summer.

[Whitey Grandad]

He was up front on his own. That’s a lot to ask of anybody yet alone a player making a rare start.

[Graffito]

10 hours ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

For a bloke who has been out so long I don’t think we could ask for much more from him. Whilst he was incredibly rusty & off the pace, but a couple of times (particularly when he got in behind them and slipped up) his movement was excellent. He made some runs that a proper centre forward would make, something we’ve lacked all season. IF and it’s an incredibly big IF, he can get himself fully match fit & remain so, he looks like he could be an asset next season. 
 

To criticise him for yesterday is pretty fucking ridiculous really…..

That’s how I saw it yesterday. He’s recognisably a centre forward, something we’ve lacked. He’s rusty. I’m expecting him to improve. 

[Gloucester Saint]

14 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

I didn't remember him too much yesterday, but he wasn't terrible. The bar is very, very, very, very low though.

I'd like to say he needs a big pre-season to get fit, but the chances of him staying fit throughout are likely slim to none.

People seem to be incorrectly assuming he's a star Championship forward who tore it up for Sunderland though, but that's not really the case. His real impact came in L1 when they came up, he only played 13 (albeit fruitful) games in the Championship for them, so in my eyes he's not what I'd class as a proven Championship striker by any means. The club certainly need to go all out and buy a proper striker in the summer.

Yep, Ross has to be regarded as a David Connolly type bonus next season. If you can get some cameos with goals and assists in, great, but to expect more than 20-25 appearances with maybe half a dozen starts would be folly.

Edited April 28 by Gloucester Saint

[CampionSaint]

19 hours ago, spyinthesky said:

I've said this previously but the Sunderland fans really rated him whilst he was playing in the Championship.

IF and its a big 'IF' he can get fit and avoid injury, he could be decent for us next season.

That said we do need someone better than BBD, Arma and Archer.

Arma got 24 goals last season and was in the Championship team of the season.  I'd be inclined to get back Romulu from Gotzepe, sell Archer and get a goalscoring Winger to replace Sule / Dibling. 

[HKsaint]

1 hour ago, CampionSaint said:

Arma got 24 goals last season and was in the Championship team of the season.  I'd be inclined to get back Romulu from Gotzepe, sell Archer and get a goalscoring Winger to replace Sule / Dibling. 

Ryan Fraser 

[sockeye]

Hope he can kick on next year without injury. Has looked pretty handy every time I’ve seen him.

[Eric The Red]

He certainly looked sharper (and faster) yesterday. Loads of promise for next season, if he stays fit

[Nordic Saint]

13 minutes ago, Eric The Red said:

He certainly looked sharper (and faster) yesterday. Loads of promise for next season, if he stays fit

He showed us just how bad his finishing is, which is why he's never scored a goal in the Premier League and only 10 ever in the Championship. That header was the easiest chance any player from either side had all day. He's 29 this year and most of his career has been spent in the lower leagues, both here and in Scotland, and that's his level, even when he's not injured.

[ErwinK1961]

38 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

He showed us just how bad his finishing is, which is why he's never scored a goal in the Premier League and only 10 ever in the Championship. That header was the easiest chance any player from either side had all day. He's 29 this year and most of his career has been spent in the lower leagues, both here and in Scotland, and that's his level, even when he's not injured.

He’s only played about 12 games in the championship and a handful of premier league games after basically 2 years injured. Quite how you can make that determination on that basis is ridiculous.

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, Nordic Saint said:

He showed us just how bad his finishing is, which is why he's never scored a goal in the Premier League and only 10 ever in the Championship. That header was the easiest chance any player from either side had all day. He's 29 this year and most of his career has been spent in the lower leagues, both here and in Scotland, and that's his level, even when he's not injured.

He has barely played in the Championship! 

[Nordic Saint]

3 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

He has barely played in the Championship! 

Exactly, and at his age, that tells you a lot. He's a lower league player. The Scots saw plenty of him over the years. and if he'd been any good, one of the bigger clubs, like Rangers, Celtic or even Aberdeen, would have given him a chance. He might even have got a Scottish cap if they'd thought he was good enough.

Ross Stewart - Player profile 24/25 | Transfermarkt

[hypochondriac]

5 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

Exactly, and at his age, that tells you a lot. He's a lower league player. The Scots saw plenty of him over the years. and if he'd been any good, one of the bigger clubs, like Rangers, Celtic or even Aberdeen, would have given him a chance. He might even have got a Scottish cap if they'd thought he was good enough.

Ross Stewart - Player profile 24/25 | Transfermarkt

He signed for us just after he turned 27 which was pretty much the exact same age that Lambert was when he signed for us. Who knows how successful Stewart would have been if he hadn't had that horror injury. We should never have signed him but it is bizarre to suggest that he's poor because a big club hadn't come in for him given that our best signing in the last twenty years was in the exact same position. 

[Convict Colony]

9 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

Exactly, and at his age, that tells you a lot. He's a lower league player. The Scots saw plenty of him over the years. and if he'd been any good, one of the bigger clubs, like Rangers, Celtic or even Aberdeen, would have given him a chance. He might even have got a Scottish cap if they'd thought he was good enough.

Ross Stewart - Player profile 24/25 | Transfermarkt

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results

 

[OldNick]

2 hours ago, Nordic Saint said:

He showed us just how bad his finishing is, which is why he's never scored a goal in the Premier League and only 10 ever in the Championship. That header was the easiest chance any player from either side had all day. He's 29 this year and most of his career has been spent in the lower leagues, both here and in Scotland, and that's his level, even when he's not injured.

Im sorry but that is ridiculous, the header was not an easy chance, Archers was the easiest of the day, but took a great save to stop it

[NorthLondonSFC]

41 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

Exactly, and at his age, that tells you a lot. He's a lower league player. The Scots saw plenty of him over the years. and if he'd been any good, one of the bigger clubs, like Rangers, Celtic or even Aberdeen, would have given him a chance. He might even have got a Scottish cap if they'd thought he was good enough.

Ross Stewart - Player profile 24/25 | Transfermarkt

He has 2 caps for Scotland... 

[tdmickey3]

1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results

 

It is if you are Southampton Football club

[Andrew Watson]

Not good enough to score the needed 20 plus goal  in the championship and definately not worth keeping on the injury front either. [ I am aware he scored 10 goals in his first 12 championship games for Sunderland before injury.

[Gloucester Saint]

6 hours ago, Andrew Watson said:

Not good enough to score the needed 20 plus goal  in the championship and definately not worth keeping on the injury front either. [ I am aware he scored 10 goals in his first 12 championship games for Sunderland before injury.

As a main striker I agree but nobody is taking him with his injury so hopefully next season he is a David Connolly contribution with cameos of important goals inbetween injuries. One year left so might as well use him if fit.

[Saint Fan CaM]

2 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

As a main striker I agree but nobody is taking him with his injury so hopefully next season he is a David Connolly contribution with cameos of important goals inbetween injuries. One year left so might as well use him if fit.

Yeah I think he’s OK as a backup striker as it would appear he’s past the worst of his injury concerns, but we do need better. With one year left and injuries behind him, the club may feel it’s the right time to get some money for him - perhaps a Scottish team would be interested in ‘taking him home’?

[Lee On Solent Saint]

I'd be looking to move him on. The injury record is too much of a gamble, even as a backup. 

[S-Clarke]

2 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I'd be looking to move him on. The injury record is too much of a gamble, even as a backup. 

I'm with you to be honest, I can't get myself excited over a couple of cameos on the back of a pointless season. I think it's impossible to count on him because of his injury records, so at the absolute best he can only be a 3rd or 4th option for us next season. We need a couple of new CF's to stand any chance.

Counting on him will only lead us down the path of failure. No room for sentiment this year, new broom has to sweep entirely clean.

Edited May 20 by S-Clarke

[Oldandtired]

2 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I'd be looking to move him on. The injury record is too much of a gamble, even as a backup. 

The second sentence is why it's unlikely that the first sentence will happen.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

2 hours ago, Oldandtired said:

The second sentence is why it's unlikely that the first sentence will happen.

Possibly. The club should be honest with him. As S Clarke points out no room for sentiment. We were far too loyal to the promotion squad. Tell him he won't be a starter and that if someone does come in for him that's acceptable to all parties We won't stand in his way

[Lee On Solent Saint]

2 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

I'm with you to be honest, I can't get myself excited over a couple of cameos on the back of a pointless season. I think it's impossible to count on him because of his injury records, so at the absolute best he can only be a 3rd or 4th option for us next season. We need a couple of new CF's to stand any chance.

Counting on him will only lead us down the path of failure. No room for sentiment this year, new broom has to sweep entirely clean.

I'd hope conversations have been taking place already. Be absolutely crazy if we are relying on him as starter. 

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

5 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I'd hope conversations have been taking place already. Be absolutely crazy if we are relying on him as starter. 

But when you look at our front line this year of Tall Paul, Archer, earlier Adam A, Sulemana (you could add Dibling too) and Ross Stewart, who do you keep? None of them are particularly inspiring. I'd probably keep Stewart but bearing in mind he's made of glass, he wouldn't be my only option.

[S-Clarke]

On 20/05/2025 at 21:53, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

But when you look at our front line this year of Tall Paul, Archer, earlier Adam A, Sulemana (you could add Dibling too) and Ross Stewart, who do you keep? None of them are particularly inspiring. I'd probably keep Stewart but bearing in mind he's made of glass, he wouldn't be my only option.

Out of all of those, I think the guy with the most evidence for keeping him around is Arma. He has at least provided for us. 

Che was so important for us last season in a focal role though, he didn't score bags of goals, but he provided us an attacking structure when we needed it. Why we thought we could come into this season and not replace that is beyond me.

Hopefully the scouts have profiles in mind. Stewart can hang around as a squad player if he wants, but we need to sign starters.

[Appy]

He looks a hell of a lot better than Onuachu in my opinion, but that’s not saying much. 

[rooney]

Let us hope he steps up on Sunday v Arsenal as he did look sharper last week.

[BotleySaint]

On 20/05/2025 at 21:53, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

But when you look at our front line this year of Tall Paul, Archer, earlier Adam A, Sulemana (you could add Dibling too) and Ross Stewart, who do you keep?

And Bereton-Diaz. Who was so poor we all forgot he existed 

Edited May 23 by BotleySaint

[Sheaf Saint]

On 21/05/2025 at 22:18, S-Clarke said:

Che was so important for us last season in a focal role though, he didn't score bags of goals, but he provided us an attacking structure when we needed it. Why we thought we could come into this season and not replace that is beyond me.

17 goals for a second/support striker is a very decent haul IMO. Plenty of teams won't have got that many out of their top scorer.

[Gloucester Saint]

1 hour ago, BotleySaint said:

And Bereton-Diaz. Who was so poor we all forgot he existed 

If and when he finally scores for Saints (I think he’ll be gone over the summer to Wrexham or Brum) we can sing

 🎵 We Forgot, We Forgot, We Forgot that you were here 🎵 

[Hodgey]

The mistake saints always make is assuming injury prone players will get fit. I think we keep him, nobody will buy him and if he stays fit I think he will be an asset.

BUT we make the assumption he will barely play - almost think of it like he isn’t here and anything you get is pure bonus. That means we need to buy another Stewart type player.

Tall Paul and BBD I think we can lose - hopefully get £8-10m for the pair. Keep AA and CA - both are quick and can shoot which is really important in that league, defenders are nowhere near as quick and strong in the championship so they’ll cause havoc at that level if played right.

[Saint Fan CaM]

22 minutes ago, Hodgey said:

The mistake saints always make is assuming injury prone players will get fit. I think we keep him, nobody will buy him and if he stays fit I think he will be an asset.

BUT we make the assumption he will barely play - almost think of it like he isn’t here and anything you get is pure bonus. That means we need to buy another Stewart type player.

Tall Paul and BBD I think we can lose - hopefully get £8-10m for the pair. Keep AA and CA - both are quick and can shoot which is really important in that league, defenders are nowhere near as quick and strong in the championship so they’ll cause havoc at that level if played right.

I kind of agree with this, particularly keeping hold of Stewart to gain some ‘payback’, however there are two caveats or unknowns.

Whoever the Manager ends up being (likely to be Still) there’s a good chance we’ll be playing a different style of football (hopefully) and so would it be true that AA, CA and Stewart will fit the new mould? Maybe, but it depends on a number of factors, starting with the players ability to soak up a new system and deploy it within a new team setup.

Then there’s the risk of keeping a player beyond his useful sell-by date (not necessarily contract date) - i.e. is AA too ‘damaged goods’ now to be retained by Saints and/or does CA need a move to get his mojo back, because his form has fallen off a cliff? And are the players themselves telling their agents to get them out of the club pronto?

Worst case scenario, we may end up with just Stewart as a recognised striker - I dread to think how our season will play out if SR/the Club cock-up this window in that case. Their track record bringing strikers is let’s say…poor.

Edited May 23 by Saint Fan CaM

[Badger]

1 hour ago, Gloucester Saint said:

If and when he finally scores for Saints (I think he’ll be gone over the summer to Wrexham or Brum) we can sing

 🎵 We Forgot, We Forgot, We Forgot that you were here 🎵 

I suspect they'll be raising their sights a bit higher than BBD

[revolution saint]

I'd love to sign one of those tall rangy forwards with a bit of a  presence.  Someone with the same sort physical profile as Tammy Abraham, Broja, Toney (no, I'm not suggesting we could sign any of them, just someone who shares the same characteristics).  Not sure we will and we'd need to shift on at least BBD and tall Paul. 

I actually think we'll see a lot more of Archer because he's the best finisher and he probably isn't going anywhere.  He's relatively quick and (sometimes) has decent movement - pretty similar to Balogun  and Still did a decent job with him.  I think we're more likely to see changes and additions in the wide areas than strikers.

[Saint Fan CaM]

7 minutes ago, revolution saint said:

I'd love to sign one of those tall rangy forwards with a bit of a  presence.  Someone with the same sort physical profile as Tammy Abraham, Broja, Toney (no, I'm not suggesting we could sign any of them, just someone who shares the same characteristics).  Not sure we will and we'd need to shift on at least BBD and tall Paul. 

I actually think we'll see a lot more of Archer because he's the best finisher and he probably isn't going anywhere.  He's relatively quick and (sometimes) has decent movement - pretty similar to Balogun  and Still did a decent job with him.  I think we're more likely to see changes and additions in the wide areas than strikers.

We certainly need better than Sulemana and Dibling as providers - need to be of Fernandes quality. Most of all though we need a decent coaching team that know how to train the players to attack at pace and shoot on target. Trying to walk the ball through 11 players has to be binned or I’m in danger of losing it, which at my age is not a healthy option.

[Gloucester Saint]

2 hours ago, Badger said:

I suspect they'll be raising their sights a bit higher than BBD

In the case of Wrexham who will need most of a new squad, BBD would be considered quite a capture. Saints didn’t use him very effectively either but his form, after a bright return, for Sheff Utd was a real concern. 

[Sparkkyy]

He’s been prolific 

[coalman]

When we signed him to score the goals to get us out the Championship we had no idea they meant the 25/26 season. Such is the genius of Sport Republic's foresight.

[Convict Colony]

I've waited fucking years for this c*nt and i go away for 10mins and miss him scoring.

Seems he is hard to spot like Nessie

[Turkish]

Bro is cooking 🧑‍🍳 🥘