Cam Bragg

[SaintNewForest]

What an impressive season hes had, really. 

From last season when he had a disastrous loan spell af Crawley. Didn't find a loan move in the summer, no sniff of the first team and just seeing his contract out, and then Blackburn away where he was thrown in unexpectedly and it was a disaster  

Fast forward to now and he's just dominated the premier league leaders, having looked solid in all his games since Eckert took charge. 

Just goes to show the value of patience and faith in a young player, and that you can't judge a player based on a failed loan. 

[Patches O Houlihan]

16 minutes ago, SaintNewForest said:

Just goes to show the value of patience and faith in a young player, and that you can't judge a player based on a failed loan. 

The loans system is a bit weird like that:

Bree & Charles played great on loan, played great with us

Ronnie Edwards played great on loan, not so much with us

Bragg - not great at Crawley, doing great so far

I think it must really depend on the circumstances of the player and the destination club. So many ways it can not be a great fit. Having someone who can consistently get young players loaned to the right clubs would be a considerable financial advantage to the club in the long run.

[Patches O Houlihan]

16 minutes ago, SaintNewForest said:

Just goes to show the value of patience and faith in a young player, and that you can't judge a player based on a failed loan. 

The loans system is a bit weird like that:

Bree & Charles played great on loan, played great with us

Ronnie Edwards played great on loan, not so much with us

Bragg - not great at Crawley, doing great so far

I think it must really depend on the circumstances of the player and the destination club. So many ways it can not be a great fit. Having someone who can consistently get young players loaned to the right clubs would be a considerable financial advantage to the club in the long run.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

His Blackburn appearance epitomised the Saints season at that stage. Absolute shambles. Recall he was thrown on without a name on his shirt which just about summed up where we were. Then he had a start with Tonda and everyone thought that was a brave move by the manager and Bragg didn't do much wrong. To yesterday when without Downes I thought we would struggle but he looked really solid. Really pleased for him.

[ally_uk]

Thought Bragg was brilliant 👏  

[Turkish]

Just now, ally_uk said:

Thought Bragg was brilliant 👏  

As I said the new new Michael Carrick. I used to think he was a great player and should have been in the England team. Sort of player every team needs, not spectacular but keeps a team ticking over with a great range of passing. I see him developing into that role over the next year or two

[AlexLaw76]

Bragg is a good player. Neat and today and picks up good positions

[Toadhall Saint]

Was excellent yesterday. 

[Patches O Houlihan]

16 minutes ago, SaintNewForest said:

Just goes to show the value of patience and faith in a young player, and that you can't judge a player based on a failed loan. 

The loans system is a bit weird like that:

Bree & Charles played great on loan, played great with us

Ronnie Edwards played great on loan, not so much with us

Bragg - not great at Crawley, doing great so far

I think it must really depend on the circumstances of the player and the destination club. So many ways it can not be a great fit. Having someone who can consistently get young players loaned to the right clubs would be a considerable financial advantage to the club in the long run.

[SNSUN]

13 hours ago, Turkish said:

As I said the new new Michael Carrick. I used to think he was a great player and should have been in the England team. Sort of player every team needs, not spectacular but keeps a team ticking over with a great range of passing. I see him developing into that role over the next year or two

There's a worst case scenario this summer that if we don't go up we could lose Downes, Charles and Jander to other clubs. Having Bragg around would definitely lessen that loss. Not that I think we will lose all 3 of them but it's possible.

[davefizzy14]

Cam Bragg was class again last night 😊 so calm and composed on the ball.

[so22saint]

I thought Bragg was great, and a mate pointed out today that we played 5 a side with his Dad (as did anybody at JD Fives at Eastleigh) 🤣

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

Gonna be needed next season when Jander and Charles have gone. 😐

[Obstacle1]

The loans system is a bit weird like that:

 

Bree & Charles played great on loan, played great with us

 

Ronnie Edwards played great on loan, not so much with us

 

Bragg - not great at Crawley, doing great so far

 

I think it must really depend on the circumstances of the player and the destination club. So many ways it can not be a great fit. Having someone who can consistently get young players loaned to the right clubs would be a considerable financial advantage to the club in the long run.

[SaintsRoyalty]

Average Joe in league 1 if he reaches his ceiling. Charles came on and scored the winner. Still waiting for apologies from a number of posters who laughed at me saying Charles should be playing ahead of him. As if anyone needs to point that out. 
 

Bragg is basically the new Bazunu. The penny takes longer to drop for some of you.

Edited April 6 by SaintsRoyalty

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

5 minutes ago, SaintsRoyalty said:

Average Joe in league 1 if he reaches his ceiling. Charles came on and scored the winner. Still waiting for apologies from a number of posters who laughed at me saying Charles should be playing ahead of him. As if anyone needs to point that out. 
 

Bragg is basically the new Bazunu. The penny takes longer to drop for some of you.

??? Odd post. Bragg has done well and is growing as a player I feel. 

Charles is ahead of Bragg as a player currently and Tonda is tweaking the team on a weekly basis. 

Was there many people laughing at you saying Charles should start ahead of Bragg? I don't recall people saying that on here. 

[saintant]

Cam Bragg makes the game look very simple which is a sure sign of a quality player. He does most things really well but one of the things I like is the way he closes down our opponents passing lanes. There will be big clubs looking at him soon. 

[SaintsRoyalty]

20 hours ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

??? Odd post. Bragg has done well and is growing as a player I feel. 

Charles is ahead of Bragg as a player currently and Tonda is tweaking the team on a weekly basis. 

Was there many people laughing at you saying Charles should start ahead of Bragg? I don't recall people saying that on here. 

Had about 10 posters put laughing emojis next to my post saying Bragg shouldn’t be playing ahead of Charles. 
 

He looks competent because he doesn’t do anything other than pass the ball sideways. So many poor footballers hide thanks to doing nothing remarkable so fans think oh must have had a good game, didn’t see him. Just like when a surprisingly large group of fans thought Bazunu was competent because he rarely got tested in Martin’s propaganda possession football. You all can bookmark my posts for a year’s time when the penny has dropped that Bragg is actually pretty poor at this level and was only getting a game because he brought an apple in for Tonda when they were in the u21s.  

[washsaint]

Just watched his interview from last night on the Saints website.  He comes across so well and seems incredible he is only 21 (and that was last week so happy birthday).

I really have enjoyed seeing his progression this season.  Charles always gets a lot of plaudits but Bragg's efforts were superb last night.

Always in the right place to receive the ball, passing the ball well and some real bite in his challenges.

Hopefully, both him and Tonda get big contract extensions in the summer.  Bragg is developing into a real quality player and did not look out of place against Arsenal.

[Sparkkyy]

33 minutes ago, washsaint said:

Bragg is developing into a real quality player and did not look out of place against Arsenal.

Third tier player according to some.

[wild-saint]

On 07/04/2026 at 19:18, SaintsRoyalty said:

Had about 10 posters put laughing emojis next to my post saying Bragg shouldn’t be playing ahead of Charles. 
 

He looks competent because he doesn’t do anything other than pass the ball sideways. So many poor footballers hide thanks to doing nothing remarkable so fans think oh must have had a good game, didn’t see him. Just like when a surprisingly large group of fans thought Bazunu was competent because he rarely got tested in Martin’s propaganda possession football. You all can bookmark my posts for a year’s time when the penny has dropped that Bragg is actually pretty poor at this level and was only getting a game because he brought an apple in for Tonda when they were in the u21s.  

Fuck me thats total bollox. Sideways, the boy is always looking to play forward when he can in my view. you profile on X must be issy Prada who posts identical shyte.

[Paul_B]

On 05/04/2026 at 09:42, Turkish said:

As I said the new new Michael Carrick. I used to think he was a great player and should have been in the England team. Sort of player every team needs, not spectacular but keeps a team ticking over with a great range of passing. I see him developing into that role over the next year or two

Only just read through this thread and funnily enough that's exactly what I thought last night watching him. Understated but you can tell he's got quality and a good engine.

@SaintsRoyalty You've obviously got some sort of personal vendetta against the lad, with your repetitive shite about him. Just because you called out Bazunu does not make you an oracle 😂 Good effort though.

[trousers]

15 minutes ago, Paul_B said:

Only just read through this thread and funnily enough that's exactly what I thought last night watching him. Understated but you can tell he's got quality and a good engine.

@SaintsRoyalty You've obviously got some sort of personal vendetta against the lad, with your repetitive shite about him. Just because you called out Bazunu does not make you an oracle 😂 Good effort though.

Vendetta? Nah, "it's just a different opinion, innit..."

[Danbert]

I personally don't see anything special about him, but he's definitely an improvement on Romeu who, when his signing was announced, this forum was convinced was the saviour who was going to turn our gang of pussies into real men and save us from relegation 🤪

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

1 hour ago, Danbert said:

I personally don't see anything special about him, but he's definitely an improvement on Romeu who, when his signing was announced, this forum was convinced was the saviour who was going to turn our gang of pussies into real men and save us from relegation 🤪

Its called the Henderson effect (when he's called up to the England squad).

Romeu is whipping them all into shape behind the scenes!

Seriously though, Bragg is competent and growing. Any experience he can get off Romeu then thats good.

I wonder what happened to Sesay? As pre season he looked like a tidy player. 

 

[spyinthesky]

19 minutes ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

Its called the Henderson effect (when he's called up to the England squad).

Romeu is whipping them all into shape behind the scenes!

Seriously though, Bragg is competent and growing. Any experience he can get off Romeu then thats good.

I wonder what happened to Sesay? As pre season he looked like a tidy player. 

 

Johnny,

How strange, that was a question I was pondering about on another thread.
Will be interested to have feedback on Sesay from anyone ITK

[St Louis]

I've also been really impressed with Bragg's strength, given his slight stature. I was watching players bounce off of him last night, and he got between opposition player and ball so often and more often than not shielded them off and came away with the ball.
That's pretty impressive for someone so young (and small) and relatively new to first team football. I think he is a player that could see even more improvement in the coming years as he matures (with experience) and bulks up.

[SaintTex]

2 hours ago, Danbert said:

I personally don't see anything special about him, but he's definitely an improvement on Romeu who, when his signing was announced, this forum was convinced was the saviour who was going to turn our gang of pussies into real men and save us from relegation 🤪

Mission accomplished, Romeu. 

[SaintsRoyalty]

10 hours ago, wild-saint said:

Fuck me thats total bollox. Sideways, the boy is always looking to play forward when he can in my view. you profile on X must be issy Prada who posts identical shyte.

Never had X. Would you play him over Charles? Simple yes and no answers from all detractors on here.  

[chiknsmack]

56 minutes ago, SaintsRoyalty said:

Never had X. Would you play him over Charles? Simple yes and no answers from all detractors on here.  

Charles is Premier League quality, in his third full season in the Championship. Bragg is in his first Championship season having started the year captaining the kids under Eckert. Charles is the better player now and has the higher ceiling.

Would I start Bragg over Charles? Yes, in exactly the situation Tonda did against Arsenal (Charles having played 90 minutes in the last game before the international break for just the third time since spending three months out injured, having played during the break for NI, and wanting him to be available to play 90 minutes against Wrexham three days later in what was, at the time, a theoretical playoff six-pointer).

Do I think Bragg has a League 1 ceiling? No, and anyone who does deserves all the derision they receive.

You're not a genius for thinking Charles is better than Bragg. You're a clown for thinking Bragg's ceiling is lower than the level at which he's currently performing.

[EssEffCee]

Charles and Bragg are different types of midfielders in my view and shouldn't be competing with each other for a place. Bragg plays the same role as Downes whereas Charles likes to drive forward more similar to Jander.

I don't think anyone would argue that Charles isn't the more accomplished player at this point,  but Bragg has been excellent this season for his first season at this level and his age, and wouldn't rule out him becoming good enough for the top flight in time.

He's already proven to be better than L1 level imo.

Edited 8 hours ago by EssEffCee

[Give it to Ron]

8 hours ago, SaintsRoyalty said:

Never had X. Would you play him over Charles? Simple yes and no answers from all detractors on here.  

It wasn’t a simple yes or no why he started v Arsenal was it but you can’t understand why can you?

Did he pinch your girlfriend because your hatred is not rational - go watch his performance against Charlton away if you think that was league one standard you have a grudge for some reason other than a fans view.

Im not saying he will make it as a Prem footballer but league one when he already shows he can play Championship is bonkers.

Football is about a squad and Bragg is a good Championship squad player 

Edited 8 hours ago by Give it to Ron

[trousers]

63

[Sir Ralph]

Bragg is a PL level player or will be in my opinion. For his age his movement to space, reading of the game and passing accuracy is very good and better than a few more experienced PL midfielders I’ve watched

[revolution saint]

I've been impressed with Bragg too and hopefully he continues his progression.  FWIW I think he's played better in his first full season than Charles did when he first signed for us.

[UpweySaint]

1 hour ago, revolution saint said:

I've been impressed with Bragg too and hopefully he continues his progression.  FWIW I think he's played better in his first full season than Charles did when he first signed for us.

Charles showed glimpses but really dropped off IIRC. I remember thinking he looked good as the anchor man but wobbly at centre back. The Sheff Weds loan looks like a really good decision in hindsight.

It’s hard to project Bragg’s ceiling but he has had such a good season considering his start point. I don’t think many would have had much hope for him being able to come into the side and put in the kind of displays he has.

The either/or question strikes me as a poor attempt at a wind up. Bragg not being a more complete midfielder than Charles at this stage in his development is not a helpful measure. Charles is an established international who has been player of the season for a championship side. Bragg is making a breakthrough after a stop start development. 

Edited 4 hours ago by UpweySaint

[pimpin4rizeal]

Tbh he looks pretty average to me, don’t see any attitubutes in him that are superior to the likes of downes jander or Charles and he’s pretty small and weak looking too . If we get promoted I actually think we need more physical midfielders  then downes and jander too 

Edited 4 hours ago by pimpin4rizeal

[pimpin4rizeal]

5 hours ago, Give it to Ron said:

It wasn’t a simple yes or no why he started v Arsenal was it but you can’t understand why can you?

Did he pinch your girlfriend because your hatred is not rational - go watch his performance against Charlton away if you think that was league one standard you have a grudge for some reason other than a fans view.

Im not saying he will make it as a Prem footballer but league one when he already shows he can play Championship is bonkers.

Football is about a squad and Bragg is a good Championship squad player 

Not really wanting to take on this argument but just because Bragg is doing a ok job in a great Southampton side  where he is surrounded by quality for the league players doesn’t really make him a good championship player .. do you think he would be all that if you threw  him in Portsmouth or Blackburn teams ?

Edited 3 hours ago by pimpin4rizeal

[Give it to Ron]

1 hour ago, pimpin4rizeal said:

Not really wanting to take on this argument but just because Bragg is doing a ok job in a great Southampton side  where he is surrounded by quality for the league players doesn’t really make him a good championship player .. do you think he would be all that if you threw  him in Portsmouth or Blackburn teams ?

Yes because those are more League One teams 🙂