Summer Transfer Window 2026

[Turkish]

1 hour ago, Matthew Le God said:

How does that help?

Leadership isn't shouting

You’re right the players you lead won’t listen when you’re shouting at your computer screen. 

[revolution saint]

23 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

You can be objective about shit performances and not boo those players.

I've never booed any of our players despite thinking that some of them are garbage.

It was a joke, but have gold star anyway.

[LegalEagle]

2 hours ago, revolution saint said:

We probably need a poll on this years whipping boy because at the moment, collectively, we're all over the place.  I've seen some blaming Dobbin, some Bragg and others Stephens.  I didn't see the Watford game so it's hard for me to judge but I don't want to go Saturday and find myself booing the wrong player.

After the game against Watford it was definitely Captain Jack. He had a shocker.

[Charlie Wayman]

4 hours ago, LegalEagle said:

I think guys we need to get a bit of realism here. Whether we like it or not we are not a massively attractive option right now. We’re bottom of the league and 7 points off the top two after one game. Our manager could still be banned or suspended. I think we’ve done remarkably well to hang on to most of what we had last season. I expected a huge exodus this summer and that hasn’t happened with just over a week to go until the transfer window shuts. I see this season as a consolidation year. If we get a top 8 place we would have done well.

Oh Ye of little faith, cheer up for goodness sake, the season is only one match old. 

[saintant]

2 hours ago, Ken Tone said:

Think the problem wasn't Bragg. It was the formation,  nearly 4-2-4 at times, without our usual "number 10" in front of the middle 2. Looked much better when we moved Leo back to the left and put Azaz on. Don't understand why we didn't play Dobbin at number 10.

Tonda did this a few times last season too, putting Azaz wide instead of at number 10. Didn't seem to  work well to me , but tbf I suppose Tonda knows a bit more about tactics than I do! 😉

This is spot on. It was the set up that caused most of our problems and hung Bragg out to dry. Leo doesn't understand the role like Azaz does which is why there were huge gaps in the middle for Watford to exploit. Unusual for Tonda to get it so wrong. No idea why Dobbin didn't play the Azaz role. Preston fans warned he doesn't tend to play well on the left.

Edited 57 minutes ago by saintant

[egg]

38 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

Playing Scienza and Dobbin in the wrong positions stank of the manager trying to be too clever.

Yep. Team selection was odd. You put your best wingers on the wings, and your best 10 as a 10. Scienza left, Azaz in behind, Matsuki or Fellows right shouldn't have been in dispute imo. 

[Charlie Wayman]

3 hours ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

It's funny he has one bad game 🤣and the knives all come out for sharpening. He was outstanding 🤣 in our final half of the season earlier in the year but that quickly gets forgotten.

You're kidding. Stephens' career here has been littered by a catalogue of errors usually leading to goals against. We dumped him once for good reasons.

[Little Lat Pahars]

3 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

You're kidding. Stephens' career here has been littered by a catalogue of errors usually leading to goals against. We dumped him once for good reasons.

We dropped him when we were in the Prem. We are not in the Prem anymore. Stephens is perfectly fine in the Championship as shown last season. 

 

[OneMrsWallace]

4 hours ago, leesaint88 said:

Seems like they are willing to pay quickly to obtain those brown wings..

He's going to be in Burnley. As soon as he's playing in the freezing rain on a Tuesday nigh he'll think..."and I could have been in the warmth in Southampton" 😄

[Polaroid Saint]

5 hours ago, Toussaint said:

Why was it unrealistic to take Dragan at his word? What would a consolidation season achieve and what would we be consolidating, our status as a championship side?  Where I do agree is that is how the season is shaping up, but I don’t agree it’s what was to be expected. I also think we need to reserve judgment until we see who we have “hung on to” when the window closes. For what it’s worth I’m not disagreeing with you per se, as it’s stands right now I’m both disappointed and frustrated, could all be different with a win on Sunday and a bolstered squad before the window shuts. I keep saying it, but Ross and Shea are big losses, the second half of last seas when Ross was fit he was instrumental in our success. 

I think it's more a case of splitting the season into two - "consolidation and repositioning" in the first half of the season, making up those points, getting a slightly different team and attitude settled and whatever compensating we have to do with the manager's status. Then, in second half of the season, but hopefully before Christmas we can start to push (as we did last year) and to achieve a league position and performances the squad is capable of, and to tidy/add to it further in Jan.

That kinda fits Dragon's stated aims of getting the footballing side of the club sorted and, what I imagine is just as important to him the mid/long term of financial security and clout.

I would hate to think it's a full season consolidation but splitting it up works on both counts. (If it works at all of course).