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So, was this like a metaphor, or something? Like in the Bible when it says something like, "death to all the first born sons," but apparently it doesn't literally mean 'death to all the first born sons'?

Agreed, need to win at Lincoln now, expect some changes as Tonda will have an eye on top of the league Swansea game next Tuesday

5/10 window

Reality is less fun. I think the consensus is mostly spot on - a great squad that is one of the favourites for promotion, but one with flaws that could (should?) have been addressed. I presume a calculated risk that the promoted teams last season had Oshea/Greaves, Thomas / Kitching, Egan / Hughes as their starting CBs, so not unreasonable not to have £10m plus on CBs. Larin is scoring around a goal per game, so let's hope he plays 35 plus games this year and we should be okay. Cover is light and worries me, but look how much Hirst cost. We have got stuck with a load of surplus players over the past 5 years, so a slimmer squad will help Spors buy more Azaz/Scienza/Larin/Janders in Jan and next summer. A good window purely on larin/peretz and keeping Scienza/Jander/Azaz/Downes.

Downs went to St. Louis in the MLS, right? I don't know what everyone was expecting. We kept most of the band together. Peretz and Larin are gold, and I am happy to have JWP back. The new defender looks good.

Very underwhelming on the whole. Peretz and Larin at the start and I was thinking wow! Always expected to lose a minimum of a couple of our more highly valued players so no biggy there, but we needed a replacement to go alongside THB, not just a replacement for him himself. JWP good signing. Still feel we lack any form of muscle in midfield, got to be one of the smallest midfields (in terms of height) in the league. GK?!?! Long second choice and now 300 year old Jamie Jones as third - Jesus Christ. Feeling underwhelmed. Did Damion Downs go? Fringe players mostly left on loan. Ramsdale still here, he’lll surely go to Turkey. Edozie still here - LOL, but also FFS. Attacking threat looks weak for a promotion chasing side.

Just got home, very much “after the lords mayors show” type of performance. After West Ham I’d have snapped your hands off for 4 points from Milwall and Brum. Bragg could be a good player when he’s older. He shouldn’t be getting these minutes at the moment, it’s hurting us. You can feel his team mates frustrations as well. Manning, Azaz & Peretz all annoyed with his passing. Gave the ball away for the goal as well? Matsuki & JWP need to come in Saturday. Dare i say it, I’d have Stephens in for KS as well, he looked tired tonight and we can’t flog him. Muamba I hope will do ok, but he’s a drop off from Larin. Can’t see Dobbin being better than Archer or Edozie if I’m honest. Poor start for him, let’s hope he improves. Peretz needs to up his game as well, crosses and distribution miles away from last season. Hope ramsdale situation isn’t weighing on him. Wood & Downes MOTM. Bree was better tonight, their right back is best I’ve seen defensively - tonight and Wrexham he’s been top. Leo won’t face many like him. Win at Lincoln - 10 points from 12 since Watford. We’d settle for that.

Yes, totally agree that these two were good when they came on. Didn't have the best view near the front, but they seemed to have the clearer chances. From a match perspective, everything by us seemed a little rushed, mainly because our players were closed down quickly. Larin tried hard and held the ball up well. Azaz's passes didn't come off today but he was the main player looking for openings. Downes again was excellent. Wasn't that impressed with Schlotterbeck today who seemed to be having his own compo on how high he could kick the ball. But hey, a point away against a well drilled Birmingham team isn't that bad a result.

Bit underwhelmed by no late signing to get us all excited, but pretty confident in this squad to get to the end of the year somewhere near the top of the table. Leaves us a bit of £££ in Jan for any strengthening that might be required if players are not performing.

And let's not pretend that the club weren't pushing to sign two international centre backs after Schlotterbeck joined, who were patently intended to replace Harwood-Bellis.

So, with most business done, this is our squad as things stand: GK: Peretz, Long, Jones, Ramsdale RB: Bree, Roerslev LB: Manning, Welington RCB: Wood, Abbott LCB: Schlotterbeck, Stephens CM: Jander, Downes, Bragg, JWP, Williams AM: Azaz, Akachukwu RW: Fellows, Matsuki LW: Scienza, Dobbin, Edozie That's 24 players including 2 who are under 21. However, it looks likely that Ramsdale will be leaving - probably to play in Saudi Arabia or somewhere like that. We may also see Edozie leaving, but if not I hope he is given some level of support in the hope that he may finally begin to show the final product that he has so often failed to deliver. With only 20 or 21 players over 21 once Ramsdale leaves (and maybe Edozie too) that leaves us plenty of spare capacity to bring in players in January. It also means we could bring in a player from the free transfer market in the next few days if there is anyone that we think is worth bringing in... but unless there is a decent striker theer I doubt we will see that happening! Our squad is definitely more honed. Tonda and his coaches don't have to waste time on fringe players who are never going to play. I would say there is no huge difference in squad quality: Ward-Prowse offers different qualities that Shea did not. Dobbin is an extra option and will hopefully come good. He is versatile and could cover the striking position if needed. Abbott won't yet be as good as THB, but Wood is decent (and underrated) and Abbott will hopefully develop quickly into another bright talent. Schlotterbeck looks like he has qualities that Stephens and Quarshie can only dream of and I trust Tonda to help him iron out the mistakes (which are not a patch on Stephens mistakes!) Hopefully the pairing of Schlotterbeck and Wood (or Abbott) will be as good or better than THB and Stephens. Akachukwu offers us an extra alternative that wasn't ready last year. He may also be a striking option in case of injury. The main position we are potentially weaker is centre forward but Mubama will not spend every other week injured (unlike Stewart) and will hopefully develop. There are other options too including Dobbin, Akachukwu, Ehibotiamhan and Dipepa. Goalkeepers don't get injured as often as outfield players so hopefully Peretz will remain fit. Long is not without merit and will do a job if called upon.

You're suggesting that THB hasn't been replaced. He has. After we signed big Kev, some people were actually expecting Stephens to be upgraded. That would have been nice, but given that one of the lads stayed to play CL football, and the other went to Fulham, we were pushing our luck. Anyway, the point is that THB has been replaced by Big Kev. Who's good. Let's not pretend he hasn't been replaced.

Affengruber now confirmed as signed for Fulham.

Given that we tried to sign at least two international centre backs to replace Harwood-Bellis, we obviously recognised the importance of replacing a key starting player with comparable quality. But all we ended up doing is loaning in a kid to cover fourth choice Quarshie's loan. Seems pretty clear the club didn't meet their own expectations there.

THB has been replaced by Big Kev. The nipper has replaced Quarshie. I'm not sure what else people were expecting at CB. Stewart, I'll grant you hasn't been replaced, but he was AWOL for years and couldn't be relied on. Elsewhere, we're about as we were, although I'd have preferred a brute who could carry the ball as a midfield option.

Rejoined on a one year deal. Suggests still trying to move Ramsdale on. https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/jones-returns-on-one-year-deal

3 points this season as well!

Transfermrkt (usually a reliable site) and a few other places list him as 6'2". I'm excited to see him play though I'd keep faith in Wood and Schlotterbeck for now.

Steak. Good quality, well cooked, rested, dollop of mustard. Bliss. No cut I don't like, although sirloin is overpriced, and always bettered by many "inferior" cuts like flat iron, bavette, onglet, etc.

Done. Can close the thread already. 1st of September

I think he’s got something. But we do need to stop just whacking the ball at him above hip height and expecting him to make something of it. He’s not Larin, who can do that at times. Mubama is more agile and lively and we need to harness that with more passes off the shoulder of the last defender for him to stretch teams late in games when they’re tiring

Good to have you back watching the games pal.

Only if we don’t change the way we attack. It’s perfectly possible we supply the strikers differently. We don’t have to keep smashing the ball up to Mubama if we don’t want to. We also don’t have to do that to Larin either but that’s a whole different debate.