Fabrice29

The consistent insistence of telling everyone about it in every article is really patronising as well. Everyone knows why someone is anonymous, we don’t need to be told about it every 3 paragraphs. I don’t think there’s any difference in ITK between the local reporters. Reality is they have the same sources and will be leaked the same info fairly often. It’s just how they report it that differs. I do find it funny that a lot of Tanswells scoops come in tow with another journalist though, like a more well connected journalist at another club (transfer wise). Sheldon especially is still well connected at Saints evidently.

Not one bit of the article suggests there will be a fire sale. The article does quite correctly suggest we need a massive revamp however but nothing about this summer suggests ‘firesale’. It quite clearly details how A) not many of our squad are capable of playing the way Wilcox and Martin want. B) Thankfully some of those who aren’t capable are wanted by other teams so will likely leave and C) We’ll be looking to recruit for the specific style we want. For the first time in a while there actually seems to be some planning. Obviously the actions of said plan is key.

Not one bit of the article hints at any financial difficulty. Quite the opposite in fact.

Pretty sure he's already signed for Malmo? He wanted to go back there for quite a while now.

When talking about Lavia people seem to forget that City sold him last year.

Because he's nowhere near the team currently let alone before they buy a decent left back to play CL football so Dan Burn doesn't have to. Not sure he's really consistent PL quality tbh, he seems to get himself a decent season somewhere then finds himself one of the first to be upgraded on wherever he goes. Would find consistent first team football here.

Small is 18. To compare him to a 23 and 24 year old is harsh, let alone to call him a hanger on. If he leaves in search of first team football then good luck to him but just writing off an 18 year old seems weird.

Am I the only one who would absolutely love a fire sale then? Genuinely only care about watching Lavia, Alcaraz and the kids again in a Saints shirt. Obviously Lavia won't be seen again and a complete overhaul isn't going to happen but I'd shrug my shoulders if you told me every other first team player in the squad would be sold this summer. Some really talented players in there, some really good people too and obviously some of them will hopefully go onto be part of a team who will get us promoted and we'll learn to love but right now... all a bit meh apart from a very select few.

Plenty of the PL refs referee in the Championship a few times a season. No surprise that with VAR in place they've used an experienced one for the biggest game of the season.

I have no real issue that you or anyone else think it's going to be a disaster of an appointment right (I mean, he's been successful in both his other jobs when you apply context and the things he seemingly prioritises are things we actively need to be better at so I don't really see why people are negative but it's an opinion). I have no real issue why people would rather watch a Nigel Pearson side. Maybe you want to watch organised football lead by a man who knows his way around St Marys. Maybe I want to watch us antagonise teams, try something different, daring to be brave on the ball and have a completely different vibe and energy to the one we've watched over the last few years. That's all opinion right? However my main issue is the reason for people's negativity that keeps being bought up is this bizarre narrative that I have bolded above that just simply isn't true. A) We have taken the highest percentage of goal kicks long in the league. So it's simply not true to say we have been playing this way to any real extent and that RM will embrace that and we'll just see a continuation of what we have seen this season. What you have witnessed is a team that thinks about being progressive and attempts to do it but is so badly coached at doing it that it both fails and is abandoned very quickly. B) The idea that RM is embracing a safety first non dynamic football also simply isn't true. Firstly, your very next post admits his teams are poor defensively so hardly safety first and the Swansea fans posts on here readily admit goals are conceded because of the way they play, so it's simply not true to say it's risk adverse. Secondly you and others keep mentioning this whole boring, meaningless, non dynamic possession all in the face of the actual facts that his team quite literally scored a relatively good amount of goals and quite literally had as many shots per game as the champions of the division who go into the PL with all the plaudits about how well they have played. People have every right to be pissed off about this appointment, there's legit concerns about the goals his team concedes and it may not work out and maybe he'll be gone by Xmas but going into the appointment negative about things that are fundamentally incorrect is just odd.

They let him go a year ago, not sure why anyone thinks they've got some sort of hold over him now just because of a buy back clause that doesn't kick in for another year. I think City is the least likely option because they've A) got to convince themselves that the player they let go a year ago is better than the player they signed a year ago B) got to convince their finance people that he's so much better that it's well worth the millions they have already spent and the millions they would need to further spend to get him back and then sell Phillips for a cut down price and C) got to convince Lavia to come back to a club he left a year ago in search of first team football. Just seems far fetched to me. Doesn't make business sense, I don't really see how it makes football sense bearing in mind it was the opposite a year ago and I don't think "not letting someone else have him" is a motivation for a club that is already streets ahead of everyone else anyway. Think it's probably between United and Liverpool based on those being the two teams that need a young CM. Liverpool probably ahead but our relegation seems to have really thrown a spanner in this kids plans weirdly because he's probably too young for a move to a challenging club but probably too expensive for anyone else.

Yes, the club should definitely listen to the opinions of some guy who despite being presented with facts about goals and shots seems to have doubled down on his opinion because two people who he has never met and cannot validate their identity have signed up and posted within hours of each other on another teams messageboard.

I think Trippier even told people in an interview it was happening didn’t he? It’s incredibly obvious he’s going, his interviews recently are a massive giveaway too.

Pretty sure it was posted on here it’s a done deal to Newcastle a few weeks back.

You’ve got to convince City they want him. A year ago they didn’t and they invested in Phillips instead. I’d be surprised if they roll back everything to how it was a year ago for even more money. They were probably hoping we’d stay up, Lavia stayed with us and they come back next year when they know if Phillips had worked out. It doesn’t make much sense for them to come back now.

We were close to getting a deal done with him previously but either he pulled out/Chelsea pulled out and I believe he ended up on loan in the Championship instead.

If he stays, he ain't switched on.

Nope. Actually can't wait for him to pull out of the running by the end of the week so all the people who don't want him can be even more angry that we didn't get it done.

Saint Rob is an even bigger arse than that Andrew guy. Self proclaimed voice of the people. Proper nut job.

I’d understand if we have actually been playing possession football but as has been pointed out a few times now, we simply haven’t. The only time we have more possession than the opposition is normally at home and it’s normally because teams rightly set up deep against us and concede the ball to us…because they know we’re clueless and they’ll pick us off.

Duk at Aberdeen might be one to keep an eye on. Clinical (the actual definition of clinical) too.

Probably a good thing that we’re appointing someone who seemingly will prioritise us being much better at this then isn’t it? I’ll say it again, being angry at the idea of us passing the ball to each other is genuinely mental.

The coaches voice video Martin calls Piroe a clever player a couple of times and highlights he was playing in attacking midfield rather than as a striker. I've also seen it referenced somewhere that he was forced to play Piroe up front because he lost Obafemi and Swansea didn't recruit anyone. Think Saint86 is right that Piroe's finishing stats are a little questionable and the lack of quality up front for Swansea would explain why their shots and possession last season were very similar to Burnley but goals 20 less. That said, goal scoring attacking midfielders is something we've lacked for a while.

Walking out on 70 minutes is going to send absolutely no message to anyone. The moment the bar shuts at half time is the moment the club have taken all the money they can from you so unless you're either not going or leaving before half time, they couldn't give a shit.

You know this is something you think rather than the club, right? Nobody appointing Martin is thinking they have resigned themselves to an average joe. They think they've appointed someone good. Similar I'm sure to when Poch was sacked for being bottom of La Liga and we saw something good in him. Obviously people are welcome to their opinion on whether they are correct or not but this concern you're raising is one you have, not the club. Maybe try changing your mentality, it might be more fun. Also btw, stating in one sentence we've settled for an average joe and in another praising clubs appointing "half decent ex PL managers" is quite special.