Dusic

I doubt either of them will be fit to feature in any meaningful way.

With Adams (unlikely) and Stewart (impossible) being unavailable from the start I think its almost certain to be the same lineup as for the semi final with Fraser vs Manning the only real decision to make. Big blow not to have a fully fit Adams, especially after having such a good game against them a couple of weeks ago. We did look pretty lightweight in attack both legs until Smallbone's goal.

Potentially yes if he gets what he perceives as a better opportunity, same as for any manager. But extremely unlikely the club actively looks to change, as Parsons essentially says. Personally I think the clubs coming down are a good bit weaker than those going up so even if we lose on Sunday I think we would have a good crack at auto promotion again next season despite the inevitable departure of a few players. Consistency in playing style and ability/knowledge to recruit for that would be advantageous rather than suddenly moving to something totally different. For the best players at this level we would be an extremely attractive proposition after this season I think.

Have a listen to it and if you still think its a distinct possibility that Saints might actively sack Russell Martin between this season and next then let me know!

The club already addressed this with Parsons confirming they feel he is doing a good job and has driven a lot of promising change, so zero chance we would be actively looking to make a change regardless of what happens next Sunday. Hopefully Brighton are looking elsewhere as, if we don't go up, the last thing we need is another change.

Tactically superior to the supposed king of tactics over these two legs despite no Adams or Stewart for the majority. Pragmatic subtle changes e.g use of Stephens tonight and good subs.

Good to see @franniesTache get involved in the stuff before the game. Get that gear in the wash asap bro.

Goats Manning and Stephens are good at escaping from a press.

He might though. Especially with a euros on the horizon.

If Adams is out and Stewart (as expected) not fit enough to start then IMO its a no brainer to go back to the 4-3-3 that beat WBA twice and start Fraser and Brooks either side of Arma, with Edozie, Kamaldeen, Stewart (and maybe Che) as sub options.

I think Downes potentially more attainable than THB, especially as he has a very strong link to RM, but agree its pretty unlikely - and I think both City and WH will want to sell rather than another loan anyway. Fraser we could probably sign if we don't go up, but I wouldn't be signing him if we did get promotion.

From the horses mouth, if we go up he is signing permanently and is more than happy to. Been a great signing, likely driven by Jason Wilcox.

Funnily enough, @Fitzhugh Fella posted a very similar thought on Twitter at about the same time earlier today - two minds and all that. I'm sure Blackmore will have a chance to ask about that once the season is over.

Lallana wants to go into coaching and his family home is still in the area so pretty sure he would be keen on moving back here. I think he would be a great asset and certainly someone we should be looking to bring back in some form of role. I know some are still bitter from when he left but at some stage you have to move on and his more recent comments suggest he probably realises he didnt go about it in the best way. Clearly a leader, has played and learned from some top coaches (Poortvliet, Poch, Klopp, Potter, De Zerbi etc) and knows how to transition from youth to mens football as well as what creates a good culture (they really valued his off the pitch impact at Brighton) If he wants to continue playing and is sensible about cash he might be worth a year with the thought that he would likely just be coming off the bench. His main influence would be as a senior player/assistant coach. If he is done with playing and wants to coach then its a no brainer to try and pair him with an experienced coach in one of the academy sides.

I think it was the games we lost either side of it that did that, specifically the 3 in 4 vs BC, Hull and Millwall after having got back in contention following the run of losses after the window shut. I get we could have won a couple more of the games in that run rather than having drawn them but thisnis the Championship and overall its clearly something to celebrate (as happened at the time) as is clearly very rare to achieve. That some will use it as a stick to beat the manager is quite telling.

Interesting listening to the Blackmore and Tessem pod in which AB says the start of the game on Sunday was up there with the best home atmospheres he has witnessed. It clearly had a big impact on WBA's fast start and they stayed with the team throughout. Can our fans create similar (following our away fans lead) on Friday and make being at home 2nd leg a big advantage? Or will there be moaning and exasperation as soon as we play the same way we have in every game this season and pass the ball inside our own area? On sky after the game Jobi McAnuff said its often easier being away 2nd leg as the home fans can get on the backs of their team whilst the away side has no pressure. Hopefully our fans can avoid that trap and make it a great night under the SMS lights.

Parsons sounds like a common sense guy in all the interviews I have heard so far. A very underrated trait in football leadership. Good to end the (IMO ridiculous) speculation that a manager who achieved 87 points in his first season, including a club record unbeaten run and who still may achieve promotion, could or should lose his job if potentially a couple of one off playoff games don't go his way.

No, he wasn't in the club video of the players arriving.

Will be an interesting selection. Could either play Mara or Sulemana with Arma in the 352 or add Brooks and Fraser in the 433 but would likely mean either Stephens at LB or THB at RB as am sure that all 3 CBs will be in the line up.

Doesnt look like Adams has travelled.

Hard to disagree but the reality for a club like Saints is that unless the player is exceptional (Shaw Saints level) then the only time they would really be trusted to play regularly is either a.) If we are comfortably midtable in the PL or b.) Financially struggling in the EFL or with no serious prospect of promotion. There are also countless examples of players who have been hyped in the Academy, getting good reviews in the U21s with a clamour here/on social media for them to play more and yet who now are miles down the pyramid and often outside of the EFL/a decent level at all. See: Hesketh, Seager, Jankowitz, Olaigbe, Vokins, Ramsay, Small etc. Stating the obvious but its really hard to make the jump from U21s to first team in a consistent way. SAA looked great in a couple of cameos and then was poor when he got a start (think vs QPR perhaps?). Would be a brave manager to keep starting him and potentially leaving out someone like Fraser, Edozie, Brooks, Sulemana from the matchday squad. I suspect and would hope that next season if we don't go up then SAA, Dibling, Meghoma, Ballard and probably Lawrence will feature more.

Strange post. Every press conference is available as a video on the website at 10.30pm once embargo lifted and most on YT too. Re Adams, clear he will be bench at best.

Sounds like bench at best for Adams which is a massive blow. Imagine Arma up top with Fraser and Brooks either side which probably means will be a back four.

Possibly so. The key for the club is to at least get him tied to his first pro deal so that in the event he then moves we can at least claim a higher level of compensation. If he were to move now its a pittance really for someone who is clearly one of the best players in the country for his age. Tough issue because so few actually make it to the first team, e.g the best of the academy prospects, yet as we have seen with Dibling (initially), Morg and Doyle its so hard to keep your best talents to the point where they actually have any impact at 1st team level. In a way the model is broken and really it is just a cash cow rather than an actual tool to bring players into the first team.

Interesting bit in this article about SAA and Meghoma basically being on Championship first teamer wages. For all the talk of pathways, cash is still king!