Holmes_and_Watson

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It's because SR are much more interested in us as a shop window, than ensuring that we had the ability to operate the business behind it. Dazzled with the profit of a Tino, Lavia or Dibling. Never mind the age and that they fade when overplayed. Get shot of the higher earners to make way, as long as the kids get sold before they burn out or get crocked. Never mind the load of kids they brought in that haven't hit those levels. Getting one right, or developing one, pays for the others. Just don't total it up, and wonder if it could have been better spent. Focus on left field players. Those with a point to prove, or returning from injury. Never mind the bloated squad of similar standard players. Never mind the gaping holes, across multiple windows, in the first team. Areas like defensive midfield or forwards. Just keep those wages low for individuals. Don't pay the going rate. Again, just don't total up the quantity over quality. Systems, tactics and consistent approach and decision making have been jettisoned faster than SR's shop window approach. Don't forget to extend the up and coming, point to prove approach to managers. Just don't total up the compensation packages, or wonder why the squad is so bloated with players suited to different systems. How could a well run club at this level be so reliant on a couple of kids? Juric should have a chat with one of the actually well run clubs, and will find out that they don't.

Our new employee. Perfect for overseeing a lot of issues at once. MLG's new purchase. Perfect for cleaning up the mess after a love-in over a favourite employee.

The heavy flow of goals we concede?

No, it isn't! 🙂

The cardboard cut out would be in the running for player of season with Ramsdale and Fernandes. 🙂

He's far from the first owner to become wealthy in one field, only to be taken for a ride in another. Certainly if that other field is football. He'd also not be the first wealthy person who's success is built firmly on the backs of others, but I don't know enough about his background to know if that applies here. He was taken for a ride by Rasmus and Kraft. The terrible decisions kept coming, and that was allowed. His being in closer control now doesn't inspire confidence. He's shown no aptitude to be anywhere decision making in football.

Meanwhile Blackmore continues work on his Grounds of League 1 podcast he's planning for 26/27. 🙂

Do my best to get Salah to extend his contract...oh, of this ongoing disaster movie of a club? Question where I went wrong so badly that the clowns of SR thought I was their next manager. I'd shave, make sure I didn't own a pullover and mention that I built flexible tactics with available resources to maximise the chance of winning, rather than just having the one tactic that I used at all costs. That should free me of their attention.

Our dreams.

I refuse to read this before finishing my daydream of Baz, Will, Manning, Jack, Joe and Ryan boarding a Glasgow bound coach. 🙂

It's really the fault of SaintsWeb. Other forums allow to have signatures beneath each post. Then we could have all of that to every post to save time and give all the correct signalling. And I thought Aribo looked a bit tired after another sleepless night torn over resolving the Gaza conflict.

When I tuned in for the 2nd half, BBD had a couple of quicker moments. It really helped him having some attacking players to pass to ahead of him. Rothwell was also playing. Gets into central positions for a shot. But easily the most puffed out player Leeds had. And that was him only being there for the last 30 mins. Works best with lots of speed and attack around him. He might be a man-child in some of his antics, but Gnonto made a big impact when he came on. Former Saints target Piroe was quiet, but still got a good goal. A good attacking game where the quality of Leeds in depth got the win. They've moved on a fair number of players but are still doing well. But they must look at other promoted sides and wonder what it's going to take to stay up.

Ouch. Mind you, it's not the first or thousandth time that would be true. 🙂 Behind my point, I was thinking of the dominance fans will expect. They aren't used to sides allowing their opponents to reset, rather than put them to the sword. Rangers will have to break down sides who are looking to be compact, looking to catch Rangers out on set pieces and breaks. We saw Martin's sides struggle to break some of those teams down in the Championship. We relied on simply having the better players. Rangers do too in their league. They've just got rid of their manager with 17 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses. Miles ahead in second. But that gap in quality isn't enough for their fans. In large part because although 15 points ahead of third, they are 14 behind Celtic. And that's who they are really competing against. That large number of goals scored will also be alongside the large number conceded that went with it. Like a mini-Spain, every Old Firm set back is a mini crisis. Martin will have to make sure that the draws we saw on what was a record unbeaten run for us, are nearly all wins there. I hope he does well. Looking at the number of players we have that he 'd like, I'm also wondering if SR could just take over Rangers and transfer most of our squad there. Baz, Stephens, Will, Manning, Aribo... Rubbish post 1001... done. 🙂

Good luck to him there. 50 passes with no end product against sides they are expected (however realistically) to dominate and impose themselves against, is going to end badly. He's going to have to solve a lot of the issues he faced at his other clubs, on not a great budget. A fair number of others also in contention. Any of Manning, Wood, Fraser or Downes would be great signings for him. Can't see them paying those wage levels though.

And that includes all of us. Book your flight OttowaSaint! 🙂

Housemartins? No happy hours here 🙂

I don't believe he was. Unlike this thread, where MLG will continue to believe in a new SR dawn every time they change something in their vending machines, a number of us were only going to get a bit more honest about repeat behaviour. Which happened, when faced with a large number of pedantic posts, from someone who runs away when shown repeatedly to be wrong in those posts. I popped him back on ignore only to see another outcome where, since he's unable to admit to anything/discuss like a grown up, threads just become consumed by the nonsense above. I've seen a couple of MLG tags in recent days too, from posters aware that MLG is only a point of pedantry away from derailing a discussion. That was a sign before his Great Sulk not long ago. A point where, after a couple of weeks for people to realise he was away, I thought the board improved markedly.

None of the options for me. SR get the blame. The rot started with the first decision they made, based on their self-delusion. Taking over a club believing they could not only just add to what was there, but could remove key parts of it to be replaced with an approach they believed was smarter than anyone else's in the game. Utterly failing to understand the issues that were already in the squad and club they took over. Failing to back the first manager in key areas that would have helped, while smugly believing they knew better than everyone else. Then repeating the same decision making process all the way along, ending in what will be our second capitulating relegation under their stewardship.

Yup. Clear very early on it wasn't working but kept with it regardless.

They are going to be our centre backs, in the next game, in another Juric and SR masterstroke.

Sadly, that will require a new manager. SR can only recruit those not just wedded to, but welded to, a single system.

Tracked and brought in by the people who brought us Jones, Martin and Selles. As I posted earlier, obsessed with getting up and coming or managers with at least one failure on their record with a point to prove. Tactics, systems, approaches and personalities are secondary to this. Pay them less and reap the rewards. Our reward has been supporting 2 of the worst top league teams in our history drop out of the league with a whimper. We've also had some of the least successful managers in league history along the way. We have a bloated squad of lifeless automatons at this level, recruited to fit any tactic we're currently not employing. Juric was a face saving appointment. Someone SR had been interested in, who was available after a bust with Roma. Rather than address any of the many, many failings, it was just another turn of the SR tombola. They even said he didn't have the right players to suit at the club. Planning for failure, once again, right from the start. A fair number of clubs have reached Europe over the years. There's plenty of European competitions to get into. Plenty of those managers have managed to keep their sides in their countries top division for a few seasons. We're just about to drop out of the most lucrative league. But into one where we have a big squad and parachute money. Let's start looking their across the top 10 leagues for candidates, both current and historically. They don't have to be in those positions now. Simply that they've managed sustainably at that level at some point. Responding to @gio1saints taking the time to respond earlier (thanks!), it didn't have to be a manager with his sights set on elite level clubs. As our stock sinks, we can safely rule out a number of names and levels. Moyes saw the SR disaster a mile off. Before Martin, Marsch saw the same signs too. But there are others who have coached with success at that level, who may be interested for various reasons, not least the massive wage. It would be nice if SR finally conceded that they don't have the competency to make these decisions and start recruiting coaching staff already at a level to instill levels aimed at success, rather than those learning and failing on the path there. Until they do, they are just going to repeat the same mistakes they've made with their player recruitment.

TP on and immediately just runs into someone to concede a foul. >sigh<

Just a lifeless group of players, going through the motions against a team who haven't been great but who will never have an easier afternoon.