Holmes_and_Watson

Devoid

If we were coming into the Championship from the other direction with the records at that level of Armstrong, Archer, Brereton, TP and Stewart you'd think things were great. And yet... 🙂

Definitely. But as he'd get injured in the warm up, it won't make much difference.

You could consider retiring near one. Pending MLG approval of course. And no sneaky unretiring, obviously. 🙂

It's saying "New Nivea Water. More moisturising than the best nature can provide! Why not talk to our salesman about it, and coaching opportunities?"

Somewhere in the misty lands of SaintsWeb, a troll peered out from beneath a bridge. Embarrassed from recent outcomes, he spied another innocent, off hand comment crossing above. This time it would be different! Checking around for those pesky petards that always hoist him, the troll leapt out! When you have a minute MLG, perhaps you could update the wiki page for us for that year. Players retired John Beresford -Retired due to a cruciate ligament injury, later played for several non-league clubs. David Hughes - Retired due to a knee injury, later worked as a coach and manager. David Howells -Retired due to a knee injury, later played for several non-league clubs. Don't forget their individual pages where there are things like "Howells also represented Southampton, scoring once against Arsenal, and Bristol City before retiring from the game in 2000 due to a persistent knee problem." Obviously, all the original sources from national newspapers will have to be amended. Such as this from the Telegraph saying David Howells has finally conceded defeat in his battle against injury and at 32 now plans to retire. Southampton's former Tottenham midfielder has had four operations on his knee but said: "I'm not going to play again. I'll miss the game but in many ways I'm relieved the slog is over." Don't forget to get Saintsplayer updated. That has things like the following for David Hughes. "His hopes of contributing to the following season were shattered, in a pre-season friendly at Aldershot, by a knee-injury that forced him to retire a year later." When you've gone through the papers, and websites getting all the corrections, don't forget to contact the tax office. All of those people who came out of retirement, after retiring, are clearly at it! Their retirement at the employer they retired from clearly wasn't retirement! Also check in with the insurance companies. All those settlements for players retiring from top level? Why, they could have unretired at non league! That's no retirement at all! Back under the bridge the troll lamented on why it always turned out this way. He'd certainly been told a thousand times on how to improve. Sadly, as the youth player thread showed, the troll couldn't count past two. So "a thousand" meant nothing to him. On the bridge above, SaintsWeb went about it's business, while the troll plotted his next, ingenious attack.

a quick totalling (from Ipswich wiki page) gives approx 104M with a couple of million going the other way. I got the feeling that some of the players they got, were ones we were looking at. For me, it's an example as I put above about the strengths and weaknesses across everything. If our scouts/ data were identifying some of their players, and they're effective then not everything about or recruitment can be bad. However, Ipswich could be straight back down with us. So, their target list may be just as flawed. But with a Delap, Hutchinson, Clarke and Szmodics combined with what we had, and replacing a lot of who we ended up with (and a decent DM), who knows. As you say, still looks like a struggle. But all our managers may have had just a bit more, to get some points on the board. Ipswich may offer more in wages. SR are keen to keep these very low, while buying in bulk. As Farmer said, the amount needed could well have been a lot higher than either could spend.

A slow clap as he does a lap of honour on "Mr. Football" day.

Like most things, it's a combination. Which is why every party has supporters and detractors. SR have put money in. But their plan on outsmarting others was fatally flawed, and they keep repeating it. Ralph. Martin, Jones and Juric have specific styles. All of them have suffered from SR not filling key first team gaps and their wider decisions. Yet all were masters of their own downfalls too. Our playing squad has been brought in on SR's strategies and those of the managers they selected. Different styles, different requirements, with a bloated squad resulting in a leaderless group of mentally shot drones. Even there, you can see the effort of some. And it's still got plenty of players who got us promoted last time.

Stewart will just want to get fully fit and play games. He'll have felt all the emotions we can think of, having to go through this. His absence isn't through any lack of e It's the club's responsibility to make adequate risk assessments when signing players. They clearly thought it was worth the risk. They've got a duty of care to their employee, to try to get him as fit as they can. Stewart has to look at his own interests, and the support available to him through us. Like previous seasons, we shouldn't be building our attack around him being fit, but he will hopefully be that, and give us options next season. If he's injured for next season, then it's up to all parties to discuss. I have no ill feelings at all towards the player. The opposite, in that I hope he gets fully back. Perhaps SR would make a different decision next time. That's on them, not Stewart. I think we had a summer when Beresford, Howells and David Hughes all retired.

I'd like to see the gaps left since SR's first window addressed. Replacements for Romeu and Ings. Focus on building a spine to our first team, rather than buying in bulk on the off chance one comes good. SR are going to have to come to terms that their recruitment is going to face agents who want massive wages for their clients, and competing clubs. Putting their eggs all in baskets as with Gakpo/Gomez, Delap etc is going to leave them looking ...well, just like we do. SR have let down every one of the managers, by not giving them the tools to field a competitive team. They don't mind spending more as long as individual wages are lower. Much more, even if it costs them two relegations. But their recruitment has little depth when they chase targets and fail to get them over the line. Our first team next season wood look something like:- GK - Ramsdale 28 DR - Sugawara 28 DL - Manning 27 DC - Bednerak 27 DC - THB 28 DMC - Romeu replacement MC - Downes 28 AML - Edozie 27 AMR - Armstrong 27 AMC- Fernandes 29 FC - Ings replacement Any replacements to the above need to be replaced with someone SR consider to be PL ready. That leaves the rest. Several will be just fine for a season in the Championship, and give some competition to the above. Dibling would be in there, but probably the one that all parties would look to get a move for. Others are still young and can hopefully push for a first team place, particularly Charles and Edwards. those with '26 contracts expiring will be the ones SR looks to resolve quickest. Clears the wage bill a bit, if all parties can move on. Replacements should be with a view to giving PL competition for the first 11. Their usual frittering away on loads of fringe players shouldn't detract from that. GK - McCarthy 26, Bazunu 27 DR - Bree 26 DL - Taylor 26, Larios 27 (U21),Welington ? DC - Stephens 26, Edwards 28 (U21), Wood 28, Bella-Kotchap 26 DMC - Charles 27, Bragg 26 MC - Smallbone 26 AML -Sulemana 27, Fraser 26, Juan? AMR - Dibling 27 (U21) AMC- Akachukwu ?, O'Brien-Whitmarsh 27 (U21), Aribo 26 SC -Archer 28, Robinson 27 (U21), Ballard 26 FC - Stewart 26, Brereton Diaz 28, Onuachu 26

12 players that if none of them ever returned to the ground, you'd not notice they were gone. I take that back. After a couple of games, you'd wonder why we weren't conceding penalties from handballs, to cover Sugawara's absence.

unhinged

One track mind manager brought into replace one track mind manager, by one track mind recruiters who think they are smarter than everyone else, and can bring success on the cheap. Again. Hopefully, with the back of this one Spors will be able to tell Solak that, while having some innovative ideas isn't in itself terrible, it shouldn't be at the expense of being remotely competitive. That's assuming they do want to be a PL team, and not just farm youngsters and left field players to bigger clubs, with promotion and immediate relegation seen as a windfall every now and again. I'd like to see us get someone in who has had some experience with success. That means they are going to challenge SR, which is as it should be. SR have to decide what it is they want to be. Another up and coming manager for an up and coming team just increases the chances of yet another repeat. Hopefully, they are looking for someone with experience to get us where we want to go, not someone who simply dreams of what it will feel like.

I told you, you'd get one. 🙂

When they said it would bleed me dry, I had no idea.

Hang on. Are you saying the global blood donation scheme I've invested in, is some kind of scam?

All three started off together, but lost track of each other and where they were supposed to be.

The majority of this lot of ineffectual shadows will apparently be pushing for promotion next season. Great to get there before anyone else in PL history in terms of games remaining! Can't wait for SR to take the public acclaim they so richly deserve for such an achievement.

What?! How did that happen? It seems so sudden. 🙂

Oh dear. In with a tiny chance of an equaliser. So give away a penalty just to be sure of the defeat. Good job Saints.

Stewart keen to get the ball in the middle.

I thought he should have headed it. But a goal.

Oh!!!!!

He's looked to link up some things on a couple of occasions. But there's noone to link up with. So, with that and him being neither an attacking or defensive midfielder, it's been a waste of time.