Orkney Saint

And still the best centre back we currently have (IMHO)…🤷‍♂️

I guess you missed the “In all seriousness…” part of my post? 😉 We may probably want a lot for him, but is that realistic? As you state, he’s barely played for two years. I’m of the opinion that football isn’t rocket science and you should generally play your better players. If ABK is as much of a problem as people say he is, then get rid asap. I see no benefit in keeping him around the place.

I take your point, and I'm no expert on the subject, but I'm not sure surviving 30 minutes of football would be proof of full health. Has he been diagnosed with a "catastrophic heart condition"? I genuinely don't know, but it might explain his lack of selection. I also wouldn't see how they could shift him on for a fee if he does.

I don't think anyone thinks that ABK is. I would imagine they simply think that he's better than most of our other centre backs.

I was talking from the perspective of ABK (allegedly) being so troublesome. Obviously there would be a financial cost to releasing him and that would be a downside, but, if he's as bad to have around as some seem to think/suggest he is, there would be other positives to be gained from releasing him. We got zero transfer fee for him during the recent transfer window, and I can't see how ostracising him will increase his value come January or beyond that. At present all he is is a cost to the club, for no gain. Sometimes it makes sense to take a short-term hit to make a long-term gain, on and off the field.

I would argue that if he was that much of a negative influence on the team, why is he still at the club at all? We've apparently tried to move him on with no success, so why not cut your losses and release him? Meanwhile, he is still at the club and being overlooked for far inferior players, IMO, in a currently struggling team. Reeks of mismanagement to me, however you dress it up.

Wow! Has RM turned the tactical corner? 🤭

Some nice football played, mainly in non-threatening areas of the pitch. A lot of changes to the team, so you could argue that the performance was reasonable considering the lack of playing time for the starting 11. Everton also had a lot of changes and were poor. They still created the more clear cut chances though, despite their performance and lack of possession. Our lack of creativity or threat in the final third is still our weakest area. For all the possession we often have in matches, we don’t create nowhere near enough chances. Too many passive/negative passes from, I assume, a want to keep hold of possession. Either that or a lack of players who are capable of picking out an attacking/incisive pass.

How much did Bournemouth offer to buy him for at the end of the loan? I can’t recall.

In fairness to @Osvaldorama, who I’m sure can speak for themselves, you didn’t ask for proven PL players in your original question. You asked “…which of the players we have do you think are PL players.” Sorry to nitpick.

Jack Stephen’s is not Premier League level. To have him as captain too, well that just baffles me. I genuinely wonder what effect it has on the rest of the squad seeing him as captain and getting picked every week. What message does it send to them? Obviously I don’t know the guy and he may be a decent fella, but he is simply not good enough for this level, IMO.

If the Saints want rid of ABK, or any other non-playing centre back for that matter, I don’t think they’re doing themselves any favours by playing Stephens every game (as captain too!). What message does that send to any potential buyers? “They’re playing Stephens ahead of [insert player name here], how bad must [insert player name here] be?! OK, we’ll give you f’all and you’d better thank us for that too!” In all seriousness, if Stephens can be captain and picked for every game (so far), then ABK should have a route back into the team/squad ASAP. However, if ABK is as much of a problem as some seem to think he is, then he should’ve been released on a free by now. Why would you want a player hanging about if they were that much of a problem? I think there must be some serious mismanagement going on whichever way you look at it.

I don't think anyone would be expecting Cilla Black to be ushering TP onto the pitch, thinking it was some smoke & mirrors master stroke. But surely it would give the opposition something different to think about? Occupy a few more opposition players and free up space elsewhere?

We don’t need any strikers with Russel Martin’s U Formation ™️. Need a lot of wide players though, so the more the merrier! 🤪

You know this is the 'Summer Transfer Window 2024' chat, yeah? 😉 In all seriousness, I tend to agree with you. But then it appears there are others on here who think we shouldn't be looking at "Champ players". Not sure where the money is coming from to buy Premier/Top level players? Loans, I guess?

Yeah, the potential price tag would be my main concern. They’ve just sold Idah and Rowe too, so will be even more keen to hang on to Sargent. As I said in an earlier post, I would’ve liked us to sign him when we were relegated.

Fair enough. Any alternatives you’d like to offer up?

Yes, all whilst under the age of 21 and playing as a winger/midfielder, for Norwich at least. In the Championship since then, (22-23) 13 goals in 40 games; (23-24) 16 in 26; (24-25) 2 in 3. So showing signs of steady improvement, no? Any signing obviously has risks, whatever level they come from. But not all players remain “Champ level”, some actually improve. How often have Saints signed proven Premier League level strikers? Who would you realistically like to see us sign? In reality, I think this is the level of player that the Saints will need to be looking at. Someone with potential that might or might not work. We don’t appear to have the money to go out and buy or attract proven Premier/Top level strikers, and I don’t think we have for at least 40 odd years, if my memory serves me right.

After seeing the Alberto videos, can I still tempt anyone with Josh Sargent? 😏 P.S. I’m not Sargent’s agent, honest! 😁

Let’s hope he is. And the other signings?

Cool. Who are we signing?

Sargent scored 16 goals in 28 games (26 starts) last season in a team that finished outside the playoffs. I don’t think that’s too bad. He’s over 6ft tall, has decent pace, and can play up front or as an attacking midfielder. Are we in a position to be stockpiling/signing anything other than Champ players?

I imagine this may have already been said previously (is there a search function on here?), but I would like to see us sign Josh Sargent from Norwich. He’s got a decent scoring record in the Championship, has some experience of the Premier League, and can play up front or out wide. I’d hoped we would’ve made a move for him when we were relegated.

Thanks for pointing out the error 👍 I’ve now corrected the table… Match No. Possession % Shots Shots on Target Corners Goals For Goals Against 1 80 23 7 6 2 1 2 70 31 11 12 4 4 3 61 19 9 10 2 1 4 74 7 3 4 2 1 5 68 13 2 8 0 5 Total - 93 32 40 10 12 Average 70.6 18.6 6.4 8.0 2.0 2.4

Possession for possessions sake? 🤔 Some basic stats from the league games so far… Match No. Possession % Shots Shots on Target Corners Goals For Goals Against 1 80 23 7 6 2 1 2 70 31 11 12 4 4 3 61 19 9 10 2 1 4 74 7 3 4 2 1 5 68 13 2 8 0 4 Total - 93 32 40 10 11 Average 70.6 18.6 6.4 8.0 2.0 2.2 Scoring 2 goals a game from an average of 70.6% possession, but conceding 2.2 goals a game from 29.4% possession for the opposition. It’s still relatively early days, but the theory that the opposition cannot score if they don’t have the ball is not holding very true at present. Having the majority of your possession in your own and the middle third probably doesn’t help either.