benali-shorts

Completely agree with the shape, but feel Fernandes should be given more attacking licence. All the more amazing we’ve gone into the season with only one CM, plus a 20 year old loanee.

That would be sensible, which in itself would be a refreshing change of transfer strategy by SR.

I suppose it depends how much we spend / waste in January. If it’s £50m like last time, we’d have to recoup that too.

One of the key differences would be the lack of saleable assets in summer 25. Last time, we sold c£150m players on relegation. This time, Fernandes, Ramsdale, TH-B and Dibling (value dependent on contract, talk of which appears to have gone worryingly quiet and the same for Sam A-A) would be sellable for >£15m, there's not much value (or quality) outside of them. We'd have a weaker squad, and difficult to know how much surplus cash we might have to strengthen. There would also be the challenge of renewing contracts - both in terms of finances, but also the medium term issue of knowing quite a few aren't Prem quality even if they did renew.

The "Besitz macht frei" welcoming arch might set the alarm bells ringing

He seems an odd signing in so much as he's neither a hold up forward; nor a ball carrier; nor has the pace to counter. I've no idea what attributes our esteemed recruitment team saw in him to fit him into our structure. Odd that he hasn't played through the middle at any stage, not that he's shown any particular signs of potentially being effective in that role. Maybe his new haircut and the earnest backing of Delilah from the Northam Wall will invigorate him to new heights. The Cornet / Lesley use of our Prem loans is another bizarre piece of recruitment strategy. But maybe if the Wall start a rendition of "Just one Cornetto", Maxwell will start banging them in too.

He's cut his locks off but I sadly suspect his new disguise will be exposed as soon as he tries to trap a ball. But let's forlornly hope for some sort of reverse-Samson transformation (Samson famously effective in his youth as a left-sided forward for Zorah FC).

Amazing. Who was signing off these players, and on what basis? Cornet, Fraser, BBD just stopping Sam A-A getting minutes, utterly ridiculous.

I didn’t think I’d see a worse left winger than Fraser or BB-D this season, but credit to Cornet, he’s done them both.

Jesus, I thought someone was posting that he was back training.

I think Solak sees being an owner in the PL as useful when negotiating rights for PL football deals in Central Europe. From memory, his broadcasting company lost the PL rights in Serbia having fallen out with the Govt there, so I always assumed he bought Saints as a way of influencing future TV deals in that region and usurping the Serbian govt. influence. The French club ownership is (I imagine) a vehicle to access the African player market more readily as part of their player-trading plan. They probably see some potential in the Turkish market independently (big population etc), and also owning a PL side helps their status there. I'm sure there's a plan for the Group. I'm astonished at how incompetent their management of our football planning and operations has been (and how costly). Solak must be spitting feathers. Ankersen has been predictably wily in distancing himself from the UK ops.

I think RM being out-thought in-game is one major issue - we've had decent spells in games (Newcastle pre-their red card; Ipswich (sort of); Leics for 60 mins; Utd for 30 mins). But once the tide has turned, RM hasn't shown any ability to react - or even better, to pre-empt it by adjusting our approach. The refereeing was appalling on Saturday. The squad is poor. The coach is not showing sufficient ability to manage a game for 90 minutes. We can only do something about one of those things. To do nothing would be remarkably stupid.

Jon Moss against (I think) West Brom. Or was it Villa? Both probably. He really was a fat useless cunt.

It may have been triggered automatically by promotion? That wouldn't have seemed an unreasonable clause when they were originally negotiating his contract? Even post-promotion, and with the additional duties bestowed on RM by SR's utterly bizarre and incompetent decision to not have a D of F in place, it probably was necessary to avoid RM spending the summer assuming he was a lame duck. It's annoying in hindsight as this was always a likely scenario, but would have been very difficult to a) not reward achieving promotion and b) expect RM to take on additional duties normally carried out by D of F without the reward of a new contract. Luckily for Phil and Henrik, Dragan picks up the bill. Again.

I think you mean Jaboc Neepstrur. Loose lips sink ships.

Appreciate the need for confidentiality re name. Just to keep it that way and so it can't be deciphered by outsiders, can you let us know if the new guy's name is an anagram of Ramsus Anserken?

What’s the criteria? If it’s pragmatism; developing young players; decent Prem record; would realistically join us - then yes I would. The pool won’t be large.

It's a very good question, and the biggest obstacle to recruiting a replacement. Firstly, SR need to be clear on that their project is, and Parsons etc would need to be convincing in selling this to candidates. As far as the coach's style, I don't think SR can have a pre-empted idea as there are no football experts on the Board (The Omniscient One excepted, obvs) and our managerial appointments to date have been at pretty much each end of the spectrum. So frankly, the coach just needs to have a track record in pragmatism and a willingness to develop youth, whilst having resilient shoulders for the next 30 PL games to come. Edwards satisfies each of those, at least.

Maybe we should get Luton’s DofF to replace ours too…….oh, hang on…..

I wondered about him too. Luton over performed under him, and he openly commented about how he altered his natural coaching style to get the best out of the squad who had been used to a more direct style under Jones. A coach who alters his own style to suit the players around him rather than being obsessed with a singular philosophy……..manna from heaven.

Please for Gazzaniga. Ah, the days when we used to buy promising young keepers as back up rather than first choice.

As well as an imbalanced and inadequate squad, the lack of Director of Football must be leaving RM feeling isolated. He only has Phil Parsons ("I didn't realise how difficult PL transfers would be") and his own subordinate coaching staff, which seems deficient and dysfunctional. This is on Kraft, Ankersen and to a degree Solak. Whether RM can compromise his footballing beliefs to build a pragmatic team is open to question, but seems unlikely given his track record elsewhere. But the Board need to look at themselves over their record of Football Director appointments and refusal to bring one in after Wilcox, their managerial appointments and the inadequate squad they have allowed to be assembled. I have very little faith in their ability to build a proper football structure.

Any more managerial masterstrokes up your sleeve, oh Miner of Purest Gold?

And also, we're going to lose most weeks, don't be a knob to the local Press when they try and do their job and ask you questions.

I'm pleased you didn't include Bazunu in that consideration.